Oh, god….please don’t give USAirways any ideas! I have to fly home on them Friday and I wouldn’t put behavior like this past them. I think they find Ryanair inspirational….
At least this does show there is at least one non-U.S. airline as cheap, tacky and undependable as all the U.S. Airlines.
This has to be exaggerated- has to be- but still, it’s not outside the realm of the possible.
From Gizmodo.com:
200 passengers got the shock of their lives when their plane was forced to do a U-turn and head straight back to the airport after their pilot’s window, which had been ‘patched up’ with duct tape, came loose.
Apparently the mental-underachievers in the Ryanair maintenance crew thought that just taping the window down on a jetliner would be a good idea. But according to the Irish Aviation Authority the tape was there just as a precaution to secure a new window seal. One passenger told The Sun:
“We were kept in the dark, and were terrified. I could see guys taping in the windscreen with what looked like duct tape or gaffer tape.”
I’m surprised Ryanair didn’t call the tape a ‘cost-saving measure’, or indeed charge the customers more for the thrill. [The Sun via Aol via Gizmodo UK]
Update: Many readers have pointed out that it was most likely “speed tape” used to patch the window up, which is reportedly stronger stuff than your average duct tape. We can only go on what was reported at the source (in this case, The Sun – not the bastion of facts, as you’re all aware).
What is going on with the Airlines? First, as I previously posted, it was the man who’s luggage was peed in while being handled by Delta. Now this…
It’s getting to be like traveling in a Third World Country….
From AOL News:
A drunk male passenger was caught peeing on a sleeping 11-year old girl on a JFK-bound JetBlue flight on Wednesday.
18-year old Robert Vietze of South Warren, Vermont was on a red eye flight from Portland, Oregon when he started peeing on a sleeping 11-year old girl who was traveling with her sister and father, the New York Post reports.
Vietze was drunk, having consumed eight drinks, and stumbled five rows behind him (presumably towards the bathroom?!) when he started peeing on the girl. The girl’s family was using the bathroom at the time.
“I was drunk, and I did not realize I was pissing on her leg,” the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Vietze told law enforcement.
The unidentified girl’s father caught Vietze peeing on his daughter and started screaming, “F— that kid! I don’t want him near my family!” a fellow passenger told the Post.
Flight attendants separated the father and Vietze, whom they moved to the back of the plane. They also tried to clean up the pee with soap from the bathrooms.
Yet the already exciting flight was far from over. An hour before the plane landed, another passenger started complaining of chest pains and vomited. The pilot addressed the plane, asking “Is anybody on this flight a nurse or doctor? We have a medical emergency.” Yet no one stepped forward so flight attendants worked to keep him calm.
A witness told the Post that the pilots “kept coming out of the cockpit to talk to the flight crew about what was going on.”
Six Port Authority cops greeted the plane when it landed at 6:30am. Two helped the sick passenger while four carted Vietze into custody.
Vietze has been issued a federal summons for indecent exposure.
This is not, surprisingly, the first time a passenger has peed on another under the influence of alcohol. Back in June, a drunk New Zealand man on a Jetstar flight from Auckland to Singapore peed on the plane’s carpet, a man’s leg and a woman’s scarf after drinking whiskey out of Burger King cups with friends. The man, Michael Aitkin, eventually came forward and apologized profusely to his fellow passengers for his actions.
I’m thinking of London, one of my favorite cities, tonight…
I’ve been there about a half-dozen times and I felt at home there from the first moment I arrived. Maybe its genetic memory…
As Samuel Johnson said: “Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
London is having a rough time right now with riots and violence in the streets….
And all I can do is wish her well, remember her fondly, play a few songs and look forward to our next visit, whenever that may be….
Someone at the Delta Airlines and in the U.S. Government needs to step up and speak up about this…all I can think about is Hitler’s special laws for Jews. This is so wrong I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face.
And I am sick of the U.S. Government and U.S. Businesses cozying up to the repressive regime in Saudi Arabia, in general, because of their oil and money.
I’ll never forget Bush, Jr groveling and practically kissing the ring of the Saudi’s and then strolling around happily, literally, hand-in-hand with them when they came to visit him.
Oil and money really are trumping everything else today. That’s got to stop.
