Reply #18: I decided to stop flying in July of 2001. It was an uneventful flight, [View All]

[LandOLincoln]

no problems, except they'd overbooked my original 6:00 flight out and I volunteered to take a later flight and got my voucher for a free ticket sometime within the next 6 mos.

But when I got on the Amtrak in St. Louis to go the rest of the way to my destination--I refused to take any "puddle jumper" flights after a scary, scary experience in 1987--the cars were new and spiffy, it was wonderful actually to see some scenery for once, and I decided that from then on I would take the train for any but emergency travel. And I have.

Flying just wasn't any fun any more, even before 9/11. I had started flying quite a bit in the late 60s/early 70s, and it was great then. By 2001 it sooo was not. It was more like taking the Greyhound--packed in like sardines, squalling brats, no service.

Oh, and when I tried to use my voucher to go home at Christmas, assuming that as long as I booked the flight within the six months period, and my flight out was also within the six months, it wouldn't matter than my return flight would be outside the six months?

Well, it did matter, as I was very snottily informed by more than one officious little prick, so unless I wanted to go and come back before Christmas--which was not possible given my work schedule--I was SOL and my voucher worthless.

So fuck 'em all, except maybe for JetBlue. I hear very good things about them.