I was flying from Memphis, through Pittsburgh, on my way to ABE to attend my uncle’s funeral. I was not in a particularly cheerful mood, especially since he was my only uncle and I loved him a lot. USAir had upgraded me to 1A and the flight was uneventful, although delayed out of Memphis because […]
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This happened to a friend, Carl. He took his window seat. All of the passengers watched as a rather large gent walked down the aisle carrying two seat belt extenders. Yes, he sat next to Carl, pushing himself into the narrow seat with great difficulty and pinning Carl against the window. Carl pressed the stewardess […]
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This is the tale of our return trip from Germany to Pittsburgh in June of 2008. 6:30am – wake up in Heidelberg 8:30am – arrive at Frankfurt airport, 2.5 hrs before departure. Plenty of time, lines at the check-in counter aren’t long, so far so good. As we check in, we’re told that one of […]
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Several years ago, I was flying on a smaller prop plane across TX. Not too many passengers on board, and the weather was choppy enough to be uncomfortable. During the flight, the pilot comes back and sits next to an attractive woman flying alone. “How has she been?,” he asks. Turns out they dated several […]
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Continental Flight 512 (EWR – POP Newark, NJ to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) 1/22/09 We arrived in Puerto Plata only to circle the airport for about an hour and a half. No updates were given by the crew. Finally the pilot said we were diverting to Santo Domingo airport because the cloud level was too […]
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With the closing of yet another year, it’s that time to look back at the flying hell events that took place in 2008. Increased costs for services increased passenger frustrations. Packed overhead bins, due in part to charges for checked luggage, added to the despair. The TSA came under fire, including from a woman upset […]
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In 1993 I was headed from Tucson to the American Library Association conference in New Orleans. I was ticketed on a flight that stopped at DFW where I was to change planes on to New Orleans. About an hour after takeoff from Tucson the captain announced that because of severe weather surrounding DFW the airport […]
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This was the proverbial flight from hell that put me off flying for several years. Back in the mid 80’s I was returning to Calgary from Ottawa during a long cold winter. Waiting to board I watched them de-ice the plane as it must have been at least -20C. Once on board there seemed to […]
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I don’t fly much, maybe two or three times a year tops. I flew to Florida this year to be in my best friend from high school’s beach wedding in June. I flew with Air Tran from Philadelphia and I had a stop in Atlanta. I should say here I NEVER have any issues at […]
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On July 1, 2007, I was on American Airlines flight 2200 from Seattle-Tacoma to Dallas/Fort Worth on a Boeing 757. As we boarded the flight, I looked forward to taking some good pictures. My sister and mom decided to switch with me and my dad, which would prove consequential. I objected, but all three disagreed, […]
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American Airlines LGA to West Palm Beach March 27, 2008 Flight #1229 8:25AM Last week I had the misfortune to be on your flight from JFK to WPB. I was seated in seat 23B right behind two men (row 22 seat A & B) that also boarded in NY. They were part of a group […]
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To: United Pilots From: MEC Communications Re: Profiles of Leadership As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, we should all take a moment to reflect on what makes great leaders — not only the leaders of our nation, but those leaders who make a difference in our everyday lives. At United Airlines, there are managers and there […]
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Leadership In The Skies
February 8, 2008
in Flying Hell Commentary
To: United Pilots From: MEC Communications Re: Profiles of Leadership As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, we should all take a moment to reflect on what makes great leaders — not only the leaders of our nation, but those leaders who make a difference in our everyday lives. At United Airlines, there are managers and there […]
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