A 23-year-old Nigerian man who claimed to have ties to al-Qaida was charged Saturday with trying to destroy a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day, as authorities learned his father had warned U.S. officials of concerns about his son.

Some airline passengers traveling Saturday felt the consequences of the frightening attack. They were told that new U.S. regulations prevented them from leaving their seats beginning an hour before landing.

The Justice Department charged that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (OO-mahr fah-ROOK ahb-DOOL-moo-TAH-lahb) willfully attempted to destroy or wreck an aircraft; and that he placed a destructive device in the plane.

U.S. District Judge Paul Borman read Abdulmutallab the charges in a conference room at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. where he is being treated for burns.

An affidavit said he had a device containing a high explosive attached to his body. The affidavit said that as Northwest Flight 253 descended toward Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Abdulmutallab set off the device — sparking a fire instead of an explosion.

For full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091226/ap_on_re_us/us_airliner_attack;_ylt=AhS5NmnB8yydLnLmfRzJLR.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNpYzFicWFmBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMjI2L3VzX2FpcmxpbmVyX2F0dGFjawRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA25pZ2VyaWFubWFuYw–

UPDATE: Father of suspect notified US Embassy of his concerns about his son 4 weeks ago.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091226/ap_on_go_ot/us_airliner_attack_intelligence

Schiphol Airport(AMS) behind customs.

Amsterdam – At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) passengers who transfer from intercontinental flights do not go through another x-ray scan. Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old would be Delta Airlines bomber, most likely boarded the explosives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport(LOS) in Nigeria.

Original map Schiphol AMS: http://bit.ly/5uc4WT

A passenger on a flight from Amsterdam to the U.S. city of Detroit attempted to blow up the aircraft as it was landing.

Law enforcement sources were quoted as saying the passenger, a Nigerian national, claimed he was acting on behalf of al-Qaida.

“Passengers may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights,” Department of Homeland Security said a statement.

EXPECT STEPPED UP VERIFICATION OF PASSENGER IDENTITIES

The incident occurred shortly before Northwest Airlines Flight 253 landed safely at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.  The plane was carrying 278 passengers.

A spokeswoman for Delta Airlines, Susan Elliott, Northwest’s parent company and the flight operator — said the Christmas Day incident resulted in minor injuries to some passengers but gave no further details.

One passenger was reportedly hospitalized. The F.B.I. is investigating.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said Friday U.S. President Barack Obama has “instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel.”  Burton said Mr. Obama is is “actively monitoring” the situation from Hawaii where he is vacationing with his family.

Airline officials originally thought the man had attempted to light firecrackers

Here, give me that!

Just when you thought it was safe to get back on a plane friggin. Authorities believe the Nigerian man who ignited a white substance on a Delta Airlines flight may have links to Al Qaeda. Friggin brilliant, back to the plastic cutlery. The suspect, who is now in hospital suffering second degree burns, lit up the explosive as the plane was about to land in Detroit but it failed to go kaboom! Several people were also hurt in the incident which has now become a full blown WTF investigation after it was announced it was a failed terrorist attack.

Psst The terrorist has been named as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, an engineering student at University College of London, who surprise, surprise, is listed in the federal counterterrorism files and MAY (but not confirmed) to be on the banned passenger list. Great two biggies to answer…how did he manage to buy a one way ticket with that friggin name and how was he able to smuggle a friggin bomb on board? Geez, what a way to ruin Christmas lunch for the FBI , CIA and Homeland Security people! It’s back to watching Fox News terror meter I guess!

Airline passengers get a porthole-sized view of the Tarmac Winter Olympics

What is your time, as an airline passenger, worth?

The Obama Administration says $27,500. That is what you – one passenger – will cost an airline, if you are left stuck in a plane, on the tarmac, for more than three hours. A planeload of 300 people could run up a fine for an airline of about $10 million.

The airlines argue that you are worth much less – more like nothing.

But they have lost that argument, with the adoption this month of new rules by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The rules (see them in entirety here) are intended to provide enhanced rights for airline passengers (Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., has championed similar legislation).

Predictably, the airline industry threatens dire consequences, out of control cost increases, and – get this – “more canceled flights and greater passenger inconvenience”.

Can anything be more inconvenient than being stuck on an airplane for 11 hours, with no food, no water, and no sanitary facilities? Certainly, passengers on the Eurostar/TGV trains that broke down last week in the English Chunnel, would answer, “Yes!” But those beleaguered train passengers are only now experiencing what U.S. airline passengers experience on more than 1,500 occasions – per year, on average. Ground delays of more than three hours affect about 115,000 passengers each year, the transportation department reported. (Oooh! That would be worth $3,162,500,000 in fines now!)