Apparently standing up against something that is wrong on principle is a long lost American trait. Now our government and businesses are acting like hookers who’ll lay down and do anything for the right price.
If these are the conditions of doing business with Saudi Arabia, then Delta should be forced to just say no….
Jews and Israelis, or passengers carrying any non-Islamic article of faith, will not be able to fly code-share flights from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia under Delta Air Line’s new partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines that is set to begin in 2012.
Although Delta announced in January that the Saudi airline would join its SkyTeam network next year, the implications of the deal only came to light recently, according to people who have scrutinized the details.
Saudi Arabia, which is governed by strict Islamic law, requires citizens of almost every country to obtain a visa. People who wish to enter the country must have a sponsor; women, who must be dressed according to Saudi standards of modesty, must be met at the Saudi airport by a man who will act as a chaperone.
Saudi Arabia bans anyone with an Israeli stamp in their passport from entering the country, even in transit. Many Jews believe the kingdom has also withheld visas from travelers with Jewish-sounding names.
Religious items such as Bibles that are not related to Islam may be confiscated at the airport.
Colby M. May, senior counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative legal group founded by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, said his office is trying to determine if the agreement runs afoul of U.S. law.
“The very idea that there is a common carrier airline service that would deny an American citizen in America access to their services because they are Jewish or have religious items such as a yarmulke, a cross or a priestly collar, is deeply disturbing,” May said.
May said he is “trying to get answers” from Delta.
“They have not responded in a way that answers the question,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll do so.”
In a statement to Religion News Service on Thursday (June 23), Delta said it “does not discriminate, nor do we condone discrimination against any protected class of passenger in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, or gender.”
The airline, which did not deny the new policy, insisted that it has no control over who may fly to Saudi Arabia.
How about pissing in your luggage? That’s a sure way to ruin a trip…
This guy from Britain had an even worse experience with Delta than I’ve ever had with USAirways. I used to fly Delta and remember them fondly as being much classier and polite than those cattle cars in the sky run by USAirways. This kind of destroys those happy memories of made-to-order Ice Cream Sundies by smiling Stewardesses.
At least USAirways has never used my Tumi as a toilet.
The Summer Solstice is coming up on Tuesday, June 21. I received a link to this amazing video from Celestial Elf in the UK a few weeks ago and promised to share it closer to the Solstice.
It features the words and narration of King Arthur Pendragon, the reigning Druid King of Great Britain, about the Solstice Celebration at Stonehenge.
We were lucky enough to be at Stonehenge on New Years Day a few years ago and it was amazing…
I won’t be posting much the next few days because I am vacationing in New York. We usually do at least 2 or 3 long weekends a year in the City and this is one of them…
I know you’re not supposed to tell people when you are out-of-town, but we have a house sitter and an alarm system, so I’m hoping the alarm will stop them, the pets will attach them and the house sitter will shoot them if anyone tries to break in…I’ll take the chance for some time in New York.
Let me start by saying, for once, the journey up on USAirways was relatively smooth- which is exceedingly rare nowadays. Of course, my expectations are lowered. As long as we get to the original destination within a couple of hours of the scheduled time, without crashing and with luggage, I accept that as the best-case scenario.
Given this, It didn’t faze me that before we left they told us the plane’s bathroom was broken, so if you had to go to the bathroom, go before you boarded. I’m just surprised they didn’t use this as an excuse to cancel the flight. But then, it was a full flight and they probably just wanted the money. If it hadn’t been full, I’m sure they would have canceled.
My biggest issue was that at least a third of my fellow passengers were wearing flip-flops. Those who read this blog know this is a pet peeve of mine- people who wear flip-flops on airplanes and in other inappropriate places. Not to mention on an airplane on a flight to New York City. Doesn’t get much more inappropriate than that- short of the White House.
Who in their right frigging mind would wear flip-flops in New York City? That’s like walking barefoot down Broadway. That’s just nasty, unsanitary and unsafe.
Don’t get me wrong, I love flip-flops, I own flip-flops, I wear flip-flops, but I know when and where to do so. It’s inappropriate use of flip-flops that make me crazy. If the plane crashed, do you want to try to escape through fire and hot metal wearing little pieces of rubber on your feet? If they didn’t fall off on impact? Talk about slack-jawed idiots.
