Isn’t having a sense of humor great?
Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006
Think I mentioned in my column last week that my flight from XNA to Minneapolis / St. Paul was great with a couple of exceptions. The truth is, the airline lost my luggage - on a direct, nonstop flight. The airline finally found my luggage, but had me a bit concerned. However, the ladies at the lost-andfound department at the baggage-claim area were great to work with and very funny. Thinking that I might be in the wrong baggage area for my flight, I told them I was lost. The blonde lady said," Well your worries are over, I think I just found you. "When my daughter finally arrived to help me find my luggage, she said to Sherry," You watch your dad carefully now; he has a tendency to get lost."
On the flight to Minneapolis, I found it interesting to see how people really board an airplane with carry-on luggage. I had my laptop and my fly-fishing rod in a case. All manner of things were carried on that flight. If you weren't careful, a swinging laptop or other huge bag being placed in the luggage carrier just above the seats might just whap you in the head.
We didn't have a problem finding our seats. They were assigned. But I understand that some airlines don't assign seating. That's why I laughed so hard at the story a friend sent me about a Southwest Airlines flight. She wrote: On a Southwest flight (the airline has no assigned seating; you just sit where you want ) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing seats, when a flight attendant announced," People, people, we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it !"
The second difficulty I experience on my flight had to do with coming down out of the sky. Our landing in Minneapolis was a bit rough - the weather and crosswind, I suspect, added to the pilot's problems. We bounced a bit hard at first, reminding me of another story about an airline pilot who really bounced a landing. "He wrote that on one particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy that required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, to smile and to give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. "He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally, everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said," Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question ?"
"Why, no, Ma'am," the pilot said. "What is it ? "The little old lady asked," Did we land, or were we shot down ."
All that is to say that humor sometimes brings us out of our doldrums and allows us to get a fresh look at the joys and wonders of life. In this heat, I think we all need some "funny bone"experiences to help us through the day and night. In light of the tension of the current status of safety procedures for airline travelers, it's also nice to see that the employees of those airlines have a good sense of humor. Here's one I really thought was funny.
From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt, and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. "One final story: As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA ! "Have a great week. Shalom.
• • • Bob Haynes'column appears on Mondays.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
