Flight Line Yellow

It seems that over the years, flying has become more and more uncomfortable.  There seems to be less leg room on far too many flights. Ten years ago, I couldn’t stretch out, but now I barely have room to fit my legs in front of me. The size of the seats themselves seem to be smaller as well.  Actually, it depends on the airline. United airlines have terrible seating with no room to move. I avoid United as much as I can. On the other hand, Air Canada has more spacious seating and many flights have an amaaaazing entertainment center for every single passenger.

Also, it doesn’t help that food is rarely served on a flight anymore. You used to get a meal on the plane, which would help pass the time, and take your mind off of things.  Nowadays, you’re lucky to get a bag of peanuts.

In the early days, decades ago airlines really wanted your business and offered many complimentary perks to get you interested. These days, everyone wants to fly but the perks cost money. That Subway sandwich will cost you a few bucks, as will extra baggage, and other things we gotten used to.

The security checks, well, I digress on that for now.

No comments »

According to the New York Times, Delta, Continental, United, Northwest, and US Airways are just about ready to charge people for bringing more than one bag on a flight. Second bags are going to cost $25 and third bags will be a whopping $100! As if airports weren’t already slow and chaotic, now people are going to be complaining more than ever about their flights. Relatively speaking, flying is still somewhat cheap between many North American cities but adding another $100 to the tab is quite a jump. We’ll see how long this lasts once it’s set in place.

1 Comment »

Last year, millions of people flocked to theatres to see “Snakes on a Plane.” The movie was a flop but now there’s something even more interesting…a real live scorpion on a plane! In an even more unusual twist, there were two completely separate incidents this past week or so, involving scorpions and commercial planes.

First, David Sullivan, of Stowe, Vermont, was flying home from Chicago when a scorpion bit his legs. He was taking a nap and it made its way up his pants and bit once on each leg. It wasn’t enough poison to kill him but that’s pretty damn scary! When it was noticed, someone stepped on it. United Airlines offered to pay his medical expenses and gave him a voucher for a future flight.

A second incident involved a Canadian man flying home on American Airlines flight 1552 from Miami to Toronto. Apparently, this time the scorpion crawled into his carry-on bag and once again made his way up the passenger’s leg where it bit him. He was taken off the plane on a stretcher for treatment.

I wonder how many people who saw “Snakes on a Plane” were on board these flights witnessing the action. What could have been going through their minds? Maybe something like “where’s Samuel L. Jackson when you need him?!”

No comments »