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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
June 20, 2007
/ 4 Tamuz, 5767
Stranded on Delta: They may love to fly, but it certainly doesn't show
By
Rod Dreher
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A lot of things go through a 40-year-old traveler's mind when he wakes up at 4 a.m. on a metal grate in a woebegone corner of New York's JFK Airport. Things like: Where's the &!#@% Advil? And: If ravenous tubercular weasels gnawed the hearts out of Delta Airlines executives, wouldn't that be simultaneously an act of cannibalism and of justice?
I was one of a planeload of Dallas-bound passengers last Sunday night whose flight was canceled after spending five hours on the tarmac. The delay was not Delta's fault. But inasmuch as Delta and other airlines a passenger's rights coalition last week cited American, United and US Airways as being egregious offenders are finding themselves in this situation more and more this awful summer, here are a few hints that might keep customers from devoutly wishing for the airlines' demise:
Water us. Five hours on a plane with only a cup of water per person, and no other fluids offered? Come on.
Have a contingency plan in place for these situations. Taking passengers back to the terminal at midnight and telling them that they're basically on their own for the evening is unconscionable. The other night, those with financial resources and the wherewithal to leave found their way to hotel rooms, at considerable extra cost and trouble. Most of us slept in the airport. We begged for water and food, all the shops in our terminal being closed. Finally some Delta employees appeared and desultorily dumped warm water and packaged snacks on the floor, along with blankets, then slunk off.
Hire competent staff. One poor passenger had held on the phone with Delta for two hours to rebook his flight, only to be told that he had to speak to someone in person at JFK. So he waited in line for ages, only to be told that he had to rebook his flight by telephone! There were countless stories of contradictory information being given to passengers by airline employees.
Hire human beings. We were all in a rotten situation that night. Delta's people didn't want to be there, and neither did the rest of us (and nobody wanted to be near the slobby passenger with the thick New York accent, who apparently believed that repeating the F-word loudly and liturgically would change our lives for the better). It was astonishing, though, to encounter over and over again airline employees who acted as if we passengers had ruined their evening by our miserable existence. A little empathy would have gone a long way at that hour.
I did encounter a few saintly Deltoids, bless their hearts. But for me, the face of Delta Airlines will always be the snotty woman manning the check-in desk in Terminal 3 on Monday morning. After spending the night on metal grates in Terminal 4, where we'd eventually been sent by Delta in search of food, a Richardson passenger and I decided to return to Terminal 3. Our flight home was set for 7 that evening, and we hoped to check in early. We approached Cruella de Delta, showed our tickets and asked for boarding passes.
She sniffed that check in wasn't possible until six hours before the flight. Which meant we'd have five more hours to sit on the floor, or on metal chairs, and spin.
"But we've just spent the night sleeping on grates," I pleaded. "All we're asking is that you let us in so we can sleep on the carpet."
"I am sad for you," she replied sassily, to us problem children. "But that's not my fault." Snap!
After that, I'd ride a bony-backed mule to my destination before I'd give Delta my business. You simply can't treat customers that way. I didn't pay $1,800 on a plane ticket, endure a 49-hour journey home, and end up spending the night on a grate only to be condescended to when requesting an upgrade to a carpeted floor.
Delta handled the situation badly, but the congestion that caused the initial problem wasn't the airline's fault. The Department of Transportation recently announced that airline flight delays are at their highest number since the government began keeping track in 1996. Congress has got to spend the billions it's going to take to upgrade our antiquated air traffic control system. And this crazy airline overbooking policy has got to end. On the other hand, I'm all for a passengers' bill of rights, but I'm also in favor of consumers paying more for tickets to compensate airlines for providing decent amenities food, water, a cot to stranded travelers.
This is going to be a miserable summer for air travel, with sprawling terminals serving as Dante-esque cities of woe. Abandon hope all ye who enter here and don't forget the Advil.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Rod Dreher is assistant editorial page editor of the Dallas Morning News and author of the forthcoming "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum).
PREVIOUSLY
06/13/07: When did conservatism start to mean never having to say you're sorry?
05/08/07: PBS darling gets abused by PC police
05/02/07: Impervious to beauty and deadened to depravity
04/20/07: What I know about being a loner
10/28/05: How the conservatives crumble
© 2007, The Dallas Morning News,
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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