Since it is hard to imagine any airline willingly incurring those kinds of fines – heck, they won’t even spring for free peanuts anymore – it will be interesting to see how they try to avoid them.

Will they return to the gate after 2:59 of delays, open the door for a minute, then close it, and taxi back out – like pro basketballers, with a new 24-second shot clock?

You just know they will think of something devious – like they do now, to avoid putting delayed passengers up for the night – such as boarding people on planes which they know aren’t going anywhere for hours. Or telling us when our plane has arrived that we can’t unload “because there’s another jet that hasn’t left, at our gate.” Like they didn’t know about that hours ago.

Or they may just out and out lie.

On a recent delay at O’Hare Airport that was going to last all night, United told passengers they were not entitled to any compensation, no overnight accommodations, and no meal vouchers. That was a lie, as I pointed out to the customer “service” agent (who gave me a voucher for the Hilton across from the terminal, and rebooked me on the first scheduled flight out in the morning).

Two things fall short, in the new rules announced Monday by Ray LaHood, the Transportation secretary. One, we – the people – don’t get any of the fine money in our pocket; in Europe, delayed passengers are entitled to as much as $860 in restitution. And two, the rules don’t go into effect until mid-April 2010.

That’s plenty of time for the airlines to give you a parting gift this holiday season.

Jerry Garrett

December 22, 2009

I was in the US for 3 weeks and came back Sat. on Delta with Maggie. I am a FF on DL mostly using it to get to FL or Bermuda. I find the airline perfectly ok except for trying to redeem miles. Anyhoo, when I bought my tickets I was concerned about the 45 min layover. Having had 2 parties lose their flights in the summer, I did not want to take chances. Mags and I had a 6:05 PM flight from Boston to ATL Friday. We arrived at 4:15 and were put on stand by for the 4:45 as our flight was delayed waiting for aircraft to come in from some snowy area. Now here is the tricky part. The computer read we were flying domestically as we had an overnight in ATL so wanted to charge us 15.00 per bag. The other snafu was we did NOT want to claim our luggage in ATL but have it sent thru. Because we had an amazing gate agent it all worked out. She worked it out that all 3 checked pieces went thru, yes 3! She also gave us receipts sending our luggage straight thru to Bonaire.

We cleared the waitlist and boarded sitting in a two seater side in the bowels of the plane. We landed in ATL and walked for MILES to ground transport. We took a 11.50 US taxi to the Rennaisance (they have a free shuttle but I did not want to wait) and checked into a GORGEOUS room (84.00 AAA rate) with Aveda products, great bedding and windows that opened. We took showers and ordered pizza delivery from Best Pizza. A large cheese and fresh mushroom was 10.69 and arrived in 20 min.!! The crust was odd but the cheese and sauce great. Off to sleep…woke at 6, went to the business center and checked in online and printed boarding passes, took the 7:20 shuttle and chaos ensued upon arrival. ATL was chaos. I have not traveled peak time since 2002 so was in shock. The lines were massive…thankfully we walked right to security. There were ski lift lines moving very fast but long..took 30 min to clear security BUT it was efficient and I commend the staff. Then we took the train to Terminal E. I have a Business Platinum AX and so we went into the hugely crowded First Class lounge..noisey and busy. Went to the gate at 9 and boarded. We were in row 30 and had two aisles adjacent but the plane was not full so everyone moved around and Mags and I had her row with the middle open. We had to sit and wait 1 hour because luggage kept being loaded. The last minute another luggage cart came and lo and behold I saw our 3 pieces get loaded. Phew…it worked. We finally left 1 hour late. The flight was EXTREMELY bumpy and the family we called the Swine Flu family (in front of us) coughed for 4 hours. Dad not ONCE covered his mouth. Ugh…I slept most of the flight. We landed the same time as Arkefly. You can imagine our dismay knowing the lugggage situation. The immigration lines were massive and a few little ones needed their nappies changed DESPERATELY. When we got into the luggage area more chaos. Anyone who has flown in when two major carriers knows that the luggage on the conveyor needs to come off so other luggage can be loaded. Last Nov. I tried to round up a few men to help me and they looked at me like I was insane. This time I decided to let someone else brainstorm the problem. The same pieces went round and round..finally Julianna and another tiny girl from ground services started unloading..I joined in…then later a brawny guy took over…why don’t they have one person handling this all the time, I have no clue. It took us 1 hour to get our pieces.

So, would I do DL again? NO WAY..too much stress…CO from Newark for me the best plan. In the winter if I need to travel will do AA to CUR and then DAE.

