Continental's Response

This was received back from Continental less than a day after I sent my original email to them. I never got an automated response or anything like this. It's great to see a response so quick and seemingly honest from a company nowadays.

Dear XXXX:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding your flight from Chicago. Your email came to the attention of Corporate Customer Care and, I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

I regret you found our flight attendant to be less than helpful when trying to find space to stow your carry-on bag in the overhead compartments. Please know that our planes have some of the largest over-head storage bins in the industry but carry-on space is limited and available on a first come first serve basis. During peak travel seasons, we may ask customers to check their intended carry-on luggage at the gate just before boarding. Normally, if we are operating a full flight, we will gate-check carry-on luggage for safety reasons.

I am deeply concerned about the behaviors of the gate agent at Midway Airport, as you described in your letter. The service you received is not typical of what Continental Airlines expects from our employees. Our airport agents are expected to provide a friendly, efficient service, and I regret this is not what you experienced. Your comments will be included in a monthly Customer Care report that is distributed to senior management. I am confident that every effort will be made to locate the employee involved and that immediate corrective action will be taken.

Thank you again, XXXXX, for bringing this situation to our attention. Customer service is one of our top priorities and, the only way for our company to improve is to know where it is failing. We will use your feedback for future coaching and training.

We value your patronage as well as your opinion and, look forward to welcoming you back onboard soon.

Regards,

XXX XXXXX
Customer Care Manager

Please tell me....

Why did I wake up at 2:15 in the morning, and why can't I fall asleep?

An Open Letter to CAL

I'm sorry to do this, but I have to express my displeasure with the way in which I was treated on flight 1145 from MDW to EWR this morning. I was sitting in seat 1B, a bulkhead seat. I was on a phone call and chose not to board right away when first class was called, but about midway through the boarding process so I was not rude to anyone by being on the phone while getting on the plane and getting situated. The flight was fairly full, but not completely full. I had one carry-on, the same Travelpro computer bag I always carry with me. When I got on the aircraft, they were turning away rollaboard suitcases as I have often seen in the past. As I get myself settled at the seat, I go to put my bag in the overhead bin, but everything is completely fully in my area since someone who is sitting much further back in the aircraft has just put their rollaboard and small duffel bag in the last remaining space in the first class overhead bins. Yes, if I had boarded the aircraft earlier I could have used this space, but I chose not to. Putting my back under the seat in front of me is not an option since I am in a bulkhead seat with a small cubby cut out for more leg room (thank you for that by the way), but clearly marked "No Stowage".

I asked the Flight Attendant if the bag (again, a small computer bag) could be placed in the closet for take off and landing and was quickly told no. She made a cursory search and said that my bag would have to be checked. I was not happy about this, considering it is my ONLY carry on bag and has items in it such as medicine, work identification, keys, my passport and travel documents in it, not to mention the computer, but if there is no space, there is no space. I was told by the gate agent that this was my only option, and she started to take the bag from me. I told her I'm sorry, but I have to take a few items out of my bag before she could take it. I was going through the bag, not really wasting any time, and about 20 seconds later I was told that she had to take the bag at that time. I again said i just need a minute more to make sure that everything I needed that was valuable was out of the bag. She responded with "Well you're just going to have to go on the next flight because I have to close the door now." We were not past our departure time. If she had taken me off the flight, did she really think that would help get the flight off on time? I can assure you if that happened, that would have been the last Continental flight I would have flown. I finished going through my bag within the next 30 seconds and my bag was snatched from me and the door remained open for at least another minute or two. As it turns out, I realized after my briefcase was gone that I left my keys in it. I also now have to carry all of these items loose to baggage claim to get my bag since this was my ONLY carry-on.

I have feared that this very thing would happen to me for some time now. I do not know that this is what happened in this case, but something I have seen before is the flight crew puts their bags in the overheads right at the front of the plane at the bulkheads because it is convenient for them to get at. Unfortunately, passengers seated at the bulkheads are unable to put anything under the seat in front of them, so they are the ones who need that overhead space the most. The other culprit here is people bringing several carry-on's. I'm not going to say that I've never had more than the allowed carry-on bags, but that's only been a handful of times. In the winter time when you have someone with three carry-on bags plus putting their jacket in the overhead bins, it's no wonder how the bins get so full so fast.

Not once through this whole process was I rude or combative in anyway. I have been flying 100+ flights a year for over 10 years and roll with the punches fairly well. I don't think that it's right to have been threatened with being removed from the flight because I took a minute to take out items which I could not have gotten by with out. On the whole, your airline does things right, and much better than the others. I have flown as an elite member on other airlines when I lived in different cities, and Continental generally has the best service hands down, which is why I was so surprised at this situation. Ironically, of all the flights I have taken on your airline and all of the situations I have been in, I believe that I have only written one other time, and that was also regarding a flight out of MDW and exemplary service shown by the flight and ground crew.

Male Grooming Products

I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point over the past few years, I've given into the craze. I no longer wash with just soap and water. Now I have to use a body wash gel for men. I have changed nothing about my washing procedure other than swapping in the Axe for bar soap, but I end up much cleaner. I should actually say, the wash cloth ends up much dirtier. I'm beginning to think that thre is some sort of chemical reaction between the body wash, water and human skin that turns the wash cloth to a dirty color immediately. It has other benefits too, I like the smell, and it is not nearly as drying as regular soap is.

