Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Hola from Madrid!

Miss me yet, my darlings? You will forgive the brief hiatus, but I was crossing the ocean on the way to Madrid, land of the barking waiters and the fabulous food and drink.
Got here safe and sound, despite a harrowing experience not on the air, but at the JFK Delta terminal, which has got to be the waiting room to hell. I have already sent a letter to Delta complaining about their ground services like a year ago and I got a typically cynical corporate response absolving themselves from any responsibility. Their neglect seems particularly directed towards international passengers. I must say the Delta ground employees were stretched to the limit and despite the fact that it was seven o clock at night and they hadn't had any lunch (which would have made me genocidal), they were polite and patient. So it is obvious that Delta, the company, evidences complete disregard and disrespect not only for their customers, but for their employees as well. It is beyond comprehension why they have their check-in counters at a narrow, most inhospitable terminal where passengers have to stand in the cold at the curb in interminable, chaotic lines. It is inexcusable that passengers that arrive, like idiots, 2 or more hours beforehand end up spending more time in line than those like me, who know the drill and know that if you get there an hour an a half in advance you will be allowed to skip the line so they can dispatch you sooner. I intend to write Delta another letter. Their horrible treatment of the passengers at check in makes everybody furious. Then the moronic Neanderthals who work as airport security at JFK exacerbate matters with their unfathomable stupidity and their lack of manners. Again, these people would make great supermarket cashiers, bur they are not fit to defend us from evil.
Sorry, I had to vent. I will tell you about Madrid, a capital city that is charmingly provincial, another time. Now I´m going to the Prado to see my Velazquezes and my Goyas. Ole!

1 comment:

  1. Delta is unspeakably atrocious. The check-in at JFK is like the 7th circle of hell. I experienced the same nightmare as you on Dec. 20 at the domestic terminal. It was so disorganized the different lines criss-crossed each other and people were walking around with WTF expressions. There was a huge line to use the self-service machines which I unwittingly cut into. I still had to stand in another Nile river-length line to check my bag and then another one for security. They had only two machines for the throngs of holiday travelers. Unbelievable.

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