Cheers

Was in Tampa for two days for a TV shoot and heading back to Albany tonight. It was critical I get home tonight due to a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. All was working just fine – left Innisbrook on time, got to the airport early – but then US Airways had other plans for me.

My flight from Tampa to Reagan National was delayed to the point that I’d miss my connection. They had no other flights that would get me close to the Albany – heck, the NY area – so I had quite the situation. The US Airways agent was wonderful, she immediately got on the phone with Delta who gave me their last seat. I wish I remembered the ticket agent’s name as she was great.

I ran over to Delta to check my bag and get my boarding pass and they couldn’t find me in their system. The ticket agent there was wonderful as well – she dropped everything to help and had me on my way quickly. Thank you Melinda and Happy Holidays!

I made it through security quickly and saw my flight was delayed so I crashed Pappy’s happening dinner at the Bacardi restaurant in Terminal D in Tampa and then made my flight with ease. And, best part yet, the tail wins carried us faster and we landed pretty close to on schedule. I could have done without the 2.5 hour car ride to get home, but I’m happy I’ll make it there.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, this is my LAST FLIGHT OF THE YEAR!!! That feels like a cause for celebration in and of itself!

I was thinking about my recent post where I mentioned a few firms that have rebranded and it struck me how I can’t help think what the point was with Northwest Airlines and their revamp a few years ago. The US airline, like most others since 2001 and more recently, has been ravaged by falling demand and increased competition – and they tried in vain to reinvent themselves with a very similar new logo and image. Northwest has since gone from bad to worse – losing custom to airlines with leaner business models, almost going bankrupt in 2005 and now having its branding completely replaced after a merger with Delta Airlines in 2008. There are costs and problems when it comes to any rebrand, but when you’re talking about an airline, it’s a multi-million pound exercise with aircraft needing repainting, signage and stationery needing redesigning and often new uniforms and websites. Northwest failed to reconnect with passengers afterwards and it failed to communicate what is did well – being a full service network carrier. Since the merger with Delta, the ailing Northwest is having it’s branding phased out. Is this a good thing? Delta has rebranded no less than three times in ten years, also filed for bankruptcy protection in 2005 and is losing money. The answer is probably not!

Atlanta's Skyline

Georgia is home to 13 companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list.  We are privileged to have many of these companies here in Atlanta.

We asked the agents at Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty which brand-name companies came to mind first when thinking of those based in the metro area:

Coca-Cola – 35%

Home Depot – 20%

Delta Air Lines – 13%

UPS – 8%

Georgia Pacific – 5%

Newell Rubbermaid – 4%

Kimberly Clark – 3%

Chick Fil A – 2%

Spanxx – 2%

SunTrust – 2%

Turner Broadcasting – 2%

Also mentioned as having top-of-mind awareness for the companies based in Atlanta by our agents were BellSouth, CNN, Cox Communications, Equifax, Ford Motor Company, NCR.

Please click here for the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s article on the 13 Georgia companies on 2009 Fortune 500 list.

Since I spent the weekend in Atlanta for the SEC Championship game, this week’s trivia clues will focus on the ATL:

• The Atlanta Metro area is the 8th largest population region in the United States — and the largest in the Southeastern U.S. — with 5,376,285 residents.
• The city of Atlanta is encompasses 132.4 square miles (343 square kilometers).
• At 1,050 feet above sea level, Atlanta has second highest average elevation of any major city east of Denver. Pittsburgh is ranked first with an average elevation of 1,223.
• The Bank of America Plaza is Atlanta’s tallest building at 1,023 feet. It’s the tallest building in the U.S. outside of Chicago and New York City.
• As of 2008, Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport was the world’s busiest airport, both in terms of passengers and number of flights. Some 90 million passengers flew into the airport on 978,824 flights.
• Atlanta ranks third in the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered within city boundaries, behind New York City and Houston. Among the city’s corporate citizens are Coca-Cola, Home Depot, UPS, Delta Airlines and SunTrust Bank.
• The first sales of Coca-Cola were at Jacob’s Pharmacy on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta on May 8, 1886. It was initially sold for five cents a glass at soda the fountain.

WooHoo!!! An uneventful travel day. And then, to top it off, two full days in the same city. Will the wonders never cease?

The only report i have for the first flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta is… snore. Snore as in me being sound asleep. Had an action packed day Sunday going to the Steelers game with Connie and Pat from Transitions, one of Pat’s clients Steve, and Rachel from our office. It was a blast. But, after getting up at 3 am to get to Pittsburgh and then getting up at 3am to get to Miami, i was beat and slept the whole flight.

