PALM SPRINGS OR BUST
Link to this week's column at
USAToday.com/travel:
The very last time I had a layover as a pilot in
Palm Springs, I was flying the B-727 and we
stayed at a hotel and spa called the Spa Resort.
This was years ago, in the mid-nineties or so.
It was (and still is) a wonderful hotel with big
pools, Jacuzzi’s and of course, a great spa.
However, what I remember most is wandering around
the property and coming out onto a sun deck. The
sign on the door leading out onto the deck said
“Clothing Optional.” In hindsight, it was fairly
naïve and completely thoughtless on my part to
interpret the sign to mean the type of clothing
to be optional. What it really meant, of course,
was “wear clothes or don’t—your choice.”
It didn’t take terribly long to realize my
mistake when I stepped out and was greeted with
lounge chair after lounge chair of guys
sunbathing au naturel. Not only had I found the
Naked Deck, I had found the Naked Deck for Guys.
The women’s area was elsewhere as I later
discovered. Not one guy of the dozen or so there
even looked up as I discreetly made my exit,
trying not to laugh out loud, without success,
I’m afraid.
After so many years, I just returned from Palm
Springs last night from a speaking engagement for
a medical group and it brought back the memories
of some fun layovers (not the least of which was
the aforementioned one). This time, however, the
flights were all operated by United Express and I
had the supreme pleasure of being bumped off my
flight due to overbooking. Oh, the indignity!
I can’t even begin to think how many times I’ve
witnessed tears and outrage in boarding areas as
passengers have missed their flights due to
overbooking. “But my seat was confirmed! I
bought a non-refundable ticket!” cry the
indignant travelers.
Although I felt no inclination to blame the
ticket agents, I did wonder what the deal was.
After all, I even had my seat assignment. It
wasn’t a boarding pass, though. More of a
wishful-thinking slip, as it turns out.
The association which paid me to come speak had
provided me with a free ticket, but it wasn’t one
they bought. They had been given the ticket by
the airline as they give it so much business.
Many of their members are Million-Milers. The
problem came about when nobody gave any thought
to the fact this route is flown only by regional
jets, and overbooking is probably even more
common than on larger planes.
My ticket had the lowest possible priority, since
it wasn’t paid for in cash. I trudged down to
the tarmac along with about half a dozen other
unamused passengers when the agent said, “Take
any open seat.” Yeah, right. The agent had made
a mistake and there were no seats left.
I was rebooked on the next flight three hours
later. Fortunately, I brought ample work with me
to the airport and had no problem filling the
time. My talk wasn’t until the next morning, so
what I lost was about three hours of sunshine in
Palm Springs.
Now I’m sure at least some readers are wondering
why I didn’t simply use an airline pass or even
fly in the cockpit. For starters, airline passes
are for standby travel only, which means I
wouldn’t have gotten to Palm Springs at all as
every flight was overbooked.
Secondly, airlines’ policies on pass travel
confine such travel to pleasure trips only. One
can’t use them for business purposes, and that
goes for riding in the cockpit as well.
The upside, and indeed, the irony, is that I was
given a free round-trip ticket good anywhere in
the contiguous United States. So the next time I
do need or want to go someplace on my own, I
won’t need to travel standby and can use it for
pleasure or business. This was certainly a nice
surprise and made the extra waiting time worth
it.
The event was held at the La Quinta Resort and
what a stunning property this is, with 48 pools
and 52 Jacuzzis. There are thousands of colorful
flowers and beautiful waterfalls on this very
large property which dates back to 1927. Lots of
movie stars used to take vacations there,
including Clark Gable and Katherine Hepburn. I
was met at the airport by a limo and was treated
very, very well by the organization which invited
me.
Being a pool person, I considered it my duty to
swim as much as possible even though I wasn’t
there long on this overnight trip. Each group of
around a dozen hotel rooms forms a courtyard
around its own pool and Jacuzzi. I went swimming
when I got in around 8:00 PM, then again around
11:00 PM, then again at 3:00 AM and again at 6:00
AM. I never sleep more than a few hours at a
time anyway, so each time I woke up I hopped back
into the pool again. The water was literally
just a few steps from my door and the water
temperature was over 90 degrees. Desert nights
in winter are cool and it was around 50 degrees
outside but I was toasty in the water.
My talk was quite informal and went very, very
well with great reviews. I was treated to
breakfast, went for another very quick swim, and
was also a guest for a wonderful lunch outside.
It was a giant tortilla salad in one of those
wonderfully tasty shells, some cold salsa-like
soup with sour cream, and a whipped cream
raspberry chocolate concoction for dessert. So
much for the diet—right out the window.
I get so many emails each week asking about my
personal situation with my airline that I don’t
feel right simply ignoring the questions, but I’m
not in a position to answer them for legal
reasons. Once again, suffice it to say I hope to
have my personal issues resolved within a few
months so I can once again write about flying as
a pilot rather than as a passenger.
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed!
Cap'n Meryl
www.fromthecockpit.com
www.flyingfearless.com
www.fromthecockpit.com/profile.htm(keynote speaker)
USAToday.com/travel:
The very last time I had a layover as a pilot in
Palm Springs, I was flying the B-727 and we
stayed at a hotel and spa called the Spa Resort.
This was years ago, in the mid-nineties or so.
It was (and still is) a wonderful hotel with big
pools, Jacuzzi’s and of course, a great spa.
