Shakes On A Plane
The one thing I miss most about my morning Radio Show is the ability to rant and rave about something that pisses me off. I have rarely done so here on my blog, but this takes the cake. In case you missed it, a huge snow and ice storm shut down a number of NYC airports, stranding passengers. At least two airlines, Jet Blue and Delta, in several cases, wouldn't even let the passengers off the f'ing plane. For between 8 and 11 hours!
Yep. You heard it right. 11 hours on a fucking plane that is sitting either at the gate or on the tarmac.
Now, I don't know if you've ever been on a grounded plane for a long time. I had a 2.5 hour ordeal last year where I was stuck next to a smelly, sweaty 400 pound guy who was 1/3 of the way into my seat. We sat there on a boiling hot plane, taxied away from the gate, waiting for takeoff. And of course, they couldn't or wouldn't tell us why.
By the way, one of the airline's dirty little secrets is that if they taxi away from the gate on time, the flight is considered "on time" even if it doesn't take off. Ridiculous.
So imagine being stuck in that cramped space, breathing recycled air (even though Jet Blue reportedly opened the door a couple of times to let some air in. How nice.). If you have ever travelled with children, just try and imagine THAT.
The point of the story, is that this behavior is reprehensible. My personal opinion, is that it is criminal and someone from Jet Blue and Delta should go to jail. Maybe not for a long time. Even a couple of days. Or, how about 8 to 11 hours just this once, to make the point. It could be the pilot (the airport is blaming the Jet Blue pilot. Jet Blue is just playing dumb about it all.) At some point here, you are holding people against their will, and that is a criminal act.
I've read a lot of proposals for an Air Traveler's Bill of Rights. A lot of these ideas are pretty damn whacky and protect idiots who get drunk and punch flight attendants. Further, they ask for ridiculous amenities that would drive ticket prices up by a factor of 4. But one I heard today was pretty interesting. It basically said:
1) If a flight hasn't taken off in 2 hours and passengers are not allowed to deplane, the staff must pass out sanitary supplies like wetnaps and the bathrooms must be sanitary and accessible. Handicapped passengers must be attended to and offered the right to deplane.
2) If a flight hasn't taken off in 3 hours, passengers requesting to deplane MUST be permitted to do so. Passengers will be refunded 150% of their ticket price. (By the way, that is almost impossible to enforce a refund due to the nature at which tickets are purchased. The important point is the first sentence.)
3) If a passenger is separated from their luggage for more than 12 hours (due to lost or misdirected luggage) then the airport or airline is required to provide standard toiletries.
And it goes on and on. The important point is the ability to deplane. Hell, three hours is a long freakin' time but you at least have to consider that the window for take-off is such that it would take another 30 minutes to get everyone back on the plane.
Service on airlines has just gone in the toilet. I have at least 5 trips in the next couple of months and whereas I used to enjoy, then not mind flying, I now loathe it. Sitting 8 hours on a plane would probably drive me straight to a Greyhound station.
I'm dead serious. I wasn't on that plane but I empathize with what those people went through. I would be screaming for a pound of flesh right now. And another bag of peanuts.
Yep. You heard it right. 11 hours on a fucking plane that is sitting either at the gate or on the tarmac.
Now, I don't know if you've ever been on a grounded plane for a long time. I had a 2.5 hour ordeal last year where I was stuck next to a smelly, sweaty 400 pound guy who was 1/3 of the way into my seat. We sat there on a boiling hot plane, taxied away from the gate, waiting for takeoff. And of course, they couldn't or wouldn't tell us why.
By the way, one of the airline's dirty little secrets is that if they taxi away from the gate on time, the flight is considered "on time" even if it doesn't take off. Ridiculous.
So imagine being stuck in that cramped space, breathing recycled air (even though Jet Blue reportedly opened the door a couple of times to let some air in. How nice.). If you have ever travelled with children, just try and imagine THAT.
The point of the story, is that this behavior is reprehensible. My personal opinion, is that it is criminal and someone from Jet Blue and Delta should go to jail. Maybe not for a long time. Even a couple of days. Or, how about 8 to 11 hours just this once, to make the point. It could be the pilot (the airport is blaming the Jet Blue pilot. Jet Blue is just playing dumb about it all.) At some point here, you are holding people against their will, and that is a criminal act.
I've read a lot of proposals for an Air Traveler's Bill of Rights. A lot of these ideas are pretty damn whacky and protect idiots who get drunk and punch flight attendants. Further, they ask for ridiculous amenities that would drive ticket prices up by a factor of 4. But one I heard today was pretty interesting. It basically said:
1) If a flight hasn't taken off in 2 hours and passengers are not allowed to deplane, the staff must pass out sanitary supplies like wetnaps and the bathrooms must be sanitary and accessible. Handicapped passengers must be attended to and offered the right to deplane.
2) If a flight hasn't taken off in 3 hours, passengers requesting to deplane MUST be permitted to do so. Passengers will be refunded 150% of their ticket price. (By the way, that is almost impossible to enforce a refund due to the nature at which tickets are purchased. The important point is the first sentence.)
3) If a passenger is separated from their luggage for more than 12 hours (due to lost or misdirected luggage) then the airport or airline is required to provide standard toiletries.
And it goes on and on. The important point is the ability to deplane. Hell, three hours is a long freakin' time but you at least have to consider that the window for take-off is such that it would take another 30 minutes to get everyone back on the plane.
Service on airlines has just gone in the toilet. I have at least 5 trips in the next couple of months and whereas I used to enjoy, then not mind flying, I now loathe it. Sitting 8 hours on a plane would probably drive me straight to a Greyhound station.
I'm dead serious. I wasn't on that plane but I empathize with what those people went through. I would be screaming for a pound of flesh right now. And another bag of peanuts.
posted by Mkae at
9:56 PM
1 Comments:
I was in San Diego as the storm was heading towards NYC. I happened to get an obscenely early flight (missing a day of the conference) and I managed to get into JFK before the storm hit, but people flying in the next day couldn't get in. Some folks from my lab are still in San Diego. Fortunately nobody was flying JetBlue on that dreadful day, though.
By
Hayden, at 9:07 AM
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