Flying Back

Vacation with the family is always great fun no matter how old the kids are. Having survived cold weather ( ranging from -5F to 34F) and a potential BA Strike (could have seriously ruined my holidays). The events on Christmas Day and the ensuing reactions of the TSA were disturbing.

So the trip back had the makings of an interesting voyage.

I usually leave from Detroit's North Terminal to Chicago, the terminal is usually quite with a very short queue at Security (one time I was the only one). Not this time, there must have been about 20 people ahead of me but it took less than 20 minutes to get past security. The TSA were helpful and smiling and a few problems were resolved quickly. I am impressed.

At London Heathrow T5, BA flights to the USA had long queues at the gate prior to boarding due to the 100% security check, and no Fast Track. Flights were experiencing delays and I am sure in a few weeks airlines will tell passengers to show up earlier to the gate.

The Cabin Crew on BA this time actually smiled and were friendly a great improvement from two weeks earlier just before Christmas, when they were all sullen.

One noticeable thing was the IFE, having experienced Emirates ICE, BA and AA IFE products are very bland and outright boring.

All three flights were delayed mostly due weather related problems (deicing). AA sends SMS and/or email updates of the flight status, which is great.

All in all and despite the delays, it was not so bad, it was nice to return to 63F weather almost a heat wave.

They WON

Well the TSA has imposed new draconian measures, this time not on ground but on board.

1. Passengers must remain in seats beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
2. Passenger access to carry-on baggage is prohibited beginning 1 hour prior to arrival
at destination.
3. Disable aircraft-integrated passenger communications systems and services (phone,
internet access services, live television programming, global positioning systems)
prior to boarding and during all phases of flight.
4. While over U.S. airspace, flight crew may not make any announcement to passengers
concerning flight path or position over cities or landmarks.
5. Passengers may not have any blankets, pillows, or personal belongings on the lap
beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.

It is rumored that these measures will be removed by year end. Knowing the TSA it probably will take longer. Is this the TSA deflecting attention from its failure. I mean the guy's father told the USA Embassy in Lagos, his son is up to no good.

I am all for security screening on ground, no matter how stringent or thorough or how long it takes. They are designed to make us feel safe when we board an aircraft.

Now the TSA wants the travelling public to sit still in what amounts to sensory deprivation, mass solitary confinement in a flying tube at 40,000 ft. for 8 to 12 hours. Why not just ground all flights and save us all the trouble. So we will all travel to Mexico or Canada and drive into the USA.

The day the TSA has instated these measures they have acknowledged that the war was lost, THEY HAVE WON.

Flying American

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2010

This last week has been weird and exciting. For the first time in 20 years I have decided to fly with a USA Legacy carrier on an international flight (Last time was 1990 from JFK to LAX with TWA).

I flew American Airlines (AA) from Dubai to Detroit.

Well, the first flight was DXB to LHR a code share with their One World Partner British Airways (BA), I suppose we all know about their Flight Attendants' call for a strike over the Christmas/New Year season and the ensuing drama. I fly with BA several times a year, but that was different. The crew were very professional, courteous, poker face, fake smiles and cool, well more like cold, lucky it was a night flight and I slept.

Then came AA, now I am used to American Eagle Flights between Chicago and Detroit, commuter aircraft, very short and very informal. AA at LHR were friendly, my boarding passes issued and sent on my way to their Admiral's Club. I liked their lounge in LHR the layout was nice, much better than BA's T5 lounges. The one in Chicago was great but other than a voucher for a free bottle of water everything else is chargeable.

Now AA must have a great profiling software for additional security screening. In the last 8 months I got profiled twice for extra screening, I suppose a Jordanian, residing in the USA traveling back and forth to Dubai does raise some concerns to somebody in AA, so you get a bunch of SSSS typed on your boarding pass. In Detroit the TSA made sure I understood that it was "my airline requested extra screening", in LHR the security personnel told me SSSS was for special, I actually laughed. I don't mind it.

I love travelling in B777, it is a great aircraft and the Business seat on AA is so complicated, they have a video clip on how to use it, pretty cool. The entertainment system is not as extensive as BA's just a few movies, but I loved their Audio especially the Classical Music.

The food was not bad, imaginative and tasty (Chicken on a bed of couscous with tomato sauce, not bad for a Legacy Airline) and the chocolate ice cream was divine, I was impressed.

The crew was professional and aloof. The Purser told us not to leave our designated zones, congregate around toilets and not to approach the galleys and she meant it. WOW.... very clinical almost surgical, of course the Captain's announcement to us that if we see something unusual, it is probably unusual and tell your FA.

All in all, it was a great Atlantic crossing, surprisingly

Airports and Emotions

This is an old blog, but with most of us travelling I think it is very relevant

Airports for me present mixed emotions.Traveling back to see my family fills me with joy and anticipation, going back after being with my family I am filled with a tinge of saddness.
Going on business there is always that excitement of what to come, how would it go, what kind of adventure awaits me. I enjoy observing people and wondering what is behind the smile or the tears, transiting an airport gives that sense of detachment of being alone randomly observing people, sometimes not more than for a few seconds but always in awe of the human capacity for joy, love, saddness, loneliness and many other emotions that pass by so fast.
And when I am bored I watch how well or bad services are provided to customers by motivated and disinterested staff. I watch the ability of people to totally ignore their customers who are a few feet about them. Airports are learning experiences mostly about me then the multi national multitudes