THE FLYAIRHOST JOURNAL

THE READER -- THE MOVIE REVIEW

2009-02-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

The Reader, with Kate Winslet and David Kross, is one of the best movies I have seen in my life... so far...

The story takes place after World War 2 and it moves through time, with flashbacks back and forth... and with these well directed scenes, the viewer gets "a-ha" moments that reveals character secrets and moments of intrigue that will keep moviegoers mesmerized through the entire movie.

The cinematography and re-creation of the era, from wardrobe to cars, to details like telephones, tape recorders and other items, does shows who well the director and producers paid attention to detail.

Kate Winslet gave a performance that it is Oscar-worthy. She deserves all the attention and awards she is getting. The best performance by far and I can't wait to see more of her. The character moves through time, with her revealing a little bit of her struggling inner-self.

David Kross is a fantastic young actor who we will get to see more of in the near future. His character struggles with revealing or keeping a secret that could change someone's life forever.

Finally, Ralph Finnes, even tough he only has once scene with Kate Winslet, the fact that he is there through time, does makes you understand how, keeping a secret can change your life forever and how, letting it go and open up, can truly liberate who you are as well as those around you.

The movie is one that I would go back to see again for the acting, cinematography and overall production. Highly recommend it to anyone who have had enough of all of these silly horror and nonsense movies out there right now and want to see what a movie going experience should be about... leaving you with the desire of seeing more and discuss it after.

Doubt - The Movie (My Review)

2009-01-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

Originally, Doubt was a play that was developed for Broadway but it success brought it to the silver screen following the steps of Chicago, Frost/Nixon and other plays as well as musicals.

The movie starts with a church sermon being given by Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to the congregation about "doubt". And that's the theme that follows the entire plot of the movie from beginning to end.

Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) is the Principal of a fist-tight run junior high school where a very naive Sister James (Amy Adams) works as a teacher. Sister Aloysius is a very old fashioned principal thinking that 'ballpoint' pens are evil and listening to the radio is even more evil. When one day Sister Aloysius witness strange behavior from Father Flynn, she recruits Sister James to find out what is going on.

The movie lives to its name quite well. There is always a cloud of 'doubt' over everything that happens and you don't know if any allegations or accusations are factual or not. The plot keeps you guessing for the next few hours... who to believe???

The plot is very well developed by the writer of the screenplay as well as the movie. And needless to say, the acting of all the major characters are just fantastic; deserving every single nomination and award given to them.

My only distraction: there is a scene between Meryl Streep and Viola Davis (Mrs. Miller) which is a pivotal point of the movie. The only issue is that when Viola Davis is giving her very moving and emotional speech, her nose starts to run... and I don't mean a little bit... it was a waterfall of mucus going doing her nose into her mouth. The close up in the movie screen of her face did not help either. Even Meryl Streep did not look at her directly. And when she tried to wipe it off, it got worst. It makes you loose sense of what's happening and listening to what Mrs. Miller is saying. I actually kept wiping my own nose through the entire scene!

The director should have done another "take" with less distracting mucus is the scene.

However, the movie deserves all of the attention is getting and then some.

Royal Caribbean Cruises -- Review Serenade of the Seas

2009-01-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

We boarded the "Serenade of the Seas" out of San Juan for a great cruise of the Caribbean with stops at: St. Thomas, St. Marteen, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados from January 3-10, 2009.

Our first impressions were quite good. As we did the check-in process online a few days before, our check-in process at the port was quite painless and easy. We arrived at the port and within 15 minutes, we were already onboard!

The "Serenade" is quite big and the propensity of getting lost is huge but once we walked it around a few times, we got our wits about us and found our favorite bar, pool area and drinks! There are many restaurants all around. Every time we turned a corner, there was either a bartender offering me a drink or a restaurant offering loads of food. In fact, the restaurant was already open with so much food... and the amazing part is that the place was almost food.It is 4pm and the main "early" seating dinner was at 6:00pm; which we were a part of. We decided to stay 'healthy' and not eat too late as the next seating was at 8:30pm. More on that in a while...

As for food, there was so much I need to write a whole column just on it. The best part was that, after one too many drinks, we stumble our way to the night restaurant for sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, onion rings and/or fries. And this was after midnight... phew!

Clean ship with very friendly staff, good drinks, fantastic food and good facilities. In fact, our favorite bar was "The Schooner" bar. We met a great server that every night, before we left the bar, he will give us information on what to do at the port-of-call and what to avoid.

The shows were quite entertaining with "Broadway" style performances with good dancers and singers. Also Herb Reed and The Platters did the 'celebrity' show. We skipped a couple of shows but got to see them on the internal tv channel the next day. The shows included full bands with fantastic muscicians. The seating, sound system and staging were fantastic and very well done. At some points, we could feel the boat rocking quite badly while dancers and singers were all over the stage. A couple of times I would be scared for them as they would be dancing in some high ramp doing turns but, as professionals as they are (and probably used to it) all of the shows went perfectly, without a hitch. Customs, wigs, staging... everything was fantastic.

The fitness center is quite good. Machines work well and clean. They offer classes, some of them for free but some others come with a $12 charge per class, such as spinning and pilates; which I think is ridiculous. However, there is something fun of running in a treadmill while the ship rocks and enjoying the fantastic views of the Caribbean Sea.

Spa was great with nice relaxation room and the super-expensive treatments well worth it... but do not look at the bill too closely... ouch! I did take a full boddy masage with a facial and reflexology. I did fall asleep at the table for a few minutes. It was very good and the products used were of high quality. My skin felt like a baby's bottom afterwards. The price was rather exorbitant but I did enjoy every minute of it.

All ports of calls were fantastic and we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit. We got blessed with fantastic weather as well. Rough seas did not bother me at all... in fact, slept better!!!

Now for the downside and my complaints:

1. Television channel selection sucks! Over half of the channels kept saying "out of range" through the entire trip. CBS was a pre-made taped shows that played in a loop. After an couple of hours, you have seen the programming at least twice. The only "live" channels were FOX News and CNN Headline News... barf!

2. We paid for a window and got a "port-hole" which made us a little bit upset. The port-hole rooms should be given at a discount as the rooms are located in the 'bows' of the ship. Unfair to pay for the same price than someone who got a bigger window and view. In the upside, we got a
"handicapped" room and what we lacked in view, we got on room space.

3. Not enough chairs at the pool or around the cruise. In fact, there were people seated and laying down on the floor! Complaint by other guests brought up a few chairs but not enough. The "Deck Patrol" did not do a good job at cleaning chairs that were unoccupied for over 30 minutes (cruise rules). Towels were lacking and sometimes we had to go around the pool twice to find one.

4. Lack of entertainment -- Even though the shows were great and bands playing in the pool area were good, guests did enjoy the very few games done around the ship. A little more entertainment would have been better, specially on 'day-at-sea' were you could tell people were getting antsy with nothing to do - specially the young crowd.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Do the check-in process online a few days before departure to ensure an easy process when you arrive at the port.

2. Check the room assigned to you online and ensure that, if you pay for a window, you get one and not a port hole.

3. Be aware about the seating for dinner. If you want a romantic diner every night, you do have the right to choose your table - even for two people. Do not wait for cruise to choose one for you. Or do the "eat-when-you-want" option that is available in most cruises but people do not know about.

4. Choose the pre-paid tip package. Then you do not have to worry about under or over tipping anyone on the cruise. Then, you can add anything if you believe anyone did something special for you.

5. The tours are not always the best options. Doing a little research about the ports-of-call prior to the cruise will give you a sense of what you want to do. Renting a car, bike or even hiring a taxi for the day to take you to different places is a cheaper option... some places you can even walk to! If a taxi, ensure the price is set before you get in the taxi and possibly, in writing.

6. Do not fall for the "touristic" traps. We did only once. In St. Thomas we did the funicular ride to the top of the mountain. With a price tag of $22.00 per person, we were expecting something super special... hum... we could have saved the money and do something better.

And for Royal Caribbean: They have a 50% cancellation fee for spa services. However, there is always people waiting to use it. The spa staff needs to keep a 'stand-by' list and, if someone wants to cancel the services but the Spa staff can find another guest to fill the time with no loss of revenue, then why not swap them? Didn't happen to me but someone else.

Overall, Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas was a good ship for the "not-so-much" party crowd. With a handful of shows, it is good the for the vacationers who want to relax and rest more than to party and dance. Clean rooms and nice, professional and friendly staff with great facilities, food and shows makes this ship a favorite one.

American Airlines Services Going Downhill - Part Deux

2009-01-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

This is a copy of the letter I have sent to American Airlines in regards to my last flight with them.

AA CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT

RE: FAR VIOLATIONS AND SERVICE ISSUES ON AA 648 / 12JAN09 – SJU-JFK.

