This is why I don't fly discount carriers

 

 

My Texas friends are flying on a budget airline to meet us in Chicago this fall.  Unfortunately, it looks like the budget airline has changed its route structure, and now my friends will arrive in the Windy City 3 hours later than planned.  AARGH!  This screws up the plans for the first evening of our stay.

The following is a clipping from a chat that went on earlier in the day:

• Just got an email regarding my flight to Chicago. Instead of going direct, it is now flying to New Orleans for a 2 hour layover before flying to O'Hare, arriving in Chicago at 6:35 pm
• 11:50 AM

  Message from you, Aargh, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:50 AM.

   

  Aargh
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, I am beyond pissed, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:51 AM.

  S

  I am beyond pissed
• 11:51 AM

  Message from you, I would be too. They probably canceled the direct flight and sent you on a different path than you paid for, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:51 AM.

   

  I would be too. They probably canceled the direct flight and sent you on a different path than you paid for
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, Looks like it, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:53 AM.

  S

  Looks like it
• 11:53 AM

  Message from you, We'll be at the hotel when you get there, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:53 AM.

   

  We'll be at the hotel when you get there
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, And the flight is non refundable, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:55 AM.

  S

  And the flight is non refundable
• 11:55 AM

  Message from you, Damn!, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:55 AM.

   

  Damn!
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, I am tempted to by a new ticket that is direct but concerned that they will do the same with the new ticket, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:56 AM.

  S

  I am tempted to by a new ticket that is direct but concerned that they will do the same with the new ticket
• 11:56 AM

  Message from you, Keep an eye on plane tickets from other airlines if you don't like this one. I tend to stay with the old majors, JetBlue and Southwest, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:56 AM.

   

  Keep an eye on plane tickets from other airlines if you don't like this one. I tend to stay with the old majors, JetBlue and Southwest
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, Mind reader, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:57 AM.

  S

  Mind reader
• 11:57 AM

  Message from you, Yup, Sunday, June 11 2023, 11:57 AM.

   

  Yup
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, Looking at the flights for Spirit and JetBlue, their sites are both taking me to Southwest out of Love field instead of DFW, Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:08 PM.

  S

  Looking at the flights for Spirit and JetBlue, their sites are both taking me to Southwest out of Love field instead of DFW
• 12:29 PM

  Message from you, Are you closer to dfw?, Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:29 PM.

   

  Are you closer to DFW?
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, Both are about the same distance just slightly different direction, Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:32 PM.

  S

  Both are about the same distance just slightly different direction
•  

  Message from Jennifer Sasser, I got the same email. they may change it again., Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:34 PM.

  J

  I got the same email. they may change it again.
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, That crossed my mind also. Which is why I am not rushing to change the flight yet, Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:35 PM.

  S

  That crossed my mind also. Which is why I am not rushing to change the flight yet
•  

  Message from Stephanie Bernzweig, Jenn, did you see the important message to accept the new itinerary? Just wanted to make sure, Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:55 PM.

  S

  Jenn, did you see the important message to accept the new itinerary? Just wanted to make sure
•  

  Message from Jennifer Sasser, I didn't get a message to accept new itinerary, Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:56 PM.

  J

  I didn't get a message to accept new itinerary
• 12:57 PM

  Message from you, Hopefully both of you will have no more headaches with the flights, Sunday, June 11 2023, 12:57 PM.

  

  Hopefully both of you will have no more headaches with the flights

S

Looks li

Both of my friends are taking a "Budget Airline" to get between Point A and Point B.  Neither realized that their discount carrier has a habit of "nickel-diming" its customers, and that one can often get an equally good deal from one legacy carriers.  Now, they are thinking of a more expensive "Plan B", in case things get screwed up again.

Can I trash the discount carrier for changing flight schedules 4 months in advance? Possibly.  But I choose not to do it, as getting a cheap fare involves trade-offs, and the possibility of experiencing events like this is one of the trade-offs one has to make for the cheap fares.  As for me, I'd rather pay a full rate and get better service....

