12.26.2007

ARRRRRGH

I am going to set the JetBlue corporate offices on fire.

My trip from Dulles to my doorstep only took 22 fucking hours. That included a stay, at my expense, at the Dulles Hilton.

And now here I am at Logan Airport. My flight is delayed, again. And the flight I'm catching in New York City is delayed as well. So, in the span of less than a week, all four JetBlue flights I was scheduled to take have been severely delayed. Fantastic.

Well, I hope everyone else got/gets home in a timely fashion.

Any suggestions on how to kill time in an airport? I mean, there's only so much pizza, Burger King, and Dunkin' Donuts a man can eat.
Posted by Rusty at 1:18 PM

27 comments:

  1. HRH King Friday XIII, Ret.December 26, 2007

    Bored at an airport? Here's a classic Fromer's travel tip. Go into the mens room, assume a wide stance, and tap your feet. If you do it right, you get to meet a Senator!

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  2. JamieDecember 26, 2007

    Download the Arabic language pack for Microsoft Word, set your font size to 72 point, and write your thank-you notes while seated in a crowded area. You'll get the last laugh when you change the font back to English for airport security.

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  3. EdTheRedDecember 26, 2007

    Situations like this are why there are bars in airports.

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  4. miss beeDecember 26, 2007

    wait, you stayed overnight at dulles? why not just go home?

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  5. RustyDecember 26, 2007

    Because my options were limited at 1am with a 9am flight (which was delayed until noon, but I didn't know that then). The hotel afforded me an extra hour or two of sleep.

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  6. coffeeDecember 27, 2007

    i always tell people that amtrak is a much more reliable option between DC and new york than flying.

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  7. UnknownDecember 27, 2007

    Why didn't you just take the USAir Shuttle from National. Dude.....

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  8. UnknownDecember 27, 2007

    The drive from Boston to DC this year wasn't bad at all. I did it in 8 hours. Take into account though that most of the driving wasn't until after 8pm. BTW, did anyone find a couch cushion on 95N between DC and Baltimore?

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  9. RussellDecember 27, 2007

    "i always tell people that amtrak is a much more reliable option between DC and new york than flying."

    Well, I would have to take the Amtrak to Providence. It's unbearable.

    "Why didn't you just take the USAir Shuttle from National. Dude....."

    Because that shit is expensive!

    But, yeah, that's what's happening from now on. That way if I get hosed the Metro is right there and I don't have to stay in a fancy hotel.

    Though the HD LCD TV was a nice touch.

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  10. AddisonDecember 27, 2007

    Sounds like my trip from hell last night. jetBlue delayed my flight from Burlington to JFK by 4 hours, so I missed my connection (which was the last plane of the night). They offered to put me on the next available flight which was 6pm today, so I had to take the 3am train from Penn Station to DC. Oh, and jetBlue lost my bag on a direct flight.

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  11. dih123December 27, 2007

    Shit...I have to take JetBlue back to DC later this week...

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  12. AndrewDecember 27, 2007

    The Acela Express is well worth the money, and is almost always hassle free. You get to sleep, and none of the humiliation associated with flying.

    It also stops in Providence.

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  13. Kristen S.December 28, 2007

    You FLY to RI? Seriously? Surely you realize that driving, even with traffic, is more efficient and cheaper than flying, within 500 miles. Hell, I even drive to FL.

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  14. miss beeDecember 28, 2007

    whoever thinks amtrak is reliable along the northeast corridor is clearly delusional. and i mean that in the nicest way possible.

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  15. EdTheRedDecember 28, 2007

    Kristin: that's a great idea...


    ...if you own a car.

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  16. RustyDecember 28, 2007

    You FLY to RI? Seriously? Surely you realize that driving, even with traffic, is more efficient and cheaper than flying, within 500 miles. Hell, I even drive to FL.

    1. No car.

    2. I fly to Boston or Providence. Whichever is cheaper. I live equidistant to them.

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  17. keltonfoodDecember 28, 2007

    southwest to either boston or providence non-stop from bwi. much easier than fucking with dulles.

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  18. UnknownDecember 28, 2007

    Dude, renting a car from Enterprise is less painful, faster, and often cheaper than a Mid-Atlantic flight.

