March 15, 2009

So I’m sitting on the aforementioned Delta flight to “Northern Kentucky”. Today’s flight attendant is Niki. She is very friendly and easy to understand on the intercom.

She said one thing during the safety announcement that I really appreciated: “While I am here primarily for your safety, if you need you assistance I’d be happy to help you.” I’m sure many flight attendants say this (though it’s the first time I’ve heard it in a long while), it seems that few passengers remember this. This makes me a little angry.

Flight attendants are well trained individuals that are there for the safety of the passenger and in case of an emergency. Whilst many think they are there to be a servant, this is hardly the case. Barking at a flight attendant is not only rude, but it is evidence of a misconception of what they are there for. The whole pop and peanuts thing is a courtesy on their behalf.

I have mentioned before that I enjoy flying. I’m a bit of an aviator geek. I know what type of plane I’m on, usually how old it is and who owns it (usually a leasing company). I know when a pilot turns ‘base’ and ‘final’ on an approach and I can almost always identify the moment that our wheels should leave the runway. I know where all exits are, even if they are behind me.

I still pay attention to every safety announcement and follow along with the information card in the seat pocket in front of me. It’s the responsible thing to do. I wish more people would put the paper down or shut up during the announcements. They’re not doing a stand up routine up there, they are sharing important information.

And one other thing. Every passenger on the plane has paid something in some way to get a seat. No matter the method of payment, your credit card isn’t better than anyone else’s. Sitting in seat 9A does not entitle you to any special treatment over the person in seat 9B.

So as an aviation geek that enjoys flying, loves a flight attendant and wants the experience to be a beautiful thing for all involved, I ask everyone to make an effort to be a friendly, responsible passenger.

Thank you and enjoy your flight.

043.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

So I am sitting at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, awaiting my flight home. I have a short layover in Cincinnati, which is suspiciously in Kentucky. That airport in Cincinnati can’t be as busy as they planned it would be because they have that whole Terminal C being closed thing going on. I understand that’s a relatively new phenomenon according to airliners.net, but it is a little disconcerting to board a crappy bus and then shoot across taxiways and runways between arriving and departing flights.

I’m just saying.

My trip to OKC has been both productive and quite enjoyable. I could get all insightful in this blog post about a renewed spirit and such but then it would seem like I say that a lot and my spirit would be about worn out from all the renewing that it’s been getting lately. Let’s just say that I feel really good and energised and that I’m ready for my next challenge. Let’s see if I feel that way three or four days from now when I’m in the midst of an on-call week.

Last night I went out for one more drink and browse around the gayborhood near the Habana in Oklahoma City. I hung out with Olivier et all for a bit before calling it a night around 1:00 a.m. and heading back to the hotel. I know I had more fun last night than I normally would because I didn’t drink any alcohol. This not drinking thing is working quite well for me.

I was ready to breeze through security this morning like a well seasoned traveler, but I inadvertently left my boarding pass in the snappy plastic bin they have to run through the xray machine and that hosed up the process a little bit. It’s a good thing that the folks at OKC are so jovial. The attendant still referred to me as “sweetheart”. That’s one thing I love about this area; you can be as dumb as a box of rocks and still be a sweetheart.

I should remember that.

Now, if she had said “bless your heart” I knew I would have been in trouble because that implies pity, but she didn’t say that so I didn’t get worked up.

They just announced that the flight is oversold and they are offering “Delta Dollars” to give up your seat. Hmmm, tempting…