US despAIRWAYS

It’s been a long time since I’ve flown US Airways. I flew it last week, and I think it will be another long time before it happens again.
I ended up on a US Airways flight to Amsterdam because Continental, the airline on which I had piles of miles ripe for redemption, joined the Star Alliance. One day, it was offering SaverPass seats in BusinessFirst; the next day, the only thing available for the outbound flight was US Airways’ economy cabin.
This was a very sad experience. The itinerary was gruesome, with an eight-hour layover at Philadelphia. The airline would not check my bag through to Amsterdam because the layover was too long, so I had to claim it, drag it to the international terminal and recheck it. I guess they thought I might need something to do.
The flight was on a 757 – a terrible aircraft for transatlantic flights – and this one was showing its age. The bathrooms looked completely beaten up.
US Airways has taken the ancillary revenue concept to heart. Flight attendants marched up and down the aisles hawking movie headsets for $5 – this despite having only overhead monitors and no choice of film. They sold beer for $7. Budweiser. Seriously.
Saddest of all was the little “breakfast,” which confirmed for me that this airline has lost its pride. It didn’t even come with a plate.
My return flight was on Continental. I watched a couple of movies of my choice on the seatback monitor (no charge), had a gin and tonic for $5, was given actual utensils with which to eat and flew in relative comfort.
The old aphorism, “You are judged by the company you keep,” applies to airlines as well as people. If my loyalty to one airline is rewarded by a flight on a carrier with a far lower standard of service, I’m going to have to rethink where I buy my future flights.

What's wrong with this picture?

Check out this bathroom sink. The countertop was waist-high, and the protruding scallop thing in front of the sink made it impossible to brush my teeth without standing on tippy-toes or climbing up on the counter. OK, I’m on the short side, but I’m still well within the normal range. Obviously I should have paid more attention to those watermelon seed-spitting contests at camp. This wacky design is part of an otherwise very nice new Holiday Inn Express in Davenport, Fla., which has comfortable and spacious rooms and a very helpful staff.

Meanwhile, if I have to attend another conference in a hotel that cranks up the AC to the point where you need a blanket, I’m going to start lugging a space heater around. Earth to Omni Championsgate: It’s November in Florida. The weather is mild. I don't want to have to put a coat on when I go indoors.

The TSA learns about the Constitution

Somebody at the Transportation Security Administration read the U.S. Constitution and found Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The TSA issued a new directive: “Screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security.” Then it reminded screeners that “traveling with large amounts of currency is not illegal.”
The TSA’s enlightenment was aided by a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union after a member of a political organization passed a metal box containing cash donations through a security checkpoint at Lambert Airport in St. Louis. He was taken to a small room where he was detained, interrogated and told he was under arrest. His “crime” was that he politely asked the agents to explain the scope of their authority.
The ACLU said its concern was that “TSA interpreted its limited authority to safeguard air travel as a license to conduct unlimited law enforcement searches for which TSA agents are not trained and which distracted from the agency’s critical mission of ensuring flight safety.”
With the new directives, the ACLU is dropping the lawsuit. Score one for the Constitution.