 

 

 

PS: One of my friends cancelled her flight on Spirit Airlines, and got a flight on Southwest for a similar fare.  Yes, she may be out the money.  But she simply doesn't like what Spirit did, nor does she like their terrible schedules.

Doing a test run of mass transit to get to/from a future cruise

 

The weather was nice, and the two of us had nothing better to do.  What better a day to see if we could conveniently make it to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal by bus and subway, and to find out exactly how close the ferry dock is to the cruise terminal. And that's exactly what we did, with a side trip to Chinatown for some duck.

- - - - - - -

RQS and I both wanted to find out where the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was for our own reasons.  For RQS, it was out of mere curiosity, as she'd go there by Uber if we chose an MSC, Princess or Cunard cruise in the future.  For me, it was to make a dry run (in good weather) to find out how to get there using mass transit and avoid spending $280 to park, or $300 (+ Tip) for cab rides from/to Croton, NY. So, we started our journey from central Queens county at 2 pm, and reached downtown Brooklyn a little after 3 pm where we switched buses. From there, we took another bus to the waterfront, walked the 4 blocks to the cruise terminal. to complete our trip in 90 minutes.

Once at the cruise terminal, we found that NYC Ferries had a stop at the cruise terminal (about 1000 feet away from the actual building).. So we bought tickets to take us to their Wall Street transfer point, and had a nice ride along the riverfront. And then, it was off to Chinatown by bus.

We walked the length and breadth of Chinatown to find out that Ping's was still closed. (Their website says that this is temporary, but not to be open on their scheduled reopening date causes me to start wondering....)  So we walked to the Peking Duck House for some expensive, but tasty grub - their signature dish, the Peking Duck. When RQS and I looked at the menu, we realized that this would be more than either of us would normally spend on dinner.  So she helped me out a little.  (THANKS!) And then we had a wonderful meal.  Would we go back?  Yes, in a heartbeat if our budgets allow for it.

Then, it was time to go home for the evening.  At least, this time, we knew how to get home quickly, in spite of the work being done on the subway.

It's Getting Close

 

Soon, I'll be on another vacation.  Hopefully, the above picture will give you a clue to where I'm going, and what I'll be doing. The problem is that I'm a little ambivalent about taking this cruise.  My uncle is frail, and I'll have to take mass transit to reach him.  Additionally, I won't be able to present as Marian during this cruise.  So, it won't be as much fun as it could be. With that being said, I still think I'll have a good time.  I'll be on the West coast, and I have always felt good when in California..  And, yes, I'll catch up on my posting when I get back.  

This will be RQS's first time in California.  It's been over a decade since I've been to either San Francisco or Los Angeles, and I'm looking forward to being in both cities again.  In Los Angeles, there are a couple of museums I want to see after seeing my uncle.  In San Francisco, it'll be nice to show RQS around and to explore new places which I haven't gotten to yet. When we eventually reach San Diego, we will connect with RQS's cousin. Hopefully, we'll have enough time to see her and see a sight or two before returning to the ship. Once done with California, it will be time for the obligatory stop in Mexico for compliance with the US Passenger Vessel Services Act. Then it will back to Los Angeles and onward to home.  

Why am I ambivalent?  I think it's because there isn't that much that excites me about this itinerary.  San Francisco is not the city that I remember.  Los Angeles is still a suburb in search of a city. We will not be able to explore San Diego the way we'd like to do if we visited this city by land first. And, Mexico is Mexico - not a place that interests me.  At least, I will have the company of RQS on this trip. And that's what's important to me.

Another sad day for America

 

When I started this entry, I had no idea of exactly when the next Trump indictment was coming, but I knew that it should be happening soon.  Too much seems to be going on, and I thought that the next shoe was to drop soon.  And drop it did on June 9th.  Trump was indicted in the Southern District of Florida on 7 felony counts, and now we're waiting for the next indictment - most likely from Georgia.

