Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Flying the Friendly Skies

"We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways."
Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement

United Airlines continues to do its best to make sure your flying experience is worse than taking a bus.

If you travel and need two bags, United Airlines will begin charging you $50 this spring to check a second piece of luggage on domestic round-trip flights. United is leading the charge among airlines to impose a fee for a service that has long been included in the price of a ticket.

Flying means partial disrobing searches, which include removing shoes, belts, emptying purses and this is just for the children. Make sure your baggage is properly organized and neatly folded to make invasive luggage searches easier.

This is all before even getting to the plane. Once on the plane, expect crowding, overhead racks stuff like a Thanksgiving turkey, no meals, no pillows, and no relaxation as you count the hours before landing, if you’re not delayed onboard for hours.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yup, that seals it. If I can't walk, drive, ride a bike, or take a train there, I'm not goin'. Right after my trip to Hawaii this month.

Unknown said...

Amtrak all the way. I remember when getting on a plane was exciting, an adventure, an event. Now it's a headache. We spent 27 hours each way on a train to New York and back for a convention for less than it would have cost to fly (especially when you factor in the cab fare from JFK). and had a blast. It'll have to be something major to get me on a plane now, especially if there's a connection somewhere.

The Misanthrope said...

Hi Teresa, you two are always going some place nice. One of these days I'll get to Hawaii again.

Hi Brian, I took the Amtrak to San Diego recently and it was very nice. A bit slower than driving, but sooo much more relaxing. I would take it on a much longer trip. I think train transportation is very underrated. That is probably a good thing otherwise there would be kids running up and down every where, while parents chatted on cell phones.