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Jet2 Airlines, a British budget carrier, charges man extra for his fake legs {Gadling}
Mar 29th 2009 7:37PM So what? If they are extra baggage, or overweight baggage, or whatever, that's what they are. Airlines can't make judgements about WHICH items are worth being carried for free and which incur the excess baggage charges, etc. I don't think there's anything wrong with the airline's policy at all.
Dad calls from Iraq, son gets suspended {ParentDish}
Apr 18th 2008 11:15AM Before I get bombarded with hate mail, let me say that first and foremost, I DO understand about the difficulties of our servicepeople overseas and the need for children to stay in touch with them. I am not an ogre, and I believe that making arrangements in advance for an exception to be made would have been an excellent plan, had it worked, and that these are exceptional circumstances. BUT.....having said that, I am SOOOOOO tired of people who assume that their " issue ", whatever it is, ENTITLES them to do as they wish, that the rules don't apply to them, and if THEY don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to do something, it's OK for them to do it. The concept of accountability has gone to hell in a handbasket. For example, so many people pay no attention to posted speed limits on the road, but let someone who was speeding involve them in an accident and listen to them scream. Let someone deliberately misuse a medication or product and, when injured by it, beat a path to an attorney to file suit against the manufacturer. People eat mass quantities of junk food at fast food places, then some want to sue the restaurants for " making " them eat it, causing their obesity and resultant health problems. The most absurd I've heard is the woman who ordered hot coffee at McDonalds, then was stupid enough to put the paper cup of it between her legs and then ( successfully !! ) sued them when the obvious happened and she burned her crotch when the pressure of her legs against the cup caused the coffee to spill. I'm sorry there was evidently some miscommunication about approval for this child's phone call from his dad, and I'm sorry he'll now have this suspension to contend with, but who's to say that a call from his dad, of a non-emergency nature, was more "important" than someone else's call? Chances are, it was, but who is qualified to make that decision? Can you imagine the chaos in a school if students were allowed to use their phones during school times, at their own discretion? The kid and his family should just agree that he broke the rules, that taking the call was worth the " cost " , and accept the consequences. The pre-approval could possibly be renegotiated for the future, but even that could set an unfortunate precidence.
Southwest comments on the removal of unruly women from their flight {Gadling}
Mar 4th 2008 9:36PM OK, I agree with putting these girls off the plane if they were unruly and obnoxious. I agree with putting off intoxicated passengers, or those with severe BO that can't be fixed before departure. ON THE OTHER HAND, if you watch the TV show AIRLINE ( which I do, in spite of myself ) you've got to get a little tired of Southwest employees pulling people off flights or denying them boarding. Maybe this is actually a very small part of what those roving supervisors due, but if that's the case, they should show some of the other things on the show. They just go WAY to far sometimes, such as the time they denied transport to a VERY SMALL turtle in a container ( and I mean small...the thing probably didn't weigh a pound, and didn't appear to be more than about 6" long ). They did go so far as to consult the pilot, who made the decision to deny transport to the turtle....I have never understood that. If they were willing to waive their corporate guidelines and leave the decision to the pilot, why on Earth would he deny this request?Other airlines manage to permit a limited number of small, quiet, contained animals in the cabin...that was absurd. And as for making overweight people buy 2 seats, well, I'm sorry......when you're in a business that is open to " all comers ", you take the good with the bad, the thin with the fat, the tall with the short, and the well-dressed with the scrungy. In a time when, unfortunately, over half of the people in the US are overweight, THAT'S the status quo, not the thin person. ( And while I haven't actually seen any that are obese, some of those flight attendants aren't exactly light-weights themselves. ) They need to get over themselves a little bit, too. Having said all that, I must say I am repeatedly amused at the people who threaten to sue......do those people realize what an uphill battle they'd be facing? Not only that, but most of the time the airline's right.....they simply don't owe restitution to the would-be passengers, regardless of how inconvenienced they are. On one show, I think I counted about a dozen people who demanded that the airline put them up in a hotel and/or move heaven and Earth to get them to their distination ( at the airline's expense ) because flights were cancelled or delayed due to bad weather. The passengers somehow seem to think that because they had tickets, the airline was 100% responsible for getting them where they were going, regardless. Just the overwhelming sense of entitlement people seem to have these days.....
Two more young women claim mistreatment on Southwest {Gadling}
Mar 4th 2008 9:15PM That's a good one. I'll join you. Maybe we can get up a class-action suit.....
Two more young women claim mistreatment on Southwest {Gadling}
Mar 4th 2008 9:11PM What makes any of these girls/women think they're "too pretty". True, they're not painful to look at, but blaming their ouster from the airplane on their being " too pretty " is like that teacher whose lawyer claimed she was " too pretty " to go to jail after illegal sexual encounters with an underaged student. They sure do think a lot of themselves.
Giving Life to a 'Re-Born' {AOL Video Blog}
Jan 8th 2008 4:41PM Now this is really creepy. And sick. I can't imagine ANYONE, ANYWHERE thinking this is mentally healthy. I'm pretty open-minded, but YUCK.....
This is America, please order in English {Gadling}
Dec 23rd 2007 2:28PM Yes, this sign is appropriate, if a little harsh. (I would suggest something like " Only English spoken here " or similar) This IS the US, and OUR language is English. Outside the tourist-y areas in Mexico, for example, it's not uncommon to have to ask around to find someonewho speaks English if you need to. You don't find Americans, for the most part, expecting them to, and you certainly don't usually find menus and other informational signage in English. I have no problem with LEGAL immigrants or visitors being here, but this push to accomodate them and their customs and languages has been carried too far. Too much tax-payer resources are going into accomodating immigrants who, for whatever reason, chose not to learn or utilize English. ( Many actually do speak passable English, but just don't want to make the effort. ) There will always be visitors to this country who don't speak our language, but in most places, this should be an uncommon event.
Worst Kept Secret in Hollywood {AOL Video Blog}
Dec 14th 2007 6:14PM Agree with 443. Rosie just grosses me out on several levels, and hearing the ENDLESS mouth of hers going on and one about her lesbianism ( who cares?! )just makes her more annoying. ( On another note, I can't figure out what her " talent " is, anyway. Seems to me she's in the same category with ZsaZsa Gabor and Joan Rivers....What do they actually DO? ZsaZsa was at least beautiful. Why do we put up with Rosie and Joan? )
Worst Kept Secret in Hollywood {AOL Video Blog}
Dec 14th 2007 6:06PM I've had the impression all along that she's gay. I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret.
Camilla's Million Dollar Makeover {Luxist}
Dec 13th 2007 1:56PM Woo hoo!! That's telling it like it is.....For whatever else she may or may not be, and regardless of the relationship between Diana and Charles, this broad's still " the other woman " and has a TREMENDOUS amount of gall presenting herself for acceptance by anyone.
