I flew United from Italy to Phoenix...my first experience with United. I missed my connecting flight in Zurich...was rerouted to Frankfort enroute to Chicago rather than Washington as originally ticketed. When I got to Chicago with boarding pass in hand and the plane sitting at the gate I was unable to locate a ticket agent (desk was unattended) at the gate and missed the second United flight that same day. The customer service people told me that the next flight to Phoenix would be the next morning...no sorry, kiss my ass or go to hell...just a welcome to sleep in the airport that night, which I did.
When I arrived in Phoenix the next morning...no luggage (it seems that it went to Washington without me)...finally three days later my luggage arrived...I will never fly United again ever...of this I am sure!!!!
you see and experience so much more by car anyways. If there isn't an ocean between you and your destination and time allows, car is the way to go.
I once had a shoot in South Dakota and the final leg was on one of those little commuter jets, which arrived late. Looking out the window just prior to a rushed take off, I watched in horror as two burley luggage handlers (one on each end) pitched my VC hardcase and my hard strobe cases up and into the cargo hold. All the cases had stickers on them which said "Medical Equipment-Handle with Care". Guess which airline? Only one strobe was damaged beyond usage, and I got by on the shoot (though everything showed signs of being knocked around).
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
Kirk,Originally Posted by Kirk Gittings
So you can verify that the procedure is the same one for view camera equipment then?
Len
Yes, and because of that experience and the insult of flying in general, I largely quit taking jobs I could not drive to.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
Somewhere in my file I have a picture of one of these jerks driving a "train" of baggage carts and there must be close to a dozen bags that had fallen off and were sitting on the tarmac behind him!
If they are not stealing it, they are smashing it!
And now you are prohibited from locking your cases making theft all the easier.
I hate flying with gear for work now too.
A total false sense security to boot, they swab my laptop, and checked nothing else in the bag, Palm Pilots with expansion bays, pocket wizards etc etc. But they x-rayed my shoes while I stood on a disgustingly dirty floor at O'Hare. It was a joke.
Montreal is no better, the Hell's Angels had a Canada Customs agent at Dorval on the payroll to make sure certain bags went through without an inspection.
Allen,
The focus is upon appearance of security rather than actual security.
Yes, you have your laptop swabbed, your pants belt opened up, your shoes removed and checked, your carry on and checked baggage x-rayed, but by whom?
They are likely paid minimum wage and there is the potential to them being bribed and the potential for gangs loading and unloading the planes. I would rather be secure than have the appearance of security myself.
My thoughts,
Len
Actually they make $50K with benefits for life and are unfireable. Great bogus jobs -- one guy sits in a Suburban at the end of a railroad bridge to Canada 24-7 -- that means four employees that probably cost $320K per year for one freaking bridge.
Yesterday I returned with my wife to the US from Mexico, port of entry Houston, Texas. Arrived in Houston at 8:50 am from Veracruz, with connecting flight to Greenville, SC at 10:50 am.
On entering the immigration area we were obliged to stand in multiple lines for more than 1.5 hours, and lost the connecting flight. I think it was four open stations for about 1500 people, with the "cara de verga" custom agents taking about 4-6 minutes per person to clear. It is hard to imagine how much more one can be violated by the US government on return to the US. I have never experienced such a disgrace in clearing customs in any foreign country.
As we were making our way through the line one of the US customs officers remarked to all that conditions were the same in other US cities. Bull Shit, this problem is local to Houston, and has been going on for many months. My wife had the same experience in January on returning from Mexico, and wound up with a delay of eight hours in getting home, in spite of the fact that Continental had here to Houston with about two hours to clear customs.
Houston, "you have a problem". I won't connect through that hell hole again until the problem is resolved.
Sandy King
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks