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 After a half hour ride the taxi driver dropped me off at Raleigh-Durham Airport.
As he handed my luggage over he said, very friendly-like, "You seem like a nice guy. You don't look like a terrorist." It seemed to me like a damn goofy thing to say.
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 Meet Wendell the Redpoll. This morning he woke up in the branches of a big spruce tree outside our cabin. Nothing distinguished Wendell from five dozen other Redpolls, comfortably clutching the branches of their overnight lodging. When he woke up Wendell didn't even have a name.
A few minutes before sunrise Redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Blue Jays, Whiskey Jacks, and two kinds of Woodpeckers began their day, stuffing themselves with seeds and suet at our feeding station on the deck. During the next hour the comings and goings of dozens of birds were like waves on the ocean as the sky sparkled with a brilliance only the northern mid-winter sun can shine our way. The calm was shattered suddenly as an unexpected Blue Jay zoomed out of nowhere, startling four dozen birds into sudden flight. In the confusion of the moment, a tiny Redpoll crashed into the window three feet in front of me and fell immediately into the snow. I rushed out and carefully plucked the unconscious bundle of fluff from the ground and carried him inside. In only a few minutes the creature was alert, holding his head up and moving his beak. I named him Wendell. I placed Wendell on one of my gloves to keep him off the snow, and set him on the step just outside our door where I could watch and protect him from other birds that might have taken advantage of a fresh meal while he was recovering. In stages over the next 10 minutes Wendell showed increased alertness and movements, and eventually flapped his wings and flew high up into a poplar tree 20 yards away. There he sat, perched on a bare branch, for another half hour. I didn't see Wendell leave. I turned away, and when I looked again he was gone. 
I've had a major breakthrough in my quest to learn how to play a guitar. Last night while holding the position for a chord, I strummed the strings and a pleasant sound came out.
Mary and I enjoying our comfy airport chairs.
Some people thought my comments were "follow the crowd" jibes at our national airline. They are not. They are expressions of absolute disgust for poor performance, especially in the customer relations department.
On my outgoing flight - 6 a.m. Thunder Bay to Toronto Jan. 20 - I arrived at the airport at 4 a.m. and was told the flight was cancelled (mechanical problems in Toronto that had prevented the previous night's flight to Thunder Bay. No notification...). I was rescheduled for a flight five hours later. In Tampa Jan. 30 our 7 a.m. Tampa to Toronto flight was cancelled. No notification until we arrived to check in at 6 a.m. after an hour's drive. Computer check earlier indicated flight was on time. Fact is, that flight was cancelled the day previously, as well, in addition to the Toronto to Tampa evening flight that would have gotten the passengers there and the plane in place the 29th. Although we were re-booked (as well as several dozen other passengers who had been displaced by the previous day's cancellation) for a flight 12 hours later, we were greeted at the gate by a last minute update on the board (no Air Canada person even showed up) that the flight was delayed for two more hours. It eventually did arrive, disgorging more than 50 passengers who had been delayed by more than 24 hours in Toronto, but once loaded and seated in the plane we were treated to another hour as the captain gave repeated updates as to why we couldn't leave. After several updates, an obviously exasperated captain explained that that particular plane had been grounded for two days because of a malfunctioning fuel gauge and the plane was now being denied permission to fly until certified by an authorized technician - of which Air Canada had none in Tampa. He said it should not have left Toronto. Not sure how the problem was solved (maybe the pilot notified his employer that he'd be taking early retirement, effective with his arrival back in Toronto, and just took off). The problem didn't have to do with fuel flow - just a gauge to show how much fuel was in one particular wing tank - nice information to have, but probably not critical for a routine flight as far as safety goes. It was nearly 4 a.m. - more than 20 hours after the original flight time for us (more than 44 hours later for some of our fellow travelers who had been delayed before us) by the time we collected our luggage and cleared customs. The promised Air Canada representatives who were to meet us all and help get complimentary hotel rooms and connecting flight tickets which hadn't been forthcoming in Tampa because they didn't know when the hell they'd get us to Toronto, were nowhere to be seen. Eventually we found three people at computers set up temporarily in a little out-of-the-way alcove with no signs or greeters - it was so unobtrusive that after a few minutes someone asked what this line-up was for. We all hoped it was the Air Canada people (and it turns out it was), but we were like lemmings, desperate to find the help that had been promised and that was necessary to get our connecting tickets. Soon after we got in line, two of the three representatives picked up their day bags and walked out, without a word, leaving the third, a fairly young lady, in tears, apologizing and explaining that they had all come in for their regular shifts at 10 a.m. the previous day and were still there 18 hours later. I appreciate the dedication to safety, but the shortage of information and shabby treatment all along the way were hardly compensated by a $20 food voucher (no tips or alcohol allowed) in an airport where a cup of coffee costs $5 and a banana $2. Most (but not all) of the employees we dealt with were very nice and very helpful (within their capabilities). But I am highly critical of a corporate culture that says, "We will overbook our flights but if we bump you off we'll compensate you a few hundred bucks for the inconvenience. On the other hand, if we just outright cancel your flight we'll give you a $20 food voucher - now go enjoy your next 48 hours in the terminal. Hope you find a comfy chair to sleep in... Oh, and by the way, we know you'll love our little game of hide and seek as you try to find our customer service ambassadors." |
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