On SNA-EWR the other morning, I was greeted by a flight attendant with, "Good morning, sir, (my last name is very difficult to pronounce, so I get "Sir" a lot) looks like your my only star up front, so can I get you something to drink?" I was flying on an H fare, I believe, and that's the first time any flight that I've been singled-out for being a "star". At the end of the flight, an older gentleman flight attendant came forward and thanked me for "my continued business and loyalty to Continental". I appreciated that gesture, it was pretty classy, I must say.

NJDavid, with all this negative energy you have directed at Continental, perhaps you should devise a scheme so that your spent time and effort actually is profitable for you! I know I certainly would explore such options!

But seriously, I'm sure you're a reasonable guy, I've got to assume so since I really have no personal experience with anybody on this board, so what's the big deal? There are plenty of setbacks and letdowns in life...Continental screwed you...then fine, you did the right thing by no longer giving them your business. That's your prerogative, and that's why this country is so beautiful, we have the freedom to make these decisions and choices that affect our lives.

By the same token, those of us who haven't yet been f'ed over by Continental will continue to fly with them, exercising our right to choose who our money goes to. It's that simple. If I decide that it's no longer to my benefit that I continue to fly with Continental, I'll find another company who'll be more than willing to accept my business. Despite what you think, Continental is a company made up of generally good people, and in life, nothing's ever perfect, so if I run into a problem in my travels, I accept it and deal with it to the best of my ability. One thing I've learned in my years of globe-trotting is that no trip will ever go 100% to plan, so to counteract it you've got to be able to recognize trouble areas, anticipate problems, and know how to deal with it when the time comes.

In 1995, in an experience that compares very (un)favorably with some of your horror stories, SAS screwed me over so much that it indirectly cost my company a very large sum of money (well over $1.3 million dollars) and nearly my own job. I vowed never to fly with them nor deal with any aspect of that company ever again. I did keep my promise, and have not set foot on an SAS aircraft since that day. What I did NOT do was launch some childish personal crusade against the airline, investing huge amounts of my own time in a generally useless effort to "make known" the injustices of that airline, with an intent to satiate my own appetite for revenge. It just ain't gonna happen, I'm sorry.

NJDavid, I'm no stranger to business travel, I know what we are up against day to day just to get our jobs done. Everyone on this forum knows Continental irreparably damaged its reputation with you, and everyone also knows how much you dislike CO and everything associated with it. I come here to discuss issues pertinent to me as a loyal Continental frequent traveler. I really have no need to be inundated with lengthy posts about all the wrongs CO has done to you and your colleagues, and I would venture to guess many other members here share my same sentiment. All I can say is just cool it a little bit, and let bygones be bygones. You're a loyal United flyer now, so that's fine. You have obviously found a better option for your own travel, and that's good. It's time to ease up a bit, that's all.

You've got my respect as a fellow frequent traveler. I just hope that you can eventually find a way to bury the hatchet, or at least keep your anti-Continentalism under raps, at least on this particular forum. Sorry to really go on at length, I just wanted to get this off my chest. Please understand that there's zero hostility here, just a reminder or whatever you want to make of it.

(100th post)

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Dave

Edited for typo

[This message has been edited by CODC10 (edited 08-16-2003).]