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From: ecl@ahuta.UUCP (e.leeper)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Airline Experiences
Message-ID: <143@ahuta.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Dec-84 20:54:56 EST
Article-I.D.: ahuta.143
Posted: Wed Dec  5 20:54:56 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 06:55:07 EST
References: <886@ihuxb.UUCP> <1455@umcp-cs.UUCP> <173@harvard.ARPA>, <6279@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Labs, Holmdel NJ
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REFERENCES:  <886@ihuxb.UUCP> <1455@umcp-cs.UUCP> <173@harvard.ARPA>, <6279@brl-tgr.ARPA>

> People's Express insists on dumping you in Newark taking an otherwise
> 50 minutes flight and stretching into two hours (however they are the
> cheapest).

Of course, for those of us in New Jersey, landing at Newark is a feature, not a
bug.  I *hate* having to drive to JFK (2 hrs.) for a flight that takes 1 hour
(NYC to Ottawa).  (The following experience is cadged from my review of the
World Fantasy Convention in Ottawa.  There are also flights from LaGuardia, but
that's even more inconvenient to get to.  There is nothing from Newark.)

            The first thing we learned was that in spite of the
       fact that Ottawa is the capital of Canada, it is almost
       impossible to get to.  The only direct flights from New York
       (JFK) are via Pilgrim Air.  If you want to fly a real
       airline, you have to fly to Montreal and then take Air
       Canada the rest of the way.  This costs more and takes
       longer (in theory).  However, since our flight, aboard an
       F-27 prop plane, was diverted to Montreal anyway because of
       fog, it took us 6 hours to get to Ottawa the "fast" way.
       (The airline bussed us from Montreal to Ottawa--a two hour
       trip.)
       ...
            When we got to the airport for our return flight, we
       discovered we would be sharing a plane with Donald and Elsie
       Wollheim, Peter Straub, Whitley Strieber, F. Paul Wilson,
       Joan Vinge, Jim Frenkel, Chris Claremont, Chris
       Steinbrunner, and other well-known people in the publishing
       world.  Not bad for a plane that only holds about 40.  Just
       as I was saying that if this plane went down, there would be
       a major dent in the SF/horror publishing world, Pilgrim
       Airlines announced that due to mechanical difficulties the
       flight had been cancelled!  After a lot of confusion ("What
       do we do now?"  "I don't know." "What is the loudspeaker
       saying?"  "I can't hear it!"), we got ourselves straightened
       out.  Most of us opted for re-booking on the next day's noon
       flight (the clerk said that the 7AM would be cancelled due
       to fog).  Some went through the problem of booking flights
       through Montreal, either because they were sick of Pilgrim
       Airlines, or because they needed to get back to New York
       earlier.  The rest of us cruised back to Ottawa and hung out
       at the hotel (we stayed with friends who were staying
       through until Monday anyway), then returned to the Ottawa
       Airport Monday for a remarkably uneventful flight back.

So my suggestion--stick to the majors; they have back-up planes, etc.

					Evelyn C. Leeper
==> Note new net address:		...ihnp4!ahuta!ecl
(Mail sent to my old address will be forwarded temporarily.)