The second flight wasn’t as great. I was crammed into a middle seat which made it near impossible to work but the flight was fine, the crew were attentive and i got here safely. All in all a good performance by Delta.

Have you flown American Airlines lately?

During the month of December, passengers are getting a big ol’ serving of product placement with their complimentary beverage.

You see, American is the featured airline in the George Clooney film “Up in the Air” [opening Friday in theaters everywhere], and they are promoting the movie on every screen, magazine and mixed nut package.

Vera Farmiga, the actress who plays Clooney’s love interest in the film, also just happens to be the cover story for the December issue of the American Way in-flight magazine.

Funny how those things happen.

As an extremely frequent flier myself – usually on Delta Airlines (full disclosure) – I am very excited to see “Up in the Air.”  While I don’t come close to the 322 travel days a year that Clooney’s character logs in the film, the promos that I have seen to date certainly capture the annoyingly-wearing-mind-numbing-sameness of business travel.

And while American Airlines may be pimping the movie a bit much, I’m still psyched to see this tiny slice of my life on the big screen.

It’s like I always tell people –  business travel is only glamorous if you’re not the one doing it…or if George Clooney is.

This is getting more amusing as Delta attempts to deflect the real issue- they are running a bait and switch scam online.

You are missing the point. You offered the fare online, on YOUR website and on Bing. The fare was 412.00.
I selected the fare, entered my travel information and credit card and pushed BUY.
The window popped up that the fare had changed to 500, “Please press ‘continue’ to book the fare”.
Since I was buying 5 tickets I’m now being charged an additional $400.00.

This sequence was repeated no less than 5 times over the course of three days. The fare is offered at one price, payment information is input and you change the fare. If you REALLY sold out, you shouldn’t show me the fare or at least tell me before my payment information is entered. I’m sure if you did that you miss business from the people who aren’t paying attention and allow themselves to be mislead.

If what you are saying is correct, you are changing the fare up, at exactly the time I purchase it and back down again when I do not. And you’re leaving your sold out fare online for 48+ hours. This is bait and switch, pure and simple.

Thank you for your e-mail to Delta Air Lines.

We apologize for the incorrect information provided to you in the
previous email.

We regret you were disappointed with a recent fare quote. Airfares and
flight availability constantly change sometimes minute by minute. Many
factors can impact the airfare amount to obtain the lowest possible
fare. All fare types are subject to availability and some fares must be
purchased a specific number of days in advance.

Also, we do not guarantee fares unless the ticket is purchased. To price
our product, we consider market demand, competition and cost. Each
market is evaluated independently. Delta.com is designed to offer lower
fares to passengers who are able to comply with the conditions for
purchase. The fares offered on delta.com are, in most cases, the lowest
available fares.

Again, thank you for writing. We appreciate your selection of Delta and
will always welcome the opportunity to be of service.

Sincerely,

Vin Richards
Online Customer Support Desk

http://www.delta.com

Original Message Follows:
————————

You aren’t listening or reading.. I did try to book. You are running a
bait and switch scheme. I’ll be reporting the experience on my blog and
on my Facebook.. I had a bad customer service experience with this
yesterday as well.

Sent:  Sun, November 29, 2009 7:52:33 PM
Subject:  Re: Reservation_Ticketing – Current and Future
(KMM29776958I120L0KM)

Dear Mr. Sank,

Thank you for your e-mail to Delta Air Lines.

Since airfares are subject to change without notice, our customers are
encouraged to purchase their tickets when reservations are confirmed. If
fares decrease, ticketed passengers may downgrade to the lower fare
prior to departure of the originating flight as long as all restrictions
of the new reduced fare are met. This includes advance ticketing, and no
changes are allowed to the flight, date, or origin.  The downgrade will
require that your ticket be reissued.

Anytime we reissue a ticket, an administrative service charge will
apply. A nonrefundable Delta Travel Voucher will be issued for any
difference beyond the associated administrative service charge. When
your ticket involves International travel, the administrative service
charge assessed will be the same amount of the change fee associated
with the fare being downgraded.

Your selection of Delta is appreciated, and we will always do our best
to merit your confidence and support.

Sincerely,

John Parker
Online Customer Support Desk
http://www.delta.com

After no word from the “new’ Delta in four days, I sent the following e-mail, again to Customer Service, Beth Reed (Director of Operations) and Dick Anderson (the man “running” the “new Delta).

“….It is now four days later and not a single word from anyone at Northwest/Delta. I have been a long-time loyal customer (25+years) of NWA and now Delta, and my partner and I used miles to bring my mother to New York to visit us for Thanksgiving. What a terrible experience and one I will not be repeating again. Mistakes can happen however, the response to mistakes, or in your case, the lack of any response or effort, are indicative of the type of company you are….”

