Your Friday travel update
This week was the most intense that we have had on our project. On Wednesday, we had our second "milestone" meeting with the executives, and the week leading up to this meeting was grueling, with most of the team working 12+ hours last Saturday and Sunday (not me).
So, this Thursday, I got to sleep in and leave early for the airport. Time I left the office for O'Hare: 2:30 pm Thursday. Time I arrived at the Radisson in Manhattan: 3:15 am Friday. Technically, it's not quite 12 hours of actual travel because of the time change.
The only good thing about the wait at the airport was that I treated myself to a bag of Chile Picante Corn Nuts. MMM... brought me back to my childhood, to which Corn Nuts provided a solid foundation. While on the plane, it really hit me that I don't like United. It's old and staunchy (sp?). It's like the GM or Ford of the airline industry. When you fly United, you get the feeling like the company is set up for the benefit of business class and first class travelers, and that the rest of us are really just there as a necessary evil. It's little wonder that, in an era of high consumer strength, United is doing so poorly compared to other, smaller, more attentive airlines.
Phone pic of my view sitting and waiting for our pilots to arrive.
Of the last 5 United flights that I have had where I tried to use the headphones to listen to the in-flight entertainment, 4 of them have not worked at all or not worked well. Last night, I had to hold the headphone plug with my hand at just the right place in the jack so that I could hear the same "The Office" episode that they have shown since I started flying in June (it was old then). The girl behind me stole my pillow. I don't use the pillow and didn't really care, but she tried to be slick about it and slide it out from between my seat and the window. She did it little by little, and it took her the whole flight to finally get it out. As we unboarded, I saw her put it in her large purse. You have to be pretty pathetic to steal a pillow from a fellow airline passenger, then steal it from the airline.
The only nice part of the flight was that there were some big thunderstorms just south of us as we flew through NY airspace. You could see the lightning in the thunderheads in the middle of the night. It was a really spectacular show that we got to witness from a safe distance.
As I stood in line at the Radisson to check in (yeah, a line, at 3:15) I realized that it would be really nice if hotels had check-in kiosks like airports for frequent travelers. Just walk in, swipe your credit card, confirm the room rate, and out pops your key card. That would be really nice. It is a true test of one's patience to stand for 15 minutes in line while someone tries to wrangle $10 off their rate after you have traveled for 11 hours.
I will end this post with the Siemens induced weekly inspiration that fills my life. I am quite sure I know how most of you will react to it:
Phone pic of the poster hanging in the office a few feet in front of my desk.
posted by Andrik @ 6:35 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I'm flying United today. Excited about office episode. Not excited about possibility of pillow stealing, exceptionally delayed flights or missing pilots. Also not excited about this week's inspirational message :)
I agree about UniTed; the only reason I fly them is because they tend to have reasonably inexpensive and conveniently scheduled flights out of SFO to O'Hare and Dayton, which are the only places I fly on any sort of regular basis. I suspect they cater to business/first class travelers because they really do make most of their money from them. They could do a better job of pretending they care, though.
I've been flying American more recently, if for no other reason than they tend to have more legroom. But if I get stuck in the back 3 rows of a super 80 again, I may rethink that. Nothing says "comfort" like having the starboard engine 3 feet from your head.
Don't even get me started on that poster. Like I always say, you can never trust anyone named "Bertrand".
Jen update:
Her flight from O'Hare was mysteriously delayed, and now she is in danger of missing her connection in Indy. Who is she flying out of O'Hare? Untied.
I'm sure that if I were in the airline industry, I would be able to talk about the industry's limitations and the real challenges that face the airlines daily. But, the bottom line as a consumer is that I don't care. It's a service industry and by that alone, it should provide that service well.
We'll see if I have any better luck with Amtrak tonight on my way to Boston.
Text your words of encouragement and support to Jen, who sounded nearly homicidal when I talked to her earlier.
I agree with Andrik on everything. And I agree with Beanie on everything too, except that I love the Super 80, and I'll hurt you if you ever slander her again.
It's a proven fact: coach class passengers (American enterprisingly calls it the "main cabin," a nice euphemism for "steerage") are scum. The lowest of the low. On transatlantic flights, the first- and business-class passengers are subsidizing almost every single person in the back of the bus. It doesn't excuse the lack of service, although the airlines certainly wish it did.
If you've ever flown a foreign airline, the service - even in coach - is amazing. When I flew British Airways from Manchester to London, the scheduled flying time was 28 minutes. We got a hot breakfast with a complimentary "breakfast cocktail." Last month I flew American Eagle from Miami to Key West, a scheduled flying time of 35 minutes. As we left the gate, the flight attendant announced that "due to the short duration of today's flight, we are unable to offer you inflight service. Thank you for your understanding."
Basically, US airlines - with United at the front of the herd - have bought into the mentality that American consumers are driven only on price, and that no matter how much they slash amenities or how much your flight is delayed, you'll keep coming as long as the price is right. Personally, I think that's total bunk - look at the hotel industry, which is pulling out all the stops, adding fluffier beds and fancier toiletries and more attentive busboys and PROVING that people will pay a premium for a valuable experience.
Of course, even in first class, the US airlines are always ranked at the bottom of the barrel for service. You can blame THAT on union contracts, which put seniority ahead of performance, so that on your most prestigious flights (Chicago-Tokyo or Chicago-London) you have the oldest, frumpiest, least service-oriented cabin crew serving the passengers who have paid the most to fly. And it doesn't matter if they give lousy service, because they're protected by a union no matter how nasty they are.
I'm a die-hard American Airlines customer, but the problem is just as endemic there as it is at United. In short, the US airline industry is fucked up, but I still love it. And I could write many more paragraphs telling you why, but I won't.
Final update from me: Would have made my connection in Indy, by about 2 minutes. However, the flight from indy to boston was delayed two hours for weather reasons. The US Airways staff in Indy were actually apologetic, but nevertheless had to announce that the lavatories on the plane were only to be used in emergencies because they were unable to unload their sewage at Indy b/c the Indy trucks were full. Which dispelled my long held belief that the contents of the toilet are propelled into the atmosphere.
Interestingly, I ran into Evan in Indy, but not until I was boarding my flight. Still very random.
In contrast to United, my US Airways return flight from Boston not only landed early in Chicago, but the attendants on the plane took rotations to get breakfast off of the plane instead of all going at once so that I could stay on board during a layover in Philly and sleep rather than deplane and reboard 45 minutes later. That's quality service!
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