However, what I remember most is wandering around
the property and coming out onto a sun deck. The
sign on the door leading out onto the deck said
“Clothing Optional.” In hindsight, it was fairly
naïve and completely thoughtless on my part to
interpret the sign to mean the type of clothing
to be optional. What it really meant, of course,
was “wear clothes or don’t—your choice.”
It didn’t take terribly long to realize my
mistake when I stepped out and was greeted with
lounge chair after lounge chair of guys
sunbathing au naturel. Not only had I found the
Naked Deck, I had found the Naked Deck for Guys.
The women’s area was elsewhere as I later
discovered. Not one guy of the dozen or so there
even looked up as I discreetly made my exit,
trying not to laugh out loud, without success,
I’m afraid.
After so many years, I just returned from Palm
Springs last night from a speaking engagement for
a medical group and it brought back the memories
of some fun layovers (not the least of which was
the aforementioned one). This time, however, the
flights were all operated by United Express and I
had the supreme pleasure of being bumped off my
flight due to overbooking. Oh, the indignity!
I can’t even begin to think how many times I’ve
witnessed tears and outrage in boarding areas as
passengers have missed their flights due to
overbooking. “But my seat was confirmed! I
bought a non-refundable ticket!” cry the
indignant travelers.
Although I felt no inclination to blame the
ticket agents, I did wonder what the deal was.
After all, I even had my seat assignment. It
wasn’t a boarding pass, though. More of a
wishful-thinking slip, as it turns out.
The association which paid me to come speak had
provided me with a free ticket, but it wasn’t one
they bought. They had been given the ticket by
the airline as they give it so much business.
Many of their members are Million-Milers. The
problem came about when nobody gave any thought
to the fact this route is flown only by regional
jets, and overbooking is probably even more
common than on larger planes.
My ticket had the lowest possible priority, since
it wasn’t paid for in cash. I trudged down to
the tarmac along with about half a dozen other
unamused passengers when the agent said, “Take
any open seat.” Yeah, right. The agent had made
a mistake and there were no seats left.
I was rebooked on the next flight three hours
later. Fortunately, I brought ample work with me
to the airport and had no problem filling the
time. My talk wasn’t until the next morning, so
what I lost was about three hours of sunshine in
Palm Springs.
Now I’m sure at least some readers are wondering
why I didn’t simply use an airline pass or even
fly in the cockpit. For starters, airline passes
are for standby travel only, which means I
wouldn’t have gotten to Palm Springs at all as
every flight was overbooked.
Secondly, airlines’ policies on pass travel
confine such travel to pleasure trips only. One
can’t use them for business purposes, and that
goes for riding in the cockpit as well.
The upside, and indeed, the irony, is that I was
given a free round-trip ticket good anywhere in
the contiguous United States. So the next time I
do need or want to go someplace on my own, I
won’t need to travel standby and can use it for
pleasure or business. This was certainly a nice
surprise and made the extra waiting time worth
it.
The event was held at the La Quinta Resort and
what a stunning property this is, with 48 pools
and 52 Jacuzzis. There are thousands of colorful
flowers and beautiful waterfalls on this very
large property which dates back to 1927. Lots of
movie stars used to take vacations there,
including Clark Gable and Katherine Hepburn. I
was met at the airport by a limo and was treated
very, very well by the organization which invited
me.
Being a pool person, I considered it my duty to
swim as much as possible even though I wasn’t
there long on this overnight trip. Each group of
around a dozen hotel rooms forms a courtyard
around its own pool and Jacuzzi. I went swimming
when I got in around 8:00 PM, then again around
11:00 PM, then again at 3:00 AM and again at 6:00
AM. I never sleep more than a few hours at a
time anyway, so each time I woke up I hopped back
into the pool again. The water was literally
just a few steps from my door and the water
temperature was over 90 degrees. Desert nights
in winter are cool and it was around 50 degrees
outside but I was toasty in the water.
My talk was quite informal and went very, very
well with great reviews. I was treated to
breakfast, went for another very quick swim, and
was also a guest for a wonderful lunch outside.
It was a giant tortilla salad in one of those
wonderfully tasty shells, some cold salsa-like
soup with sour cream, and a whipped cream
raspberry chocolate concoction for dessert. So
much for the diet—right out the window.
I get so many emails each week asking about my
personal situation with my airline that I don’t
feel right simply ignoring the questions, but I’m
not in a position to answer them for legal
reasons. Once again, suffice it to say I hope to
have my personal issues resolved within a few
months so I can once again write about flying as
a pilot rather than as a passenger.
Al The Web Guy and I have decided to offer a
special deal for those who would like to order
both my books. We’re testing the popularity of
“bundling” “The World At My Feet” and “Flights of
Whimsy.” Right now, if you purchase each
separately it costs a whopping $37.85 including
shipping. When people order both the same day, I
can see the orders come in and just charge once
for shipping, but others who order one at a time
get hit twice for shipping and it does add up.
For now, our special offer is to buy both books
for a total of just $25.00 and we’ll pay the
shipping anywhere in the world. Such a deal!
The only link for this special offer is right
here for my readers and I’ll include it, as I
mentioned, until the end of February, when Al The
Web Guy and I will evaluate the results of this
offer. All books ordered through this link will
come signed by me.Cap'n Meryl's Special Offer
And with that,
Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed!
Cap'n Meryl
www.fromthecockpit.com
www.flyingfearless.com
www.fromthecockpit.com/profile.htm(keynote speaker)
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