Today, January 12th, 2009, I flew on AA #648 from San Juan to JFK. The schedule departure time was 8:25am. The flight was delayed until 9am. None of the gate agents made any announcements or updated the passengers as to what the situation is. I know is pretty bad when they are not uploading cargo into the aircraft, as it is a big sign that the flight most likely will be cancelled.

I called AA reservations to find what other options are available for me to get to New York. My very ‘annoyed’ reservation agent (and I use the word ‘annoyed’ loosely) gave me some possibilities as to how to get to New York; one of them via St. Thomas, Miami or the afternoon non-stop flight.

At the new departure time of 9:00am (which actually was the “decision” time, not the new departure – which makes me quite upset that American decides to hide their head in the sand instead of telling us what exactly is going on) it was announced that the mechanical problem has been fixed and that we would start boarding soon with a new departure time of 9:30am. This is the first time we hear of a ‘mechanical’ issue.

The cabin crew boarded and we followed shortly thereafter. I boarded, stowed my bags and wanted to use the lovely lavatories. As I proceeded to the back of the plane, a flight attendant blocked me. She stated that the plane had no water and no galleys! This is a clear indication that the likelihood of the flight being cancelled was greater than I initially thought. This caused the flight to be even further delayed until 9:45am. While onboard, no one from the cockpit, or the crew, made any announcements about the mechanical issue, which would have reassured and calmed antsy passengers.

I am seated in the emergency exit row at door 3L (seat 27B). Just seconds after takeoff, a flight attendant call light a few rows in front of me went off. I saw people looking over to the left side of the aircraft. I alerted the flight attendant seated in front of me about the irregular situation. A woman grabbed a magazine and started to fan air to a passenger. The flight attendant at 3L turned around, saw the call light, rolled his eyes and literally, got off his jumpseat (I am thinking he is going to check on the passenger) and he just walked to the back of the plane where he sat in the last row of passenger seats. If this was truly an emergency, what would have happened? What if passengers were actually looking at something going on outside of the aircraft and wanted to alert the crew?

Just remember, a few years ago, there was an American Airlines A-300 that encountered and emergency out of San Juan. In this incident, the passengers where the ones who alerted the flight attendants that an engine was on fire. The plane turned back to San Juan, had to evacuate passengers via slides and luckily, there were no major injuries. What if this was one of those cases? Or worst? The inaction of this flight attendant (at door 3L) shows how unprofessional and uncaring he is towards a position that is supposed to be based on customer service and safety.

In addition, the flight attendant working the galley in the economy cabin, made the following announcement over the PA system (I am typing this letter as I am seated on my seat – 27B): “Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to ask all of you who are waiting to use the lavatories in the back of the plane, to move out of the galley area so we can set-up the galley for the drink service. Once again…” and she repeated the announcement.

How unprofessional! Why make this announcement over the PA for over 200 people when is meant for just a handful of people in the back of the plane? Just remember that the lavatories were unusable while on the ground and many of us had to wait until after takeoff to use the facilities.

Which brings me to the fact of the appearance and lavatory conditions of this… actually, of all of American’s Airbus A-300’s. There are carpets and sidewalls being held together by duck tape. Seats are dirty as well and blankets look worn out and dirty. I took two flights to get to San Juan (connection via Miami) and the conditions of those A-300’s were even more appalling. Lavatories smells are just strong enough to make anyone sick. Paint is chipping off the walls and dirt is all over the place. How can anyone on the upper management level can look me in the face and tell me that they are proud of the product they offer to their customers?

As the video started, a lone flight attendant offered headphones for purchase. After a 1.30 hours delay, the least AA and this crew could have done is to offer complimentary headphones. But I guess profits take place before comfort and a simple gesture of apologies from the crew. By the way, the video system audio was cracking (at least on seats 27A/B) rendering watching the video completely useless. My seat tray table is broken and I wonder what else is falling apart on this aircraft.

In addition, on my flights to San Juan, the video systems were also not working properly with some of the monitors not working or in need of tracking and color adjustments. The conditions of the lavatories on those flights were even more appalling and the ‘latrine’ smells even strongest. On the Miami to San Juan flight, I did see the crew run from one side of the plane to another because every time the door of one of the lavatories opened, the smell was so strong and disgusting that they had to get out of that area!

By the way, at least 3 flight attendants have just walked and passed by the passenger ‘call light’ that has been on since takeoff and no one have checked, asked or paid attention to it.

There is something missing with this crew and it is “situational awareness”. In the airline industry, flight attendants (and everyone for that matter) are taught that this is the most important piece of safety as the crew are the “eyes and ears” of the cockpit and the leaders of safety of the cabin.

I am typing this PA announcement from the same galley flight attendant ( the one who made the prior announcement) prior to the beginning of the inflight service:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, in the economy cabin we will start our beverage service. We do have a selection of complimentary drinks. These are: Pepsi, diet Pepsi, sometimes Sierra Mist, sometimes diet Sierra Mist… (she outlined every single soft drink that is available onboard...) Also we have coffee and tea. If you want coffee or tea, make sure to tell us how you like it; with milk or no milk and sugar or no sugar. Also, we have alcoholic drinks for sale for 6 dollars. If you want vodka, is 6 dollars, if you want rum is 6 dollars if you want… (and she continued to outline every single alcoholic drink…). If you want to buy a snack… (and off she went to tell us about every single snack available for purchase and the respective price…)”

This very unprofessional, unnecessary and annoying announcement that went on for about 5 minutes. All I have to say is that I am glad that it was not translated into Spanish. Otherwise, we would be listening to PA announcements for at least 10 minutes. How about those who are trying to watch the movie? Oh, that’s right… there is poor audio for the video… never mind!

Why could the galley flight attendant refer the passengers to the page of the inflight magazine that gives us the full selection and description of drinks and snacks available? Why do I need to be treated like a child and spoken to like one? This is very unprofessional and I do feel quite embarrassed for the only one nice flight attendant on the flight (sorry… I wish I had her name…) but as the say goes: “It takes all of us to make everyone look good but only takes one of us to make everyone look bad”.

And as I am writing this portion of the letter, I do know that I might get a flight attendant in trouble… but the fact that he was violating an FAR, it does need to be brought up to your attention:

After the service was completed in the economy cabin, I decided to go for walk. The same flight attendant that was seated at 3L and refused to check on the passenger after takeoff, I found him sleeping in the last row of the aircraft while wearing noise reduction headphones. He literally slept on the passenger seat for the rest of the flight. I did not see him doing any cabin coverage.

The last time I saw this flight attendant (3L) was when he sat down in the jumpseat for landing. Even then, after the plane landed and was taxing to the gate, he was ready to disarm his door and run to the back of the plane. But because the other flight attendant at 3R was not doing so, he refrain himself from doing it and stayed seated. However, after the announcement to “prepare doors” was made, he disarmed his door and ran to the back of the plane before passengers got up.

This is the most unprofessional crew I’ve witnessed at American. Sadly, it is more the norm than the exception.

I am not one to complaint because I do know about the situation that all flight attendants are going through with job cuts, pay cuts, longer duty days for less rest time. But in this case, I do have to. Service wise, I can let things go. But when I see an FAR violation, I do have to speak up.

In summary, American Airlines management has cut back so much that planes are just too old and falling apart. Interiors are not being refurbished at all with fray carpets, old seats and old video/entertainment systems. Smelly toilets and disgusting bathrooms makes it unbearable to use. Only reason why I flew American? They were cheaper than JetBlue. And I am paying the consequences for the difference in price by giving up the difference in comfort,safety and service.

I do hope you follow up and receive a reply from you soon.

Sincerely,

Raul Zambrana

On January 28th, I was surprised to find a letter in my inbox from American Airlines and below, is their response. I sincerely thought that my email would be deleted but it did get someone's attention. I will keep you posted in any outcome. I am not one to get anyone in trouble, but once you read the letter, you will understand why I did write it and "blew-the-whistle".

January 28, 2009

Dear Mr. Zambrana:

We received your email sent to Mr. Arpey, Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Garton. The details you provided to us about flight 648 were very troubling. Your message was immediately sent to our Vice President of Onboard Services and an investigation ensued. We are still in the process of gathering statements from the crew involved but I can assure you that once our investigation has concluded, we will take the appropriate corrective action with those involved. We very much appreciate that you took the time to contact us about all that occurred. Your feedback is especially meaningful because you are a fellow industry employee.

We realize that your disappointment wasn't just due to the actions of the crew but also in the condition of the cabin. The conditions you described are as unacceptable to us as they were to you and I've alerted our Manager of Cabin Services. This is certainly not the image we want to convey.

Mr. Zambrana, please give us another chance to serve you. We are all working hard to provide the high quality service you have every right to expect when traveling on American Airlines. Like you, we are proud of our company and I know we can do better.

Sincerely,

Michelle F. Simmons
Customer Relations
American Airlines

American Airlines Services Going Downhill!!!!

