Did you say .. American ?

 

A. My flights : horror of horrors, thank goodness I'm safely back home

 

AA Customer Service

Dear Sir / Madam,

I regret to inform you that I have found my first flight experiences with AA most disappointing.

  1. Delayed and cancelled : 16 Jun 01 AA5065 JFK-SYR Dep 23h15 1hr20min

    2. The flight was delayed 3 times. The plane finally arrived at JFK around midnight and we were expected to board 15 mins later. After we were boarded in the service coach, we were told that Syracuse runway lights were out of order and they were unable to find an electrician to fix it. At 01h30, we were told that the flight would be cancelled. We were offered neither accomodation nor travel vouchers as compensation. Most of us stayed over at the airport.

    We asked to speak to a supervisor but no supervisor attended to us during the two and a half hours we waited. The ground crew was tired and unable to answer our queries.

    In fact, the earlier flight at 3pm the same day had also been cancelled. We found people from the 2 flights, including 2 elderly ladies, one of whom was in deep pain, camping that night at the airport. It is disgraceful that no further assistance was accorded to this elderly lady.

    We were placed on the US Airways flight departing the next morning from LGA, as well as ground transportation travel vouchers for NY Airport Shuttle Service. We were told that the shuttle would be available from 05h00 but the bus service personnel did not arrive until 18h30 and they were not aware of our sheer number. We hence waited standing ouside JFK for more than 1 and a half hours. Upon arrival at LGA, US Airways check-in personnel insisted that we wait in line and only some of us managed to board the replacement flight.

  2. Delayed: 21 Jun 01 AA5064 SYR-JFK Dep 18h35 1hr15min

    3. At 18h30, it was made known to us that the aircraft was expected to arrive in SYR at 18h50. At 18h50, the plane was announced to be arriving after a further 15 min delay. We finally took of at 20h00 and arrived at JFK at 21h40

  3. Delayed and Lost Baggage: 21 Jun 01 AA120 JFK-CDG Dep 2150 7h10min

I was told at check-in in SYR by AA check-in personnel that my baggage would be automatically forwarded to Paris CDG.

The AA120 flight had a delayed take-off. Despite being 2 interconnecting AA flights, my baggage was not transferred properly and it was not at CDG when I landed.

I hope that you will find my baggage soon and restore it to me. I expect to bear no cost for the retrieval and delivery of the baggage to my home in Paris. Should the baggage not be found, I expect to be reimbursed in full of the contents of the baggage.

I have spoken with many of my fellow passengers as well as friends studying in the United States and I am convinced that AA flights are often delayed or cancelled. At the baggage claims counter in Paris, there were also other irate passengers present who had lost their baggage on AA flights.

It is unfortunate to note that this is the standard of service and efficiency to be expected of an airline associated with the oneworld alliance. I, my family and my friends, would be most reluctant to use any of its member airlines ever again, despite my frequent flyer status with Iberia Airlines, another airline of the oneworld alliance.

Sincerely,

ENG Se-Hsieng

So I had to lose my bags, with all my shopping inside. I find myself once again with hardly any suitable clothes to start my internship on MONday. And I thought I wouldn’t need insurace cos' I was going to America! Oh my goodness.

Afternotes:

<24 June 01 14:29> : I have just been informed that my baggage has been received from NY this morning. I am waiting for its delivery later this afternoon.

<25 June 01 00:00> Still no baggage received. The reception tells me that nobody has come all day. The AA counter at the airport only opens from 06:30 to 15:30. Looks like I have to wake up tomorrow to call them.

<25 June 01 02:30> I finally fall asleep at 02:30 because of jet lag?! 3 weird men using the room next to me whereas this block is supposed to reserved for students and perhaps worry. Spent the time reading Daniel Pennac, a contemporary French author I strongly recommend!

<25 June 06:50> AA confirms that the delivery man did leave with my bag but that he can only confirm the delivery when he comes to collect the next batch of luggage between 08h30 to 09h00. I have to leave for my internship at 09h00. They promise to try to call me back before that.

<25 June 09:10> Still no call. I'm going to be late for my first day of work!

<25 June 13:10> AA tells me that the delivery was carried out, i.e. they don't have my baggage anymore for them "le travail a été fait" =(the work is already done). I call the hostel reception. They don't have my baggage and the lady is very sarcastic to me cos' she has to go to the back room to check if it's there. I tell AA that no matter what, it was not with my signature that they delivered it. AA says they will call the hostel reception to ask.

<25 June 14:00> The guy who attended to me earlier who was supposed to knock off at 12:15 is still there. He tells me that he has just spoken with Walter at the hostel and that the bag is really there. I speak to "Walter" and…

In fact, there is an alternative reception set up and run by youths who manage the attribution of hostel rooms in summer. That is where the delivery man had left the baggage. My heart had really sunk when AA told me the driver had left my baggage with 3 youths in my school with a stamp of the hostel. You see, there's normally only 1 grumpy person at the reception.

