To pick up my whining where I left off in the last post...can I talk for a minute about the airlines?
The worst part is, this conversation is a vicious circle:
1) Airline customer service, business plan, operations, baggage handling, scheduling, rescheduling, etc., is shamelessly pathetic. In fact, it borders on irresponsible. The day when the industry is finally regulated by the government and travelers have rights can't come soon enough. I hate flying, and I'm not giving the airlines my money anymore.
2) But I have a cousin's wedding in Florida. Every one's going. I can't be the only jerk who doesn't show because I don't feel like dealing with the Russian Roulette we call traveling these days.
3) I'm sitting in an airplane in Panama City, FL, which has an airport so small there is no direct flight from Denver. We have a connection in Atlanta. Any experienced flier knows that connections are usually the place where the problems occur. Sure enough, Atlanta is experiencing heavy storms. We are grounded- in the airplane of course- for the next 40 minutes. Finally in the air, and now, still due to the storms, we have to circle the airport for another 40 minutes. We only have enough fuel for that long, so we may be diverted to Columbus. Miraculously we land in Atlanta, 30 minutes after our connection left. How, pray tell, did our connection leave- ON TIME!- when we have been circling the airport?!
We are scheduled for a 6:20 flight the next morning, with no hotel offered. So we get on the standby list for 9:55 later that night, which is of course delayed...and delayed more...and delayed more...and at this point the crew of the flight has been working too long- at least they have some rights- and so they are calling in a new crew...so yes, the flight is delayed more, scheduled for 2:30 am. Also it is, for whatever reason, about 43 degrees in the airport where we sit for more than six hours. Delta has left one poor soul to keep delivering bad news and no blankets, but only "our apologies." How about some kind of compensation for this ridiculous inconvenience?! No they can't control the weather, but rain is pretty common. You mean to tell me, this is your only plan?! And why are your idiot customers- myself included- still keeping you in business?!?!
Why because they've got us by the short hairs, don't they. All the airlines run a miserable business so there is really no need to improve to keep up with competition. And we're not going to stop traveling. The airlines themselves are all near or in bankruptcy, their staff is overworked and abused, and the customers pay a lot of money and may or may not receive a quality service. We are in a mutual love/hate relationship at the moment.
We arrive at the Denver baggage claim about 5:15 the next morning. I am too tired and worn down to care that my bag even arrived- always a pleasant surprise- much less that it is completely soaking wet, apparently left in the torrential downpour in Atlanta for 6 hours. Perfect.
4) After this top-5-worst-travel-experience-ever, I swear I am never giving Delta, or any other airline my money! I am done with traveling!
5) But next weekend I'm flying to Dallas, and then Lilly's 1st birthday is in August, and my grandfather's service is in October, and then Thanksgiving, and then...
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