When flying was fun

[goofy4tink]

Well...all I can say is 'thank-you officials here in the great USA. Thanks so much for saving me from choking to death on Kinder Eggs. Thank you for saving all those little lives.' Of course, now I feel like I am indeed missing something. But, I am probably too darn stupid to eat one without choking on that enclosed toy. Man...talk about 'common sense'.

 

[goofy4tink]

Sadly true. Personally, if you happen to be on foriegn soil but do not bother to try to at least learn things like please and thank you in the language, try a few loval foods (preferably not all in tourist traps) and meet a couple of people then I do not consider you to be travelling--merely sightseeing (or more likely adding to your brag sheet).

I do have to say that the one thing we tried to avoid, while in London, was looking like tourists. We went out of our way to avoid that. If we had to look at a streetmap, we actually found a nook somewhere and had a look-see!! Too funny But, you're absolutely right. If you stick to the touristy things, you never really see what that country is all about. Get off the beaten path and talk to people.

 

[Minnie]

As a child my dad and I would fly at our our tiny little airport once a month just because he loved to fly. And we'd go out and watch the tiny planes almost every weekend. Great memories

Now flying - enjoy it well depends.... On the domestic airtrain flights that I can pay $40 to upgrade to business class and enjoy the extra room then sure... On that economy international SAS flight for 8hrs next month - well not so much Sure wish I could upgrade that ticket to at least economy extra

 

[pr surfer]

MOOOOOOOOOOOOM, pr surfer made me do it!!!!!

Not the first time that's been said about me When you have the little angel and the little devil on your shoulder, I'm usually helping the little devil give the angel a wedgie, and then stealing cigarettes from the little devil. And I don't smoke

Again, I offer up a public apology to pr surfer - you were right, I was very very wrong.

Heh.

I am sure that was annoying How long of a delay did you end up with because of all the rigormarole? It must have also been fascinating to see how THAT process works though.

It was annoying... certainly. About 15 or so minutes of questions, some sort of background check, and staring at my documents (including both passports, since I entered SXM as a Spanish Citizen), and when the CBPO realized I did nothing wrong and it was AA's fault, they left the room, an AA employee (I assume their GSC or some manager that can accept gov. documents... no sure) was brought in, handed some paperwork, and I was let go, with an agent walking me straight to customs and telling me they're gonna get a $10k fine (hence why I assumed). A handshake, apology for the confusion (that was a shock), and I was on my way to declare my bottle o' rum (Flor de Caña 21 year) and out the door.

Field agents don't assess fines, though they can certainly recommend them. They get to write reports and forward them on to their operations chain of command where they eventually get forwarded to an assistant commissioner and then reviewed by general counsel before being noticed (by regulation) to an air carrier (which involves a hearing and appellate process).

We're talking the US Government here... when is anything such a simple process?

Ahh... again, I was just going by what the CBPO who walked me to customs told me. Maybe they just wanted a statement from an AA employee?

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

It's not really an apology unless presented with excellent chocolate... 6 ounces or more.

Oh, you too EPSG get a big apology from me - you were right.

CarolA has also received her apology......

Anyone else I may have missed?

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I'm sure it made him feel important and customer-service friendly!

It was annoying... certainly. About 15 or so minutes of questions, some sort of background check, and staring at my documents (including both passports, since I entered SXM as a Spanish Citizen), and when the CBPO realized I did nothing wrong and it was AA's fault, they left the room, an AA employee (I assume their GSC or some manager that can accept gov. documents... no sure) was brought in, handed some paperwork, and I was let go, with an agent walking me straight to customs and telling me they're gonna get a $10k fine (hence why I assumed). A handshake, apology for the confusion (that was a shock), and I was on my way to declare my bottle o' rum (Flor de Caña 21 year) and out the door.




Ahh... again, I was just going by what the CBPO who walked me to customs told me. Maybe they just wanted a statement from an AA employee?

 

[Tara]

I think that humans often make their own misery and turn something into unpleasantness just because it is the fashion to do so.

