Fair’s Fair
Okay. I’ve cussed the airlines off and on for nigh on to 20 years (before that they were pretty good), now it’s time to say something nice.
Oddly, the trip started off pretty badly. I was scheduled to depart Asheville, NC (AVL), at 8:29 a.m. last Saturday. After connecting in ATL I would arrive at Alexandria, LA (AEX), about 11 a.m. This was a Delta Connection flight.
Well, I know as well as most anybody to avoid ATL like the plague. ATL is a very well run airport, but there are just too danged many people flying in and out of there (it’s the busiest airport in the world). They are so busy that they can maintain the schedule only in near-perfect weather.
The weather last Saturday was far from perfect, but airplanes were getting in and out of AVL just fine—unless they were going to ATL, which had placed a gate hold or whatever they call it these days on airplanes flying from AVL to ATL.
The really nice young lady at the gate gave me the bad news—I would miss my connecting flight out of ATL and wouldn’t get to AEX until about 10 p.m. A few minutes later, while I was feeling sorry for myself, she paged me. They had worked a miracle, and I would get to AEX by about 4:30 p.m. Then, when I got to ATL I learned they had worked another miracle that would get me to AEX by about 1 p.m., only two hours later than my original schedule.
I gotta tell you that these nice young ladies accomplished these miracles all on their own, and they were very pleasant while doing it.
There’s a God in heaven and miracles do happen.
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R.W.–
I am horrified that I wrote anything that might seem to support re-regulation.
In the first place, dereg happened not 20 years ago, but roughly 29 years ago–danged near 3 decades. Yes, riding the airlines was more pleasant back then–for the very few who could afford it (and for pilots). Today, after 29 years of dereg, almost everyone can afford it and it’s even safer than it was. The guvmint is not responsible for making me happy. The market is controlling the airline industry and the market has found out–over and over–that people want cheap, safe, air travel. So far, they are getting both.
Thanks for writing,
Ralph Hood
Ralph, Just mebbe thar’s another problem. Mebbe the govmint ought to reregulete the industry.As you say 20 years ago,pre-deregulation perhaps,they were pretty good.
Clyde–
Aw hell, Clyde, I figured out about forty years ago that the airlines ain’t perfect. The facts remain simple, however…
a) I still have to ride them
b) I can either kill myself early by staying furious with them, or try to take it in stride
c) The women involved were nice and tried hard. I appreciate them
If you want to be furious, blame the guvmint. They’re the ones who have not kept up at Atlanta and elsewhere. This whole probem was caused because Atlanta can’t keep up.
Thanks for writing,
Ralph Hood
This is yery sad. It’s like you are thanking the airlines for only giving you 20 lashes ,well laid on, instead of 40 lashes. I reckon I’m old fashioned…..11:00am still means 11:00am to me. not 1 or 2 hours later…..What am I missing?