Airlines Archives - Page 372 of 760

Airlines

Continental Airlines flies ten year old girl to the wrong airport

by Scott Carmichael on Jun 15, 2009

About a month ago, we wrote about an airline serving an unaccompanied minor a large cup of coffee. If you thought that was reckless behavior, you are going to be outraged by what Continental Airlines did to a minor traveling under their supervision.

The airline had been paid to accompany a ten year old on a flight from Boston to Cleveland, a pretty simple task, especially since this is just a 45 minute flight.

Sadly, the airline staff are apparently not capable of reading signs, because they put this poor girl on the wrong flight.

Instead of flying to Cleveland, Continental Airlines flew her to Newark. To add insult to injury, they then called her grandparents asking them to come pick her up, even though their paperwork showed an Ohio address and they were calling an Ohio phone number.

It took Continental Airlines 45 minutes to discover their terrible mistake, helped by the fact that 2 grandparents were at an airport to pick up a child who was actually 450 miles away.

Continental refunded the unaccompanied minor fee, and put the kid on a plane to Cleveland within an hour. The whole story boggles the mind – they put a kid on the wrong plane, nobody noticed an extra passenger on the wrong plane, nobody noticed a missing minor on the correct flight, and nobody noticed they had received a ten year old girl at an airport where she was not supposed to be.

As always, this is just one side of the story, hopefully we’ll get a response from Continental Airlines telling their side of the story.

%Gallery-51812%

**Update!!** According to the Boston Globe, it now appears that two unaccompanied minors were lost by Continental Airlines! One young woman was accidentally sent to Fayetteville, Arkansas instead of Charlotte, NC while the other was sent to Cleveland instead of Newark. Whether these happened on the same day at the same gate is unclear right now — the Globe seems to have conflicting statements — but to have lost two minors over any period is surely a disaster!

(Via Consumerist.com)

Galley Gossip: A question about dating pilots – gay pilots.

by Heather Poole on Jun 15, 2009

Dear Heather,

I flew a MIA-JFK yesterday and thought of you. These were the highlights…

Family of 6 in first class made the purser cry
Customer service agent boarded the plane to calm passengers down which caused a late push back
Lady got dizzy and needed oxygen in economy
Lady ran from economy to first class lavatory seconds before take-off
We missed our roll
No kosher meal made a Jewish lady cry
Had to do a “go-round” at JFK
Late arrival
Missed international connections
More yelling passengers

It was a total scene! By the way, can you possibly find a nice pilot for me to date? He doesn’t have to be HOT, just cute enough, and nice…oh and a pilot. LOL

Ron

Dear Ron,

Thank you for thinking of me…I think. I mean that was a crazy flight you experienced and I’m not so sure I want to be connected to that kind of drama. Now if you’d said it was a great flight and you thought of me, I’d be thrilled. But a bad flight? Not good. And that’s exactly why I avoid the NY – Miami route at all costs. It’s always a tough trip to work.

As for finding you a cute pilot to date, I’ll definitely keep an eye out and I’ll pass the word along to my mother who is also a flight attendant. Though that might not be such a great idea, considering one of the worst pilot dates I ever had was a blind date my mother arranged with a 757 first officer from New York. Not that I can pick them any better. My friend Cady, on the other hand, always had good luck with pilots and even married one. Perhaps her husband, an international Airbus Captain based in Miami, can be of assistance.

I have yet to meet a gay pilot – that I know of. Now I know they’re out there because my friend Stephen is dating one. Not to mention, I’ve heard quite a few scandalous rumors in the galley, rumors I will not share with you here, only because they are just that – rumors. That said, I have met a couple transgender pilots and mechanics throughout the years who were more than happy to discuss their experiences, like Jamy Spradlin, who recently regained her wings after the Federal Aviation Administration delayed renewing her flying license for nearly a year as they analyzed her psyche for stability after she started hormone replacement therapy.

Recently I read an interesting book, Cockpit Confessions of an Airline Pilot, by Stephen Gary Keshner. Midway through Keshner discusses what it was like to be a Jewish pilot and why he hid his religion from his coworkers. If Keshner felt he had something to hide by poking fun of his own religion to throw his colleagues off, I can only imagine how gay pilots must feel when talk turns to dating and family. Take it from me, it’s not always easy working with such a diverse group of men and women. Half the time you’re meeting someone new on each and every trip, which means you’ve got to learn quickly how to work together, meshing different personalities in a confined metal tube for hours on end. At least I have the opportunity to escape a coworker I may not be getting along with by working in a different cabin. I can’t imagine what it must be like for pilots, especially gay pilots, who may not feel comfortable sharing details of their personal lives.

On a side note, The NPGA, National Gay Pilots Association, is an organization promoting aviation safety and equal treatment. They provide scholarships to help earn a degree in aviation and access to legal and medical assistance, as well as a social and professional network for gay and lesbian members of the aviation industry, from pilots and students to flight attendants, mechanics, and air traffic controllers.

Another way to find the pilot of your dreams, Ron, is to check out aviation dating web sites like Crewdating.com and Love-is-in-the-air.com. Personally, I’d skip the dating sites and just do what my friend Cady was doing when she met her husband – hang out at Starbuck’s in the airport. You’re bound to run into a ton of crew members grabbing a quick jolt of caffeine before a long flight. I know that’s exactly where I’m going to be before my flight to San Francisco departs tonight.