2009-01-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Where can start with American Airlines… hum…

Since I checked-in online I did not have to see anyone at the ticket counter (had only a carry-on bag) and went straight to the gate. My first point of contact with an AA person was the flight attendants onboard.

I am on an Airbus A-300, which holds over 200 people. Being December 23rd, the aircraft is completely full. This specific flight goes from New York’s JFK to Miami Airport and continues to Port-au-Prince. I would get off at Miami to connect to San Juan… heat! I need to escape the below zero wind chills, icy roads and shoveling the driveway! Sun and fun, here I come!

We had a slight delay at the gate to load cargo onto the aircraft. For the most part, I never have a problem with this type of delay but this is a 5:45am flight. This aircraft has been at JFK all night and they decide to start loading cargo when???? After passengers start boarding??? And this is why I have a problem with this delay…

Being in the industry myself there are four theories for this delay:

1. The airline management has laid off too many ground personnel that they cannot handle the cargo operation properly or;
2. The airline management, to reduce cost personnel, decides to cut hours and in the morning; which allows the morning crew to start loading cargo at a later time or;
3. The cargo/ground personnel are too lazy and start loading cargo later than they should or;
4. The AA cargo operations are just screwed up!

Seriously, come on! Why start loading cargo that late!

Anyway, I settled into my aisle seat with one guy next to me who thought that his personal space went as far as elbowing me… argh… but I am letting that go… is too early to fight with one person that at 5:30am asks you to loan him a pen and paper because he does not have one. And I just saw him put a briefcase under the seat in front of him. What kind of ‘business’ person is he?

While waiting for the cargo to load, I decided to go to the bathroom and take walk around the airplane. All I have to say is: YUK!

First, the bathrooms were just plain out gross. It stunk and smelled so bad… worst than a public restroom at a train station or a public park; and I was afraid of touching anything in there… disgusting! Paint chipping away, fray and torn carpets in the cabin and just plain old plane makes this experience not a good one. I wonder if the engine and the wings are properly attached to the aircraft.

Besides, after flying JetBlue and enjoying the nice legroom, sitting in this old American A300 plane with seats so close that my knees touch the seat in front of me as well as not being able to open my laptop when the person in front of me reclined the seat, makes this flight not an enjoyable one. Oh… and I know is super early but the inflight crew was not friendly and non-approachable at all. I am now dreading my next/connecting flight.

The Miami to San Juan flight was in some cases better, and in others worst than the prior flight.

The crew was very nice! The flight attendants were very chatty, smiling and it did look that they enjoy their jobs. It was very refreshing to see that! And in this flight, the crew asked me to move to another seat to help a passenger and I ended in the exit row with no one in front of me which made this flight a most pleasant one.

However, this was another Airbus A-300 plane and I immediately could tell that this plane was even older than the one I just got off from. The video system had very old monitors and the movie looked in some monitors off color, in others needing tracking adjustment and in others the movie just was off center. Also the bathroom conditions were worst than the prior plane. Toilet smell went all the way into the galley area as well as the last few rows of the plane. In fact, every time anyone opened the lavatory doors, the flight attendants would run away to the other side of the plane… that bad!

Another problem with A-300 planes is that the video system is located in the overhead/center of the plane only. The monitors are not big enough to allow passengers seated in the window seats to enjoy the movie at all. Monitors are just too far and when people are standing, can’t enjoy the video at all.

Onboard services include: selling headsets for $2.00, meals for purchase between $ -$ and alcoholic drinks for $6.00. All other drinks are complimentary.

This is my overall service ratings of American Airlines for both flights:

Video System: 1.0 out of 5.0
Lavatories: 1.0 out of 5.0
Seat Comfort: 1.0 out of 5.0
Overall Conditions: 2.0 out of 5.0
Inflight Services: 2.0 out of 5.0
Flight Attendants: 3.0 out of 5.0

Total Score: 10.0 out of 30.0 (33% or F Grade)

Final Comment: American has cut back so much that the planes are just too old and falling apart. Interiors are not being refurbished at all with fray carpets, old seats and old video/entertainment systems. Smelly toilets and disgusting bathrooms makes it unbearable to use. Only reason why I flew them? They were cheaper than JetBlue. And I am paying the consequences for the difference in price by giving up the difference in comfort and service.

FOLLOW UP TO PREVIOUS BLOG ENTRY - TSA Bag Search

2008-12-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

Follow up to TSA Response - Airline Management cannot request TSA to search bags on thier behalf...

I decided to do one more attempt to see if airline management can request TSA or any immigration/ag. officer to do a search on their behalf.

The answer is NO!!! (as you can see from the responses below).

So if you hear or find out that TSA is searching bags to look for items taken off the plane or by request of airline management, they are violating their own rules. If the TSA agent makes a comment in regards to bag search on behalf of the airline, dont put up a fight but request the TSA agent's name and the supervisor on duty. Report it via the TSA website and call your local AFA office. As your own personal choice, you might look into personal legal advise.

However, London and Frankfurt are a totally different story... Crews are getting searched left and right! So be aware. And those security agents have the direct lines to supervisors' cell phone numbers which they get called right away when a suspicious item is found on a crew member's bag. But that is a deal that AFA in FRA and LHR need to look into.

Take care and Happy Holidays!!!

Raul

From: XYZ
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 2:56 PM
To: Hornbach, Barbara
Cc: GotFeedback; SALGADO, PATRICK
Subject: Re: Got Feedback : Chicago-O'Hare Int'l Airport (ORD)

Ms. Hornbach:

Thank you so much for your reply and I do appreciate your time.

The issue we have, as Flight Attendants and crew members, is that we need to know, for once and for all, if a TSA Officer, a US Customs & Boarder Protection Officer, or a CBP Agricultural Specialist has the right to be asked by an Airline Management to do bag and personal searches on their behalf.

I don’t think that qualifies as a “sensitive/security” information. It should be a straight yes or no answer.

If you cannot answer that question, who should I speak to.

Thank you so much and I do hope to get an answer from you soon,

Raul

Mr. Zambrana:

I can only speak for TSA but I assume CBP works in the same way. Our Officers will not search a bag based solely on the request of a non-TSA employee. Officers will assess the situation and determine for themselves whether a bag search is required or not.

Regards,
Barbara Hornbach

Barbara H. Hornbach
Customer Service Quality Improvement Manager
Transportation Security Administration
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Tel: (773) 377-1217
Cell: (773) 343-1772
Email: barbara.hornbach@dhs.gov

Yes, we work the same way. If feel we need to ask questions or search bags, we can do it with our Border Search Authority.

Thank you,

Patrick Salgado
Passenger Service Manager
United States Customs and Border Protection
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago, Illinois 60666
773-894-2900 Ext. 2872
312-296-6528-Blackberry

2008-12-17T13:51:00.001-08:00

Read this!!! Interesting!!! I received an email from an ORD based flight attendant with the story below. And for those of you who know me, you know I need to follow-up when I see an injustice. So I went ahead and shot an email to TSA... and read the story below. The emails are set in chronological order. If anyone has any input, please send me a message. Thanks!

From an Chicago based UA Flight Attendant: (Dec.05)

I got pulled today at O'hare customs. The customs agent asked me specifically if I took anything from the plane and if I bought anything from the crew or purser (thought that was a weird question). He said they were doing random crew searches because of reports of crew stealing from the airplane. I am going to contact the union and find out if united is once again trying to get around proper bag searches by having customs search us.

By the way, just talked to the union. Customs Agents are reporting crews and you need to get the Customs Agent(s) badge numbers and names if this happens to you!

My questions are:

1. Why would TSA help United this way? Any benefits for TSA?

2. Does UA has the authority to ask TSA to do searches on their behalf?

3. What are TSA proper procedures when searching crew bags?

I guess this is a story what will continue to develop....

Then, I decided to send this email via the TSA website feedback section:

-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2008 7:31 AM
To: Hornbach, Barbara
Subject: Got Feedback : Chicago-O'Hare Int'l Airport (ORD)

Current Date/Time: 12/13/2008 8:31:47 AM
Airport: Chicago-O'Hare Int'l Airport (ORD)

Date/Time of Travel: 12/5/2008
Airline & Flight Number: United

Checkpoint/Area of Airport: O'Hare Immigrations at Terminal 5
TSA Employee: (If Known):
Compliment/Complaint:

One of the crew members of a United flight got pulled to a secondary check at O'Hare customs. The TSA agent asked the crew member, specifically, if s/he took anything from the plane.

The TSA agent also asked if the crew member if she "bought anything from the crew or purser" (thought that was a weird question).

The TSA agent said they were doing random crew searches because of reports of crew stealing from United airplanes.

