Jet Blues and Lilly's First Flight
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at 16:29 Flying used to be fun. I starting flying when I was 9 years old. My mother and father dragged me and my brother around Europe for 3 long hot months. We flew KLM. The Dutch airline treated us like family. I understand that things have changed just a bit since those times, but today airlines make you feel like a criminal once you are on their plane. Especially flying domestic. 
I flew home from South Florida yesterday. My flight was supposed to be leaving at 5:10 p.m. I figured it might be a little late so I called ahead as I usually do. The departure time given to me was 7:25 p.m. I checked my bags and went to grab something to eat.
Got back to the airport at 6:00 p.m. and the departure time had slipped again to 7:50 p.m. Once on board Lilly and I sat down. The airline had made a big deal about bringing vet papers for Lilly, but when I started to hand over these papers the only thing the clerk wanted to know was if Lilly's ticket was bought. I put the papers away. I could have had a cat with rabies or even bird flu. They did not even look into Lilly's carrier, she could easily have been a baby tiger or alligator.
The flight attendants forced me to shove her way under the seat in front of me. Her carrier would only fit half way under. I thought they were going to ask me to leave the plane since my kitty would not fit completely under the seat. I squished her under the best I could. With all Jet Blue's recent public relations blunders, they were not about to give me any trouble. I had already started to feel like I was in a tube of toothpaste flying through space. A pillow, please ? No pillows, we don't have them anymore. How about a blanket? We don't have those anymore either.
Food? Yes, we have animal crackers, chocolate chip cookies and chips. So now it's been 5 hours since we have all been at the airport and nothing to make us feel like it was worth the wait. Just a bunch of idiots who order us to behave as if we were back in nursery school, while at the same time pretending to be nice and happy about this treatment/abuse. So pathetic that this is what flying has become. Ridiculous rules, nursery snacks, and rest time without pillows and blankets.
We hit high winds as we approached landing in Newark Airport. Someone vomited. The entire plane starts to stink and I almost get sick myself from the smell. I may try Amtrak in the future. We really messed up flight school. Does anyone remember when flying was fun and you were excited to go to the airport, get on the plane, have a good meal (maybe not so good but it was always fun), watch a good movie for free, had a complimentary glass of wine, and meet interesting people. How about the lounge upstairs on the 747? Blaming it on Bin Laden is bullshit. He does not over book planes, cancel planes, reduce leg room, and lie about when a plane is coming and when it is leaving.
It was cold for Lilly when we landed in Newark, 2 degrees below zero with wind chill. I held Lilly as tightly as I could and promised her she would be home soon to meet her brothers, Mangus and Quentin. Mangus hates her, so far.
Reader Comments (1)
I once heard modern flying described as going Greyhound, only without the charm and ambiance. Or maybe I said it myself the last time I flew. You're right; it's not fun anymore.