For my shampoo, my first choice is Paul Mitchell's tea tree. After you've used that, everything else is just shampoo. If you haven't tried it, you really should. It feels like my head is getting a massage while I use it. The tingly sensation is amazing.

Last year while traveling I ran out of shaving cream or lost it or something. I went to the hotel gift shop, and all they had there was this foo-foo stuff caled Kid Glove Shaving Gel by Sharps. Since it was all they had, I had to get it. I have never used anything better. I haven't been able to find it anywhere else. This year, I'm back at the same hotel, and made sure to buy some. I haven't had a shave this close since last year. I never thought that something so simple would make a difference. I'm now hooked. I've been to the website, and will be buying much more.

While I don't think I'll ever be called a metrosexual, I'm starting to act like one with all the product I now seem to need to get by on a daily basis.

What a day it has been....

First, a free drink to the first person to correctly name the three series that my favorite television writer used the title of this entry as titles for episodes on.

I don't even know where to begin. The situation with the person from work went from bad to worse. The owner called, and well, he no longer works here. This isn't what was supposed to happen. We were trying to get some one we cared about help. I'm still not 100% sure what happened, and we're working to try and get this situation righted. He was the best at his job, and a great guy. Yes, he did have a problem that started recently. It seemed to me to be a cry for help. I'm starting to put more information about this together, but I feel awful about it since I'm the one who ended up making the phone call to the owner.

We were supposed to be able to start work around noon today. Once I land, I find out that there was a lack of communication, and we actually won't be able to get in until after 6pm tonight. This kind of screws up our dinner plans. Once we get there at 6pm and start working, we find out that we're really paying the price for other peoples mistakes from last week. Apparently another network was in town and really pissed off the venue. Several people have been banned from the building as a result, and they are really putting their foot down and making life miserable for everyone. Just what I need today.

I got an email from my mother today telling me that my dad's back is worse now than it was over the weekend. He went for an MRI and found that he has two herniated discs. The Dr. has recommended an epidural block to alleviate the pain while they evaluate other options. My mom sent this via email because she has lost her voice and can't talk. Ever since they retired, they are going downhill fast. I feel bad because I feel I never see them. They're so far away, yet so close. Plus when I visit them, it's never to see them, it's to do something for them -- install a ceiling fan, move a TV, set up a computer.

I've been tired lately. I realized last night that I wasn't able to get a deep breath. I remembered that I have a history of exercise induced asthma, with my big trigger being cold air. I haven't had an attack in years, and don't have an inhaler at home. I was on an early flight this morning so I couldn't do anything about it at home. The last time I got a prescription for an inhaler, I was living in Pittsburgh. I could call that Dr. explain to her my situation and get her to call in a prescription to a pharmacy in the town I'm in now. Unfortunately I don't remember her name. I called C, and she didn't even remember me going to a Dr. there initially, but after prodding remembered, but not her name. C suggested I go to CVS because they have Minute Clinic's in them, and they could probably help. In the end, they were able to help, I got an inhaler and I'm doing much better now.

Routines

While my schedule is anything but ordinary, I've come to appreciate the routine that I am normally in. I was off this past weekend, and it has totally screwed me up. I'm not sure what day it is, or what I should be doing. I didn't know what to do on the weekend. I was supposed to meet up with some friends from work who were in town and off, but since of the guys they're with is an ass, they never made it. (Not even a phone call after waiting for hours for him)

I haven't followed my usual laundry packing/routine. I don't really have a good mental idea of where I am in relation to being able to travel tomorrow morning. Typically when I come home on Mondays, I know i have 3 more days to do my laundry and be all packed and ready to go. I'm able to temper that against what I have to wear over the next few days and get it all done with a minimum amount of rushing on Thursday night/Friday morning. This week, I'll be rushing tonight, I'm sure. Luckily I'm only going away for 4 days/3 nights so it's not that big of a deal.

I'm not sure when I fell in to a routine, but I really don't like it. I'm not used to falling into a routine. I liked it better when I never knew what was going on and I was traveling all different days. Now I've become predictable.

Online friends....

I think it's a fact of life that many people have friends that they have met on-line. In many cases, friends that are only online. I know I personally have several friends like this. Sure, I may have met them one or two times, but because of my schedule, I really don't get to see them that often. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

C was going through match.com this summer and as I've said, she and I still talk a lot and share a lot. We still look out for each other. She would send me lists of people she was thinking about, or those who had contacted her, and I'd give my opinion. One thing that I remember her saying was that she was worried about chatting on line/via email too much with someone. She thought that she should only exchange a few emails before meeting otherwise you can get too familiar too fast, and not having anything really to talk about when you actually meet. At the time I didn't agree with her. I thought that the more information that you have the better it can be.

I've found recently that friends I have met online do know more about me than those I see on a day to day basis. I've opened up more in the past 10 days on here than I have to some of my friends in real life. I have no problem sharing. Why is that? I don't know. Surely I can't be alone in this.

Why is it that it can be so comfortable to talk via IM or via email or via text message? Why is it so easy to share information that way? Why have I let some of my friendships slip?