Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 03, 2011 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
There are always interesting little anecdotes about flying in an airplane. These little stories can be interesting as they can be funny.
One time, a plane had just taken off and was at cruising altitude. The captain decided that this was the moment for him to make an announcement. He said” Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard. The weather ahead is fine. We should have a smooth and uneventful journey to your destination. Now sit back and enjoy the flight- OH- MY G-D”
Silence followed. The passengers began to perspire and worry.
After a few minutes the captain came on again over the intercom. He said, “ Ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry that I scared you earlier but while I was talking the flight attendant brought me a cup of coffee and it spilled the contents on my lap. You should see the front of my pants!”
A passenger in coach shouted, “That’s nothing. You should see the back of mine.”
Guyanese over the years have taken a lot of crap from certain airlines that ply the Guyana leg. Despite paying, and paying high for a service, Guyanese have had to put up with the most disgraceful service from certain airlines. They have been forced to pay high fares and enjoy substandard service for the sort of money they are paying.
In certain countries there is total contempt for Guyanese with passengers being forced to wait long periods on board while connecting to other destinations. And when it comes to the meals offered the stories are horrific.
There used to be time when even if you were flying to a regional destination that a meal would have been offered. This always was welcome because even if it is a short flight out of Guyana, a person would end up spending close to four hours without anything to eat before the plane departs.
If you were coming from the countryside it could take as long as two hours to get to the airport. Then there is a three hour check- in and processing before one boards the aircraft, a period long enough for the worms to act up.
If you are traveling first class this is not usually a problem since you are pampered. But if you are a coach passenger then the wait is long enough to make you hungry.
These days, the airport authorities do not allow you out of the terminal after you would have checked in. No one complains that this is an abuse of their freedom. They just, like everything else, accept that they can be ordered to proceed to the immigration section rather than being allowed to go and have a bite before departure.
There are facilities within the waiting area for having a snack but a snack cannot be filling to someone accustomed to eating a hearty meal.
And do not think about walking with food. The amount of checks that your little bowl will have to undergo by the security and anti-narcotics personnel, it would turn to soup by the time you are finished, so most passengers look forward to the meal that is served on the plane. Well, not all the time because there is a certain airline that insults Guyanese (and I suppose others) with what they offer as a snack. It is sometimes much better if they did not offer anything at all.
Hopefully with greater competition within the airline industry things will change not just in terms of the meals that are offered, and the hospitality that is shown to Guyanese but also in terms of competitive fares.
Guyanese wishing to travel outside of Guyana have been forced to pay exorbitant rates and this despite the fact that for some airlines the Guyana leg is the most lucrative.
There have been commitments made to improve things but nothing spurs improvement like competition and this is what Guyana is about to experience with the arrival soon of a new air carrier which will seek to be licensed to ply the Caribbean route.
All Guyanese passengers will therefore be looking on keenly at the developments that may see a new carrier being licensed, and if it is licensed, they will looking to see what level of service they will enjoy and more importantly what will be the airfares that will be charged.
This new airline promises to be different from the others who have simply followed suit with their competitors and not charged competitive fares. The new carrier has been announced as a low cost airline. If the fares are indeed low, then it should be welcome with open arms.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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