Exactly! I think so many complain about flying simply because they think it's the thing to do.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I do have to say that the one thing we tried to avoid, while in London, was looking like tourists. We went out of our way to avoid that. If we had to look at a streetmap, we actually found a nook somewhere and had a look-see!! Too funny But, you're absolutely right. If you stick to the touristy things, you never really see what that country is all about. Get off the beaten path and talk to people.

To be clear, I think there is nothing wrong with being touristy and seeing the tourist sights--but I do not think people should consider themselvs well travelled if htey limited themselves to "just" that. But, yeah I get not wanting to look like a tourist
It was annoying... certainly. About 15 or so minutes of questions, some sort of background check, and staring at my documents (including both passports, since I entered SXM as a Spanish Citizen), and when the CBPO realized I did nothing wrong and it was AA's fault, they left the room, an AA employee (I assume their GSC or some manager that can accept gov. documents... no sure) was brought in, handed some paperwork, and I was let go, with an agent walking me straight to customs and telling me they're gonna get a $10k fine (hence why I assumed). A handshake, apology for the confusion (that was a shock), and I was on my way to declare my bottle o' rum (Flor de Caña 21 year) and out the door.
[/QUOTE]

Not a nice way to end the trip, huh? I remember my dad ALWAYS got pulled for tons of extra questioning (sometimes in a seperate) room when I was a kid and we returned from Mexico. He had longish hair and a beard and we lived in a very "hippie" town and travelling to Mexico to vacation was still newish. There was never any mix up on his or the airline's part--just a tendacy for agents to think the long haired man from Nederland must have ulterior motives for going to Meixco. It was frustrating and often the last thing we wanted to deal with after a flight home.

 

[Flight]

What a thrill is was to fly years ago!

I remember flying on a 747 to Honolulu that had a piano lounge in the back of the airplane. There was a second lounge in the front with chairs and tables. You could sit there even through the landing.

 

[pr surfer]

What a thrill is was to fly years ago!

I remember flying on a 747 to Honolulu that had a piano lounge in the back of the airplane. There was a second lounge in the front with chairs and tables. You could sit there even through the landing.

the more shocking thing is that the plane would have belonged to a US carrier and it would have been flown on domestic routes.

 

[bavaria]

It's not really an apology unless presented with excellent chocolate... 6 ounces or more.

We don't speak 'ounces' but I believe that crashbb was eating your apology upthread. Again, I am at the moment in the landofinferiorchocolate.

Not to veer too far off the topic, but there is an interesting thread currently in play on this website which even includes a derogatory term in the title. Several of us 'foreigners' are treading very carefully and trying to be polite. It does show though that many here have a double standard when it comes to crying about people being anti-something.

So last night I was one of two people in 'first' class. A slightly bigger seat with that annoying headrest which digs right into the neck of taller people, and a few inches of extra legroom. The FA introduced herself and then said 'you both want to sleep, RIGHT?' and then relished a flight where her charges followed her instructions, so that she didn't have to do anything except park herself in the empty first row and watch the BBC documentary. She even told her fellow FAs how much she enjoyed it! Great 'service', thankyouverymuch!!!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Fine... have it your way, 180 grams or more!

I can't believe I missed a thread with a derogatory term... My derogatoradar must be offline

We don't speak 'ounces' but I believe that crashbb was eating your apology upthread. Again, I am at the moment in the landofinferiorchocolate.

Not to veer too far off the topic, but there is an interesting thread currently in play on this website which even includes a derogatory term in the title. Several of us 'foreigners' are treading very carefully and trying to be polite. It does show though that many here have a double standard when it comes to crying about people being anti-something.

So last night I was one of two people in 'first' class. A slightly bigger seat with that annoying headrest which digs right into the neck of taller people, and a few inches of extra legroom. The FA introduced herself and then said 'you both want to sleep, RIGHT?' and then relished a flight where her charges followed her instructions, so that she didn't have to do anything except park herself in the empty first row and watch the BBC documentary. She even told her fellow FAs how much she enjoyed it! Great 'service', thankyouverymuch!!!

 

[bavaria]

Well go leave the relative good naturedness of the Transportation Board Missy, and go find the derogatory thread - it just took a turn, and not for the better!

It may be time to pull out the 2009 signature.

 

[Scrubba2]

Awww- thanks for this thread!

And talking about chocolate is never bad....