I would like TSA to answer the following questions:

1. What are TSA proper procedures when searching crew bags? Anywhere crew members can read or access these procedures?

2. Does any airline management has the authority to ask TSA to do bag searches on their behalf? If so, what is the procedure?

3. If an airline management member asks TSA to do bag searches on their behalf, is this public information that can be look at? if so, how?

4. If these are not the proper procedures, what are the resources the crew member has to report the TSA agent who does an improper bag search?

5. Lastly, what is considered an improper bag search?

Thank you very much and any help you can send, (i.e. online resources or regulations available) will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Would you like a response?: Yes
Passenger’s Name: XXXX
Phone Number: XXXX
Email: XXXX

-----Original Message-----
From: Hornbach, Barbara
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 8:36 AM
To: XXXX
Cc: Hornbach, Barbara; GotFeedback; SALGADO, PATRICK
Subject: RE: Got Feedback : Chicago-O'Hare Int'l Airport (ORD)

Mr. XYZ:

I am forwarding your Got Feedback email to Customs & Border Patrol for their consideration.

Regards,
Barbara Hornbach

Barbara H. Hornbach
Customer Service Quality Improvement Manager
Transportation Security Administration
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Tel: (773) 377-1217
Cell: (773) 343-1772
Email: barbara.hornbach@dhs.gov

Sent: December 17, 2008

Mr. XYZ:

We discussed this Got Feedback email that you sent us. First of all, if a crew member has a complaint, he/she needs to contact us directly with the following information:

- Name
- Date/time
- Exact airline/flight number
- Inbound/outbound
- Is the issue with a TSA Officer, a US Customs & Boarder Protection Officer, or a CBP Agricultural Specialist? These are distinct positions and in the case of TSA and CBP different agencies.

Moreover, the answers to the questions you have asked are sensitive security information and cannot provided you. In addition, owing to the Privacy Act of 1974 we not at liberty to investigate the incident or release any information on the individual who prompted your inquiry.

We will be glad to direct the individual impacted to the proper authorities when we hear from him/her.

With kind regards,
Barbara Hornbach

Barbara H. Hornbach
Customer Service Quality Improvement Manager
Transportation Security Administration
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Tel: (773) 377-1217
Cell: (773) 343-1772
Email: barbara.hornbach@dhs.gov

-------------------

Then, I replied on December 17th:

Ms. Hornbach:

Thank you so much for your reply and I do appreciate your time.

The issue we have, as Flight Attendants and crew members, is that we need to know, for once and for all, if a TSA Officer, a US Customs & Boarder Protection Officer, or a CBP Agricultural Specialist has the right to be asked by an Airline Management to do bag and personal searches on their behalf.

I don’t think that qualifies as a “sensitive/security” information. It should be a straight yes or no answer.

If you cannot answer that question, who should I speak to.

Thank you so much and I do hope to get an answer from you soon,

Raul

MY REVIEW -- DENVER MARRIOTT CITY CENTER HOTEL

2008-12-15T05:26:00.000-08:00

1701 California St.
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 297-1300

It has been at least 5 years since I've stayed here. The hotel has not changed a bit, with clean and good facilities.

Check-in areas is quite small but nicely designed, with no counters but more like standing stations, which makes the interaction between Front Desk personnel and the guests more personal. There is a Starbucks Coffee counter located in the lobby and below, in the basement, there is a full bar as well as a restaurant. The check-in process was fast, yet friendly. Newspapers, a guide to Denver as well as coupons for a free drink at Rock Bottoms Bar (review available) are available at the Concierge's Desk.

The rooms are quite nice, comfortable and clean. The décor is quite good with a reading chair, desk, coffee maker and regular amenities such as Bath and Body Works shampoo, conditioner, soap and body lotion. The bed, typical of the Marriott chain, is quite good and comfortable. Our view was the office building across the mall (just a few feet away from the hotel). We did not have much of sunlight to start with. In addition, we had to keep the curtains closed most of the time for privacy, which made the room even darker.

Television is LG digital with great clear HD pictures and a good selection of channels. However, the television is very low in the entertainment unit, which makes it very hard to watch if you are laying down in the bed or seated in the reading chair at the end of the room. The Management of this hotel should order the engineers to move the television to the top of the entertainment unit and/or hang in the wall, where it will be much easier to watch.

And for those of you who follow my reviews (or become a 'follower' today), do know that I hate when wireless is charged when most business or upper class hotels offer this amenity for free. A $9.95 charge is quite ridiculous.

The fitness facilities are quite nice with plenty of treadmills and life cycle machines in the "inside" portion of the gym. Most of the machines do have televisions and even a docking station for your Ipod. If you do have a movie or video on the Ipod, you can watch it on the machine's television screen. However, I did follow the instructions to use mine and it did not connect.

The weight lifting machines are located in the pool "outside" area so be weary of children running and splashing water while you are trying to get a workout. The pool is quite small to do any kind of laps; seems to be more for show. There is a whirlpool and unisex steam-room and sauna located in this area. Professional massages are available as well as showers and a dressing room area.

The checkout process was done via the television access so we did not have to deal with the front desk. The entire bill is available for you to see, check all the charges and, if there are no discrepancies, the bill is charged to your credit card and mailed to the address provided when checked-in.

We had a rental car and the cost of valet parking is $27.00. However, the cost of park yourself is $20.00. Think of the $7.00 as a convenience charge. Or go down a few blocks to another cheaper parking garage.

Final Verdict:

Location: 5.0 out of 5.0

Lobby/Reception Area: 4.0 out of 5.0

Staff friendliness/responsiveness: 4.5 / 5.0

Room Decor/Ambiance: 4.5 / 5.0

Room cleanliness: 5.0 / 5.0

Room Amenities: 4.5 / 5.0

Bed Comfort: 5.0 / 5.0

Check-in/out Speed: 5.0 out of 5.0

Room Price Value: 3.5 out of 5.0

Total Score: 41 / 45 ( 91 out of 100% or A Grade)

Final Comment: A nice hotel just a block away from the 16th Street Mall. Clean, well-decorated and comfortable beds make the room quite nice, as it is expected from a Marriott Hotel. Nice facilities, amenities and friendly staff. Just take quite a few points for television being too low and wireless charges... argh!

HARVEY MILK, PROPOSITION 8 AND A FRIENDSHIP LOST

2008-12-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

On December 5th, I was reading "The New York Times" online and came across and article about a video posted in the Funny Or Die website called: "Prop 8 -- The Musical". At that point the video had received more than 1.2 million hits. The comedic song-and-dance diatribe about the California ballot initiative to define marriage as existing only between a man and a woman stars a cast of dozens, including John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Maya Rudolph, and Jack Black as Jesus Christ.

If you watch the video, you will laugh your pants off... as much as I did. I decided to send the link to my friends so they could enjoy it as much as I did.

One of my friends decided to send me a reply which I will share with you in a moment. From what I gather, I guess she did not like the video much... but we will get back to that in a second...

Today, December 14th, I went to see the movie "Milk" with Sean Penn. Some people might say it is a "gay" movie or issue. The fact is that it is none of that. It does deal with the essentials of our basic rights as human beings and as American citizens. The movie characters constantly remind you, in their own ways and by Harvey Milk, that this is an issue where we are all equal citizens and should be treated as such by the Constitution and the basic rights of our Government. Finally, it does deal with the issue of religion and how it does constantly invades the basic right of "separation of church and state". I do recommend everyone to see this movie as it will strike a cord deep inside of you that will move you to be more understanding of everyone as people and not as a group, ethnic, religious group or stereotype. In my own words, this movie is just "perfection" and I do hope it wins as many awards as possible. Hopefully, by doing so, it will bring attention to equality for everyone.

If you do take this movie and change the names and situation to the current issues facing California over "Proposition 8" (marriage rights for all citizens), it its almost like story is repeating itself.

Proposition 6, which is a central plot point of the movie "Milk", was an initiative on the California State ballot on November 7th 1978,and was more commonly known as The Briggs Initiative. Sponsored by John Briggs, a conservative state legislator from Orange County, the failed initiative would have banned gays and lesbians, and possibly anyone who supported gay rights, from working in California's public schools. The Briggs Initiative was the first failure in a conservative movement that started with the successful campaign headed by Anita Bryant and her organization "Save our Children" in Dade County, Florida to repeal a local gay rights ordinance. The movie also deals with the different state initiatives where local state constitutions have added ammendments to ban same-sex civil unions or marriages.

On today's California issue of Proposition 8, the religious far right (i.e. the Mormon and Catholic Church) decided to take the lead on this proposition and be the guiding light of the movement. Mormons? The ones that say a man can marry as many women as he wants (is that the basic sanctity of marriage?) or the Catholics (children sexual predators?) but I digress... There is a lot to be said about Proposition 8 as to background information and other current issues. I do suggest reading Wikipedia's Proposition 8 section to truly understand the current issues at hand.