Here’s my transcript with the service person tonight. Note that I didn’t use the word FUCK like I wanted to…  Self control.. this is going to be fun..

Fiona : Hi! How may I assist you?
Gary : I’m trying to book a flight and having trouble
Gary  i’m trying to fly 5 people from MPLS to Reno Nevada on Dec 22, returning Dec 28
Fiona : Gary, may I know the error message you are getting while booking the reservation on line.
Gary : When I select the flight the fare is $XXXXX.00.
Gary : I enter all my travel information and my credit card information and go to finalize the transaction.
Gary : At that point a message pops up that the fare is not available anymore and and the new price is $XXXXX.00
Fiona : Gary, I’m sorry you weren’t able to get the fare that you wanted. Seats at any fare are limited and can sell out at any time. At the same time the web site can take longer to refresh the web page. The reason it gave you this error because the fare you were trying to book was sold out while you were booking the reservation. Sometimes, when the new fares are getting loaded the system still shows you the sold out fares. Inconvenience is regretted.
Gary : That’s not true Fiona. That fare has been offered since 9:00 am this morning. The fare, as of 10:15 tonight was still there.
Gary : What I think you are doing is putting the low fare out there inorder to get the hits on Orbitz and Bing so your customers are attracted the your site.
Gary : Then, immdeiately prior to booking you switch to the higher fare.
Gary : This is called Bait and Switch in retail and it is not right.
Fiona : The following steps might resolve your issue. When you start booking again, you should see the following question – Is price or schedule more important to you. Click on Schedule. On the next pages, select the same flights that you did before. After selecting the flights, you will see the price for the trip. If it’s the same as you were quoted before, you should be able to complete the booking. If it’s not, then the seats at that fare have most likely been taken.
Fiona : I apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing.
Fiona : Can I assist you with anything else today?
Gary : Fiona.. You haven’t assisted me with anything yet other than to confirm my suspecions.
Gary : What I would like you to do is honer the fare you list, as of this moment on your website and not play games with your customers.
Fiona : I apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing. Please call our Online Customer Support Desk at 888 750 3284 to assist you in booking the reservation for you with the fare currently available.
Gary : BTW teh way. teh fare is still listed. Are you telling me that you are offering, on the web, fares that do no really exist?
Fiona : The reason it gave you this error because the fare you were trying to book was sold out during the time you were processing. Which is quite possible. Sometimes it does happen, when the new fares are getting loaded the system still shows you the sold out fares.
Fiona : Can I assist you with anything else today?
Fiona : Are we still connected on chat?
Gary : You can forward to me the your name and contact and the next level
Gary : of support since you have been trained to not answer these inquiries.
Fiona: Gary, kindly call our Online Customer Support Desk at 888 750 3284 and ask for our coordinator.
Gary : I would like to offer feedback on this experience as well, How may I do that?
Fiona : We will appreciate a feed back on your requirement. You may email us under ‘ Contact us ‘ on our home page.
Fiona : https://www.delta.com/emailus/servlet/EmailUs?cmd=go
Gary : I’m sorry that I wasnt clear. Can I provide feed back on your interaction with me? Will Fiona be suffiecent to identify you? I’d like of have a last name or Id numbner of some kind.
Fiona : Certainly, all you need to enter is my name i.e Fiona Quinn.
Fiona : Please accept our apology for the unfavorable impression you received in this instance.
Fiona : Thank you for chatting and please accept our apology for the inconvenience you experienced.
Gary : You have been well trained Fiona. In spite of my tax dollars bailing your airline out twice. i’m goingt o have to accept that you are participating in illegal practices with your fares and have a policy of deflecting inquiries away from the issue at hand. I don’t blame you personally, i’m sure you were trained to do so.
Fiona : Gary, airfares are not guaranteed and can change at any time. I apologize for the inconvenience however, the system books the reservation for the fare currently available.
Fiona : Can I assist you with anything else today?
Gary : You are simply advertising a price that you do not intent to offer. It attracts people your site and then you switch them off to a higher fare. If you really were selling out, I don’t believe that you’d have the lower price offered for two days.. simple as that.
Fiona : Gary, the fare depends upon various factors like demand and availability.
Gary : Then why do you quote a price on your website?
Gary : And on every other travel website?
Fiona : You can check for alternate travel dates and/or flight times in order to obtain a minimum fare.
Gary : that’s how I found the fare to begin with. On YOUR site and on others. AND I found the fare no less than 4 tiems today and twice yesterday.
Gary : The fare is out tehre.. why would have me go through the trouble if entering all my information, all the way to credit card and ONLY then tell me that the fare is no longer available.
Gary : Why not tell me when I first click on it.. Or when I confirm the intenerary?
Fiona : Gary, please call our Online Customer Support Desk at 888 750 3284 to assist you with the fare currently available and book the same for you.
Gary : No, the site lets me believe that I have the fare booked and then.. tells me it not available.
Gary : May I receive a transcript of this experience?

