If you are one of those lucky people whose family gets along superbly, who looks forward to flying or driving to visit family on holidays or special occasions, who can’t wait until the family gets together again, who slid out of the birth canal into a functional family, then stop reading–this article is definitely not for you.
If, on the other hand, you start popping Valium, drinking vodka or meditating obsessively two weeks before you have to go home (or wherever your family convenes), then, by all means, read on.
As we have already reported, bloggers discovered a major TSA security breach earlier this week. There is a lot of posturing going on in Washington with Senators, Representatives and media all expressing outrage. And well they should. Leaks of confidential material are never good, but this one, after examining the material is more of an example of over-classification of material.
We have all come across puzzling things in our travels: things like Limburger cheese and sacred cows in India. Usually we ask, “What the heck is it?” or, “What”s going on?” But there is one item that every American encounters in Europe but seldom has the courage to investigate further. I am talking about the bidet.
The Delta/Northwest story about the pilots overflying Minneapolis last week is in some ways a perfect distracting travel story. Nobody died, nobody was injured. A plane wasn’t even damaged. Like the “balloon boy” hoax of the previous week, it has captured the nation’s attention, and provided a distraction from larger issues such as the economy, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and healthcare reform.
It’s now been reported that on Wednesday night a Delta (Northwest) plane headed from San Diego to Minneapolis overshot its destination by about 120 miles. The two pilots, who were out of contact with controllers for over an hour, blamed the mistake on a heated argument about ‘airline policy’ (never mind that the number one airline policy should be to land where you’re supposed to). Here are 10 reasons they may have missed the airport.
Jay Leno invites Jim Norton to talk about his love of airlines, airports and traveling. Heck, contributors to Consumer Traveler could have written this shtick months or even years ago. This performance is followed by two hilarious Vegas commercials featuring Chincilli Day.
When working at her bookstore, White Birch Books, in North Conway, N.H., which is in the middle of the White Mountains, my daughter Laura gets all kinds of questions from tourists, but this one takes the cake.
We have all faced the indignities of passing through TSA security screening. We know the routine — shoes off, belts off, coats off, sweaters off, cell phones out of pockets, computers out of bags, change tossed into a bin. Here’s a bewildered traveler faced with a devious security screener that will bring a smile to your face.
Heaven knows there are plenty of things to complain about in air travel these days. Why, just last week, the industry got its worst-ever customer satisfaction report, and American Airlines canceled more than 2,500 flights over four days. But some airline complaints are just weird, and in his 20 years as a flight attendant, James Wysong has heard plenty of them. Here are his favorites.
