THE last couple of months we’ve featured the lovely Martin Kubler, of Iconsulthotels, telling us the things that drive him and his chums crazy about hotels. But, while I can truly sympathise in many cases, I must admit I’ve been lucky enough to stay at some fab establishments over the last few years and, particularly when travelling in this region, have had very little to complain about.
Now airlines and airports, well, that’s very definitely another story.
Though I must admit that, for the most part, our home-grown carriers are pretty blameless, there’s certainly at least one national airline that routinely seems to overbook – I was horrified to hear of a colleague being bumped off a 5am flight, having been at the airport from 3am with two very young kids, only to be told the next available seats would be some time the following afternoon – and amazingly he meakly accepted it.
I was also rather dismayed to receive a text message from one low-cost carrier to inform me my flight had been cancelled – but only one way – and even more disconcerted to be told by the very ‘special’ young lady in the call centre that they planned to charge me for the privilege of cancelling the other half. She seemed very confused when I asked how she thought I was going to fly back from Lebanon if they couldn’t get me there!
But I think possibly the worst flight experience I have ever had was taking my then elderly and partially disabled mother to Knock in Ireland on a European low-cost carrier which shall remain nameless but whose boss is famed worldwide for his penny-pinching ways and ‘I’m alright Jack’ attitude.
Flying out from Luton presented no problem at all, we were able to board early and between us my sister and I managed to get mum on board and into an aisle seat.
However, coming back the stewardess was adamant that, due to her mobility difficulties, my dear old mum would have to sit in the window seat on the grounds that she would block the exit for my sister and I should there be an emergency!
Is your mouth hanging open yet? Mine certainly was.
This might well be a common airline policy but no mention of it was made when booking and when we, very politely, pointed out that it would be impossible to move my mother without a hoist, said stewardess huffily announced that she would have to get the captain making it sound more like a threat than the suggestion of a solution.
Needless to say the intimidation didn’t work – but nor did the five-page letter of complaint I wrote on our return, so it is with great glee that I have watched this particular carrier being dragged through the courts on several occasions, one of them for disability discrimination.
One airline I’m happy to name though is British Airways, whose staff could not have been more helpful. Again travelling with my mum and also this time with another very elderly and infirm passenger, as soon as we arrived at the check-in desk we were immediately ushered to seats, wheelchairs appeared, our baggage was taken care of, we were priority boarded and the whole process was repeated in reverse on our arrival in Michigan without the slightest hitch – if it’s not still the world’s favourite airline, it’s certainly one of mine.
It’s just a shame that it has to fly out of Heathrow. Nothing wrong with that airport I hear you argue and that’s true, it’s the crazy British smoking laws that drive me nuts.
It’s bad enough that you have to slog through customs and immigration before you can have a ciggie in the specially-designated outdoor area following your hideously long flight. But what if you’ve checked in and found yourself with several hours‘ delay. I know, I know, smoking’s a stinky, horrible, antisocial habit and I truly have no wish whatsover to inflict my vice on those who don’t partake. But if the Germans and countless other airports around the world can manage airtight smoking cabins, complete with airfilter so that outside you can smell nothing, it surely can’t be beyond the wit of the Brits to follow suit. I appreciate that smoking inside is taboo, against the law and tantamount to treason in the UK but, if not a smoking cabin, then surely the powers that be at Heathrow must at least be able to come up with a little bit of roof where we nicotine addicts can indulge our filthy vice without falling foul of the law or the stink police?
Speaking out
By Liz O‘Reilly