The trouble with waiting for an indictment is that the public sees little progress towards the goal.  In the case of our ex-president, one political tribe believes in the rule of law and order, while the other simply wants power.  The funny thing is that we're seeing psychological projection on both a micro level and at a macro level.  Trump keeps saying that he is a victim, someone who never does anything wrong.  Yet, he projects the crimes he commits onto the very people charged with enforcing the laws.  At a macro level, we see the GOP claiming election fraud and the weaponization of the Justice Department.  And yet, this was done by the GOP to keep Trump in power.  Tribal loyalty kept a large part of the population from exercising common sense, and is allowing the lunatics in that party to run its asylum.

I'm not sure of what is worse, having an ex-president run for office who may be on trial for crimes committed in 2, 3. or 4 jurisdictions (both state and federal), or a party who can't put up someone better to run for our nation's highest office.  As I see things, the Georgia case (regarding election interference) against Trump (as leaked to the public) is strong enough to get a felony conviction. And the Federal case (regarding wrongful possession of government documents) is also strong enough to get a felony conviction. Only the New York case may end up resulting in a misdemeanor conviction. Why can't they support someone better for the presidency?

What I fear most is that this clown gets reelected while in trial.  How do we deal with someone awaiting trial, and who would be immune from being put on trial once he swears the oath of office?  I would hope that the courts keep him from taking the oath until his criminal trials have ended.  But if not, I'll ask a simple question: 

Where is John Wilkes Booth when we need him?

Wildfires in Canada and the Smog in New York

 

When I was young, people would make comments about the smog in Los Angeles, as the pollution from their cars and trucks made their air hard to breathe.  Today, as I write this, the particulate matter in New York's air is even worse than LA at it's worst.

Going outside is a risk for most of us.  The pollution index is higher than it has ever been.  Baseball games have been cancelled, and people are wearing N95 face masks which were put away since pandemic restrictions ended. When I go outside, it smells if there is a small wood fire nearby - even though there are many big fires over 800 miles away.  This is the scope of this disaster.  We're seeing a prelude to what we should expect as the effects of global warming take place.

Sometimes I wonder if the "Book of Revelations" is a simple metaphor for what is going on in the world.  No, I'm not thinking of the Bible as being divinely inspired.  Instead, I wonder if our planet was contacted by an advanced civilization who had the technology to predict what humanity would do to this planet and itself centuries in the future.  If so, could the "End Times" themselves be a metaphor for the challenges we have to face before things become simple and "easy" for mankind?  Assuming that is the case, we then have hope of getting through what may be the most interesting and challenging times humanity will endure, and come out the other side as an improved species when improved societies.

All too often, people look too closely at the arc of history.  If we look too closely, we see this smog as something to fear.  Could a different view mean that this represents a challenge to be overcome, a test that will make us stronger if we act wisely?

I'm not really sure of anything, but my Magic 8-Ball says: "Reply Hazy, Try Again."

A Busy Evening

 

As usual, I didn't do a thing all day - until evening came.  And then, I became active.  If the world started to wake up to get most activity done at night, I'd be in perfect sync with the world. But the world revolves around its axis, and not mine....

I was awake a little earlier than usual, but stayed inside my apartment until I had to get ready for dinner with my friend from the meetup group. When I left the house, it smelled like there was a fire nearby.  It's hard to believe that forest fires in Canada are causing the air pollution we're having in the Northeast lately.  It's even harder to believe that the particulates are enough for us to need to wear our masks again. But that day is here.

Reaching my friend, it took us a while to order dinner.  And then we discussed her wishes to change careers.  I'm not sure if she's going to make it, as she has a speech pattern that belies a slower intelligence for many people. But who am I to say?  It was a good conversation, and I think I was able to help her.  I'll find out when I get back from my vacation.

All too quickly, dinner was over, and it was time to go home.  Like a cisgender woman, I couldn't wait to take my bra off.  But it was going to be on for another 3 hours or so, as I was about to have a zoom chat with the friends from Texas with whom RQS and I are going to spend a long weekend in Chicago. So, I made it home, turned on my computer and waited....

Around 8 pm, the zoom started.  It was good that RQS is now a member of our chats, as it helps make her a 4th wheel for our group, having a good balance and moving forward to a good clip.  (How should I make a 4th wheel metaphor work when describing something that works well?)  Once we were done with the zoom, RQS and I had our usual daily chat. And then, it was to bed for the night.