Right now, I am sitting pretty among several snoozing passengers, flying from my humid (though currently delightfully breezy) home in the Sunshine State, back to California for two more weeks before finals.

… That’s right, yall! I’m writing FROM AN AIRPLANE. And, it’s FREE! Thanks, Delta Airlines!

(Maybe airplane wi-fi has been around for a decade and I’ve been living obliviously on my own foodie planet, but free or not, I still think it’s amazing.)

I apologize for how long it has been since my last entry; this month has been wave after wave of madness, but such is the life of a university student. The fact that my digital camera suffered a fatal fall hindered the posting, as well. I now have a new one, thanks to an early birthday party thrown by my family Thanks Mum and Dad! And also, thank you, the three people who checked my dusty blog today, for bearing with me.

However, despite my flakiness over the past month, I did make some time to cook, so prepare for a gradual deluge of concoctions.

I really never watch TV, but when I do, it’s nearly always the Food Network. Like most people, I usually watch it for simple, passive pleasure, mentally pondering Rachel Ray’s waistline, the Neelys’ off-screen marital behavior and Alton Brown’s encyclopedic culinary knowledge (weird confession: I have a very odd, teenyboppery baby crush on him, despite his innate nerdy strangeness. I just think it’s amazing that anyone knows that much about food. I think a date with him would be horribly intimidating and that he would think I’m a complete twit, but still…)

Last weekend, for the very first time, I was actually inspired to cook something on TV! Bobby Flay’s grilled stuffed mushrooms just looked so tasty, I felt the urge to go make my own– and I did, that very night. My version is a bit simpler, done solely on the stove (it was a bit too cold for grilling… okay, I know, I live in Malibu but anything below 60 or so is “a bit too cold” for this child of the tropics) and skips out entirely on his fancy (albeit tasty looking) homemade vinaigrette as I don’t have a blender. They turned out savoury and delicious, despite all of the little changes. My Greek “little bro” Robby, who hates mushrooms, ate two big ones. I served them later in the evening with my Pirate-Friendly Winter Cider (recipe follows) as somewhat of a “second dinner” for several of the wonderful people sprawled out in my apartment; however, they would make a great main course after a salad for a hearty vegetarian feast. They were so cute, too, with the yummy-looking stuffing poking out of the caps… but alas, I was cameraless, at the time.

don't worry; as delicious as mushrooms are, I would never eat this cute little guy from Fantasia

Untamed Stuffed Portobellos

(Serves about 10 people, assuming at least two will go back for seconds)

INGREDIENTS:

-14 large Portobello mushrooms, gilled with the stems pulled off

-about two sticks of butter (or your favorite butter substitute), total

-Four cloves garlic, minced

-One brown or white onion, chopped

-Three bags Uncle Ben’s instant wild rice

-4 tbsp grated hard cheese; I used Pecorino Romano though Parmesan would work just as well (leave off to keep things vegan)

-1/2 cup chopped parsley

-Salt and Pepper to season

DIRECTIONS:

First things first: these mushrooms need to be tasty and tender; In one pan, sautee each mushroom for about five minutes on each side (best done in batches) in the butter or futter on medium heat. This bit is so simple, it can be left to a small child or helpful boyfriend to do.

Next, for the stuffing, sautee the onions in a medium saucepan until they are almost clear. Then, add the garlic and cook for about three minutes. Pour in the rice, add the necessary amount of water, and cook until tender. Mix in the cheese (if using) and parsley.

Stuff a heaping spoonfull of the rice mixture into the mushrooms, and serve with a sprinkling of the cheese on top.

and now… for the cider. Use this recipe as more of a guideline than an exact formula (and if you have whole cinnamon sticks, use them! I don’t here because I don’t usually have them in my pantry, these are just my leftover pumpkin pie spices); improvise and substitute as you see fit. The rum especially is very optional– I’m not trying to condone drinking here, especially not as a student of a dry school– but that is the element that makes it so appealing to pirates and other piratey individuals.

fancy a bit of cider, Mr. Sparrow?

