Another reason to avoid flying
There are a lot of reasons to not fly these days,between the hypersensitive security, the cutbacks on basic services (”No pretzels for you!”), the lost luggage, the ever-increasing wait before you actually get on the plane, and the generally poor customer service.
Now there’s another good reason to drive to your next destination instead of flying : Insane German airline pilots.
Apparently, the pilot thought that a nearby British passenger plane was being flown by a friend. So he broke from his flight plan and attempted to fly close enough to take his friend’s picture, coming within 600 feet. The British pilot–who was not the German’s friend–was forced to take evasive action.
Fortunately, the pilot’s been suspended, but be on the lookout for more German pilots. There might be more of ‘em.
July 16th, 2005 at 10:17 am
I’m on a plane several times a week and I’m always amazed at how well the system works. Unless there are weather issues, I’m nearly always early arriving at the gate. My luggage has never been lost and I rarely have to wait more than a few minutes for it. At several airports, my luggage beats me down to baggage claim. I’d don’t have problems with security. I think the airline employees are saints for dealing with the public as much as they do.
The people I see having problems in security are those who don’t travel often and don’t have a good system for getting through. Yes, much of what the TSA does is senseless and doesn’t make us any more secure, but the staff has clearly been told to be more friendly and personable.
July 17th, 2005 at 3:56 pm
Which airline do you fly?
It’s good to hear that the airline system works better than I thought. I guess it helps to be an experienced traveller too, although I get the general impression that flying is a huge hassle for most people. For most cases, I’d rather just drive.
July 17th, 2005 at 6:58 pm
I’m usually on Northwest, but sometimes ATA, United or American.