Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
There's a reason . . .
. . . why when I travel to Pittsburgh in a month, I'm willing to drive the 12 hours rather than fly:
47 trapped on 'nightmare' flight to the Twin Cities
Security and rules kept passengers confined all night in a small plane at Rochester due to thunderstorms.
When Link Christin boarded a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to the Twin Cities on Friday night, he expected to be on the ground in about three hours and ready for a comfy bed.
Instead, he was among 47 passengers who spent the night trapped inside a small airplane, parked at the Rochester airport, complete with crying babies and the aroma of over-used toilets.
* * *
The airline crew on the plane reached their maximum work hours in the air, so another crew had to be flown in. The alternative of chartering a bus didn't work out. And letting the passengers into the Rochester airport was not possible because they would have to go through security screening again, and the screeners had gone home for the day.
What about just letting the passengers sleep in the airport terminal? "That was not provided as an option by ground services personnel at the airport,'' said (ExpressJet spokesperson Kristy) Nicholas.
Aww . . . it wasn't "provided as an option". And the security screeners weren't around.
Feel safer?
Something smells. No, not the overflowing toilets that the passengers had to put up with when they were finally flown to their destination late the next morning, though I'm certain those were pretty ripe. But something definitely smells.
Jim Downey
(Via BB.)
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Thankfully..
I've never had this type of experience with any planes. I've had bad weather on a few flights, but they only had to circle once, which took 20 minutes extra. *knock on wood*
NPR coverage
Of this news item in this afternoon's All Things Considered show: Passengers Stranded Overnight On The Tarmac.
Jim Downey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like Science Fiction? Read *or listen to* my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
You got me.
You caught me! I humbly confess my libertarian tendencies.
No, government and unions are not the only things I can find fault with in that story. The airlines, the passengers, and others bear fault as well. Bureaucrats were just the easiest and most natural target. ;-)
Amazing!
The only two things you can fault here is the government and unions? How about the fucking airline? I smell a libertarian and the stench is overwhelming.
Bureaucrats
In the real world where governments and unions don't squash common sense at every opportunity, people would have been paged, recalled, and paid overtime to make sure the customers had as little inconvenience as possible. With no accountability, no profit motive, and no freaking thought for other human beings, bureaucrats can be counted on to be lazy, vindictive, and stupid.