It really is easy to rant about the airline industry.
Damn the airlines, again. If the security hassle isn’t enough then try guessing when your flight will take off. Or, in my case, if your flight is delayed you better have your eyes glued to the monitor waiting for a status change.
Before the delayed flight debacle let me tackle the security one. Some may say that I am a survivalist or maybe just a forgetfulist. Forgetting is human nature. So I left a $50 pocket knife in my bag and that set off the flags. My flight was due to depart in minutes. I had 2 options, give up the knife or check it somehow, I didn’t check any bags but if I did they would be on their way to the airplane. Given the time I only had one option. Yea I lost it, a knife I had through 10 years of boy scout camps and numerous fish guttings. Goodbye.
I asked if I could pick it up on my way back but the TSA personnel said they could not keep it and if they did they would have a stock pile. So comes back to my point that forgetting is human. This sounds like a good opportunity for a hurting industry. Why not offer a reclamation service say for $5/item. Issue a ticket stub and attach that to the item and the person can claim their item on the way back or leave an address and have it mailed. Some airports do have this mailing service but you have to go back out of security points and use a kiosk to mail the item. And then there is a size requirement. The airline industry is obviously hurting, other than Virgin, because they offer a unique service. Food and WiFi.
So the other arcane thing that happened on my trip was during my transfer. I was set to transfer at Minneapolis. I arrived and checked the monitors for my transfer flight, since it was not on my boarding pass, why? probably another arcane arrangement between airports. Anyway, the monitor said that my flight had been delayed until 1:30pm. It said new departure time, 1:30pm. This is NWA by the way, oh and they are now Delta. Just to confuse you so when you drive up to the airport departures don’t look for NWA. Anyway, another issue. Well, Great I thought, I have time for lunch. I had lunch and left for the gate just after 1. Looking at the monitors on the way this flight was not there anymore. Yup it left before the posted departure time. yea, WTF? after tracking down someone to explain this to me they informed me that “yea they do that, you have to keep watching the monitor” Well their was no monitor or clock for that matter in the lunch spot, Rock Bottom Brewery. The airline did have my mobile number, they could have sent me a txt msg.
Airlines are becoming the most heartless self absorbed uncaring industry in this country. I hate flying and this will be my last flight. It shouldn’t be this way, traveling 30,000 feet in the air should be a fun experience. Not a butter cookies and water, cramped seats sickening experience.
anyway, I probably will never fly again. Ground transport I’m sure will have other issues but none so dehumanizing. I mean you don’t have to strip down, remove shoes, belts and be frisked on trains…yet.
