But you must admit that no trip report can surpass the quality of his reports.

I think that the next time I fly into an airport where CO's baggage claim carousel is immediately adjacent to that of another carrier (like at IAD, for example), as I wait for my bag, I will walk around the other carrier's carousel and repeatedly whisper, "You should have flown Continental Airlines." I might get 10 strange looks, but at least I will get my point accross. :D

Don't forget to have an attorney on 24-hour retainer/standby to challenge your detention under whatever State committal statutes may apply. They may expect a bit of that at Heathrow, but I can imagine a few U.S. Cities where they might send the padded wagon for you :D

Time for Happy Hour!

A link to This Website got buried in an OMNI thread earlier today. Excellent fodder for halloween costumes...

So that's what you were doing over at OMNI. :rolleyes:

No. Raising workplace productivity to new heights.

Glad to still be here
 

I'm not a nervous flier, but this morning, the pilot of my Chautauqua CRJ made me one, at least for a few minutes. I've always thought that particular aircraft seemed to have a difficult time getting airborne and achieving a decent climb rate, especially when full. But this morning's takeoff from LBB was worse than usual. I'm not sure if the pilot pulled back on the yoke a little too early, or if they had done some miscalculations, or if the wind was at fault, but as we lifted off, the main gear lifted off the runway, then we just kind of hovered above the runway without really climbing for about a little bit, then the main gear lightly touched the concrete again and we lifted back up, and then a second or two later, actually started to climb. The funny thing was that most passengers didn't seem to notice anything out the ordinary, but a few people looked concerned, and the flight attendant definitely looked a little shaken by it. Nothing was ever said about it by the crew, and the flight continued on to IAH without anything else unusual (OK, so the lav didn't work and coffee wasn't available, due to what I assume was a problem with the plane's water supply, but this was Chautauqua after all). And unlike some of their CRJs, this one actually had fully functional air conditioning. Of course none of that would have really mattered had we not ever started to actually gain some altitude as we departed LBB.

It's been a few years since I've had something happen in flight that made me really nervous. But this takeoff was the worst feeling I've ever had on a flight. I can't help but wonder how close we were to another accident like what happened with Comair at LEX last year.

Yikes! Glad you made it back to IAH in one piece, ssullivan. Thankfully, this sort of thing is generally quite rare (IME, at least). Hope you won't have the displeasure of experiencing it again any time soon (if ever).

I haven't the inclination to find the thread No., but there's a thread over on TravelBuzz regarding true, extreme turbulence that's rather eye-opening.

Finally...
 

Got my first crack at a Grand Marquis driving back from MSY this weekend (CO was charging extortionist prices due to VoodooFest). Though it's identical, I preferred it to the Crown Vic. for some reason (likely because it was new, with 200mi. on to Odometer). Still, not as nice as the Town Car. Nothing says suave like cruising between Lafayette and Lake Charles through some of the nation's most beautiful scenery in a mother-of-pearl colored Grand Marquis :D.

I have had many a Grand Marquis lately. They actually cruise rather nicely on the highway and get passable gas mileage for such a large vehicle. The Town Car is still preferable, of course.

Haha. Reminds me of the days back in 2001-2003 I had to work in Lafayette on a regular basis, and my former employer was too cheap to let us fly over there. But we weren't quite as stylish as you were in that Grand Marquis, as we usually had a rented Grand Am from Avis. And unfortunately I was always the designated driver, which meant that while my coworker got to enjoy his 40 oz. frozen daiquiri from the drive-thru Daiquiri Depot on Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette (always a stop on the way out of town at the end of the week), I had to stick to my Diet Coke. It was a shame too, because I think his cheap frozen alcohol-laden super-size beverage helped numb the boredom of the drive on I-10 from central Louisiana back to Houston.

Gosh, that drive through South Louisiana is pretty boring. Especially when trying to get through Baton Rouge on a Friday when there is an LSU home game. The wait to go over the Mississippi River bridge sometimes approaches 1 hour! Just to go over a freakin' bridge!

I am in a Dodge Nitro. When I walked from the bus to the car last night I found that the darn thing didn't start :mad: Great start for a week long trip. Avis was nice enough to drive a new to our row.

The flight up was nice enough, though it was completely packed. Thank God for exit rows. I checked-in 30 minutes after the 24 hr. mark and still had a seq # of 10, got an exit row and was seated next to a guy well over 6' and across the aisle there were three body-building looking fellas, all over 6', they looked a little uncomfortable.

W T F...Every single IAH-MSY flight is completely sold out on Friday, Nov. 9, in both F and Y. AA wants $900 for a coach ticket to MSY, DL not much better.