Rudy 2005-06

How Not to Fly to a Family Reunion Seniors Choice Newsmagazine June 2005 - By Rudy Loeser - The idea was great. We would all meet in Montreal and celebrate this writer's birthday. Daughter, Laura, would fly in from Manchester. Her brother, Mark, would pick her up and they would visit a few hangouts without their pater. I would fly in two days later and we would visit a few hangouts together. Laura would travel by KLM, via Amsterdam, and I would fly with Westjet, paying for most of it with AIRMILES. I was short about 580 points, but they allowed me to pay 30 cents per air mile for the balance. That amounted to $174. Taxes and services charges were added, of course, along with 'airport improvement taxes'. That brought the total cost of the ticket to $1025. However, AIRMILES assured me that I would be flying FIRST CLASS. In my experience that would mean a couple of those tiny bottles of my favorite libation, a tasty snack or two, all consumed in the generous dimensions of my FIRST CLASS seat. A nap would make the night hours vanish quickly, and I would arrive in Montreal rested and refreshed. So much for my imagination. I boarded my Westjet flight in Vancouver and was directed to my seat, which was the shortest, narrowest seat I had ever sat in. When I asked the stewardess about this, she airily replied, "Oh, we don't have first class seats, we're 'one class'. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! Some time later the young lady came around wondering if I would like a drink. Being midnight, I opted for a Scotch as a nightcap. "That will be five dollars, sir." The only food offered was sandwiches, also five dollars. Another Scotch? Another five dollars! Because of the cramped seat, I sat up, being uncomfortable, the entire night and paid $1,125 for the privilege. It's time the airline industry was held accountable for its irresponsible assurances, and time that Westjet began to treat its customers as though they were important. That is the last time I will cross the continent on any domestic airline when I can fly on an international carrier, any international carrier - except KLM. Daughter Laura picked that carrier for two reasons; they had a seat sale, and she liked the stopover in Amsterdam. Laura and Mark met me at the airport and their hugs made the whole uncomfortable trip worthwhile. The visits and the festivities commenced and I felt at home again in an environment in which I had functioned at one time with great joy and abandonment. Time was too short. It always is when things are wonderful. All too soon it was time for Mark and I to take Laura to the airport for her KLM flight. No problem approaching the KLM counter, there was nobody lined up. The lady behind the counter told us the flight had been cancelled, and would be please join the line of customers on the other side of the terminal? It was a long lineup and we were in it for 4 hours and 15 minutes. We were finally told Laura could choose between an Air France flight two days hence, which would take her to Manchester via Casablanca and Paris, or a KLM flight to Manchester via Amsterdam in three days. No thought for the job she needed to get back to, and no compensation! It has always been my impression that airlines look after stranded passengers by putting them up in hotel rooms and paying for meals. Not so here. The customer service representative told Laura she would have to submit a claim at the KLM office in Manchester. If I were Dutch, by birth or affiliation, I would fly SAS. I would fly El Al. I would fly Aeroflot, before I would ever fly KLM again. As far as AIRMILES INC is concerned, I'll redeem my points for anything but air miles. I'll take a fountain pen that leaks or a digital camera without a flash! As far as the birthday was concerned, the reunion was a success, which is the way it should be.

 

< Prev		Next >