IP: A comment from your editor and more on -- do terrorists only buy one-way airline tickets?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

I have sent a lot of notes on airline (mis) behavior. Let me make a few 
comments on  why things happen the way they do

1. A plane needs to get unloaded due to forgetting random search. If you 
were the airport manager or security manager would you like to face an 
event where something happens to the plane and the press says "if only they 
had done the inspection" or an FAA inspector files a complaint that they 
did not do it. Passengers may have complained but it was safe for the 
operators.

2. Ticketed passengers only:   it dramatically cuts down on the length of 
the long lines in security  that would result if all the family went to the 
gate

3. Curb side checking is operational at many airports  like PHL

4. The plastic knives are just stupid attempts to make someone think the 
airlines are thinking

5. The lack of food in coach on sometimes 3 hour flights is a stupid way of 
saving pennies and making passengers even more unhappy flying I still 
recommend   bringing KFC extra greasy chicken aboard.

Dave


> Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 16:09:37 EST
> To: dave () farber net
>
> Dear Dave,
>
> Please edit out my name on this post because I wouldn't want this to get 
> back to British Airways through a forward or an archive search.  Thanks!
>
> Well, if it is any consolation, they are still handling this normally in 
> Europe.
>
> I had a roundtrip ticket earlier this month on British Airways Boston/New 
> York - Milan (change in London) that was nonrefundable, nonchangeable.  It 
> was roughly $450 round-trip.
>
> I then had a last minute call from a company in Paris that wanted to meet 
> with me.  I explained that I could do so but that they would have to pay 
> for the cost of the new one-way ticket.  No problem they said.  The price 
> of a one-way ticket Milan-Paris-New York (changing planes in London twice) 
> on British Airways flying in coach in Europe and in Business class across 
> the ocean (got to love corporate travel policies when it works to your 
> advantage!) was $3,401.00
>
> So, I checked in at Milan's Malpensa Airport at the 12th of December 
> holding two seats for the same flight -- one in el cheapo economy and one 
> in full-fare economy for the same flight.  I wasn't really sure what they 
> would do when I produced both tickets -- so I explained that I had bought 
> the second ticket for my garment bag (so I wouldn't have to check it) and 
> because I was claustrophobic and wanted to be sure that I enough space 
> around me.  They seemed satisfied with that explanation and there was no 
> further questioning.  They made the calls to the gate to tell them to 
> expect me and escorted me to the lounge and everything went smoothly 
> without incident.
>
> I got to Paris to find out that the meetings that this company wanted to 
> hold with me were cancelled at the last minute due to a management crisis 
> in South Africa and the unexpected extension of a board meeting in New 
> York City.  I then found out that if I voluntarily downgraded to coach 
> that they would split the difference on the savings with me (i.e. 
> unexpected cash in my pocket).  That was a no-brainer.
>
> So I went to the BA office in Paris and refunded the balance of my ticket 
> (a one-way business class ticket Paris-London-New York) and then purchased 
> a one-way coach ticket instead.
>
> The only security I encountered that was out of the ordinary in this whole 
> process was that a security guard mysteriously appeared from behind a door 
> (that led to a downstairs staircase) while I was engaged in this 
> transaction at the Paris city ticket office and asked me to open my 
> briefcase.  I had already been cooling my feet in the waiting area for 10 
> minutes and was 10 minutes into the transaction at this time -- so that 
> seemed a bit suspicious (unless he was normally supposed to be on my floor 
> and had been on a break or something).
>
> I was confirmed on an afternoon flight from London to Newark -- but I 
> wanted the first flight out to JFK from London at 8:45 am instead for 
> which I was waitlisted.  I was the last person on the totally packed plane 
> and made it home with no problems at all -- or with anyone being 
> suspicious of my not only holding a one-way ticket but of having made so 
> many changes to it (class of service, arrival airport, time of flight, 
> seat changes, etc.)
>
> And no, I'm clearly not a terrorist.  I look more like Pavarotti!  <grin>

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