A Message to American Airlines

Congratulations, American Airlines, for totally ruining my trip ... Any my birthday.

Yes, I know there was a big, bad storm in the Dallas area. Did weather forecasting fail? Did radar not tip you off that a big storm was on the way? Did it sneak up on you? Did it not occur to you to prepare for the storm and how to respond to your customers?

I expected disruptions to American's flight operations. What I did not expect was the total show of incompetence by the airline's management and its complete disregard for its passengers.

From flight delays being announced every 30 minutes until the flights were finally canceled, to keeping gate agents in the dark, with no information, to jerking around passengers who had been at the airport for hours, American can write the book about how not to handle a disaster.

Here's an example: I was booked on a 5:09 p.m. departure. Then that flight was canceled and I was rebooked on a 3 p.m. departure. Then i was put back on the 5:09 p.m. flight. I rushed to the airport for the 3 p.m. flight, sat around then waiting on the 5 p.m. flight -- without anything to eat or drink -- and finally I was told, sometime after 9 p.m., that the flight was canceled. I then was rebooked on a 9 a.m. flight. 

In the meantime, my travel agent was working to get me back on the original 5 p.m. flight. The same scene was repeated the following day after my travel agent spent several hours rebooking my flights. This was not a simple process, as American had taken control of the ticket, which included flights on another, foreign airline. She managed to get me booked on the original flights, but 24 hours later. Both of us were ecstatic.

As I was on the way to the airport in yet another ride with Lyft, I received a text message notifying me that the departure time had been delayed by an hour. That wasn't an issue, as I had a 3-hour layover in Dallas. The next text came as I was in line at the airport to get new boarding passes. It was then that I realized my flight would eventually be canceled. The announcement of cancellation came as I waited in the gate area.

We were advised to call an 800 number for rebooking. But that number was overwhelmed with calls, and I was told someone would call me in 4+ and 5+ hours. And because Dallas was expecting more storms, I figured I would face still more cancellations. 

I was a professional communications person for a non-profit organization for 8 years, and for NASA for 20 years. I know something about how to communicate bad news.

American Airlines did absolutely everything wrong. Passengers were left hanging, with no information. The public faces of the airline -- the  front-line airport workers -- were left in the dark about what was happening. Senior management, as far as I can tell, were absent. I have yet to receive an apology, or an offer to try to make things right. I paid more than $5,500 for my tickets for a trip I an now unable to take. In addition, I paid close to $200 for four rides with Lyft to/from the airport, another $200 for a hotel in Johannesburg on arrival day, that I couldn't use, money for a flight from Johannesburg to my final destination in South Africa, and $150  to board my dogs for a trip I wasn't able to take.

But I'm sure management did everything in its power to protect itself and the company's shareholders. And that's the most important thing, right?

I will never fly on American Airlines again, a comment I heard from others who were tired of being jerked around. Clearly this business doesn't care about its passengers, so it seems only fitting that the customers have the attitude.

Memorial Day

Here's a reminder for the uninformed: Please do not wish anybody a happy Memorial Day. 

That is akin to wishing someone a happy death anniversary. There is nothing happy about this day designated in 1868 to honor the soldiers killed in the Union Army during the Civil War. Two world wars expanded the holiday to include all men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. I can think of nothing more insulting than using the word ‘happy’ in the same sentence with Memorial Day.

Far too many Americans either are unaware of or choose to ignore the true meaning behind this day. It should not be just another excuse for a three-day weekend. It isn’t all about barbecues and baseball and the unofficial start of summer. And worst of all are the Memorial Day sales that are screamed about in endless television commercials.

This is the day to honor those who died defending our country and our freedoms. It is not the same as Veterans Day, which happens every year on November 11. Veterans Day is the appropriate day on which to recognize the service of all who are serving and who have served in our armed forces.

This simple distinction clearly is too difficult for most Americans to comprehend. The days are not the same. So please, this Memorial Day weekend, enjoy your barbeques and your parties. But please don't forget to honor the sacrifices of these men and women. 

Several years ago during a trip to France, my group visited and spent some time in private reflection at the American military cemetery in Normandy, This cemetery, whose land was given to the United States in gratitude for the liberation of France, is the final resting place of 9,387 American military who sacrificed their lives in the liberation of France on and following the June 6,1944, D-Day landing. 

More than 80 years later, visiting this hallowed site was an extremely touching experience. So many of the war dead were very young, their lives cut short in pursuit of a greater cause.

As an American, I find it discouraging and embarrassing that so much of our population is totally clueless about which holiday is which. If you have forgotten your civics lessons from high school, please spend five minutes doing some research so you can understand the difference.

So on this Memorial Day weekend, enjoy your parties and your barbeques. But please don't forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice, often thousands of miles from home. They deserve more on this holiday weekend than yet another 'sales event' or a barbeque.

National Rescue Dog Day

The worst feeling in the world is that  no one wants you.

What a sad yet profound statement. This statement is especially appropriate today, which is National Rescue Dog Day. 

I have been fortunate to have adopted 15 rescue dogs during my adult life. Some were from humane societies. Some were from rescue groups. One was a direct adoption. And one was found, pregnant and abandoned.

Seven of these dogs were purebred. Six were golden retrievers, and one was an English springer spaniel. The others were a variety of mixes, from an 11 pound terrier (my first adoption) to a Labrador retriever/beagle, to a pair of papillon sisters to my current mix of unknown parentage. Two were puppies when I adopted them; most were middle aged. Some were very difficult dogs; others settled into the family immediately.

