Travel Today

Over at my customer service blog I wrote about the confessions of a United Airlines flight attendant . The flight attendant happens to be my best friend and every time I talk to her, the more I’m convinced that if I want to travel anywhere in the world in the future, I should either buy my own yacht or take a cruise.

It used to be that airline flights were so relaxing. It was part of the vacation experience to enjoy a flight with somewhat decent food, in-flight movies, and soothing music. Now we’re lucky if we even get food on a flight and if we do, we’re charged up the watoozi for it (yes, that’s a word, I declare). There’s $25 charge for extra baggage, extra long lines to check in, and sometimes you may even have to sit in the bathroom because the airline has overbooked the flight.

All of this is enough to cause a bit of stress. Just a little bit.

But regardless of all of this, let’s remember that the airline employees are trying the best that they can to serve our needs. Put yourself in their shoes for just a few minutes and think about all the angry people they have to deal with in one day. Think George Bush in a room full of Democrats.

All airline employees can do is smile as irate travelers yell at them because their flight got canceled or they can’t get a fluffy and clean pillow. The next time you feel your blood pressure rise because something didn’t go your way, take a deep breath and think that life really could be worse.

That’s not to excuse the airline companies for nickel and diming us, losing our luggage, or simply treating us like dirt. Charging us a fee just to breath is not acceptable. Ok, they don’t do that…not yet anways.

Photo Credit: Eric Chan