For reasons too numerous, maybe even cockeyed, to explain in this
space, I just made three trips to Florida in six successive
business days.
The trips, involving three airlines, three airports and three
hotels, produced these random thoughts and factoids:
According to a poster at LaGuardia, American is halfway through
a project to add legroom for every passenger in the back of the
plane.This was a done deal on my AA flights, and I really loved the
new space. You don't have to be tall to dig that.
I don't recall thinking much about this before, but seat-back
trays that one can slide back and forth have a distinct advantage
over trays that have one fixed position.I liked the bags of mixed snacks that Delta distributed.
Nevertheless, by my third trip, I was carrying a spare bag of
snacks, too. You know why.Speaking of airborne food, or the lack thereof, a woman seated
next to me on one flight carried bagels, meat and mayo. She made
sandwiches for her and her husband. That was a first in my travel
experience.On a southbound flight, several passengers had been on Delta
flights canceled the previous night due to weather. Noting that New
York had not had weather problems, they were certain the carrier
blamed the weather to avoid paying for hotel rooms, that maybe some
of the carrier's planes had failed an inspection.My own flight south also had been canceled, but the carrier was
US Airways, and the reason was weather, too.
Customers did not note that weather conditions somewhere else
could keep aircraft away, but -- it seemed to me -- their
commentary did not so much reflect problems with that concept as
distrust of the airlines.
These customers had not even seen the newest government report (covered in our July 3
issue) that says, while airlines are providing more information
about delayed and canceled flights, that information is not
necessarily correct.
The Sheraton at the Fort Lauderdale Airport is, first, a much
nicer property on the inside than its bland exterior would suggest,
but the best part is this: Women provide room service for breakfast
(and men provide evening services).Of the three airports on this marathon (including Miami), the
nicest, right now, is Orlando's, but Fort Lauderdale's looks
promising. A new terminal is under construction, and existing
facilities are getting a face-lift.A New York cabbie let this slip: If taxis use the electronic
E-ZPass system to pay the Triboro Bridge toll, when traveling to or
from Manhattan, the toll is $3, not the $3.50 if paying cash.And drivers are required to pass that savings on to passengers.
No driver ever told me that before. I wonder why!
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