All were loving, sweet dogs. Some were very challenging. All have enriched my life immeasurably.

It's hard to admit, but there were some I loved more than others. My first dog, Patches, survived distemper and finally lost her battle with cancer. My next dog, Sam(antha), was a beagle/dachshund and as stubborn as any dog ever born. Casey, my first golden retriever, went to work with me every day and was a wonderful therapy dog who loved to visit people. Toby, my next golden, was a dear, sweet dog more attuned to me and my emotions than any dog I have ever known. Mila, a stubborn Labrador retriever/beagle mix, was so very loving yet exasperating at the same time.

And then there was Benny, my true heart dog, a golden retriever/corgi. Benny helped me get through the isolation and worry of the covid pandemic. 

There are so many dogs in need of help. Rescuing these dogs and loving them until illness or infirmity forced us to part makes me incredibly proud. 

Save a life. Adopt a rescue dog!

PS I know there are many people, especially children, who also feel unwanted. But today is a day set aside for rescue dogs. 

I adopted my daughter, who was abused and ignored by her birth parents, from Russia 20 years ago. She now knows that she is wanted and loved. And like her mom, she loves animals. She currently has a golden retriever and an adopted cat.

Done With WalMart

I don't shop at WalMart on a regular basis, but today's experience pushed me over the edge.

Nearly all of the cashiers have been replaced by do-it-yourself che k-out stations. Today I was informed that there was a problem with the scale as I was trying to weigh a bunch of bananas. I finally finished scanning and bagging my groceries, only to be forced to present my receipt upon leaving the store. I told the woman doing the inspection that I'm tired of being treated like a ciminal.

First I am made to scan and bag my groceries. Then my receipt is inspected to make sure I haven't stolen anything. (In reality, the woman only glanced at my receipt but didn't count my items or even look below the items at the top of my reusable bag). I could have had a $50 package of meat under my bags of SunChips and she wouldn't have known.

The other thing I have noticed is that WalMart picks Saturday morning -- one of the busiest shopping days of the week -- to restock shelves and fill online orders. Both of these activities involve placing large carts in the aisles, impeding shoppers trying to squeeze by with their shopping carts.

Other grocery stores in town offer 5 cents for each reusable bag each time it's used. Not WalMart. That stores does absolutely nothing to encourage people to bring reusable shopping bags. I often see people leaving the store with shopping carts filled with 15 or 20 disposable plastic bags.

And if customers have to scan and bag their own groceries, which saves money for the corporation, they should get a small discount on their groceries for doing the work of a cashier.

I generally shop at WalMart only when I need toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. But it's time to add WalMart to the list of businesses I boycott. 

If I wanted to scan and bag groceris, I would get a job at a grocery store.

Kindness Counts

Kindness counts in everything we do.

Yes, it does.

An act of kindness, no matter how small, can brighten the day for both giver and recipient. Something as small as opening or holding a door for someone can brighten a day or lift the spirits. 

I recently held a door open for a woman struggling to carry a large box into the UPS store. Was this a life-changing act? Of course not. It was a simple kindness that made the other person's life just a bit easier for a moment. And it made me feel good to help. That small kindness created a connection, albeit very brief, between two humans who didn't know each other.

Twice recently, as I was struggling to life my camera bad into the overhead in above my seat, a flight attendant helped me lift the heavy bag. They're not supposed to assist passengers with their bags to avoid injury, but I was assisted twice. 

Kindness has no financial cost, unless we make it so. Someone in line to get coffee at a drive-through coffee shop may decide to pay for the coffee of the person in the following car. This small additional cost can, and has, created a chain reaction of people buying coffee for the person in the next car. The initial cost (I don't drink coffee so I don't know the cost of a cup from a Starbucks-type business) is small in comparison to the tidal wave of kindness it can generate.

A man once paid for my groceries (some $15), so I told him I would pay forward his kindness. I subsequently paid for the groceries of a Native American woman in a wheelchair, and later I paid for the roses a young man was buying. 

I try to make a point of complementing people I encounter. Words cost nothing, but who doesn't like to receive a complement?

In a world becoming increasingly unkind, practicing a random act of kindness may make a real difference in the life of someone having a bad day. 

End the Sexist Beauty Contests

Why haven’t beauty pageants, those ancient holdovers from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s ‘50s and 60s’ been relegated to the dust bin where they belong? 

What purpose do such pageants as Miss America, Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA, etc., actually serve? 

All they do is objectify women and judge them on how they look. The contestants have to be tall, thin, have big boobs, big hair, and huge white smiles. And why in the world are contestants required to parade around in high heels and bathing suits?

I find the entire premise of beauty pageants to be offensive, to say the least. At a time when women still struggle to have equal opportunities, to be taken seriously, to be paid commensurate with their skills as are their male counterparts why are these reprehensible events allowed to continue?. Women continue to battle to be taken seriously, so why in the world do we put up with beauty contests that do nothing but sexualize the contestants? And why do women sign up to be contestants? The beauty pageant world has been rocked recently by the resignation of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA because they claim their values no longer align with those off the organizations. Maybe we should have beauty contest for a minute and let them parade around wearing Speedos.

As we continue to fight to protect our reproductive rights and other hard-earned rights, why do we allow these anachronistic, sexist contests to continue? Maybe we should have beauty contests for men and make them parade around in public wearing Speedos.