The movie does a great job at combining real footage with acted ones. I do highly recommend watching the documentary "The Life and Times of Harvey Milk" (circa 1982) where you will be able to see the actual footage and interviews with those personally involved with the story, such as the Harvey's campaign manager and friends . And in the movie, three of the characters are played by the actual people involved.

Now, lets go back to my so-called friend...

After I sent the video link of the "Prop.8-The Musical" to my friends, I got a nasty reply from Lori Mercil, a person who was my roomate while living in Germany and working as flight attendants. Here is her reply:

"Hey Raul, The US has a democratic system and the people of CA have spoken. How intolerant of you and the angry gay movement to be shove your ways into people's faces, take crosses and stomp on them and batter little old ladies ect.... because they do not believe the same way as you. Shame on you!!!! I find the people who scream intolerance, are the very ones who are the biggest INTOLERANT people!! Lori"

I was shocked and hurt by her choice of words. After much thinking, I decided to reply to her and here is my response:

"Lori,

Don’t take it so personal... It was a joke...

I guess “Christianity” took the best of you...

Sorry to see that you cannot take a joke, enjoy it and if you don’t like it, just don’t pay attention to it.

Also, I say to you, that tolerance is taught by all religions and seems that, whatever religion, cult or group you are following, does not teach that.

As a woman, my dear Lori, you need to understand that it was not until 1920 that women fought to change the Constitution of the United States and were allowed to vote.

In addition, as recent as 1965, blacks had restricted civil rights and civil liberties. State-sponsored school segregation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown vs. Board of Education. Generally, the remaining laws that prohibited blacks from having equal rights were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Furthermore, Lori, the United States Bill of Rights States the following:

“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

As you can see, proposition 8 violates the entire bases of the USA Bill of Rights – which covers all the States of the Union and citizens.

See, my dear Lori, gays are fighting as hard as women and blacks did for many years to have equal rights... And that is what is happening in California today. The Constitution of the United States has been changed many times to create equality for everyone... Including women and blacks.

It will be a matter of time before people like me (who did not choose to be gay – regardless of what you might think – I didn’t choose to be this way) can have the same rights that you have.

Just look around the World...

Nations that recognize gay marriage:

Canada -- In June of 2005, the Canadian Parliament enacted a law allowing legal marriage for same-sex couples.
Belgium -- The second nation to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003.
Netherlands -- The first country to grant gay marriage in 2001.
Norway -- Became the sixth country to legalize same-sex marriage on May 11, 2008.
South Africa -- South Africa became the fifth nation to recognize gay marriage in 2005.
Spain -- Spain became the fourth nation to allow gay marriage on June 29, 2005.

And the list keeps getting longer and better...

Nations that allow same-sex partnerships or unions:

Brazil -- the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul currently allows same-sex civil unions (June 2006).
Croatia -- Civil partnerships for same-sex couples have been granted since 2003.
Denmark -- Legal civil partnerships have been allowed since 1989.
Finland -- Has offered registered partnership benefits since September 2001.
France -- Pacte Civil de Solidarité” (PACS), or “Civil Solidarity Pacts,” were instituted in France on November 9, 1999.
Germany -- Gay couples can register as "Life Partnerships," granting lesser financial and pension benefits than marriage.
Hungary -- Gay couples have been protected under common-law marriages since 1995; however they are not eligible for legal marriage.
Iceland -- Since 1996, gay Icelanders have been protected under registered partnerships.
Luxembourg -- Civil partnership legislation modeled after France's PACS were introduced in Luxembourg in 2004.
Mexico -- Same sex civil unions were legalized in Mexico City in November 2006 and in the state of Coahuila on January of 2007, essentially making civil unions legal in all of Mexico (by law, each Mexican state must recognize the laws granted to individuals of the other states).
New Zealand -- In December, 2004, New Zealand enacted legislation recognizing same-sex civil unions.
Norway -- Since 1996, gay Norwegians have been protected under registered partnerships.
Portugal -- Same-sex partners have the same rights as opposite-sex partners in common law marriage.
Sweden -- Swedish same-sex couples have been able to register under domestic partnership laws since 1995.
Switzerland -- Same-sex couples are given limited legal benefits with civil recognition.
United Kingdom -- Domestic partners can register under the Civil Partnership Act. This legislation took affect in December 5, 2005 giving registered same-sex couples all of the rights, privileges and responsibilities of married heterosexual couples. The Civil Partnership Act applies across all of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

In the United States:

US States that allow same-sex partnerships or unions:

Connecticut -- Although Connecticut defines marriage as between a man and woman, it became the second U.S. state to grant same-sex civil unions in April, 2005.
New Hampshire -- New Hampshire, home of the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, became the 4th state behind Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut to offer civil unions. Same-sex partners were allowed to register for civil unions in January 2008. More on New Hampshire Civil Unions
Oregon -- Under Oregon's new domestic partnership law gay and lesbian couples are eligible for all the state-wide rights and benefits of marriage. Oregon also outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Vermont -- The first U.S. state to offer same-sex civil unions in 2000. Learn about Vermont civil unions.
Washington -- On April 21, 2007, Washington's domestic partnership bill was signed into law giving gay and lesbian couples many of the benefits of marriage.

US states that recognize gay marriage:

Connecticut -- In a 4 to 3 decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, making it the third state to allow legal gay marriage.
New Jersey -- New Jersey is the third U.S. state to offer same-sex civil unions behind Vermont and Connecticut. The new same-sex civil unions law, which goes into affect on February 19, 2007, grants gay and lesbian couples the same rights as marriage. *(Although same-sex unions in New Jersey are classified as civil unions, couples are granted the same rights as married heterosexual couples.)
New York -- By a May 29, 2008 directive, New York only recognizes gay marriages from couples legally married outside of the state. read more
Massachusetts -- On May 17, 2004 Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. The State of Massachusetts also issues licenses to gay couples from New Mexico and Rhode Island since neither state explicitly prohibits same-sex marriage.

Even though Don and I have been together for almost 12 years (more than most ‘straight’ couples will ever be together), we cannot file taxes together, have the same rights to visitation in a hospital or intensive care unit (God forbids!) or even access to joint finances and insurance... And even in most states, adopt a child in need.

The day will come were everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, will have the same rights... Not in the next few years, but it will come and I can’t wait for that day!

We have been through this “intolerant and narrow-minded” personality of yours before... You have major issues of not understanding and respecting others (remember the argument you had with Khaldoun in the apartment in Frankfurt because you could not open your mind to understand his religion – believing that yours is the only “right” one and tried to impose it on him and me?)

Lastly, Lori, go ahead and delete me from all of your address books, emails, facebook, etc... I don’t want to be friends or even have any contact with people that are narrow-minded, intolerant and cannot open their hearts and minds to equality, liberty and tolerance for all.

Take care and I do hope you have a good-fulfilling life.

Raul Zambrana"

I would like to see people that think like Lori to see this movie. It will show and make everyone understand that it is a basic human rights issue where we should treat everyone equally and respect.

That's my 2 cents for the day...

MY REVIEW OF THE MOLLY BROWN HOUSE MUSEUM - DENVER, CO.

2008-12-13T04:19:00.000-08:00

Molly Brown House Museum

1340 Pennsylvania St.
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 832-4092

First of all, if you do not know who's Ms. Brown, think of the movie "Titanic" with Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet. Then, think of Kathy Bates in the movie... ah! Bingo! That is Molly Brown... Also known as the "Unsinkable" Ms. Brown.

The first thing you learn about her even before you enter the museum...

Her actual name is Margaret Brown, not Molly Brown as Hollywood portrays her in the movies or plays. She never went by Molly... ever... it was either Margaret or Ms. Brown.So then, why the name "Molly"? It was given to her when making the musical and movies as the name "Margaret" did not rhyme well... yeap! The Hollywood machine changed someone's entire personality for the sake of movie and music making...

Without giving too much of the tour away, here is how Ms. Brown ended being one of the few survivors of Titanic:

With her children grown and separated from her husband, Ms. Brown, who knew more than 5 languages and traveled all over the world, was in Egypt when she received a message that her only grandchild was gravely ill. As fast as she could, she made it to London. The next available cruise to the United States was the Titanic. Ms. Brown bought a first class ticket and off she went... to become one of Titanic's most famous survivor.

By the way, did you know that she refused to get on a lifeboat? She was helping the crew of Titanic organize people to get in the lifeboats, passing all of her mink coats to other people to keep warm. It was two of Titanic's crew-members who literally grabbed her off her feet and, as lifeboat #6 was being lowered into the water, they threw her into the lifeboat, a few feet down, where she could not make her way back into the Titanic. She was willing to die while helping others... the kind of woman she was! If that would have happened, we would not have Ms. Brown or this museum today.

