When I worked in the airline business I spent my life hopping on and off planes, I started so long ago that they still had propellers and you pretty much did hop on and off, not like today where with all our technological advances the volume of people flying has turned the whole experience into one that I'd sooner not enjoy. So it was with a heavy heart that I got up this morning to head to Edinburgh Airport to catch a 9.20 Continental flight to Newark. I've been trying to think how long it's been since I flew with the airline I worked for back in the 80s - probably close to twenty years. Despite doing a fair bit of travelling in the years after I left the business I have tried to avoid it as much as possible. As I've often joked, if God had meant man to fly he'd have given us tickets. Well no one gave me a ticket so I checked into economy....not my favourite part of the plane.
Having said all that the flight was on time, clean, the seats were OK; having read the papers and my book I resorted to playing solitaire on the IFE...it whiled away some time. Newark is a lot better airport than the one I spent a lot of time at after CO took over People's Express - back then it was horrible, today it's really nice. Having gone through customs I had to go negotiate the security process to get to the gate for my Los Angeles flight. Shoes off, everything out of my bags - but who can blame them given what happened here?
I had my breakfast at EAT in Edinburgh Airport, I've just had lunch at a Japanese take away in the airport - $6 for some teriyaki chicken and shrimp, vegetables and rice - No wonder Americans find the UK pricy! I didn't eat on the plane it looked particularly grim. I'll be arriving in LAX at 6.35 p,m, just in time for dinner, although I think I'll skip it given that by the time I get to the hotel it will be 4 a.m. my body's time. Bed by 9 p.m. their time - the Lammermuir Hills are only 24 hours from LA.
When I worked in the airline business I spent my life hopping on and off planes, I started so long ago that they still had propellers and you pretty much did hop on and off, not like today where with all our technological advances the volume of people flying has turned the whole experience into one that I'd sooner not enjoy. So it was with a heavy heart that I got up this morning to head to Edinburgh Airport to catch a 9.20 Continental flight to Newark. I've been trying to think how long it's been since I flew with the airline I worked for back in the 80s - probably close to twenty years. Despite doing a fair bit of travelling in the years after I left the business I have tried to avoid it as much as possible. As I've often joked, if God had meant man to fly he'd have given us tickets. Well no one gave me a ticket so I checked into economy....not my favourite part of the plane. 
10 comments:
On your way back, Richard, pack a parachute, jump out over Idaho and visit.
Enjoy the exchange rate--I'll bet everything will seem practically free.
24 hours is a fair old time though when London Australia is 21 and a half. Still, the 9 hour journey south always added to that, I recall.
Blimey, exactly the same time it takes us to get across Dublin by car!!
I took my first flight to America on People Express to Newark in May 1984. My first view of America was the New Jersey Turnpike in all its glory. I flew People Express all over the States that year and got to know the Newark Airplane (Bus) Terminal very well. I was a little sad when the big guys forced them out of business. They were fun while they lasted. I had forgotten that it was Continental that took them over.
Colin, in truth it wasn't so much the big guys forcing them out of business as they just had an unsustainable business model - too low fares, too high costs and too little management.
Blimey David, you must know a short cut across Dublin!
Rob, I've just bought America!
James, the problem is the bits on the ground....
Okay, Richard, so you've bought America. Now the big question---what're you gonna DO with it?!
:)
I've enjoyed the pithy comments on this posting from the other 'blokes'.
Now I'm in Houston and I've just sold it back!
If God had meant man to fly he wouldn't have given him knee-caps and maybe even given him the ability to paralyse children with an indignant stare.
I just flew from LA to Austin in Houston and a small child sitting behine be kicked the back of my seat the whole way....his sister aged a year or so cried and screamed for the whole way bar ten minutes - the parents were seemingly onlivious
At least you got a tiny packet of six peanuts to munch while you were being tortured, right?
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