I want to say "It's not you, it's me" but yeah, it is you. Your greed for air traffic, your hubris of hosting UN summits. You wanted Air Force One on your tarmac? You've got it. You're the Big Hub of the North, the drama queen of the East Coast.
And you're out of my life.
Hey, I liked having the little flight before the big one each way. Boston - New York - Brussels worked pretty well --- when Obama's security wasn't putting the freeze on the whole airport for ages. And Brussels - Amsterdam - Boston was a super concept --- apart from the timing from hell.
Speaking of which, that's two more things that I won't be doing again: booking flights by telephone and flying KLM. The first because telephones interfere (severely) with my brain functions (freely choosing a departure at 6:20 AM, me???), and the second because KLM people suck at following up on cancelled / rescheduled flights. Or was that just because of the KLM - NorthWest co-operation? Do you really think I care?
It's too bad about KLM, because Schiphol isn't half bad as airports go, and I had a good walk in downtown Amsterdam and along the canals (killing a fraction of my, wait for it, *6 hours* of layover). It's darned pretty in the morning sun, though the scents of warm pastry and weed fumes mingling in the narrow winding streets make for a rather heady mix. And the accent of people, the accent! I tried practicing my Dutch on a coffee-shop waitress (and here I rush to specify that this was a shop that served coffee, as opposed to the more immediately horticultural type of establishment they also have there), but even with my throat getting sore from a budding cold, I couldn't manage the cheese-grating rasp of the locals, nor was my nose clogged up enough yet to approximate their nasal intonations.
No big regrets then.
No, from now on, when I fly to Europe from Boston, I'll be going through London. It's just shorter that way (seriously, New York, look at a map and tell me it makes sense to fly via you from Boston on the way to Europe). Also, it satisfies my chief requirement: being able to go through immigration services in Boston, where fewer foreigners disembark and staff people are friendly and laid-back.
So that's it, New York; it's over between you and me. I doubt you'll notice, but my life will be better for it.
Next on my agenda: sign up for a British Airways frequent flyer account.
Good call! I always fly with Virgin Atlantic from LA to London, and then I take the Eurostar back home after a few hours of sightseeing. It's almost invariably cheaper than a flight to Brussels, the service is way better than any of the large companies, and I like having a few hours off in London to catch my breath again.
I'm currently in Japan and I have to say that Korean Airlines is the best I've ever flown with. My carry on luggage (hardly carriable) consisted of two suitcases with books, and when they complained I just told them that I'm a professor and that I need the books for my job. Problem solved! (Now there's some respect for academic honchos!)
Posted by: jv | October 16, 2009 at 06:17 PM