Air Travel Sucks June 21, 2008
Posted by Michael in Travel.trackback
These days, it seems like something goes wrong with every trip on an airplane. I can’t remember the last time I had a hassle-free round trip. My flight home on American this weekend was delayed for almost two hours due to mechanics having to check on something and fill out a bunch of paperwork when it turned out to be nothing. We pushed back from the gate three frickin’ times before that plane finally made it off the ground. They had to bring a truck to pump in air conditioning while we were waiting. Something like this happens every dang time that I fly.
On top of that, the commissary forgot to load any food for the first class cabin. I want some frequent flier miles back!
Oh well, I guess I should stop whining. It could have been worse.
American Airlines Flight 915 from Miami to Bogota, Colombia, was delayed Wednesday night after a skunk was found in the back of the cargo hold, discharging its foul odor throughout the aircraft, airline officials said.
The skunk was discovered as workers were loading the plane. When crews tried to remove the skunk, the animal released its notorious rotten smell, American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said.
No one was injured, but the odor filtered through the cabin and passengers were taken off the plane.
“I’m sure it smelled real bad in there,” he said.
Imagine showing up for a business meeting, or someplace for your vacation, and all your luggage and its contents smell like skunk.
Uninvited skunk causes stink aboard airliner – Animal weirdness- msnbc.com
Another Saturday night.
Couldn’t be any worse smelling than some flights I took in the Middle East.
I took an Aeroflot plane one time on a trip through Russia when I was in school.
I will never complain about anything involving air travel after that ordeal.
Eddie, many years ago I got to fly on LOT, the Polish national airline. I know of what you speak.
However, the worst flight of my life was from Lima to Cuzco on AeroPeru. It takes about an hour to tell this story properly, but it involved a broken plane in the morning, a sweltering hot gate area throughout the afternoon with filthy child beggars, hookers being escorted on board by the flight crew for the afternoon flight, and a riot on the tarmac when twice as many people tried to board the plane for the available seats.
The riot worked out OK, because I’m about twice as big as the average Peruvian. We started towards the back of the crowd, but we made good headway through the fight with Cathy hanging onto my belt. Still, we only made it on board because a Peruvian family was just ahead of us on the stairway and said we were with them. We had spent the day talking to them; they were living in Cincinnati at the time and spoke English. Cathy and I were the last two people to board that plane. A bunch of angry people got left behind.
So, we made it to Cuzco, which meant we made it to our overnight reservation at the little hotel at Machu Picchu, which has to be booked about a year in advance and which was a really cool experience.
I’m just sayin’, air travel can suck.
Cathy hanging onto my belt…
Your utility belt, I’m sure…
Your utility belt, I’m sure…
Of course. And she was sheltered by my cape.