On the Road Again

Edited
I’m on the road again for work after being home for about three weeks. To say I wasn’t looking forward to this trip is an understatement. First there are so many issues with this project I don’t know where to begin. Some of them are beyond our control but there are many that are within our control which is why I’m here. I’m supposed to fix everything during my two weeks here but since I don’t have magical powers or even a magic wand I’m not sure how much I can move things forward since a lot of the issues are personality driven.

I fly a lot and spend a lot of time sitting in the cattle car, otherwise known as economy class on long haul trips. I usually fly United and have enough miles that I can sit in that premium section of economy with the extra leg room. I know it’s not much but when you’re in economy you often end up with the person in front of you putting their seat so low that it’s in your face. Only problem with the premium section of economy is that it’s near business class and I have to sit and watch them get all the preferential treatment. I’ve also flown business a few times so I’ve had a taste for the good life. Forgive me guys, I’m just bitching and moaning because I could use my miles and upgrade but I’d rather save them to fly free around the country. I’ve gotten over it. Because my approval came at the last minute I wasn’t able to fly my usual route with United and ended up on a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

As for the economy section I was not impressed. In fact after hearing so much great stuff about Virgin it was disappointing. Sure the Single beds they have in “upper class” looked great but I ride in the cattle car and they’re giving you a place to sit still for 8 to 10 hours and a bite to eat, yet I continue to expect more and am disappointed every time. The trend in the industry seems to be moving toward less passenger services and higher prices so I should know better. So far I’ve flown economy on United, American Airlines, Delta, US Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, Virgin Atlantic, Macedonian Airlines, Austrian Air, BMED (a subsidiary of British Airways). My favorite so far in terms of service and amenities (i.e; quality of food and drink) has been BMED. Those of you who travel frequently what are your favorite airlines and why?

Apparently I'm not the only one concerned check out this article