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October 15 A First: Luggage LostGiven all the traveling I was doing...I expected this would happen sooner or later. Turned out to be sooner. Ah well. US Air, a Star Alliance partner, failed to transfer my luggage over to United Airlines in a connecting flight last week.
A week later...I finally have all my luggage in my possession. I was slightly worried as I had stored all of my receipts for reimbursement in one of my 'lost' bags, an expensive jacket, and my power cord for my smart phone. Worry no more!
Anyone else reading this have airline luggage horror stories? I think incidents like this will teach me a lesson or two about what to check and what not to check. :) September 16 United 153 HeavyOn my way back from Montreal, via Chicago, I had the pleasure of flying on a Boeing 777 for United Flight 153 to San Francisco. "Heavy" standing for Boeing 777 I presume. I was able to listen in to the cockpit audio thanks to United's Channel 9. (yes, that is where the idea for Microsoft's "Channel 9" came from) That was my 2nd 777 flight. I always LOVE flying in them because they are so huge! Two seats on either side, with 5 seats in the middle. If you can't feel safe in a 777, nothing can help you. :)
Unfortunately, shortly after take off, a gentleman apparently suffered a heart attack. I didn't see this person, just knew that something was going on and that there was a medical emergency. Our flight had to be diverted to Lincoln, Nebraska! I bet the residents who saw us land and take off got quite the shock...I doubt many 777's visit Lincoln. :) Hopefully the guy made it through ok.
Otherwise, it was smooth sailing. Another wonderful experience flying the friendly skies. :) (granted I was 2hrs late!) MontrealOh Canada! I recently had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in Montreal on business. Unfortunately, I didn't really get a chance to *explore* much. However, most of what I saw thoroughly impressed me. Everyone was very courteous and pleasant. I really got a kick out of hearing French spoken everywhere! Much to my surprise -given all the warnings of my friends- it didn't really *feel* like I was in another country for some reason. Most everything operated as I expected it to. Although, for some reason it took me forever and a day to figure out that N2 in an elevator meant Level 2. = p It was quite a shock when flipping through the tv channels in the hotel at 11p to see soft-core pornography on regular TV! I forget the channel...but dang! I think back to the days when I was 14 (okay 22 j/k) and how seeing a dirty mag in a newspaper bin would get me and my friends in a tizzy. heh
The only downside? It was really hot and humid. Yuck. heh Lots of bugs everywhere. Especially at/near the Airport. As soon as we walked off the plane, there were these humungo spiders with big thick legs and webs that were practically reaching out to touch you. It was hilarious! I swear a stampede was about to begin after I pointed them out to the passengers around me!
Only got lost once...and that was when the Taxi driver got lost. = p Musta been new?
au revoir Montreal! I'll definitely be back!  June 21 NetRatings: Online TravelSummer is here! I've been hitting up my favorite online travel service sketching out my summer travel plans. (SFO/NYC/MIA/SEA?) I grew curious as to how the online travel service landscape had changed in the last year now that 50% of all airline ticket purchases are made online...if it had at all. Here is a snapshot courtesy Nielsen//NetRatings Inc. Top 3 Airline Sites ranked by vistiors (APRIL)
Top 3 Online Travel Agencies ranked by visitors (APRIL)
Interesting information. While Expedia and crew doubled the audience of the airlines, actual purchases are pretty evenly split between the airlines and the agencies. A lot of the airlines hold back their best prices for display on their own site. I fly Jet Blue as much as possible and I always go through their site. What online travel service do you prefer? I'm a loyal Expedia user myself...gotta love using my Microsoft Passport. May 19 The Things We Leave Behind...I'm currently in Redmond on a business trip...I forgot one thing and one thing only back at home. My digital camera. Doh! Having a lot of fun per usual. Not to mention the weather...complete with thunderstorms every afternoon I've been here! A small tornado was even confirmed by the National Weather Service in a town SW of Seattle. I must say...travel up here *feels* about as bad as it is in Los Angeles. |
At any rate, I'm pretty busy through the weekend...so I hope to talk to some of you on Messenger after that!|
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