This past Sunday, as the Fourth of July holiday weekend wrapped up, passengers on American Airlines flight 1908 from Miami to New York's LaGuardia airport were delayed an hour and 15 minutes—waiting for the crew to arrive. When the crew finally rolled in, passengers greeted them with boos.
Not cool, right? Well, get this: Two of the crew members refused to work in what they called a hostile environment, so American Airlines canceled the flight!
The airline put everyone up for the night, according to a report by Fox 5 TV News in New York City. The next day, it flew them to LaGuardia. But here's the rub: The airline sent the baggage to J.F.K. airport instead! Perhaps the airline misdirected the bags by accident, but the coincidence is extremely suspect.
I throw my hands up at this rudeness free-for-all! Without condoning these passengers' behavior, I do think that there are genuine reasons for their anger. Airlines are hiking up prices, tacking on fees, charging for checked luggage—but not improving service. Then again, individual airline employees are seeing their benefits and salaries reduced to shreds while bearing the brunt of passengers' anger at airline policies. But this suspicious rerouting of baggage makes it look like the world's largest airline is acting no better than booing passengers!
Do you condone AA's reaction? Let us know by posting a comment.
This weekend: Go hog wild at the new Harley museum
I bet you've never been to a museum opening that features a tattoo artist, a live motorcycle bike build, loud rock bands, and lawn games. But that's what you'll find this weekend at the opening of the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. The weekend party will happen at the museum's 20-acre lot downtown, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The outdoor part is free; admission to the museum costs $16 for adults. Unlike its existing factory tour in Wauwatosa, Wis., about 10 miles away, the museum will have a large gallery that showcases the evolution of its cruiser-class bikes. The company displays some of its most famous models, including an iconic Series One from 1903, a '56 motorcycle owned by Elvis Presley, and the King Kong (which took 40 years to customize). The museum's standard hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, though it will stay open until 8 on Wednesdays. (Directions, here.) As noted, admission is $16 for adults. [Factory tour details: Tours happen during the summer, which this year means through August 30. They're free, but tickets are limited and given on a first come, first served basis. Tour times are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.] MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL How a gearhead and his wife took a fun tour of Europe.
Affordable Europe: Dining wisely in Paris
Alexander Lobrano is Gourmet’s European correspondent and has just published Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best Restaurants. He recently told us that, "even with the dollar in bad shape, it's still possible to eat extremely well in Paris for modest prices." Here are a few of his general suggestions, and then some specific addresses. Bon appetit! 1) Skip pricey hotel breakfasts. If breakfast isn't included in your hotel rate, head for a corner cafe instead. For small splurges, I suggest Ladurée on the rue Royale in the city's heart and Angelina on the rue de Rivoli. Both serve breakfast. 2) It's fine to ask for tap water. By French law, all restaurants are obliged to bring you a "carafe d'eau" if you ask for one. Bottled mineral water only boots up your bill, and soft drinks are pricey. 3) Drink house wine. In France, these are usually quite good. And happily, more and more restaurants are offering wine by the glass and the carafe as well as by the bottle. 4) Picnic! It's a great way to save some money and also have the fun of visiting one of Paris's wonderful outdoor food markets. The Marche d'Aligre in the 12th arrondissement has great prices and is open every day but Monday. 5) Go ethnic! Paris has two large Asian neighborhoods—in the 19th arrondissement and the 13th arrondissement behind the Place d'Italie. Both of them teem with great-value restaurants, including one of my favorites, Le Bambou, which serves delicious, home-style Vietnamese cooking. Another Vietnamese gem is Au Coin des Gourmet, 5 rue Dante, 5th arrondissement. (Bonus tip: Asian restaurants are among the few in Paris to often offer buffet-style eating. The phrase to look for if your hoping to come upon a buffet is, a volonte, which roughly translates to help yourself.) 6) Skip restaurants with a view. They charge a premium. Go to places with good atmosphere but not necessarily great window views. Here are a couple of such romantic spots that won't be total wallet-busters: Josephine-Chez Dummonet, 117 rue du Cherche Midi, 6th: Just the kind of old-fashioned Paris bistro that's made for hand-holding on the Left Bank. Mon Vieil Ami, 69 rue Saint Louis en l'Ile, 4th: Delicious modern French bistro cooking at this stylish place on the pretty Ile Saint Louis. Walk home afterwards along the banks of the Seine. For both of these restaurants, reservations are recommended. 7) Lunch early. Plan to have your main meal at noon when many restaurants offer extremely good-value, prix fixe lunch menus. Some of my favorite, "good buy" restaurants in Paris (Find more in my book Hungry for Paris.) Itinéraires, new, 5, rue de Pontoise in the Latin Quarter.—Talented young chef Sylvain Sendra has just moved to this pretty dining room from his tiny and very successful restaurant Le Temps au Temps in the 11th. Wonderful market-driven cooking, i.e. changes almost daily and follows the seasons. Le Petit Pontoise, 9, Rue Pontoise in the 5th arrondissement—Friendly service, fair prices, delicious French bistro cooking. Bistrot du Dome, rue Delambre, 14th arrondissement—This is the lower priced annex of the v. expensive Le Dome, one of the best fish restaurants in Paris. Two other great picks: Le Mesturet, 77 rue de Richelieu in the 2nd arrondissement. La Ferrandaise, 8, Rue Vaugirard, 6th arrondissement. EARLIER Paris: An ace food blogger shares her perfect Parisian food day Our Affordable Europe series.
From the top: Statue of Liberty's crown may reopen
The National Park Service is considering reopening the Statue of Liberty's crown to the public, according to documents released by Rep. Anthony Weiner, of New York. Although the base, pedestal, and lower observation deck reopened to the public in the fall of 2004, the crown has remained closed since 9/11. The crown's current configuration makes it impossible to evacuate the area in the case of emergency. The NPS has asked companies for bids on fixing the crown so that it complies with building and fire codes. This move has a lot to do with declining tourism. Weiner, who organized a congressional hearing on the issue last fall, pointed out that there's been a big downturn in visitor numbers: 3.6 million people visited the Statue of Liberty in 2000, but six years later, that number had gone down to 2.5 million. Of course, while not being able to reach the top probably did cause some travelers to skip Lady Liberty, the increased security and related hassles involved in getting there probably have more to do with the downturn. And that's not likely to be going away. MORE ON NEW YORK CITY 50 Reasons You Love New York City
