One Traveler's Opinion: To Purgatory via Hell Airlines
Feb 28th, 2001, 07:36 AM
#21
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Posts: n/a
My problem wasn't just seat kicking but also that the young mother who was holding the child had brought a jam sandwich for her child. Ofcourse, the child had very sticky dirty hands and then the young mother allowed the child to lean over the seat and fondle my hair with her jammy, sticky hands. I politely asked the mother to not allow her child to do this and the mother became quite angry with me for asking her to do this. Needless to say, it was an uncomfortable flight but short of causing an "incident", all I could do was endure. The down side are people like this, the plus side is that we get from point A to point B rather quickly. Oh well.
Feb 28th, 2001, 08:43 AM
#22
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What an interesting world we live in. I post something to Fodors, I go away for 24 hours, and when I return I find that people are choosing up sides.
Marsha, Ginny, Cindy, OliveOyl, April, Ess, AC, and ronr, many thanks for your comments. I’m flattered that anyone would take the time to say something nice about something I wrote.
Babble, vomitorium, and Jerseyal, I have a very simple solution for you. My writing apparently annoys you. I’ve made it easy to avoid. When you see a thread that is headed, “One Traveler’s Opinion”, just skip it. You’ll save yourselves the dyspepsia I apparently cause in you.
Ilisa, Leone, Patrick, and ncgirl, I have my own ideas about why there are so many unaccompanied children on flights. First, I think the world today is different than when we were children. There are many more divorced parents who shuttle their children between homes; such children inevitably travel alone. Second, in an age of greater affluence, there are many more grandparents living in Florida who are willing to take the grandkids while the parents have a week or two to themselves. Third, we treat children differently than we did, say, twenty years ago. We are more willing to put an unaccompanied ten-year-old on a flight. In part, this is because airlines have assumed greater responsibility for them.
My solution for the kicked seatback – a hard “adult” glare – worked. Had it not, I would have summoned a flight attendant. The flight was sold out and alternate seating wasn’t an option.
Finally, OliveOyl, it’s interesting that DFW has a similar Hyatt. There’s also a hotel within the terminal complex at Miami’s international airport, though it is hardly of the luxury category; and O’Hare and Dulles have Hiltons on the airport property, though they are separate structures with at least little bibs of grass. I’m accustomed to finding that the “airport” in a property name denotes proximity to the airport (and there are half a dozen hotels in Orlando that have the name “Airport” appended to them). Discovering that the Orlando Hyatt Regency was atop the terminal was a surprise.
Marsha, Ginny, Cindy, OliveOyl, April, Ess, AC, and ronr, many thanks for your comments. I’m flattered that anyone would take the time to say something nice about something I wrote.
Babble, vomitorium, and Jerseyal, I have a very simple solution for you. My writing apparently annoys you. I’ve made it easy to avoid. When you see a thread that is headed, “One Traveler’s Opinion”, just skip it. You’ll save yourselves the dyspepsia I apparently cause in you.
Ilisa, Leone, Patrick, and ncgirl, I have my own ideas about why there are so many unaccompanied children on flights. First, I think the world today is different than when we were children. There are many more divorced parents who shuttle their children between homes; such children inevitably travel alone. Second, in an age of greater affluence, there are many more grandparents living in Florida who are willing to take the grandkids while the parents have a week or two to themselves. Third, we treat children differently than we did, say, twenty years ago. We are more willing to put an unaccompanied ten-year-old on a flight. In part, this is because airlines have assumed greater responsibility for them.
My solution for the kicked seatback – a hard “adult” glare – worked. Had it not, I would have summoned a flight attendant. The flight was sold out and alternate seating wasn’t an option.
Finally, OliveOyl, it’s interesting that DFW has a similar Hyatt. There’s also a hotel within the terminal complex at Miami’s international airport, though it is hardly of the luxury category; and O’Hare and Dulles have Hiltons on the airport property, though they are separate structures with at least little bibs of grass. I’m accustomed to finding that the “airport” in a property name denotes proximity to the airport (and there are half a dozen hotels in Orlando that have the name “Airport” appended to them). Discovering that the Orlando Hyatt Regency was atop the terminal was a surprise.
Feb 28th, 2001, 11:03 AM
#23
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Posts: n/a
Wow! Another scripted response from our wannabe Great American novelist! The formula for the response is as follows:
1. Pretend that you were "away" for a period of time after your post and you just got back. You weren't checking it repeatedly for hours, oh no, you just posted and ran, as usual. Now you're back.
