Flying

[Eltargrim]

This post is not about the actual act of flying. That's cool. In fact, I love flying. Being carried around in the air through nothing but air? Coooooool.

The issue is airports. Not even customer service agents; one of the baggage agents I had today was a bit airheaded, but that's cool, she tried. The security guys were totally cool, no hassling involved. Didn't even put me through the new backscatter radiation scanner they're testing out.

No, this post is about restaurants. Specifically restaurants which are past the security barriers. Their customer service, to be even more specific. I mean come on. There are easily 5 empty tables, no shortage of available staff, and it takes me 10 minutes to get seated? Once I actually get seated, it takes me another 30 minutes to get...wait for it...

A beer and a plate of yam fries.

That should have taken 10 minutes, max. It's embarrassing. A monopoly is no excuse for poor service.

It seems petty compared to people who have lost baggage, missed connections, etc, but seriously? That level of service is just embarassing.

ITT: We discuss flying, and the infrastructure erected around the act of flying.

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[Nique]

Consider though - The employees of this establishment are probably put through an inordinate, and what must at times seem like pointless, amount of security training/ procedures on perhaps a daily basis. On top of that must deal with incredibly rude and impatient customers who might otherwise be very pleasent (becuase as cool as flying is, it always makes you tired and the airport is stressful). They have virtually no regulars aside from airline employees, who along with the passengers are only eating there most likely becuase it is the only choice. All those things togethor mean poor tips if any are the call of the day, everyday, no matter how good your service is. So they eventually stop trying and this adds to the frusteration of flyers, continuing the cycle of life.

[Seil]

Why are you eating at the airport anyway? Airport food is disgusting. The best thing to do is to eat before and after the flight.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I've spend a collective million years in airports and can tell you fast-food places are your only safe bets in these situations.

[Viridis]

http://wondermark.com/c/2008-10-07-449kabob.gif (http://wondermark.com/449/)


This is really all I have to add. I've never flown.

[bluestarultor]

This is really all I have to add. I've never flown.

Man, you're missing out. The wind on your face, the way your clothes ruffle in the wi- I mean, oh, er, airplanes. Really cool. Yeah.


All I have to say is that baggage check sucks. I lost my class ring to those guys. Also, they tend to choose my family to trash the bags of because we generally have at least one electronic device, like a Game Boy, and are like the whitest people ever, so if we don't end up with all of our clothes wrinkled and our bags actually effing zipping, it's a miracle.

[katiuska]

I once sat down and a Chile's and escaped in just enough time for them to not let me on the plane and had to stay overnight, for there aren't a lot of options for flying Atlanta-Portland. To be fair, I don't blame the service as much as myself for not considering that an airport restaurant at dinner time might be seriously understaffed.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Why are you eating at the airport anyway? Airport food is disgusting. The best thing to do is to eat before and after the flight.

The Airport I went to up here in New Jersey 3 years ago has pretty good food.

[Amake]

http://www.pha-resources.org/images/Rubens_old_man_.jpg
Heavier-than-air flight? Preposterous!

The infrastructure that worries me is security. Eventually we'll have to fly naked, hosed in heavy-duty cheansing chemicals, and sedated. And buy new clothes at airport prices when we get there.

I find it hard to believe that there aren't commercial boat rides cheaper than airplanes. There should be a huge untapped market there. but it seems the only boats taking passengers across seas these days are luxurious cruisers that refuse to let you bring your own food. I guess no one has the patience to get on a boat for several days when airplanes can get you there in hours, only using several hundred times more energy.

[Seil]

The Airport I went to up here in New Jersey 3 years ago has pretty good food.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/Poetisch/youlie.jpg

[Kyanbu The Legend]

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/Poetisch/youlie.jpg

Honest it was really good. Though my friends relate me to Kirby/Shaggy on a regular basis when it comes to food so...

That probably voids my opinion on Airport food.

[Green Spanner]

I always found it strange when you would be shoved against the wall and labelled a terrorist if you had something sharp in your bags, but the restaurants had metal cutlery on the other side of security.

But yeah, probably the worst thing about airport restaurants as that I frequently find myself with nothing else to do but sit in them until I have a gate.

At least I'm old enough to drink though.

Um...in some countries...