Air travel observations of a former flight attendant

by Jamie Rhein on

“A gate agent stood on the counter and shouted: ‘Don’t ask us for help! We cannot help you!'” is one of the lines in Ann Hood’s recent and enlightening Op-Ed piece “Up, Up and Go Away” in the New York Times. Hood, now a novelist–her latest novel is Knitting Circle, was a flight attendant back in the day where there were meal choices and the idea that flying was special.

Hood’s essay of comparing and contrasting air travel then and now was prompted by a recent trip she took to Rhode Island where the plane didn’t get her there. It wasn’t exactly the airlines’ fault that she and a few other passengers rented a van in Charlotte, N.C. after they arrived at the airport from Miami for a connecting flight. Upon arrival at the Charlotte airport, they found out there wasn’t going to be a plane to Rhode Island for quite some time. Bad weather had created the snafu. People were facing days of waiting.

Along with looking back on how flying used to be in the good old days, Hood makes an interesting connection between the state of air travel then and now. In the 1970s, when she worked for TWA., there was a fuel crisis and flight attendants had mandatory unpaid furloughs. From what she writes, it seems as though courtesy towards passengers never wavered despite the economy.

From what I gather, Hood thinks that airlines are creating problems by not ensuring that passengers are treated well. In her mind, what good is it if passengers get off of an airplane feeling disgruntled? I have to say that I’ve generally been lucky when it comes to courtesy, although I did have Hood’s experience where the ticket counter folks were nonchalant in their treatment of stranded passengers. I haven’t flown that airlines since then.

There’s nothing worse when travel is not going well when the people who are supposed to help things run smoothly say, “We cannot help.”

At that point I wonder, who will? In Hood’s case, when you’re stranded at an airport, you help yourself.

(The photo by gas_station_sushi is of a TWA airplane in the 1960s.)

Interview with a Retro Stewardess

by Annie Scott on

On my way home to Minneapolis for the holidays, I read this terrific New York Times article by Ann Hood on the good ol’ days of flying.

“I put on my apron with my name across the top, and I smiled at the people who had saved up their money, put on their Sunday best, and chosen T.W.A. It was not so long ago that flying had that civility, that glamour, when flying through the sky really felt like something special.“

Having just braved the modern airways, I sat down with my mom, Barbara Scott (formerly Barbara Center), who was a stewardess for American Airlines from 1967 to 1977. You know, back when they were called “stewardesses.” That’s Mom in the picture, on the left.

Annie Scott: Whoa, Mom, check out that eyeshadow!

Barbara Center Scott: Well the other girl’s is like that, too. Don’t make me sound like a floozy.

AS: Okay. So, Mom, what did you think of that article?

BCS: I thought it was a tad Pollyanna-ish. It was not always glorious. It was sometimes awful.

** To read the rest of the interview, click through the gallery below. **
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All electric vehicles on a large scale may be in Hawaii’s future

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday, Brenda posted about Hawaii’s bicycle sharing system that should be in place by this coming summer. Bicycle sharing is just one way that Hawaii may be on the cutting edge of an alternative transportation system.

There is a plan underway to create a network of several stations where cars totally powered by batteries could be recharged. Batteries could also be “swapped” out at recharging stations if a car owner is in hurry. The idea behind this plan is that with more stations and a quicker method for recharging, people will be more drawn to using electric cars.

According to this New York Times article, the reason Hawaii is being considered for such a venture is because it has favorable conditions for a positive outcome. Fuel costs are generally high in an island economy which makes transportation alternatives alluring. Also, people in Hawaii don’t normally drive more than 100 miles at a time which is less than the distance that the newer electric car currently under construction will be able to go.

This all electric car will be ready for the mass market in 2012. Between bicycle sharing and renting electric cars, Hawaii’s tourists might be less concerned about their carbon footprints.

The photo by McPig is of an electric car being recharged in Italy. The difference between what is currently being used in various parts of the world, and the system proposed for Hawaii is that Hawaii’s network will be on a much larger scale and will be more efficient and effective. That’s my understanding from what I’ve read.

Santa Monica police are cracking down on sit-ups in public places

by Jamie Rhein on

If you have a hankering to start doing sit-ups in Santa Monica, California in a public place, think again. It doesn’t matter if you grunt when you do a sit-up, or rise smoothly with the greatest of ease. There is a ban on such behavior.

Not all public places are affected by the ban on public displays of Pilate’s-like exercises, however. It’s also not for all types of exercise. If you are jogging, running, pushing a stroller or hopping forward on one foot (I added the last one), you are free to get fit.

The ban is only for staying in one place exercises–and only on grassy meridians medians. Being that folks in Santa Monica are such exercise hounds, residents who live around traffic meridians where these calisthenic lovers congregate finally became sick and tired of the commotion and complained.

People who exercise on meridians are not all that quiet –and they litter. Recently, police officers have been stopping people who crouch down for a squat thrust or even a calf stretch. Pick up a barbell and you’re in trouble. If the person who is exercising doesn’t amble away quietly, he or she could be fined up to $158. Of course, considering that Santa Monica is filled with gobs of beautiful people some homeowners who live around the meridians have not minded watching the exercisers one bit and are feeling some disappointment that their early morning entertainment has dwindled.

Because of the meridian exercise ban, people have been using the sides of the streets for their stretching routines. Be on the lookout if you’re driving in a vicinity of a meridian. It would be horrible to hit someone. You might find the most people near the corner of Fourth Street and Adelaide Drive. That’s where the most problematic meridian is located according to this article in The New York Times. That’s where I read about the ban.

There is a court date in January to determine if the ban is legal. The photo was taken at Waikiki Beach, Hawaii where you can do sit ups until the cows come home if you want to.

Travel deals abound for the holidays: Go for that dream vacation

by Jamie Rhein on

The downward slide of the economy is creating an upswing of excellent opportunities for less expensive travel. Because people are holding off on making their holiday plans, the travel industry is cutting prices to attract customers. That’s true whether you are into luxury travel or the budget version.

That’s the buzz as reported in this article from The New York Times. Reading the article is like a trip to the travel candy story.

Want a ski vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming? Other places in the Colorado Rockies? There’s a deal. How about a luxury beach vacation in Bermuda? To St. Lucia? Perhaps Las Vegas entices you. Or Miami. What about Aruba, Mexico or the Cayman Islands? The article outlines details about each.

Sure, you have to have some money in order to plop down dough for a plane ticket and a hotel room in the first place, but bargains range from free nights, and are along the spectrum of several dollars to 30% off. One popular reduced rate offer is that if you stay in a hotel on the actual holiday, the holiday is free. That means if you’re in the hotel for Christmas Day, Ho! Ho! Ho!, Santa has brought you a present.

The hitch is you have to bookend your free night with nights you are paying. Still, bring out the spiked eggnog and give yourself a toast to your good fortune on at least one day of the year. Many deals also apply for Thanksgiving.

The article points out one adage that I’ve also found to be true. Don’t assume a trip is beyond your means unless you check first and check often. If you can wiggle around dates and desires, a vacation could happen.

A couple years ago, we flew to Ft Lauderdale, Florida for much less than it would have cost to drive there, about $160 per person RT from Columbus. I just happened to check airfares on a whim about this time of year and was pleasantly surprised. Our hotel room, complete with an efficiency kitchen, was $75 per night. That flight costs about $100 more today, but I bet the room rate still holds. Ft. Lauderdale does not hit tourist season until after the holidays. If a bargain could happen for us, it could happen for you.