2. Express surprise that you have created all this furor! All this just for little old you! You never INTENDED for this to happen! But now you have some attention, so hey, it was worthwhile after all. You're not getting THIS kind of spotlight at work or at home, this is great! You're the "star" of an internet chat board!
3. Review all responses and painstakingly name each and every poster who agrees with/compliments/drools over you. Throw in some fake humility about how you never dreamed anyone would read your novels or post about them! Why, this is only the 50th or 60th time you've posted one here! You didn't realize that anyone was familiar with your endless serializations! You're speechless. Well, not quite.
4. Review responses again and painstakingly list the non-fawners who dared to disagree with you and offer them your lofty suggestions. See, you have to pretend to be dignified and above all this fray, but you can't resist jabbing those who wounded you. You can let off a little steam at them and the spotlight is still focused squarely on YOU. (Remember though, that you yourself are free to post your opinions and jab whomever you like. Never practice what you advocate.)
5. Revisit specific points from your novel ad nauseum as a "clarification" for all those who questioned anything except the premise of the entire story. Avoid that one, you don't want to get caught admitting that you dramatized anything.
6. Disappear again but continue to check the level of attention your post receives throughout the night. Repeat steps one through five. Repeat formula each time you "contribute" your helpful(?) travel dramas.
Remember to advise Fodor's and other travel publishers that you have a large following and could probably sell eight to ten books to Fodorites alone if you were to be published! They should really start paying attention to you. Go have another Prozac and wash it down with bourbon this time.
1. Pretend that you were "away" for a period of time after your post and you just got back. You weren't checking it repeatedly for hours, oh no, you just posted and ran, as usual. Now you're back.
2. Express surprise that you have created all this furor! All this just for little old you! You never INTENDED for this to happen! But now you have some attention, so hey, it was worthwhile after all. You're not getting THIS kind of spotlight at work or at home, this is great! You're the "star" of an internet chat board!
3. Review all responses and painstakingly name each and every poster who agrees with/compliments/drools over you. Throw in some fake humility about how you never dreamed anyone would read your novels or post about them! Why, this is only the 50th or 60th time you've posted one here! You didn't realize that anyone was familiar with your endless serializations! You're speechless. Well, not quite.
4. Review responses again and painstakingly list the non-fawners who dared to disagree with you and offer them your lofty suggestions. See, you have to pretend to be dignified and above all this fray, but you can't resist jabbing those who wounded you. You can let off a little steam at them and the spotlight is still focused squarely on YOU. (Remember though, that you yourself are free to post your opinions and jab whomever you like. Never practice what you advocate.)
5. Revisit specific points from your novel ad nauseum as a "clarification" for all those who questioned anything except the premise of the entire story. Avoid that one, you don't want to get caught admitting that you dramatized anything.
6. Disappear again but continue to check the level of attention your post receives throughout the night. Repeat steps one through five. Repeat formula each time you "contribute" your helpful(?) travel dramas.
Remember to advise Fodor's and other travel publishers that you have a large following and could probably sell eight to ten books to Fodorites alone if you were to be published! They should really start paying attention to you. Go have another Prozac and wash it down with bourbon this time.
Feb 28th, 2001, 12:00 PM
#24
Guest
Posts: n/a
Who cares what the motivation is behind Neal! If you don't want to read his posts-don't. You don't have to get nasty and rude about it.
To FScott-You are a little long in the tooth also. Isn't that like calling the kettle black. You, my friend, are a hypocrite! And, to the rest of you, at least Neal posts relevant travel information. Something the rest of you don't do. The only traveling you probably do is from the tv to the refrigerator to get another bubba beer!
To FScott-You are a little long in the tooth also. Isn't that like calling the kettle black. You, my friend, are a hypocrite! And, to the rest of you, at least Neal posts relevant travel information. Something the rest of you don't do. The only traveling you probably do is from the tv to the refrigerator to get another bubba beer!
Mar 1st, 2001, 04:06 AM
#26
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Posts: n/a
Great story, Neal. I LOL'd all the way through it.
Reminds me of the time my friend was flying with her mischievous son. He picked up the little sealed cup of Italian salad dressing, and squeezed and squeezed (of course mom happened to be looking the other way). Finally it all shot out in a stream onto the top of the bald man sitting in front of him. No wonder parents send their kids unaccompanied!
Reminds me of the time my friend was flying with her mischievous son. He picked up the little sealed cup of Italian salad dressing, and squeezed and squeezed (of course mom happened to be looking the other way). Finally it all shot out in a stream onto the top of the bald man sitting in front of him. No wonder parents send their kids unaccompanied!
