I’m offering up the mornings frustrations and irritation in reparation for the Synod (“walking together”).
Apart from having to leave and leave before 4 for the sake of the early flight, the weather was horrific again this morning (have you seen the news?), and at the airport there was extreme chaos. The chaos was the result of the Alitalia personnel setting up no signs indicating the sort of line you needed. Some were checked and had to drop bags, some were Priority (moi meme), some needed full check. Eventually I determined the right point to penetrate the scrum. Languid indifference to customers would aptly characterize the employees at the counters.
And, you would think that people would have their ID ready. No? Any mental anticipation? The slightest situational awareness?
At the gate, same problem as before. No signs to show what line you needed. I asked a drone about Priority. He referred me and others to the Priority line. When I asked him to show us the sign, he seemed to get my point.
Anyway, this is the sort of thing that the Left wants. They want socialism. When airlines are run by governments this is the service you get. This is an Airfrance flight but it is handled by Alitalia on the ground: enough said.
I have a decent layover in Paris, so some delay won’t be too much of a concern.
Patience and painkillers.
But hey! Rome was great! It’s the coming and going that challenge.
UPDATE
I guess my reparation might have been somewhat attenuated a little.
Compare these to Delta. Hah.
The fussing children over whom europarents are exercising no comfort of control are way in the back.
We just heard an announcement that the flight staff will be with us all the way to Chicago, which strikes me as a good idea, since this is a non -stop to Chicago.
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Alitalia baggage handling is terribly unhelpful if your bags go missing and you need their help in Rome. They sometimes assign people who can’t speak English to “help” passengers whose bags don’t appear on the carousel. Imagine that.
Actually, the chaos at the airport sounds like the chaos experienced many places by the luckless faithful after Vatican II (Let it be up to your conscience) and further hinted at in the Synod (Let it be up to local authorities). Just bumble around. After all, all roads lead to God. Or somewhere. Whatever.
Initially it sounds funny to say the flight crew will be with you all the way on a direct, but there are sometimes what’s called a “technical stopover” on a direct when the plane stops to off-load crew members at a hub along the way.
Perhaps the opportunity to jettison an ineffectual flight crew somewhere over the Atlantic is what air travel has been missing all this time?
Wondering when Ryanair will start offering no-stop service. Parachute and a kick!
I returned from Rome last week on Delta, I fully understand your plight this morning. What is Sky Priority when everyone is considered Priority. I was flying Business class and was about the 30th person to board the plane. In Rome, the nice woman who checked me in placing a large yellow sticker on my bag to indicate Priority, I now assume Priority means last off the plane. Anyway, thanks for the laugh this morning. I am happy the flight crew was “flying together” with you to your destination and not leaving your non-stop flight early.
We just heard an announcement that the flight staff will be with us all the way to Chicago, which strikes me as a good idea, since this is a non -stop to Chicago.
Alitalia appears to have a firm grasp of the obvious. Perhaps the purser was educated by Jesuits.
What kind of plane is that?
Glad to see you like the 13 Hours soundtrack, too, Father.
When you get back to the US, Brant Pitre’s new book will be out! It brightened my day….
When you get back to the US, Brant Pitre’s new book will be out! It brightened my day….
The part about the flight reminds me of the vine. “Road work ahead, uh yeah I hope it does.”
“We just heard an announcement that the flight staff will be with us all the way to Chicago, which strikes me as a good idea, since this is a non -stop to Chicago.” I’ve been chuckling about this one all day.