Air Travel Made Easy

It seems to say the least ironic that my most recent run-in with the air industry comes on a day that I read “Face the Nation” in this months issue of GQ, while…wait for it…sitting in the airport! Jim Nelson the periodicals Editor and Chief writes a witty yet poignant piece about how we can no longer carry our much needed grooming products making us feel much safer in the air these days.

While he was at JFK, I am at Newark. (A vast improvement, if he ever sees this I am sure he will be quite envious to say the least!) I am sitting perched in a very uncomfortable chair where an internet connection costs $7.95 whether you use it for 3 seconds or 23 hours! I had the sheer fortune of traveling over 20,000 miles in the last month, and every airline as well as every airport has their own version or their own interpretation of what the new security measures should be, or rather ARE!

At some point I should let you know the approximate cost per hour of living in an airport, those guys at $50 (“Frommers”, the publication that puts out books such as, “England on $50 a day.”) would have a very hard time here.

So back to the point behind my writing this bit. After being shunned at the NWA (no not the rap group from the late 80s) I find out that my flight is cancelled and I will have to take the next one which is due to take off in 12 hours! So I get to the ticket counter well in advance of the requisite two hours before my flight is scheduled to depart. I lug my cases to the counter where two ticketing agents are engaged in extremely important conversation with a security official of how Britney managed to lose the weight without pills OR a trainer! I approached and asked to be helped; I was shunned to the machine to check in electronically, although there were approximately 5 agents at 3 posts not attending to anyone. I followed orders like a good little soldier, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit rejected and also bothered by the fact that these people were doing nothing. I can understand using this policy when you are very busy, but when you have nothing to do, it seems you would want to service your customers hence the term, “customer service”.

Okay after a couple of failed attempts I managed to get the machine to accept my reservation and passport. Then I had to return to the agents to check my bag. “Hang on its printing.” said the agent rather in a rather curt fashion. I waited. It printed. They asked, “You going to Tee-gel” “Sorry?” I replied. “You going to Tee-Gel, we need to see your passport.” One said. “Oh…”I replied, reaching for my passport, “Why did you have my go through the machine, it wanted my passport as well, could you not have saved time by just checking me in here instead of having a chat with the security officer?”

Stay tuned more to come!