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  19. corinneDecember 28, 2007

    southwest doesn't go to boston, just manchester, but if it does providence, do that up for sure. southwest is so much friendlier

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  20. Captain CrabDecember 29, 2007

    Absolut on the rocks!

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  21. ErieDecember 29, 2007

    "Dude rent a car" only works (isn't insanely expensive) if you're 25 or older. Rusty is but a baby.

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  22. UnknownDecember 31, 2007

    "southwest to either boston or providence non-stop from bwi. much easier than fucking with dulles"

    Hold up! Southwest in the morning at BWI is a TOTAL mess! There are TONS of people trying what seems to be a reasonable way to avoid traffic at National or Dulles.

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  23. AndrewDecember 31, 2007

    The Northeast Corridor is as reliable as flying most of the time, costs as much (or less if you take the slower regional, which still makes it about the same if you factor in security theater and ground delays of flying), and far less tedious, humiliating, or soul-sucking than air travel from DC to Boston.

    Plus, you can get up and walk around, use your phone if you need to (they even have pay phones!) and Amtrak staff tends to not treat you like crap. Plus, you can buy a ticket the day of your trip and not be cavity-searched. Hell, you can even still pay cash without having to show your identity papers/internal passport/driver's license.

    Oh, and either an Acela Express or a regular ol' regional runs almost every hour, on the hour. You can get to the station 30 minutes before your train leaves and not miss it because some TSA hack is too busy checking to see if your shampoo is too big! Hell, I've even brought my own food, beverage, and alcohol aboard a train and not been subjected to waterboarding. I even saw an Amtrak police let small children pet his dog while he gave someone directions, all while someone took a picture of the beautiful interior of Washington Union Station, an offense which would certainly get you sent to Gitmo if you did it at Washington National (I refuse to call it Rea***) or Dulles, two of the most beautiful airports in the US, and certainly worth photographing.

    To sum it up, I can wake up, metro to Union Station, purchase a ticket, buy myself some food, walk on to a train, eat it, take a nap and find myself at my destination without hassle or humiliation, while flying requires me to alter my entire travel routine and expect delays, petty inconveniences, and stupid paranoia. AND IT COSTS MORE!!!

    I'm serious, people. If you're traveling between DC and New York, and even on to Boston or Providence (although the NEC does have some hangups above NYC due to the few remaining at-grade crossings and track issues which Amtrak is working on)there is not a single good reason for you to fly unless your round trip needs to be less than 24 hours. Factor in the hassles of "post-9/11 air travel" (see Patrick Smith's excellent op-ed in the NYT from the other day, he's a professional airline pilot and thinks it's all a load of crap) and I will take the NEC train over flying almost any time.

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  24. ClaytonDecember 31, 2007

    someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i think jet blue is probably much less to blame than the airport's failure to handle holiday travel more effectively. aside from crew and mechanical delays, which are rare, most delays can be blamed on the airport. not surprisingly, most of the worst airports in the nation in terms of delays are in the NE.
    though, jet blue certainly should have provided a hotel voucher. aslo, i am pretty sure all NY airports operate with more than 40% of their flights delayed. i'm sure that percentage is much, much higher during the holidays.

    delta overbooked all of my holiday flights (i HATE delta), but they gave me $400 credit and travel vouchers to the hotel they paid for. if they keep this up, i might be able to fly delta for free forever.

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  25. MikeDecember 31, 2007

    A few years ago, people were singing the praises of Jet Blue as the new, friendly carrier that wasn't like those old baddies like USAirways, Delta, and Northwest.

    The problem is an industry that makes promises it can't keep on absurd schedules and limited personnel who are overworked, underpaid and burnt out.

    The chaos that runs ours aviation system is just another example of the general public getting free-enterprised up the ass without lube.

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  26. nicholeJanuary 04, 2008

    my flight reservation somehow got lost. i know alot of peeps that got dicked over this holiday season. welcome to the club! we meet at the california pizza kitchen in national. see you there. :)

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  27. dih123January 04, 2008

    Well, I just got back to DC via Jet Blue from San Diego. Flight was ok, but what I want to know is why it took almost an hour to get my checked bag!?!

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