United Airlines - How Can we Disappoint You?

So here I am - stuck in Denver for a few hours. My flight out of Dallas was delayed due to mechanical problems - not a big deal. It happens. The pilot was pretty cool about it, and free drinks were offered to anyone who wanted. Then I arrive at Denver, visit my favorite restaurant here (Mile High Grill) for a cheeseburger & iced tea. It's been a really long day and I'd like to kill the next 3 hours in solitude if possible. I haven't flown with United for quite a few months and notice my Red Carpet Club membership seems to have expired. The RCC is a lounge of sorts upstairs. Nice & quiet, refreshments, easy chairs, big screen TVs and CLEAN RESTROOMS. Since my membership just expired a couple of months ago I figured it might be worth a try asking if I can visit the RCC just this once. On the outside chance that I had renewed and forgot, I asked the woman behind the entrance counter to scan my card and check my renewal date. I'm sort of surprised by her demeanor - no smile (could have been the makeup), and eyes strangely devoid of life form. She does so, then stares at me through the eyes of the undead and says "your card is invalid. Do you want to renew?." I tell her no thank you. Since I don't travel United much anymore there really is no point. I could have purchased a "One-day" pas for - get this $50.00! I ask for my card back - the nice shiny plastic one with my name and frequent flyer account (still valid) number on it. The United zombie with way too much makeup on now stares at me with even deader eyes and says "I have to confiscate it". I tell her, "But it is my card and I need it to log on for flight registration, etc.". Again the cold, lifeless stare, and a curt " You can use your boarding pass - it has your number on it". Yeah, right, I'm going to carry my boarding pass forever inn my wallet - so much handier. I ask her why she can't return my card to me. "Those are the rules". At this point I seriously considered grabbing her in a headlock, giving her a well-deserved noogie, then running for it after grabbing my card, but I realized I'm in an airport - possibly full of more United Zombies who have decided I'm some sort of terrorist who infiltrates Red Carpet Clubs across the country to steal pretzels and fresh fruit. I calmly walk out into the terminal area, vowing under my breath to seek revenge. How difficult would it have been for this woman to (A) Greet me with a smile in the first place and at least call me by name? (B) Apologize, and explain nicely that she simply could not grant me access, and (C) hand me the damn card back! After a short walk I saw that I was approaching TCBY and decided I needed a chocolate ice cream cone. No membership needed here. I ordered a waffle cone. Not only did this dude - working for minimum wage at 9:00PM on a Friday night - give me service with a smile, he plopped 3 or 4 big scoops into the cone and asked me "Is that enough, sir?" Then after I paid him, another smile and "Have a great weekend". He obviously was not one of the undead. It simply amazes me how so many people miss out on an opportunity to make someones day better, not worse. Oh, yeah, the revenge part? I think I'll fly Southwest next time. Last time I flew them the pilot was cracking jokes, greeting all the passengers, picked up trash in the cabin after we landed, and the flight attendant told me he had left United to work for Southwest because they were so much more fun to work for. Plus I really dig the shiny planes and cool colors. You can sit anywhere you want without having to pay for those "extra inches", and unlike the United zombies, those folks seem to be living, breathing, humanoids. With that kind of service, who really needs a fancy lounge anyway?

Helmets, seatbelts, and proper training

I've been readining a lot lately about people being killed on motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, and even cars. Accidents happen - I get that. But when I think about how many of these accidents could have been prevented by proper training, and even more importantly the deaths and/or serious injuries that could have been prevented by wearing proper safety gear, it makes me sick. I've been riding motorcycles for almost 30 years. I've never ridden without a helmet - ever. I've never crashed, but if I had, I probably would have survived. Five friends and co-workers I've known over the years are gone now becasue they chose not to wear a helmet. One guy had his helmet firmly strapped to the seat behind him when a car pulled out in front of him. He and the bike went down at about 30mph. He died on the scene from head injuries. Another close friend was playing around on his daughter's scooter - one of those you can't even license. No helmet needed, right? He slipped in some gravel and fell, hitting his head on the street. Later, he laid down on the sofa complaining of a headache. That evening his wife came home from church and found him dead from internal bleeding in his brain. I could go on...but let's talk about seatbelts. Recently a police officer was killed in a violent collision here in Idaho. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Someone - a relative of his - wrote an editorial stating that this police officer felt he could not respond to an emergency quick enough if he had to disengage a seatbelt. Are you kidding me? He would be alive right now if he had worn a seatbelt. Let's pray that other officers aren't of the same belief as this guy. Finally a word on proper training and equipment. No matter what you get around in - a car, motorcycle, airplane, or bicycle - Invest in the training necessary to be an expert at whatever you are operating. Do whatever the law requires - and then do more. I have taken many hours of on-the-track and classroom training for riding a motorcycle - my life depends on it. I take the bike in regularly for a qualified mechanic to check from one end to the other - my life depends on it. I wear a helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, and boots - over $1000 of safety gear - ecery time I ride - my life depends on it. It's a dangerous world out there, so I pay a lot of attention to my surroundings. I don't text, listen to music, or talk on the phone - my life depends on it. when I drive a car or truck, I wear a seatbelt - I always have. And you know what? I don't feel restricted in any way. I feel safer, I'm more alert, yet relaxed knowing that I'm properly trained and experienced, and if something goes wrong, I feel protected. I can always buy a new bike ,a new car, and new riding gear - I can't buy back my life.