Pirate Winter Cider

INGREDIENTS:

-Two containers apple juice; about 128 oz. total

-two oranges, sliced

-one lemon, sliced

-one large green pear, sliced

-1 tbsp ground cinnamon

-2 tsp ground allspice

-1 tsp ground ginger

-1/2 a bottle of Spiced Rum (Captain Morgan is the norm, but if you have access to Cruzan, use that! Maybe I’m biased, but it’s the best)

DIRECTIONS:

Pour apple juice into a big pot, and heat to a boil. Add fruit, and reduce heat to a simmer. Add spices, and let simmer for at least 20 minutes. Once the cider is comfortably below the boiling point, add the rum, and serve. (NOTE: if you add the rum while the cider is still boiling, the alcohol will all cook away, which to some pirates is quite a wasteful shame.)

Oh– and make sure to munch on some of the cider-soaked fruit. It’s mouthwatering.

For 15 the 15 years I’ve lived in Minnesota I have had to pay more for my flights to anywhere else in the world thanks to the “special” relationship between Northwest Airlines and the Airport Commission in the Twin Cities. In a nutshell, 90%+ of the gates at our airport were locked up by NWA.

As a result of these policies we’ve been spared having to deal with confusing choices on our flights, haven’t had to deal with lowball offers from discount airlines. Ahh the serenity that only a monopoly can bring. I also thank Northwest for the idea of making me pay for every bag I check, a bullshit ploy they introduced when times were tough for the airlines a few years ago due to fuel prices, but somehow forgot to do away with when  things got better. All about the bottom line.

Oh, and for my trouble. this stupid monopoly, has twice asked for and received my tax monies to bail their sorry asses out of a jam. What just kills me is that the fellows that run this outfit are laughing at me as they take my tax money to subsidize their business while at the same time, keeping the competition out of my home market, competition like Southwest, who is cheaper and friendlier and finally eroding customer service to the point where most folks fly them for the sole reason that.. we have no choice.

Why so angry Sank? The latest bullshit I’ve enjoying.. Bait and Switch.. no other way to describe it. Oh, and this is Delta, Northwest’s new name, new company with the same old contempt for their customers.

For the last couple weeks I’ve been looking for fares from Minneapolis to Reno. Reno is not an easy place to get to; expensive, limited flights.. I get that it’s expensive. I’ve been using Farecast.. Microsoft’s acquisition that SuperCrunchers made famous. Basically it looks for flights, offers up the the current deals and then, and this is really useful, tells you if, based on their algorithms and analysis of historical trends, fares are predicted to go up or down.. and whether you should wait, hold or buy a fare.

Using Farecast I find the flight I want for $410. Good deal.. hit book it. Takes me to Delta Airlines where I’m given the opportunity to buy the fare. I see what I want, click on the fare, got to booking, double check times and travelers, enter my credit card information, hit book.. and up comes a window.

The fare you have requested is no longer available. The new fare is $511. Please press continue to book your flight.

WTF? OK, must be that in the 4 minutes it took to book fares went up.. I went back to the Delta log in screen. Put in my dates and destination. Guess what, got the same fare. 10 left at this price! Clicked.. same sequence of events, with the same message. Just because I’m stupid I did it ONE MORE TIME.

Same thing.. So here’s what’s going, as far as I can tell. Delta, tired of not coming up a the top of the faresearch engines is putting extra low prices out there, and then.. changing the price right before you buy.. and if you aren’t careful.. probably wouldn’t have seen the fare change and booked it.

Between Black Friday and this.. I’m finding myself just pining for customer service. If you’re going to treat your customers like this.. at least buy me a drink or something.

I really don’t expect anyone to read this blog before Monday. After all, it’s Thanksgiving, Black Friday and a big weekend for college football. Everybody should have better things to do than read blogs. Although I have actually gotten several Facebook messages from people in the last few minutes (one from one of my best friends after getting together for lunch for the first time in years, two from a couple of lovely women I know — that’s why I went into TV! Don’t get the wrong idea — both are happily married).

Back in the Big C

Did some traveling for the holiday. Had enough Delta miles for a free ticket to Ohio, so I’m in Columbus, staying with my sister. Mom is up from Florida, so just about everybody was on hand for the holiday, which went very well. There was a little snow on the ground this morning, giving the visit that nice winter-timey feel. One nephew is getting ready for grad school, the other just turned 7. My niece turns 13 in a few months — so I’m really feeling for my brother and sister-in-law — teenagers are so much fun. Although, she is incredibly nice and very well-behaved. Hopefully, her head won’t start spinning around when she has that birthday.

