I kept repeating the 4th verse of the 23rd Psalm as I made my 28 hour journey from Montreal to Lubbock. I’ve complained about the airlines before, so this brief post will just list the lowlights of my trip.
-
-
- We were supposed to return from vacation on a chartered flight. It never showed.
- We took 3 American Airlines flights. Montreal to Philadelphia to Dallas to Lubbock.
- The first had a flight attendant from Saturn who demanded that I and my wife gate check our small bags which were under the seat and in the overhead compartment as prescribed by rule. She would brook no argument or logic and when I was too slow for her taste in removing my laptop from the diminutive bag she threatened to have me arrested.
- Our flight from PHL to DFW was delayed by more than 2 hours because of a mechanical problem. We missed our connection which was the last of the day. We were not offered a hotel voucher.
- The next morning we entered the TSA screening area at DFW to find a female agent screaming I don’t talking loudly (I mean screaming) at a young woman who indicated that she didn’t understand English well enough to comply with the demands of the screener. “I know you understand. I know you understand,” she roared.
- Then it was my wife’s turn. Something about her carry-on attracted the TSA’s notice. They decided to empty the contents of the bag with slow motion precision while telling her to get away when she said she had a right to keep the case within her sight. One more complaint and she’d have been in the lock-up. After 30 minutes of inspection they handed the mess they’d made back to her.
- Our final flight was delayed more than an hour.
-
- So beaten and broken – but still alive, I’m back from vacation, though I can’t remember where I was. As soon as I heal enough to compose something I’ll post new articles assuming my memory returns. The decline of the US can be measured by the willingness of its citizens to accept the brutality of modern air travel.
Had a nice stopover in Johannesburg. After a 17 hour flight you can rent a bathroom for an hour and have a nice bath. Just what I needed. My worst was Gatwick. We landed after circling the channel for hours due to fog. I had waited for relief as the plane toilets were about overflowing. Finally getting to the airport restroom, British coin was needed to use the loo. I only had US money. I ducked in the stall as a lady left. I was totally chewed out by the screaming attendant.