And there are pages of articles on the web about how unsanitary and unsafe it is to wear flip-flops in New York. Just Google “Flip Flops in New York City.”
I’ll rest my case and I’ll try to move on…
After a pleasant cab ride into the City, I got to the hotel and made my first of three attempts to check in.
First, the room wasn’t ready, so I went to lunch. Since I was carrying my messenger bag crammed full of all my electronics: iPod, Bose Headphones, 2 cell phones, MacBook Air and Kindle, I didn’t want to go far. That was too much crap to schlepp all over town.
So, I had to break one of my rules and eat in Mid town. Tourist trap food. Over priced. Not very good. Mid town.
I ate at a trendy little place on 8th Avenue and ordered a Beet and Grilled Shrimp Salad. It was 4 shrimp, 3 cubes of beets and a couple of lettuce leaves for $14.95. Never eat in Mid town unless you know the place or it’s an old diner…..I paid for my sins.
Try two, I actually got my room, but no key cards. The machine was broken so the bellman had to let me in. This was after standing in line for 20 minutes just like the first time. Anyway, I got my room, unpacked and went off to get theatre tickets. I got great orchestra seats for us to “Catch Me If You Can” at the Neil Simon Theatre. Once I got back to the hotel, they had finally fixed the key machine and after a third 20 minute wait in line, I finally had both a room and keys to it.
I settled in to wait for my partner Steve to get here from the East Village where he is wrapping up a seminar at NYU and once he arrived, it was off to the theatre.
I had read mixed reviews of “Catch Me If You Can”, but had seen some scenes on YouTube and the Tony’s broadcast, so we decided to give it a shot. Especially since we had discount coupons.
Another rule: Never pay full price for theatre. Going to the theatre is like flying. On the plane, everyone paid a different price for their seats. Same in the theater. If you know where to look, you can get in for less than the posted price. It’s the only way we can see as many shows as we do. We do have to miss some until they cool off- there are no discounts for “Book of Mormon” right now and we aren’t about to pay $375 for two tickets to a show with no stars. Even we have limits…
Anyway, “Catch Me If you Can” was a delight. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great homage to the spirit of hope and innocence of the early 1960’s. It had a kind of Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin Rat Pack feel. Great choreography. Excellent music and lyrics playing to the various early 1960’s sounds. And uniformly excellent performances- especially by Tony Award Winner Norbert Leo Butz, leading man Aaron Tveit, Tom Wopat and Kerry Butler.
Aaron Tveit should definitely been nominated for the Tony. He carries the show. Norbert Leo Butz, in what is really a supporting role, steals it. Kerry Butler, with the 11 o’clock number stops it and Tom Wopat proves again how far he’s come from the “Dukes of Hazard” to being one of the most consistently excellent actors on Broadway.
The problem was the book. It took a while to draw us in, but about a third of the way through the first act, it had us hooked. There is lot’s of glitz in the first act, but in the second act, it finds its heart and soul. That surprised me as so many shows fall apart in the second act. But in this one, that’s the stronger act.
I really recommend you see this show if you come to New York and are looking for one new musical to see. And if you miss it in New York, see it on tour. This is better than the Critics led us to believe. Just be prepared for a somewhat slow start, then hold on for a great ride in the theatre. You won’t regret it once it gets going…It’s thoroughly engaging…
We saw “Midnight in Paris” this afternoon. This is the best movie Woody Allen has done in years.
I’m not an Owen Wilson fan, but he was very good in this film. Marion Cotillard was luminous. Every time I see her, I am just amazed by both her talent and her beauty. There were too many excellent supporting performances to mention. Beautifully done.
And Paris. This film is a love song to Paris and Allen shows her at her best. After seeing this film, I can’t wait to go back there again…I need to go back there again.
And as an added benefit, which isn’t clear in the trailer, there is a time travel element. You also get to experience Paris in the 1920’s with Hemingway, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali, Cole Porter and Gertrude Stein, among others. And a brief visit to La Belle Époque Paris with Talouse Lautrec and the crowd at Maxims.
If you love Paris, or you love Woody Allen at his best, you will love this film.
Another reason to hate the US Airlines…As if we needed another reason.
But this is truly despicable. Charging checked baggage fees to soldiers returning from fighting in Afghanistan????