With her experience, she lobbied the US Congress and the Senate to make into law that every cruiseship must have a lifevest and a seat on a lifeboat for every single passenger onboard, regardless of class. The creation of this law is why, on your first day of a cruise, everyone must learn how to don their vests and where is the meeting point to board the lifeboats. This law also extends to airplanes and any mode of mass transportation. Wonder why you need to watch the safety video or the flight attendants showing you how to don your vest and/or how to use your seat cushion as a flotation device? Say thank you to Ms. Brown.

There is a lot more to be said about this fantastic woman who was a pioneer of women's rights, lobbied and created the bases for what we know today as the "Juvenile Court System" and fought for rights of miners and domestic workers, among many other accomplishments... but I will leave that to the Museum and tour guides.

The house, which was turned into apartments after Ms. Brown's passing, was bought by the State of Colorado for $80,000 in the early 90's. After much research, they found Ms. Brown's personal pictures of the house, which were used as the frame for what the place looks like today. In addition, researchers were able to order copies of the original carpeting designs and wallpapers. Most of the furniture, including the beds, piano, books, art and pictures among many others belonged to Ms. Brown .

When on the second floor, look at the list of items that Ms. Brown lost in the Titanic. The total loss was close to $30,000; with $20,000 of that on a necklace. Yikes!

The one-hour tour will teach you about her entire life story, accomplishments and lifestyle. The cost is $7.00. At the end, there is a movie you can watch at your leisure, interactive computer games and artifacts. The gift shop, where you will buy the tickets for the tour, is in the carriage house, located behind the main house.

One word of advise: Colorado Tourism Board needs to to a better job at adding signs to get to Molly Brown's House Museum. Even though there are plenty of signs on the 16th Street Mall leading you to the Civic Center, DAM and Capitol Square, there are no signs to guide you to the Museum. Hint, hint!!

PAL JOEY - MY REVIEW OF THE NEW BROADWAY SHOW

2008-12-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

From the Pal Joey website: "Set in Chicago in the late 1930s, PAL JOEY is the story of Joey Evans, a brash, scheming song and dance man with dreams of owning his own nightclub. Joey abandons his wholesome girlfriend Linda English, to charm a rich, married older woman, Vera Simpson, in the hope that she'll set him up in business."

This is a revival from the 1940's show originally played by Gene Kelly. Currently in previews, the official opening night is December 11th. It is a limited engagement run until February 15, 2009 at the old Studio 54.

When I got to the theater and took a seat, I felt quite a vibration underneath me. The theater is located above one of new York's subway lines and every few minutes you do feel your chair rattle a little... For the Broadway fans, we do know for a fact that most theaters' leg room can be rather small, squeezing the rows closer and closer to get more chairs in. However, I do have to say, I was rather surprise with the leg room of the theater. I could actually stretch out quite a distance and did not have the usual leg cramps by the time the show was over.

The set design, done by Scott Pask, is quite nice. The background set is a street in Chicago's Loop with an elevated "L" train track. The stage changes are well done; going from a bar, to an apartment to a diner, to a street... Staging floors move on both sides of the stage as well as from the back to the center-front of the stage, and the usual drops from the ceiling. Mr. Pask did capture the 1930's furniture and design brilliantly.

The costume design is absolutely fantastic. Done by William Ivey Long, the suits, dresses and dancers costumes are just beautiful, specially the dresses worn by Vera Simpson (Stockard Channing), with a lot of spark and well (some very tight) fittings.

However, here is why I gave it a 3-star...

For the first few minutes of the show, Joey Evans, played by ex-Jersey Boy Christian Hoff, dances around in what it seems an eternity without signing a single lyric... It did seem a little silly and did not help set the show very well. It might have worked well for Gene Kelly, but did not for Mr. Hoff. Sadly, at some points it did seems that Mr.Hoff had two left feet. I don't think dancing is one of his strengths.

And then, when he started singing, I don't know if there was a problem with his voice, but it was cracking, out of tune and could not sing as well as it is expected from a Tony winner. His acting skills were his saving grace; carrying the character of the ambitious Joey Evans well though the entire show.

Stockard Channing, as expected, shines excellently in her acting of the rich, manipulating and clever Vera Simpson. I do have to giver her major credit for going up and down circular and narrow stairs that run from the top to the bottom of the stage in high heels and tight dresses. However, her singing, not as bad as Christian Hoff, could have used a little bit more training and warm-up as well.

The real star of the show is Martha Plimpton. She does an amazing job in the role of the aging night club singer Glady Bumps. Ms. Plimpton should be the one who gets credit for carrying the plot and story line all the way through. You feel her emotions, ranging from hate to distress to anguish. Ms. Plimpton's acting should get her a Tony nomination, at least.

The support cast is very good as well. Jenny Fellner, who plays Linda English, has an important role on the show as she is the cathartic character who bring Pal Joey to his senses. Robert Clohessy, in the role of Mike, has to deal with balancing two roles in his life: a tough manager of a successful night club while hiding his homosexuality to the world; a taboo subject for an original 1940's show.

The dancers are fantastic with what it seems non-stop and back-to-back dance numbers, specially in the first part of the show. (I always wonder how they get in and out of clothes that quickly!)

I do have to give credit to the director, Joe Mantello, for doing a great revival of Pal Joey. All of the elements came brilliantly together and the hard work of his entire team shines through the whole show. I just wished it was better singing from the lead actors... there is time to be fixed before the "official" opening night.

UPDATE!!! -- From "The New York Times" entertainment section - Nov.24, 2008:

"Christian Hoff has withdrawn from the coming Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hart's "Pal Joey" and has been replaced by his understudy, Matthew Risch, the show's producers announced Monday.

Mr. Hoff, who starred in "Jersey Boys," injured his foot during a Friday night preview performance, the producers said; Mr. Risch took over the role for the remaining weekend performances. The character of Joey Evans, previously played onstage by Gene Kelly and on film by Frank Sinatra, had been expected to be a breakthrough role for Mr. Hoff.

The show's opening night at Studio 54 has been postponed by one week to Dec. 18."

REVIEW: JFK AIRPORT (NEW YORK) - TERMINAL 1

2008-12-11T13:43:00.001-08:00

Terminal 1 is owned by a consortium of a handful airlines (Lufthansa, Air France, Korean and Japan Air). They rent gates to other carriers such as Aeroflot and Alitalia. However, due to the fact that Terminal 1 has only a handful of airlines operating out if this area, the gates are always open, plenty of room to move around and places to sit. Compared to the overused and cramped Terminal 4, this is heaven!

I took the AirTrain (review available) from Jamaica Station. I arrived at Terminal 1 at 7pm for my 9:45pm flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Of course, as a good passenger, I followed the airline's rule when I was told to be here 2 hours before my departure. The airline of choice for tonight's flight is Lufthansa. I went to the counter and there was no line. With no bags to check, the check-in process took no longer than 5 minutes. The TSA security line was completely empty. I moved to the front of the line, passed security and I am sitting in front of my gate at 7:20 writing this review... WOW! What to do with all of my free time...

So, I am looking for what to do and this is the only problem with this Terminal...

The food court is in the check-in area; before entering security. If you want to have a bite to eat before a red-eye flight (specially for those who want to sleep as soon as they plane takes off) they have to do it before entering the gate area. However, I rather make sure that I do not have the stress of thinking that I have to go through security. There are two Panini Express (one at each end of the terminal) but that's it. There is only one open bar, the Martini Bar, (there are two in total) at the end of the terminal.

Terminal 1 is full of over-priced stores such as Godiva, Bulgari, Cartier Duty Free and Hermes among many others. There are plenty of people browsing but not much buying... who can afford a $220 scarf? Not me! Rather wear my cheap but modern looking Old Navy one. However, I got sucked in by the bargains at Duty Free and got myself a bottle of wine and champagne-chocolate truffles! Yum, yum!!!

Wi-Fi is available but at a rather expensive price of $8.00 for one day. You can log in into the wireless system if you have T-mobile, Sprint or a handful of other accounts. But, since I do not have any of them, I would have to pay... which I am not!

I walked the entire length of the terminal and overall, is quite clean. The only problem is the bathrooms. From the moment that you walk right by them (not even inside) you get hit by the smell of urine. Inside is not any better. It did smell and looked quite disgusting. I tried to breathe a little as possible.

Terminal 1 is a good one to fly in and out of... but the fact that, once security is passed and inside the gate area, there is only 1 bar, not a restaurant in sight except for a quite expensive and cheap looking sandwich place, and many overpriced stores around. Remember that international passengers tend to show up quite early for their flights. Not to have place to eat or have a drink calmly, away from the boarding area, makes this terminal feel like a little bit of a trap.

But, for it saving grace, a handful of airlines that operate out of this airport, makes it spacious and a piece of heaven compared to the overused Terminal 4.

Bathrooms need to be given attention to and clean properly. Wireless should be free (like Denver and other major airports) to at least, give the passengers something to do while waiting for their flights.

