Blog-TOWER OF BABEL

Ah, the holidays............ I had to drop an aircraft in Antigua, Guatemala. We had to commercial back. Our flight was to leave at 3 PM. It was delayed due to deicing. 2 hours. we board. ATC delays. 3 hours - flight attendants do not care. They gave me a customs form to fill out, they would not give out a pen. I asked what I should do, they said "that is not my problem" the aircraft was 30 percent full. There was paper all over the floor, they no longer service the lavatory, once in the AM and that is it - nice.

They gave us a steaming strange sandwich. unidentifiable, I was going to get CSI on it. They woke me up to prove i had my seatbelt on. They ran out of headsets. the coffee was really old. another 2 hour delay into Newark, NJ - no explanation. But I could see that the flaps were not coming down. nice. Then no gate , then we had to get towed in.

When I fly commercial, I should charge a fright fee when freelanced. I fell I am in a communist country and have no rights as a citizen. So what would have taken us 4.5 hours, took 9 hours. Will the owners who are selling, losing their jets be up to this task?

On a side note: Thanks for all your support this year and I wish each and every one of you a Happy Holidays.

As an aircrew member, are you fearful and despondent, when you say yes to a trip and then they say you must fly on the airlines to get to the aircraft? me too. I get that sick feeling that i will not be delivered as promised, or I will be in a frayed, FRAZZLED state. On 26 Aug I had to fly on the airlines from Mykonos Island, Greece to Istanbul, Turkey via Athens, Greece. I was in a coma when i got my cab to the airport. The Myknose to Athens part was fine. My connecting flight was accidentally booked 26 sep. 2 hours later, not being able to speak greek, i was ready for the looney bin. 

I was shuttled back and forth between Turkish air and Olympic airlines offices. No one wanted to help me. In Greece, people who have not waited in line, just break the line and start yelling. Then I started yelling. When I fly on the airlines, I am filled with trepidation about lines, mistakes, weather, luggage, being held out on the runway against my will, delays, cancellations, mechanicals, bad food,bad ventilation, bad seating and THE LIES!

Did you hear about the doctor from India who wanted to use the front bathroom on a Southwest flight, and was arrested. The crew thought he was going towards the cockpit, and he was pushed back into his seat, then arrested when he landed and fined 2500.00. He was 65 years old. I know we want to be safe, but situations like these are absolutely ridiculous. And it makes us look like paranoid crew members. He was profiled by the way he looked. I bet if he were 65, white haired, waspy and american, there would be no problem. Dark skin “terrorist”, a problem of society.

 

When I get in line for flight , I look around and see who will have more of a hard time getting thru the flight. The guy in the corner, on ipod from Sri Lanka, the woman from Africa who averts everyone's eyes, the student from turkey fishing around in his boot. sad but true.