Good afternoon from sunny Tampa! After a quick trip to Frankfurt I am visiting my parents in Florida, where the weather is significantly better. 😉 Next week I leave on my dad's big birthday trip, so there will be lots of fun updates from the road. I apologize for the lack of trip report updates…
Continue reading: Weekly Review: November 8, 2014
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Btw Ben, all the new TRs aren't in the Trip Report Index. Cheers and have a nice weekend!
Hey Ben,
Enjoy the blog but multiple identical shots of hotels are getting a bit stale (at least for me). Some observations from someone who flew as a flight attendant for 26 years, then earned not quite a million miles on UA:
Please tell Travis that as a former cabin safety delegate to the Air Transport Association, NEVER subject your children to being a lap child. (Check the accident report on the UA DC-10 in Iowa. In an otherwise survivable crash landing, no human being can hold onto an infant who becomes an unguided missile. Multiple infant deaths on that flight--I believe EVERY infant perished). BA used to offer something called a "belly belt" which was belt within a belt for infants. Research showed that it guaranteed crushing the child when the adult's arms and legs flew forward on impact. Gruesome? Yes. Try answering THAT complaint letter. The ONLY way to travel with an infant is an approved child seat in the window seat. If you can't buy a seat, stay home.
The Asian F/A's with enormous bags on short layovers were buying huge power tools and generators to take home which they could not buy there. Always amusing to see the petite Thai crews in Paris showing off their new power tools and generators at outbound crew customs.
JFK-MIA? It wasn't the worst but if I say more here, I'll be accused of racism. There's not enough space available to relate the bad behavior I've seen, although JFK-PBI was even worse. For starters, people were caught stealing the under seat life vests ("it's for the pool") stealing galley supplies ("what do you care? you can't use this stuff again anyway"). One night at JFK, we had 17 wheelchair requests. I asked the agent how they handled that and he said, "Simple...we don't bring any chairs for 15 minutes. Anyone still onboard really needs one." That said, I put with a screaming elderly woman one night who, when the wheelchair finally arrived, jumped out of her seat, threw her carry-on bag into the chair, and took off like a rocket.
Again, enjoy the blog. Most times you're spot-on.
Best wishes...
Can’t wait for the Qatar A380 trip report and upcoming trip with your dad – especially as we will get updates from the trip almost as they happen. Great stuff.