MY REVIEW OF THE SHERATON HOTEL - FRANKFURT, GERMANY

2008-12-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

Location: Sheraton Airport is located at Frankfurt Airport, connected by a skybridge from Terminal 1, Hall C. The hotel is literally above the local airport train station. Also connected to the ICE or long distance train by a walkway. Even though the hotel is right at the airport, you cannot hear any of the jet noise thanks to the double-sided and strong windows. There are no rooms with any good views; either you will have the airport/runway, one of the towers on either side or the construction of the new Movennpick hotel behind it, on top of the new ICE (long distance) train station. Quite cleaver design, but that is a different review.

The Frankfurt airport does also have many nice restaurants, full bars and a full grocery store if you will be staying at the hotel for a short period of time and do not want to venture too far. However, the Frankfurt city main train station (Hauptbanhof) is located only 10-15 minutes by the local train service which is available 24 hours a day. During the day the service runs every 15 minutes and at night once an hour. However, other trains further into the city stop service at 1am and do not re-start until 4am. If you want to go further into the city for shopping and sightseeing, it is an extra 5 minutes to the Hauptwache or Konstablerwache stops; which is in the middle of the Zeil or shopping district and a few steps away from the Alte Oper and Romer Platz.

Lobby: Lobby area is nice and open with a glass ceiling. It does look nice but in the summer gets too hot and in the winter too cold. The lobby has an atrium style café, business center and sitting area. Business meeting rooms are nice with a great staff that will attend and cater to all your needs.

Check-in: Due to the fact that we were arriving at 6am, the hotel reservation was made for a ‘late check-in’ the night before; meaning that we would have a room when we arrived. However, upon arrival, the check-in desk attendant could not find the reservation. Finally, after much looking and calling, the reservation was found. In addition, the guest should be given a “user code” to be able to connect to the in-room internet and hotel wireless services. But we did not receive such and we had to call the guest services line to get the user code.

Rooms and Bathrooms: The rooms were very nice and clean. My favorite part of most European hotels is that they have large and deep bathtubs were taking a long bath is actually enjoyable and comfy. However, the only problem with European hotels is that mattresses tend to be a little hard; which was the case here. But comfy and thick comforter and bed sheets made it bearable. Lighting was nice with plenty of indirect light, which made it nice and comfy ambiance.

There is quite a selection of channels for the international traveler such as Italian, Japanese, Chinese and English channels among others. The 4 channels available in English are CNN International, Bloomberg News, CNBC Europe and BCC. After 2 hours, I knew all the world problems and I just wished they had another channel besides news 24/7.

Amenities are good with shampoo, soap, hair dryer and a bathrobe. A motion-sensor minibar is available but have to be careful with moving any items as it will be automatically charged to the room. Internet is available in the room (cable or wireless) when receiving a ‘user code’ when checking-in.

Fitness Room: The Fitness Center is great with a good selection of modern and functional cardio and weight machines. The men’s locker room has private showers, a dressing area, bathrobes, towels and hairdryers. The Fitness Center also has a unisex spa and relaxation room. After I worked out, I went to use it. They have a great selection of magazines to read (Men’s Health, Business Traveler, USA Today, Herald Tribune, Time and others) while laying down in the heated wooden lounge chairs. Flavored water (orange, lemon and lime) is available. A dry sauna and a steam bath are available in the area as well as refresher showers. The fitness center is available 24 hours a day with your room key. An attendant is available to clean machines, restock towels and clean locker room areas.

Restaurant: The “Flavour” Restaurant is open pretty much all day. Décor is nice with nice comfortable chairs, tables and a great selection of wines, champagnes and full bar drinks.

We came for lunch and the guest has 3 options: (1) the a-la-carte menu, (2) the salad (cold) bar or the (3) full (hot) bar. The salad bar has, in addition to the salad, many cold-cuts of fish (salmon and tuna), hams (parma) fruits, cheeses and dessert among other selections. The hot bar will have a great selection of one pasta, different steam vegetables, fish and meats. This was my option and I enjoyed the hot bar quite much.

However, as it is a ‘business’ restaurant, it was quite expensive; one salad and one hot bar with a sparkling water and a diet coke cost 75 Euro (about $100 US dollars in today’s currency exchange). Dinner? Would have gone to one of the other nice and less expensive restaurants at the main terminal at the airport just a 5 minutes walk!

Staff: The Sheraton staff was very nice, accommodating, professional and friendly. I do give this hotel high ranks for their professionalism and availability to assist any and all of their guests.

Check-out: The process was quite fast and painless… much less than the check-in one. It took less than 5 minutes to check-out. We left our bags at the concierge desk while we waited for our flight.

Price: as most Sheraton Hotels, it is not a cheap hotel costing about $200 a night for a double room per night. Price varies depending on the season and availability of rooms.

Final Comment: This hotel is nice for easy access to Frankfurt city and the airport. However, for the budget conscious traveler, other hotels are available a short bus ride from the airport. Some are located in the city, which makes it convenient if you want to go sightseeing and enjoy downtown Frankfurt. For those that want to stay at this Sheraton, they will find a good, comfortable and clean room, a good fitness center and hotel facilities that will make this stay an enjoyable one.

A NORTHWEST FLIGHT ATTENDANT ACCOUNTS OF THE DECEMBER 3RD TERRORIST ATTACKS IN MUMBAI, INDIA

2008-12-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

A Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant was on a layover in Mumbai when the terrorist attacks at the Oberoi Trident Hotel occurred last Wednesday (December 03, 2008). These are his accounts of what happened that day.

"For those of you who don't know, I was on a layover at the Oberoi Trident hotel in Mumbai when the attacks occurred there last Wednesday night. Some of my memory of some of this is sketchy but here's what I remember.

Had a great, uneventful layover...the usual, massage, lunch at Trishna etc. Napped from about six pm to 9 pm. I received my 9:50 pm wakeup call from reception, reminding me of my 10:50 pm pickup time. I left my room for the lobby about 10:35 and saw one of my flight attendants standing at the elevator bank. He said the elevators for some reason weren't working and that his calls from the house phone adjacent to them was going unanswered. My initial reaction was Oh God, am I going to have to carry all my bags down stairs???

I was heading back to my room to try calling from my room's phone when we heard a tremendous explosion that shook the building. We were on the 18th floor, and unaware of what was happening in the lobby and outside the hotel. I ran to my room and dialed reception, and again, no answer. I went back out into the hallway to see what we were going to decide to do when we heard another huge explosion followed by very loud screams. At first I thought that an elevator had fallen as the screams seemed to come from the elevator shafts. Suddenly doors in the hallway were opening and heads were sticking out wondering what was going on.

All of a sudden a young woman comes out and starts banging on other doors in the hallway screaming that the hotel was being attacked. Apparently she saw it on TV. My coworker and I ran into my room and turned on the television and on one of the local channels it was being reported that there were "firings" outside of some hotels. It was running across the bottom of the screen but the TV still had regular programming on. I wasn't sure what they meant by firings, but I couldn't help but wonder if that is what the explosions were.

Everyone was confused about what to do, but my coworker said he was going to go down the stairway adjacent to the elevators to see if it was safe to get out. He was turned back by hotel staff several flights down. By this time I had that hall crowd of people in my room watching the news on TV that attacks were being carried out at several locations in the city.

All of a sudden one of the women who was a Lufthansa flight attendant got a call on her PDA and screamed that the hotel was on fire and we had to get out. Although we didn't know it at the time, it was actually the Taj Hotel on fire. But we decided to head down the stairs. Instinctively, I grabbed my passport, crew badge, wallet, and cash, and locked my luggage in my room. Some of the women were crying but it was orderly going down. Strangely nobody from above followed the 16 of us.

We made it to the pool level which is on the rooftop of the third floor, but the all the glass doors to the outside areas were locked. That floor also has banquet and meeting rooms and we found all the doors locked. Inside the ladies room the towels are cloth, so we grabbed a bunch of them and wet them in case we had to breathe through smoke. But we hadn't smelled any if the hotel was indeed on fire.

We were trying to figure out where to go at that point when we encountered a hotel security guard. He WHISPERED (which began to scare me even more) for us to stay there as there was an "incident" in the lobby. We cut through a linen tied to the insides of large bronze handles of the doors to one of the banquet rooms. He told us to be very very quiet, and to stay there until someone came to get us. He also told us to stay on the floor.

We were in that room for over an hour, and several of the Lufthansa crewmembers with us had PDA's, and were getting information from outside sources, so we learned the situation was not good. Eventually hiding in the dark there, we barricaded the door with a large table and waited.....then we heard voices. My heart I swear stopped for a few seconds. We were all on the floor holding hands, praying, some were crying softly etc..... Turned out to be that same security man. He was like he was sent from heaven. He said there were men here to help us evacuate. There were about a half dozen guys in camo with large automatic rifles. We were then led through a long set of offices, storage areas etc, until eventually we came out into a mezzanine level in the lobby through the hotel's business center.

