A Trans-Atlantic Trip Turns Kafkaesque | Hacker News Reader

A Trans-Atlantic Trip Turns Kafkaesque

nytimes.com

13 pointswicker10 comments

As an amateur pilot, it sounds like this was an unfortunate course of events, but was handled properly. For example, when the altimeter stopped working, it was the right decision to turn back to Heathrow. When the second plane was deemed not airworthy, it was the right decision to not fly it. There are many reasons why an airplane can be unsafe to fly, and it's not always possible to prevent these incidents from happening, even with good maintenance. The best that can be done is thorough preflight checks while on the ground, and an emergency landing if issues crop up while airborne, however slight.

I'll concede that American Airlines could have treated its customers with more courtesy, offering them food and drink. It's certainly possible that American could have performed better maintenance on their planes. But it's good to know that their pilots are safe, and won't risk flying over the ocean if they have a slight (realistically irrelevant, given GPS) instrument issue.

I think the upset is about the way they were treated after the problems were discovered, and not the problems. That fact that problems heaped upon problems should have meant the service became more attentive, not less.

Agreed that the pilots did the right thing, but the customer facing staff did not.

I think the question here is is this an institutional problem with AA, or a one off. From everything I can seen, and my own experiences flying in the US, this seems to be a regular issue for AA and other US airlines.

Maybe, but after compensating for the exaggeration, I cannot find many checkable facts as to that.

(I judge the necessary amount of compensation from the statements that they turned 'halfway across the Atlamtic' and landed 'heavy'. I do not think both can be true.)

If you haven't read Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart (author of this piece) you should.

his previous work, The Russian Debutante's Handbook, was a fun read.

Heathrow has always been terrible for me - except once, when I entered the UK from New Zealand without showing anyone my passport. I didn't even get it out my bag. This was pre 9/11 but it weirded me out so much that I nearly walked back to check with someone that all was ok.

I will go to just about any length to avoid LHR. The only exception being when I am actually terminating in London and not transiting. It is really the most intentionally wretched airport I have ever visited, although they're all miserable in their own special ways.

"the most intentionally wretched airport"

I am curious about your choice of the word "intentionally".

Do you think that some person or persons decided to make travelers miserable on purpose e.g. because they are stuck at work and are bored?

I do. It's not so benign as to be out of boredom, but out of the perverse English character. I'm sure Heathrow is some Enochian pun related to jumping between hell, purgatory, and limbo.

(Yeah, yeah, don't put on your clever pants, I know where limbo is!)

I love the ad for Southwest at the bottom.

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