Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Singing "God Bless America" (and Sbarros Pizza)

It is a amazing how you can get woken up on a 17.5 hour flight for breakfast, and when they put the plate in front of you, you are looking at a Chilean Sea Bass. Huh??? Thats not even close to breakfast food! The flight was good. I got on the plane and immediately fell right asleep. Woke up as the plane was taking off, and then right back to sleep for 6 wonderful hours. I totally missed the first meal, oh.. and the second meal. But somehow, I still wasn't all that hungry. The flight attendant asked if I wanted a sandwich so, I said yes, and selected the ham sandwich. She dumped off some veggie sandwich and after the first bite, I was so done. The veggies were just slimy, and it was not going to happen. The interesting thing was that after our wonderful dinner on the top of the world Monday night, I didn't eat anything at all until about 8:00 on Tuesday. I had heartburn most of the day, and just didn't feel like eating, so as we were walking around Pat Pong Market, I saw a Mcdonalds and thought that I could down a cheeseburger and it might not spoil my dinner on the plane. So, I had a cheeseburger in Bangkok at McDonalds. Scotty you would have been proud! Then as I said, I slept through all the meals till breakfast and then passed on the old Sea Bass breakfast. Amazing how I could go almost 44 hours on only a Mcdonalds cheeseburger. I made it through customs and went to the food court and had two pieces of Sbarros pizza. It was nice to eat American food again.

I went to the United counter to check in and the sign said, please go to the first available agent kiosk. There was one open, and I walked up to the lady and smiled, and she grew satan horns and snapped at me. "You are going to have to wait until I am open" "I am not ready yet!"
Welcome to New York.  I said to her, "and how am I supposed to know that you weren't ready?" She got even more angry and snapped "I will call you!" So, I said "then change the sign" and then I followed up with "thats some great customer service you have going there"

I walked away, and went to a self service line. Then realized that I was on a united flight operated by US Airways, So, I left that counter and stood in line at the Star Alliance Gold counter. The lady ( and I say "lady" very loosely) Looks at me and waves someone from another line over in front of me. So, I stand there and then she points to the economy line and yells.. "Next person" So, I gasp.. and say "what the?" And she gets all indignant and says "What? Oh.. You can come up here." Now there are two people with all their luggage in between me and the agent and I am waiting till jocko #1 gets out of the way. This agent yells twice... "sir.. come up here." Finally I say to her... I am going to wait until he gets out of the way... I can't get there till he moves his luggage." No apology.. she just looks at me like I am an idiot and says, "where are you going" I tell her Charlotte, and she explodes.... "Charlotte" That's not till 12:05!" 

I am now climbing "Anger Mountain" like Jon Krakauer climbed Mt. Everest! This is all just so unnecessary. There is only like 8 people in line. It is not like the airport is crazy busy. This woman is just downright rude and does not belong in the service industry. 

I try to explain that it is not like I chose to show up 4 hours 5 hours before my flight, but she keeps interrupting me telling me it is too early. I finally have had enough, and I got really intense and snap back at her. "Look Lady... I just arrived on a seventeen and a half hour flight from Thailand. I want to check in and get rid of my bag, and I don't care how early it is" She looked at me as only a New Yorker can, and then took credit for how great she is in the world, and said "I know... I know... you want to get some food and then go to sleep... I am just telling you that you aren't going to board till 11:30."        Good grief.

So, now I am sitting in the gate waiting to board the flight to Charlotte. I need sleep.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Man, you are just a bad service magnet today....an American getting worked over...in America!

Steve LaRose said...

Today??? It seems like I must have a Tattoo on my forehead that says "He doesn't matter)

Anonymous said...

Sounds to me like you had too much to drink. People like you should be locked up. Those nice airport employees always get the wrong end of the stick. You motorcycle people are so mean, you just don't care about us New Yorkers... Do you? Actually, I think that was my sister you were yelling at, and she has a disease. An incurable one. Now how do you feel?..BTW, the family on the scooter..isn't it bizarre that the adults had the helmuts on and the kids didn't...