There was a Van Cleef and Arpels store and a Brioni mens clothing store and all the windows were shattered, as were all the windows to the outside. Apparently grenades had been thrown in some lobby areas. There was glass EVERYWHERE! They told us to stay closely together, and QUIETLY but quickly follow them. But every time we encountered a turn in the hallway, or an open area, they halted us and the military guys aimed their rifles in all directions. We had to descend a large staircase into the open main lobby of the hotel, and RUN past the front desk, the concierge, and out the main doors. There was not ONE window intact, there was blood everywhere, and the restaurant called Opium Den next to the elevators had at least a dozen bullet holes in the glass. Apparently several people were killed there.

Everywhere we stepped there was glass.....on the furniture, the carpeting, the marble floors... everywhere. There were also NO people.... anywhere... The huge glass doors to the main entrance were reduced to about six inches deep of glass pieces similar to a windshield break. It wasn't like sheet glass. It was weird.So we didn't have to open any doors to get out. We were halted in the entrance area and the rifle men repositioned. That was perhaps the most terrifying part. Not knowing where the bad guys with guns and grenades were, or if we were going to get shot from someplace or somebody that was hiding.

We ran across the street and up about three blocks to a movie theater complex's parking ramp where we were in the company of several hundred people..... guests and hotel staff both. We got there at around 12:30-1:00 am. We found our two first officers, and one of them had an international use cell phone that ended up being our lifeline. We were on the phone with the state department, headquarters in MSP, and several others so our exact location could be known and monitored.

Since the whole area had been cordoned off, there was no traffic movement so we ended up there until dawn, when after a very confusing and chaotic shifting of groups, we finally got a private bus company to shuttle us from outside the locked-down area to a destination which changed three times enroute. It was to a hotel near the airport where we eventually met up with the crew that brought our outbound plane "in". It was pretty much carte blanche with meals, expenses, and phone calls to family, etc.

Exhaustion was setting in, as were emotions, and I didn't sleep that whole day but a shower made all the difference. EVERY sound outside my room sent the adrenaline pumping. At that point we were missing a Flight Attendant and our Captain. The USA State Department assured us they were in contact with them every half hour even though they were still trapped inside the Oberoi.

About 5:30 pm, we got calls saying they were evacuating us out of India, and to be in the lobby at 6:05 pm. We finally took off without the Captain the missing Flight Attendant at 8 pm, and landed in Amsterdam at around 3:30 am. It is about a nine hour flight, but I slept the whole way. We supposedly had 15 people in coach and only we were seated in first class. Thank God those seats lie flat.

We were met in Amsterdam by several KLM managers, grief counselors, and clergy of about six different faiths. That was good, as it turned out, one of our flight attendants was in the lobby when the shootings took place and saw several people killed. Another had actually called an elevator to her floor and found it empty, but with a pool of blood on the floor, so she ran back to her room.

We were all given emergency clothing kits of underwear, socks, and KLM sweatshirt and sweatpants, along with amenity kits of basic sundries, at least to get us home. Since we were given the option of staying in Amsterdam to rest, counsel, have clothing purchased for us, or whatever, and fly home the next day, or to continue on to our home cities. Out of the nine of MY crewmembers, and the 11 crewmembers who landed in Mumbai about the time this started, only two chose to stay.

They also said a large group of reporters was waiting for us to exit, so we were sent off the property a different way, to a hotel nearby for a four hour layover until the first flight to Detroit departed, thank God. I was OUT that entire flight as well. A glass of wine and a xanax works wonders!

We were then met in Detroit by several NWA senior management personnel and Employee Assistance Program psychologists. We were quickly and quietly expedited through customs and immigration and offered the chance to talk to anybody we wished, but my flight was leaving for Milwaukee in 40 minutes so I had to decline. Turns out that crew to Milwaukee had been told of my presence and they went out of their way to make me comfortable, as did the crews of every flight that got me home.

As a matter of fact, I have never seen such kindness and compassion extended to us, like it was by everybody we encountered, from hotel staffs to Airport and airline personnel. It was truly extraordinary. Some processed it differently, and at different times, but I finally broke when I learned that the Captain and Flight Attendant had finally been released unharmed and were preparing to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt before catching the NWA flight to Detroit from there.

We left Mumbai with little more than the clothes on our backs, but Detroit inflight has been in touch, and they said they will replace EVERYTHING we lost, and at full monetary value, no questions asked, or receipts required. They have also dropped most of my December schedule with pay. I lost my TravelPro luggage, garment bag, laptop, cell phone, ipod, Nikon camera, skype phone. clothing, leather coat, uniform pieces etc, but I came out of there unharmed, and with my LIFE, which is what mattered most.

There is so much more, but that's pretty much how I spent my Thanksgiving.

God Bless.....

Tom"

THE TSA EXPERIENCE -- MY HORROR STORY AT JFK AIRPORT WITH TSA CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATIONS AUTHORITIES

2008-12-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

I arrived today (December 9th) from Germany at Terminal 1 in JFK Airport. Flight was great and had a good time... till it was time to clear Customs and Immigrations.

The line I was assigned was moving too slow; actually not moving at all. I jumped to another line, which happens to be a young TSA's agent: Mr. Rowdings line. When I approached him, this is the conversation that ensured:

Me: "Good evening!"
Rowdings: "You jumped from that line to this one!"
Me: "So? If there is a problem with that, give me my passport and I will go back."
Rowdings: "You don't need to have an attitude!"
Me: "Well, you don't need to ask."
Rowdings: "It is my job to ask!"
Me: "Oh... new job responsibilities; also taking care of lines?"

With that, I sealed my fate... He made the mark that I would have to go through the secondary TSA check with my luggage. So, I went through the secondary check. However, that was a different story.

But I need to digress for a moment...

There was a woman who came in with her 4 dalmatian dogs; one older and 3 puppies. She was sobbing crying in the secondary security line next to the one I was. I've traveled with my dog internationally so I know how stressful it is. I don't know the details of the situation or what was happening with this woman, but it could have been something wrong with the veterinarian's paperwork or vaccinations. She was quite hysterical and the TSA agent taking care of her 'case' was not helpful at all. He only needed to be sympathetic to her; that's all. The only thing he needed to do was, at least, be nice to her. At one point she was trying to make a phone call and the TSA Agent got two inches away from her face and started to scream: "There is no cell phone usage in this area!" And he kept screaming at her! I was getting very upset watching this happening in front of me. I wanted to jump in an defend the woman but did not want to get in any more trouble than I already was.

Back to my story... I got to my secondary check and the guy could not be any nicer. We started talking and I did not have anything in my suitcase to be checked except the usual German coffee I bring every time I come back from Europe and my dirty underwear.

The conversation turned interesting when he asked me what I do for a living. I told him: "I am a flight attendant." Then I proceeded to tell him what happened to me earlier and that I wanted to file a complaint with TSA. He told me what to do (go to tsa.gov and click on the feedback icon). He let me go right away with no problems.

And you might ask yourselves... why did you confront the TSA agent to start with?

Here is my take... I've flown all over the world and solely internationally for over 9 years. I've seen the best and the worst of TSA agents... Sadly, the worst is the normality more than the exception. . is a shame that these TSA agents have to be such big a**holes!

What bothers me the most is that this is the first point of contact for most tourists and visitors to the USA. And this is the way these TSA Agents behave? Is this the image we want to create that we behave in our Country? What's up with the attitude?

From my experiences, the worst airports for entry into the USA: New York's JFK and Washington DC (Dulles). The best airports: Denver (all the time) and Chicago (only in a good day). I wonder what kind of Customer Service training they receive. I do know that they are there primarily for safety but there is no need for their nasty behavior.

By the way, if you are wondering, the TSA Agent did not let the dogs go. The TSA Agent was doing the paperwork to hold the doggies back; quarantine or who knows... And the doggies kept crying and barking for mama! It was so sad to watch and see the lady crying and going between the dogs in the cages and back to the nasty, power-driven, a**hole TSA Agent. At one point I had to turned the other way because it was just too much to bear! For those of us who are doggy/pet lovers, this was a horrific scene to witness!

As we call it in the industry: "TSA is going on a Power Trip!"

And why do they do it? Because they can screw up your day if they want to!

I can go on and on with other examples I've witnessed and be a victim of, but won't bore you with any more details. Ok... a couple of quick ones: they held one internationally based flight attendant for 4 hours because one crew member made a comment about how slow the line was moving and a passenger held because he did forget he had a fruit (banana) in his carry-on.

I did write my letter to TSA and does hope that does not fall in deaf ears or gets lost in cyberspace. If I do get a reply, I will ensure I post it here immediately.