Unbelievable…
From Gadling.com:
A team of returning soldiers from Afghanistan was hit with an unpleasant surprise upon their arrival into the United States this morning. The squadron, bringing a full load of gear with them back from the Central Asia was sacked with the baggage fees in place at Delta Air Lines, which, despite the agreement that they have with the armed forces charged the soldiers extra baggage fees.
In sum, the group spent nearly $2800 in baggage fees for their gear, money that had to come straight out of their pockets.
Since we just returned from Ocracoke, I’m posting this News and Observer Article in full in hopes some folks might call their legislators and speak out AGAINST charging a toll on the Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry Route.
Remember, there is no way to reach Ocracoke Island except by ferry and their economy is totally dependent on tourism. Day Trippers, who take the free ferry, are a big part of their income. Not to mention the cost to the locals when they have to leave the Island.
As this article points out, this is really only an extension of the road system in North Carolina…
BY BRUCE SICELOFF – STAFF WRITER
The ferry toll fight is not over for Ocracokers.
Senate Republicans are expected next week to propose that the state collect tolls on all four ferry routes that now are free – including the Hatteras-Ocracoke and Currituck-Knotts Island ferries – and to increase toll rates on three other ferries. The changes would be written into the Senate’s version of the budget.
“The tolls have been fairly low, and they’re just trying to get them up closer to what would be reflective of the current cost of service,” said Sen. Neal Hunt, a Raleigh Republican who co-chairs the Senate Budget Committee. “Not trying to cover the entire cost, but just a little bit more of it.”
The Republican-led House agreed a few weeks ago in its budget proposal to keep the Knotts Island and Hatteras-Ocracoke ferries toll-free. Ferries provide the only link between the two islands and the North Carolina mainland. Ocracokers protested that it would be unfair to make residents and visitors start paying.
Republicans in both chambers want the state Department of Transportation to increase toll collections by several million dollars a year. The House budget proposed to have ferry riders pay an additional $7.5 million a year, part of a push for $160 million in higher tuition, tolls and other user fees.
Hunt said some Senate leaders believe travelers should be charged on every ferry route. He said the Ocracoke and Knotts Island issue probably will not be decided until House and Senate negotiators meet to resolve their differences on the budget.
“That might become a conference item,” Hunt said.
The 40-minute Hatteras-Ocracoke ride is the state’s busiest and most expensive ferry route, carrying 339,000 vehicles a year at a cost to taxpayers of $9.4 million. The Knotts Island ferry serves 25,000 vehicles each year.
Tolls on three routes cover only 7 percent of the cost for all seven ferries. The highway fund, drawn mostly from gas tax collections, pays the rest.
Rep. Tim Spear, a Creswell Democrat, supported the House budget after GOP leaders accepted his amendment to keep the Hatteras route toll-free. Since other North Carolinians can drive to and from their communities without paying for each trip, he said, tourists and residents need a free route to Ocracoke.
“Anything that might discourage tourists from visiting the island, like a toll on the ferry, would be crippling to them,” Spear said Friday. “We don’t have a bridge there. The ferry is just an extension of the highway system.”
Spear said it will take more than the ferry issue to determine his final vote on the budget. He said he also is concerned about sharp proposed cuts to education spending. School buses are among the regular users of the DOT ferry from Knotts Island to Currituck. When the ferry across Currituck Sound isn’t running, drivers travel to the North Carolina mainland on a circuitous trip that starts on Virginia roads.
Rep. Bill Owens, an Elizabeth City Democrat who pushed the exemption for the Knotts Island ferry, said state spending on the ferries – $42 million this year – is about what it would cost to build six miles of highway in the mountains.
“We pave and maintain other people’s highways,” Owens said. “We should maintain the ferries to allow residents to get to their schools and courthouses.”
Ocracoke residents have flooded legislators with phone calls, emails and Twitter and Facebook messages seeking to keep their ferry toll-free.
Rudy Austin, a boat captain and Ocracoke civic leader, said the Republicans who took charge of the legislature this year don’t understand how Ocracoke depends on ferry service.
“I realize that you’ve got a bunch of people up there that’s just been voted in,” Austin said. “And they’re running around like crazy, throwing different ideas around. If they knew our situation and knew how fragile our little economy is, I think they would think differently.”
Lost in the 21st Century 