Tonight I was back at the airport at Roissy, flying to Scotland. A new twist in the constantly changing regulations is that this time all the computers, cameras and cell phones had to be carried in your arms and turned on right before you got onto the bus for the plane.
Drinks and meals on the plane all cost money. "What about water?" I said.
"You have to pay for it."
"Even though we are not allowed to bring our own bottles onto the plane?"
"That's right."
When I got here I looked up the airline's own website FAQs and found:
Can I take my own food and drink onboard?
...Customers are not permitted to take any drinks onboard[sic].
We are providing extra water in-flight.
Five of our suitcases are still missing since Monday. When I mentioned this to a gate agent, he said, "Have you seen the baggage claim area? So many bags are lost right now because of the new rules that they are bringing them over to warehouses by tractor-trailer [semi-remorques]."
Ça promet!
All this because no public official is yet ready to step forward and implement El Al's security procedures, which have kept them safe from the most determined efforts of Islamic terrorists for more than thirty years.
We'll get there, but not before enough of 'le public' objects to this politically correct posturing which currently stands in the way. I really prefer that we muddle our way there, as at present, rather than get there convulsively, as we would in the wake of losing several planeloads of people.
Posted by: ZF | 25 August 2006 at 02:39
Is that greenhouse-style roof a replacement for the one that collapsed embarrassingly?
Posted by: Stu "El Inglés" Harris | 25 August 2006 at 16:30
Have you thought of telecommuting ;)
You need th write a book, "My life in the travel trenches". You're obviously gathering plenty of material. Gosh, poor you!
Posted by: LA Frog | 25 August 2006 at 18:14