More Respect.
The ‘They’ in this case are the Airlines.
Take this past Thursday for instance:
But let me begin first by saying I hate flying- not out of fear – but about how one is treated …like criminals – like cattle. I do not think I need to convince you of that but I now have an even greater example of this lack of respect and inhumane treatment.
Thursday past, at noon, I flew from Sarasota Florida to Chicago on route to Ottawa. I got to Chicago at 1:30 pm central time and was scheduled for a flight out at 5 p.m. so I had lots of time to make my connection.
The Big Board said my flight was ‘on time’.
Great I thought – I would be in Ottawa by early evening.
But then the slippage started. The Big Board, in hourly increments, set back departure timing claiming the delays on “awaiting an aircraft”.
After several of these hourly add on’s I was beginning to think that ‘They’ – in this case ‘United Airlines’, had more than enough time to drive the damn plane to our Gate.
At around 5 pm, with our departure now scheduled for 9 pm – the O’hare Airport was hit with a thunder and lightning storm – it was quite a display and went on for the best part of … one half hour - giving ‘Them’ another excuse – “weather” now added to “await aircraft” as reasons for the continuing delay.
We remained positive throughout given that we were still scheduled to fly out – albeit much later than we had planned.
At 10 pm a plane rolled up to our gate and it soon became common knowledge that yes indeed it was our long awaited – lost?- bird. Problem though – it came without crew, but not to worry an announcement over the speaker indicated that a replacement crew was on route from Dallas Texas.
11 pm still no sign of the awaited crew so time of departure was once again set back … this time to midnight.
Midnight came and with it - our hopes were finally dashed – the flight “was cancelled”. Throughout we had no personal contact from Airline staff and were offered not so much as a bottle of h2o.
A voice over encouraged us to head to ‘Their’ Customer Service Desk – so off we rushed where we found an existing line-up of more than an hour – our group added a second. I could still count so I figured it would take until 2 am before I got to speak with a live person.
I then noticed a sign which offered help via ‘Their’ 1-800 number which I quickly dialled.
A nice ‘Lady’ answered and she advised me that ‘Their’ computer had already rearranged for my return to Ottawa by 1:30 pm – problem being – for Saturday and as you will recall, we were now in the early hours of Friday morning.
Not to worry ‘Nice Lady’ said – “we can do better” – a 6:15 am flight out of Chicago that very morning bound for Baltimore – then to Newark and finally to Ottawa. In desperation I said I would take it.
All the while – we most unfortunate passengers were offered zilch – no meals, no drinks, no hotel, no compensation – zippo.
I was though offered a COT.
And with that Dear Reader the real fun began.
I had to walk miles to reach the COT Encampment – which when found consisted of hundreds of COTS – each about 6 inches shorter than my height.
It gets worse.
The COT area was lit up like the 4th of July.
And not only that – Public Service Announcements carried on – every 5 minutes; No Smoking, No Restricted Items Thru Security … and so on.
These announcements shook the Room.
My mind thought back to the movies where Spies were subjected to Sleep Depravation in an attempt to get them to break. Our COT Area had been reduced to that.
It was now 1 am and I was given a blanket – thread thin with a pillow – 6 inches by 6 inches. The former was problematic since the COT Room was kept at subarctic temperatures. The latter was of little use.
So let’s recap – Flood Lights, Constant Noise, A COT too small, a blanket too thin – nighty night to one and all.
But Dear Reader there is more.
These 100’s of COTs were placed end to end – side by side – so that you were quite literally sleeping with the guy or girl next to you.
I remedied this somewhat by finding a COT Space – beside an aisle so I only had a COT beside me, above and below me. I felt pretty smug. That would soon disappear since the Aisle refuge turned out to be an artery to the main Bathrooms.
All night long; well really ‘not all night’ as I will explain shortly – a constant stream of humanity passed by me on their way to and from the toilets. It felt like Time Square.
It was also like a gulag with some pretty strange characters cruising about.
To finish my inmate analysis – special security personnel, dressed in what would easily pass for jail guard uniforms – stalked the Halls of COT Area continuously. They looked upon us as the enemy and we considered them … well like jail guards.
But the final insult was yet to come – at 4 am it as UP and At’em – Rise and Shine – and the Jailers did not take no for an answer.
COTS were literally pulled out from under tardy risers and that included the infirm as well as the healthy.
If you are counting – that is 3 hours sleep – bearing in mind of course that no one in their right mind could have slept in that din anyway.
Finally, I was given a tooth brush and tooth paste on my was out – the brush was less than 3 inches long and the tooth paste … well you get the idea. I guess ‘They’ were afraid we would carve a larger one into some type of a weapon.
So no – I don’t like flying. Maybe next time I will ask for a nice comfortable jail cell – Inmates have it better.
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