As I mentioned, I had lunch Friday with my friend Jim. We met when I started working at the University City McDonald’s in 1975. About 8 years later, we worked together in the sports department of the Columbus Dispatch. It’s always been one of those friendships that’s been easy to maintain. Funny story. In 1987, I was in my second job in TV news, in Savannah, Georgia. He came down for a visit so we go to a Japanese restaurant. As the chef worked the grill in front of us, I was telling Jim how (relatively) well-known I had been at my previous job in Casper, Wyoming. One, not a lot of African-Americans on local TV there. Plus, it was a relatively small market. When the Dispatch ran an article about me (local guy makes good out in TV out west), I ended up getting a congratulatory letter from Wyoming’s single congressman at the time — Dick Cheney (!).

Good Burger!

Anyway, we’re sitting there and a woman sitting next to us interrupts to ask if I’m the Doug Johnson who does TV weather. I’m pretty impressed now, since I have the chance to show my good friend how I’m becoming well-known in my new market. Yes, I tell her, and thanks for noticing. Then she asks me what I’m doing in Savannah. Now I’m confused. Turns out she had also recently moved to Savannah from Casper — and knew me from Wyoming, not Georgia! Anyway, Jim and I went to the original Max & Erma’s in German Village today. If you’re ever in Columbus, try to get by there. It’s a really cool neighborhood and a nice restaurant. It’s a chain now, so it’s lost the quaintness it had when it was just one or two places here, but the food’s still pretty good. Take an appetite and order the Garbage Burger. You’ll thank me.

Can you hear me now?

I’m kind of excited for the upcoming week. I broke down and ordered an iPhone. Considering I regularly use two different Apple computers at home, a third a work and own 3 iPods, I’m kind of surprised that it’s taken me so long. Since we’re a Mac-based office, the bosses are generous enough to pay for the plan if we pay for our own phone. I had held off since I had about a year left on the contract of my current phone. But even though I’ve increased my plan a couple of times lately, my bills have still been pretty high. High enough that I’ve just become willing to pay the $100 to end the contract early.

Hello?

I am curious as to whether the AT&T 3G network is widespread enough to make having the thing worth having, especially when I’m on the road, since I am doing a lot more traveling for work. I know that Luke Wilson has been spending his time between movies appearing in a series of AT&T TV spots trying to downplay the alleged difference between Verizon’s 3G coverage and AT&T’s. Well, it’ll be easier to send texts using a keyboard instead of the number pad on my old phone.

11 and 0!

And props to the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. The football team beat Illinois today, going 11-0 for the first time in school history. Nice job and good luck in the Big East championship!

I filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation after four days passed without a word from Delta and more of the same vague non-answers whenever we called. Delta’s response in white, my original complaint below that.

“RE: Case Number 8527290

This will acknowledge receipt of your correspondence addressed to the
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).  Norman Strickman, Director,
Aviation Consumer Protection Division – Office of Aviation Enforcement
and Proceedings, has asked Delta Air Lines to respond to you directly.

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the delayed arrival of
your luggage while traveling with us over the Thanksgiving holiday .  On
behalf of everyone at Delta Air Lines, I sincerely apologize for any
mishandling of your luggage.

I have reviewed your claim and I understand your luggage has still not
arrived.  I confirmed your son sent an email this morning and we advised
we did not have any information to deliver as of yet.  Please keep in
contact with our Luggage Department, as this department will be able to
provide you with the most up-to-date information regarding your luggage.
If you need to purchase any interim necessities, please address this
issue with our Luggage Department and they will be happy to review this
matter with you.

Again, I apologize for the delay of your luggage.  Your business is
important to us and given the opportunity of serving you in the future,
I am confident Delta will not only meet but exceed your expectations.

Sincerely,

(Name Removed )
Coordinator, Customer Care
Northwest/KLM/Delta Air LinesNorthwest Airlines is now part of Delta Air Lines”

Original Message Follows:
————————-
Carrier Name: NORTHWEST AIRLINES/DELTA AIRLINES
Flight Date: 11/24/2009
Flight Itinerary: #5658, #5780
Description of Problem/Inquiry:
NWA lost my 80 year old Mother’s checked bag as her connecting flight was late and it was not transferred to the next aircraft in time. She promptly filed a lost baggage claim and was told it
would be on one of the next afternoon flights and delivered to her here at my address where she is staying. 8 hours later, the bag is still in Minneapolis, the Lost Baggage Dept “says” they keep notifying the Mpls baggage office to put on a flight, but nothing happens. They also state they cannot call the Mpls baggage claim office as it is “so busy”. This is horrible service considering there are multiple flights each day between the cities on their airline and while the original problem is somewhat understandable, it is not at all understandable why no one can correct it.