Spent the Night in New York

Like a teary Bieber at a talent show, feeling beaten by the world around him, I am within sight of Manhattan (you can see it from the airport) but I am at the Courtyard Marriot at Newark Liberty Airport instead, a little worn out. Friday night theatre or nightclubbing in the "city that never sleeps" ? Well Newark airport sleeps, it shuts down at midnight and everyone out. David is not venturing into town either...

Yesterday was a small disaster, all because that one plane did not show up in Regina to go direct to Chicago. That said, the phone calls that ensued tell you a lot about business in today's world... one agent told me my current set of flights, which will get me into Shanghai about 14.5 hours late, would get me there earlier than the ones missed in Chicago. Absolute Bunkum I cried! And I proceeded to count them through it. Most of the agents have no clue what the world looks like, one agent said I could drive to Calgary in an hour from Regina, I asked them if it was in a rocket car of some type, and I had to get to Asia for more connections to get to Shanghai, so saying get me to Hong Kong, Tokyo or Beijing seemed to baffle them completely. Everyone can make mistakes - but the agent books people onto planes for a living.... and this is why I am so happy United Airlines doesn't do kidney transplants nor nose jobs. The results would be hideous.

At Denver and Newark I tried to change these flights to get there sooner on any Star Alliance airline - and you get a different story from every single employee. The Premium Economy seats too are strange, the newer 737 from Denver to Newark has DirectTV, but you have to pay to use it! No free TV, no free Movies... CHEAP CHEAP!

So when I went to bed at 1am last night, I hated United with a passion. 17 hours to get to a lousy hotel in Jersey. It's like I am in the airline's version of Purgatory.

This morning, it is 6AM, I am going to go in the shower, wear the same clothes - since mine are buried in the airport bowels somewhere - and fly off at 10:21 AM to Shanghai. I still hate United, but I have no option now for any other route getting me to Shanghai quicker so I have to bite the bullet.

I am telling myself I am still so lucky in life - United didn't turn me into a slave of Steven Harper or the Capitalist machine... oh hang on.... oh whatever, another 20 hours or so and I will have made it to China... Or Barbados, we'll see ;)