Adrienne's trip on Spirit Airlines--a trip

Adrienne who is a writer and speaker is a frequent flyer.  Here's her recent experience with masks.

"The announcements on Spirit Airlines today got me like...really?! You almost can't help but laugh and roll your eyes--and take notes!

Some of the announcements today:

1) During the usual safety instructions at the start of the flight:
"If we lose cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling. You will need to remove your face mask before putting on the oxygen mask."

Really, Spirit?! Who would have thought? So now, we've got to try to figure out two different kinds of masks while wrapping our brains around being on a plane falling from the sky! So do we take the face mask off the kid traveling with us before we take off our face mask, like we are told to put on our oxygen mask before putting the oxygen mask on said kid? Just wanna make sure I have the mask order of operations right. LOL!

2) "In a few minutes, we'll begin our descent into St. Louis. This is a good time to go to the restroom, blah, blah, blah--and to make sure your masks are securely covering your nose and mouth. You are required to have your mask on unless you are actively eating, drinking, or taking medication."
My question: Are there people IN actively eating, drinking, or taking medication?!

3) "We are making our final descent into St. Louis. Please be sure you remain seated for the duration of the flight, your personal item is stowed under your seat, the tray table is in an upright position, and your mask is fully covering your nose and mouth."

...because, of course, a safe landing is connected to one's face mask fully covering one's nose and mouth!

Can we get any more ridiculous? Shhh, Adrienne...Don't ask--because you already know the answer. Of course, we can--and that's the plan."

Safety in flying

An air traffic controller who lives in Columbus and attends our church writes:  “Thank you Mr. Obama and your inept Senate and administration whose gallant efforts today, to block Senator Moran's Contract Tower Amendment, succeeded; thus in turn costing me and a thousand other Air Traffic Controllers their jobs. Your political brinkmanship in using the safety of the national airspace system as a pawn in some elaborate narcissistic game continues to prove your inadequate ability to govern this country. Shutting down 238 Air traffic Control Towers (nearly 50%) which control nearly 1/3 (28%) of our nation’s air traffic is utterly absurd as well as dangerous. I now have grave concern for the flying public as well as the ripple effect that will be felt among all who use these airports across the country for their livelihood. You have done a great disservice to this country and I pray that the cost in not in human lives.”

Airline with no heart

Our flight between Athens and JFK was on Olympic. I don't do a lot of flying, but it wasn't as nice as Lufthansa. Grumpy staff. Choice between a movie, cartoons and Frazier TV show. With tourism struggling, I think they could do more to be accomodating, pleasant (like smile), and we'll never know what made many of us sick--the water, the food or just a stomach bug we passed around, but some people have been extremely ill. Me? The works. There's a bathroom 5 ft. from my desk.

One woman in our group (but not on our flight) fell in the Cairo hotel and fractured bones in both legs. In other words, was totally disabled for a 31 hour trip and in horrible pain. Unfortunately, they apparently didn't get the medical flight insurance that one of our members had recommended (it's quite cheap). Anyway, although (I heard this 3rd hand) there were 6 empty seats in first class, they wouldn't let her and her husband sit there to have more room for her legs. So one in our group, who did have first class (and her husband was ill), moved to coach and let the injured woman have her seat. But the injured woman's husband and another man had to come from the coach section and carry her to the rest room. This happened on Delta.

Bad. Bad for business. We had a number of Greek Americans on our flight, but I don't think there were any on hers. On the other hand, other than complaining in Greek, I don't know what help they would have been. I don't know if there are any other airlines to take you to Athens.

P.S. The barf bags on Olympic are much more durable than Delta's. If you get sick, be sure to take a number with you as you exit the plane. We had about 10 between us and used them all.

Our Italy costs just went up

I heard that the airlines are raising money for fuel by charging $15 per bag. It's got to come from somewhere and the heavier the load, the more it costs to fly. If the passenger with luggage weighs more than say, 200 or 250 lbs., then charge for the overage per pound, not per bag. This would not be popular, but if it is fuel costs they're concerned about, it would be more logical.

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Passengers' Bill of Rights?

You can drive a 747 through the loopholes according to this travel editor. The legislation was introduced by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to provide the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Act. I guess we know which sex has to handle a wet, poopy baby who's been crying for four hours, don't we?

The legislation requires airlines to offer passengers the option of safely leaving a plane they have boarded once that plane has sat on the ground three hours after the plane door has closed.

This option would be provided every three hours that the plane continues to sit on the ground.

The legislation also requires airlines to provide passengers with necessary services such as food, potable water and adequate restroom facilities while a plane is delayed on the ground.

The legislation provides two exceptions to the three-hour option. The pilot may decide to not allow passengers to deplane if he or she reasonably believes their safety or security would be at risk due to extreme weather or other emergencies.

Alternately, if the pilot reasonably determines that the flight will depart within 30 minutes after the three-hour period, he or she can delay the deplaning option for an additional 30 minutes.

I've never had to sit on a runway longer than an hour (most recently when our flight was diverted from Shannon to Dublin, Ireland because of fog), but even I can figure out that all you need to do is open and close a door after 2 hours and 58 minutes to get around that 3 hour rule. And the restrooms are already inadequate, so what is "adequate?"