They're little better than getting into a Radio Flyer and hoping someone will pull you down the street to the park.
When we arrived at O'Hare, the space waitress on the plane announced where we could pick up our baggage in the specialized speech reserved for PA announcements that sounds just like the drive-thru speaker.
I kept thinking they'd repeat this information when we arrived at the gate, but no. They were very busy with important things like picking up trash.
Once off the plane, I walked the four miles to baggage claim where there were at least a dozen carousels for AA luggage. Each carousel had big, flat panel screens where you would expect to see your flight and know where to pick up your bags.
Every single flat panel screen showed endless AA ads and if bags were arriving from a flight, for a couple seconds that information would appear on the screen, then quickly be replaced by another round of ads. You had to stand there for a good five minutes to see any actual information.
I gave up and went to the claim desk and asked the automaton to look up the carousel for my flight. She helpfully told me it was 14, but 14 is often broken so it could be 13. Excellent.
I did get my bag, but I've never seen a more inept, annoying use of technology. I want to kick American Airlines in the shins.
How dare you make me stand there and watch your stupid ads when it's after midnight because you delayed the flight without any explanation. All I want to do is get my shit and get to the hotel and sleep. You stink.
Showing posts with label american asslines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label american asslines. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Assline Travel
What a treat – flying the wide open skies to destinations hither and yon – I don’t know why I don’t do more of it.
I got to the airport on Tuesday to check in and was told by an enthusiastic “line minder” that I could use any of the available kiosks in front of the check in counter.
While I normally do online check-in or kiosk check-in, this time I had a bag I needed to check (check check Czech) so I wanted a human to do the checking and bag-tagging to ensure the bag would actually have a chance of making it onto the plane.
Last time I checked (check!), I didn't have one of those electronic tag printers nor do I have access to the magic conveyor belt that takes bags through the wall and drops them onto the tarmac.
So, I stood there and waited for the one human at the counter – of 40 or 50 available desks – to check me in and take my bag.
The Line Minder, perhaps bored of telling people they could use the kiosks, said she’d help me and walked me over to the desk. She looked up my flight, found the record number that wasn't available online, checked me in and printed a tag.
The only other human behind the desk picked up the bag tag and absent-mindedly said my name over the desk. I responded that it was mine and she put it on my bag and didn’t say another word.
Was I done? Anything else I need? Do you have everything *you* need? Is that it? I guess we're done. I had my boarding pass and right there in big numbers, the time of my flight – a full hour later than scheduled.
There was no one to ask WTF. Why is my flight now one full hour later than scheduled? Why couldn’t you find this information online where I spent a good 30 minutes trying to look up the flight and check in ahead of schedule?
(To fill the time until boarding, I booted up my computer, and golly - no free wireless at SFO. How is that possible? Of all the airports in the country, how is it that our very own SFO still does not offer free wireless? Gavin, you should be ashamed.)
Why is there NO ONE working where human help is actually important, like at the gate desk, while you have FIVE useless sacks of shite hanging around behind the gate sitting in the airline wheelchairs talking on their cell phones? What are these idiots on the payroll for?
Why am I going to have to schlep my own food and drink on the plane when you could let go of all the dead wood and once again pass out free snacks and sodas? A "turkey wrap" will cost you $5, trail mix, potato chips or a cookie - one cookie - costs $3. What nickel & diming BASTARDS.
I’m amazed that anyone ever flies these airlines anymore when the little guys like JetBlue, Alaska and Southwest have figured out how to at least be more efficient about it, and most of the time it's not a hassle.
I can’t wait for the return flight that will have me seated in cargo taking off four days behind schedule.
I got to the airport on Tuesday to check in and was told by an enthusiastic “line minder” that I could use any of the available kiosks in front of the check in counter.
While I normally do online check-in or kiosk check-in, this time I had a bag I needed to check (check check Czech) so I wanted a human to do the checking and bag-tagging to ensure the bag would actually have a chance of making it onto the plane.
Last time I checked (check!), I didn't have one of those electronic tag printers nor do I have access to the magic conveyor belt that takes bags through the wall and drops them onto the tarmac.
So, I stood there and waited for the one human at the counter – of 40 or 50 available desks – to check me in and take my bag.
The Line Minder, perhaps bored of telling people they could use the kiosks, said she’d help me and walked me over to the desk. She looked up my flight, found the record number that wasn't available online, checked me in and printed a tag.
The only other human behind the desk picked up the bag tag and absent-mindedly said my name over the desk. I responded that it was mine and she put it on my bag and didn’t say another word.
Was I done? Anything else I need? Do you have everything *you* need? Is that it? I guess we're done. I had my boarding pass and right there in big numbers, the time of my flight – a full hour later than scheduled.
There was no one to ask WTF. Why is my flight now one full hour later than scheduled? Why couldn’t you find this information online where I spent a good 30 minutes trying to look up the flight and check in ahead of schedule?
(To fill the time until boarding, I booted up my computer, and golly - no free wireless at SFO. How is that possible? Of all the airports in the country, how is it that our very own SFO still does not offer free wireless? Gavin, you should be ashamed.)
Why is there NO ONE working where human help is actually important, like at the gate desk, while you have FIVE useless sacks of shite hanging around behind the gate sitting in the airline wheelchairs talking on their cell phones? What are these idiots on the payroll for?
Why am I going to have to schlep my own food and drink on the plane when you could let go of all the dead wood and once again pass out free snacks and sodas? A "turkey wrap" will cost you $5, trail mix, potato chips or a cookie - one cookie - costs $3. What nickel & diming BASTARDS.
I’m amazed that anyone ever flies these airlines anymore when the little guys like JetBlue, Alaska and Southwest have figured out how to at least be more efficient about it, and most of the time it's not a hassle.
I can’t wait for the return flight that will have me seated in cargo taking off four days behind schedule.
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