Whoa! It seems a guy in first class on American Airlines asked for a glass of orange juice.

And with that, the flight attendant began screaming at him.

And she went on and on. Fortunately for this fellow, everyone around him saw what was happening and couldn’t believe it – and acting as a group, met with an airline rep to defend this guy, once their Sacramento to Dallas flight landed. Meanwhile, the flight attendant tried to get the O.J. fellow in big trouble, but the other passengers were having none of that.

Funny how some of the comments I’ve seen say, oh, don’t pick on flight attendants – maybe this woman was just having a very bad day. Well, apparently. But I don’t think anyone is picking on any group – including flight attendants – it just sounds like this woman is nuts.

Plenty of people out there are having bad days – plenty of people out there have seen their salaries chopped – their jobs disappear – plenty. But they don’t behave like this. This — this is inexcusable.

Ugly story. Two pit bulls who were going to be shipped overseas on a Korean Air flight, got into a “vicious fight” in an air cargo building at Dulles; a cop tried to break up the fight with pepper spray, but it didn’t work and he wound up shooting the dogs.

These dogs were originally in separate kennels – but one chewed his way out, then chewed his way in to the other dog’s container – and the fight was on.

It’s not clear where these dogs were going, or what they were supposed to do when they got there…

Whipping up a batch (opening up a box) of macaroni and cheese for the kiddies? Need to top off some chili? Well, here’s news you can use!

Just get yourself down to Beverly Hills (swimmin’ pools, movie stars) later this week, and you too can grab a hunk of a 15 year old cheddar cheese, born and raised in Wisconsin. Cost: $50 a pound.

But it’s worth it, they say: the 1,200 pound cheese, produced by Julie and Tony Hook of Mineral Point, Wis., was placed “in airtight plastic at 38 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 years”, and checked on regularly.

It first went on sale at Larry’s Market in Brown Deer, Wisconsin – a place I’d visit for the name alone – and later this week will appear at The Cheese Store at 419 N. Beverly Drive in B.H. I’d call ahead – you don’t want to arrive too early and go home cheeseless.

By the way, getting there is easy – just use Farecompare’s “Where-to-Go” Flight Finder, and head for LAX or Burbank.

Weird doings down in W. Palm Beach…

A Princess gambling “cruise to nowhere” is in port because its new captain doesn’t have a license.

The old captain was fired yesterday, which “set off a near-riot on the deck” according to the Palm Beach Post. In fact, the situation got so bad that Customs and Border folks called in extra security to make sure that the rioters – foreign nationals who live and work on the ship – didn’t get off the vessel, since they are not legally allowed on U.S. soil.

What prompted the pandemonium? According to the workers, pay cuts and poor working conditions – some said their checks have been late and bouncing, though the company denies that. Meanwhile, the company claims the old captain allegedly attempted to organize a strike, which is why a new one was brought in – though you might have thought they’d at least ask him if he was carrying his license with him. Hey, these days we all have to be concerned with our licenses.

Still with me? Well, yesterday’s cruise was cancelled for reasons of rioting; today’s was cancelled for lack of license.

Terribly sad story, from the UK.

A Egyptian woman who was flying from the U.S. to Kuwait was breastfeeding her baby when she fell asleep.

When she woke up, the child seemed lifeless. A doctor onboard worked on the four-week old girl, as the plane was diverted to Heathrow.

The child was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead – she had been accidentally smothered.

The one-time Qantas flight attendant who at first suggested actor Ralph Fiennes lured her into a lavatory for aeronautical hijinks awhile back, then later revealed she did the luring – was in court the other day because of “an alleged incident outside a restaurant”.

The case was continued. By the way, she no longer works for Qantas.

It hasn’t been all beer and skittles for Fiennes, either. Couple of years ago, Keith Olbemann named the Oscar-nominee as one of his endless parade of “worst people in the world” for his part in what the UK tabloids have called the mile-high “romp”. C’mon, Keith, surely there were more deserving contenders…

I only pose the question because there are so many Zagat categories you can win in.

For example, one Virgin airline or another took top honors in five categories (fine with me, I like them) and JetBlue took two “firsts” (also terrific) and Southwest won three awards.

Conspicuous by their absence in this cornucopia of blue ribbonry was Delta, United, US Airways.

Yep, the (sort of) little guys do it again. Hey, thanks, Jaunted!

This is sad.

A fellow had a ticket to fly Southwest for his uncle’s funeral.

Fellow weighs 400 pounds. He said he could fit in the seat, that he flies “all the time” and said he’d even sit with his arms crossed over his chest to avoid bothering anyone.

Southwest said no, that he was just too big, and said he’d have to buy a second seat. The guy says, fine. Problem: there is no second seat. The flight is booked. Man misses funeral.

A lot of flights are booked solid these days, particularly during holiday periods. Here’s what the man should have done, according to Southwest’s “guidelines for customers of size“: he should have pro-actively booked two seats in advance. Guess he’ll know next time.

The guy says Southwest is giving him a refund. Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, I guess.

A pilot at the controls of a Canada-based Porter Airlines flight out of Halifax lost consciousness during the weekend flight, and the co-pilot took charge and turned back.

Good thing he/she was there.

Anyway, nobody knows what was going on with the pilot, but mercifully, no one seems to think he had this pilot’s problem. ]]> http://standarduprightposition.com/2009/11/17/pilot-blacks-out-but-thats-why-they-have-two-of-them/feed/ 0 http://standarduprightposition.com/2009/11/16/flight-attendants-accused-of-stealing-11k-from-passenger/ http://standarduprightposition.com/2009/11/16/flight-attendants-accused-of-stealing-11k-from-passenger/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:14:22 +0000 anne http://standarduprightposition.com/?p=4265

A passenger on a domestic Vietnam Airlines flight said he had $11,192 in his carryon, which he stowed in an overhead bin. Big mistake – I’d put it on my person or cradle that bag in my arms.

Sure enough, when the plane landed in Dong Hoi, he looked for the money, but it had disappeared.

Happy ending, though – flight attendants searched for the money as the plane continued onto another destination, and found it stashed under a seat (not the one the guy had been sitting in). The money was returned in full to its rightful owner.

Three flight attendants – presumably not the ones that discovered the hidden cash – have since been suspended, and an investigation is continuing.

True, airline fees have gone up and nobody’s giving away those cans of Pringles, but still –$11 thousand dollars?? You were kind of asking for it, buddy…