Good luck with your search and happy travels!

Heather Poole

Have a question? Email me! Skydoll123@yahoo.com

Layover: Washington DC (Reagan)

by Grant Martin on Jun 15, 2009

[Today we’re launching our Layover series, what will soon become a database of ideas and logistics for your next extended layover. We’ll be covering most of the biggest airports in the country and even a few overseas, giving you a great reason to step out instead of staying in during your visit. Check back often over June and July for updates from your favorite layover city.]

One of the best things about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is its proximity to the city of Washington DC. Land at Reagan at 6PM, and you can be at a bar in Dupont Circle by 6:45. At some airports, it takes that long to get out of the terminal.

Given this virtue and the excellent public transportation connecting to it, DCA is fairly easy to escape — even during a short layover. So if the restaurants and entertainment aren’t enough to tickle your fancy at the new Reagan terminals, step out for a bit and breathe the fresh air of Washington DC. Stick around and we’ll show you a few hot spots to hit while you’re waylaid.

Short Layovers (around 2 hours)

Washington DC’s historic metro is the key to any layover from DCA, the comprehensive network of trains serving (almost) all corners of the city. Fares depend on the distance traveled, but for any layover from DCA one can expect to pay less than $3 for a one way trip. Tickets can be purchased at the airport station, which is easily walkable from any part of Reagan.

DCA is located on the Blue and Yellow lines just south of the city, and you can easily connect to the rest of the city from L’enfant Plaza, Gallery Place or Chinatown. On a shorter layover, however, you don’t want to get too far away form the airport, so it’s best to stick with what’s close.

If you’re the shopping type of person, The Fashion Center at Pentagon City is only one stop away to the north. As one of the largest shopping centers in the city, The Fashion Center has your standard mall brands including Gap and The Body Shop. Sure, you won’t get much unique Washington DC culture, but it’s a great way to kill time and pick up some essentials. Depending on train schedules, it takes about 25 minutes to get from terminal to mall entrance.

For your dose of culture, go two stops further on the blue line to Arlington, where you can visit the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery and pay your respects. Entry is free.

Long Layovers (4 hours or more)

With the flexibility of four or more hours in your layover, you have enough time to do many of the things in the city that you could in a normal day. It’s best to cross reference a list of what you want to see against what is best accessible on the metro. Obviously, you wont be able to wait in line to visit the top of the Washington Monument or take a tour of the White House, but walking around the Lincoln Memorial, visiting the Smithsonian Museums or getting a drink in Dupont Circle can all be done in plenty of time.

Here’s a quick list of top destinations and their metro stops if you’re reading this from the airport:

White House: Farragut West, Blue & Orange
Smithsonian Museums: Smithsonian, Blue & Orange
Lincoln Memorial: Foggy Bottom, Blue & Orange
Holocaust Museum: Smithsonian, Blue & Orange
National Archives: Archives, Yellow & Green
Jefferson Memorial: Smithsonian, Blue & Orange
Vietnam Memorial: Foggy Bottom, Blue & Orange
Washington Monument: Smithsonian, Blue & Orange

You can find more hotspots and their respective subway stops over at this handy about.com webpage.

Other Tips

One word of caution about Reagan airport is that security screening can often back up. Make sure you look at the TSA situation on your way out — check to see if there is an elite or first class line, whether things seem to be moving smoothly and whether it’s going to take a while to get through. You don’t want to get to the airport on time but miss your flight while waiting for the x-ray.

Plan your next layover with Gadling’s Layover Guides.

10 passengers we love to hate: Day 10 – Aggressive seat recliners

by Jeremy Kressmann on Jun 12, 2009

Dear passenger in front of me – I appreciate that you’ve taken the captain’s suggestion to “sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.” I’m trying to do the same thing myself. Heck, we’re stuck in this metal tube together with nothing to do but sleep and watch movies for the next several hours. But I gotta be honest – you’re getting just a bit too aggressive with your seat recline.

Sure, I can appreciate that seat recline button is there for a reason. By all means, use it to get comfortable. But you’re reclining that thing like you’re competing for a medal in the X-Games. Was it really necessary to recline your seat back BEFORE we even took off? The flight attendant even asked you to bring it upright for takeoff and landing, but you went and put it immediately back down again. Is that even safe? It’s not like this coach seat reclines into a bed and we’re busting out our pajamas.

And would it kill you to ask me first if you’re going to drop that comfy airplane throne down on my face? You don’t always have toddlers or Verne Troyer sitting behind you. Those of us over six feet tall have trouble even fitting our knees behind the seat, letting alone getting comfortable, and now your seatback is all up in my meager personal business. And forget about using my laptop – with your seatback so aggressively reclined, my laptop is looking more like a giant Dell-brand oyster that’s clamped shut on a pearl. How am I supposed to squeeze my hands on the keyboard?

Maybe I’m just that angry guy who likes to rant for no reason whatsoever. I am kind of cranky today. But I suspect, if you were to ask any other passenger in my position, they would feel the same. It’s a tight space to begin with – cut the rest of us some slack and ask me before you recline that La-Z Boy like it was nobody’s business.

Read about ALL the passengers we love to hate.