<25 June 23:30> I return from the cocktail-reception with the NUS+PSC+EDB+Singaporean French embassy delegation as well as French guests from various educational institutions. My baggage is there at the reception! I ask for it and I receive it without being asked for ID. Never mind….

 

B. Cornell : big, impressive, cold ? www.cornell.edu

Cornell University is situated in Ithaca, New York State. By the way, NY stretches from Albany to Buffalo and guess which city is the capital????

Ithaca is country-side. It is 6 hrs from NYC (New York city) by coach.

 

As a full fledged university offering a wide ranges of courses and in the Ivy League, the campus is humongous and it even commands its own CollegeTown, several streets of residential areas, apartments and restaurants from all over the world catering to the academic population.

I'll leave you to have the official version from the website. What I would like u to think about is: the difficulty for foreign students to fully integrate into the overseas system. I believe the situation there is much the same as anywhere else, even here in France. Singaporeans students stick together and find it difficult to have long lasting friendships with the local population. Is it for want of trying? In a place like Cornell, where there are almost 200 Singaporean students, they eat together, share apartments with one another, take summer school together, do projects together and yup, get attached amongst one another too.

I am sure that there is more to this than an overseas education, especially when these are supposed to be our brightest scholars. Do they need incentives to mix around?

Then again, as long as they are happy, who cares? One could argue that they are making lasting friendships that will last through their university education and beyond. They're far from home and they should help one another. After all, nothing helps like being able to crap or talk cock in Singlish after a long day of schoolwork, right?

Maybe it all boils down to character and personality. The MBIT test, introvert/extrovert, etc..

Not that I'm doing much better myself. We have a large international population here and I am closer to these students than the real true French countrymen and women. I don't see myself changing drastically. I know that I've tried to encrust myself into a group and it didn't work out. On the contrary, being myself brings more friends and much better ones. Is it a coincidence that these are my closest neighbours and many with a soft spot for Asia?

Sadly, the majority often does not feel the need to give way to the minority unless the latter has something to offer.

I certainly feel that we could do more to welcome foreign students on our own side. Having spent 2 yrs in NUS, I know I could have done more to be more welcoming to foreign students, help them with their English or just invite them home for lunch! Being hospitable is a skill. After all, who wants to be bothered in their safe cocoon?

Funny how we thought we were challenging ourselves when we stepped out for the overseas experience…

 

C. Niagara : sleazy, awesome, hospitality and yummy!

Thought that Ripley's Believe it or Not only existed in newspapers? Well, think again. There is a museum dedicated to it on Clifton Street, Niagara Falls. And where do all the Guiness's world records go? To a museum below a beer garden of course! And you thought Niagara Falls was just falling water?!

 

Right, so the falls are awesome. In fact, there are 2 of them. The straight cascading one and a horeshoe-shaped one a few hundred metres away. You could take a Journey Behind the Falls and get totally wet. We got wet too but on a JETBOAT. Yup, for C$50 (about S$80), you can go on a jetboat which is really safe cos' u're seated with about 10 other people but fun cos' the boat makes spins on the water and goes on Class 5 white water rapids. (In fact, we were not allowed to go on the Class 6 ones which are the really famous ones in Niagara). I think the company offers white water rafting as well! Try it!

Did u know that the falls are actually on American ground? You have to be in Canada to see them though!

We stayed 1 night in a bed and breakfast Strathaird Inn. It was my first time in this sort of inn and I totally love the concept! I strongly encourage u to go there cos' Tom and Val are wonderful hosts. Have to add that I love those handmade dolls that are all over the house. They have 3 bedrooms with bathroom and shower attached to let in their charming house and breakfast is provided for US$50 (almost S$100) per room per night. U get to brush up your Scottish accent too. I think the breakfast I had there was the first proper meal I had had since the start of the trip.

Another place to find good food is the Hard Times Restaurant. Tom and Val will give u a discount coupon and u think that a restaurant with a coupon can't be any good?! But I'm a sucker for personal recommendations and boy were we pleasantly surprised! The décor reminded me of Tony Roma's but the lunch specials were at only C$6.50 each. A really good deal for the yummy food and the great service.

 

D. NYC : WTC, musicals, Times Square…

Big Apple! The financial center of the world. Wall Street. The famous bombing. NY WTC with a Top of the World viewing gallery and a simulated helicopter ride!

We were actually at WTC to buy same-day musical tickets at 50% off. We managed to get US$70 high up seats for Cabaret. Why did we choose it? Based on hearsay, actually. The pple in front of us bought the tics and so did the people in front of Marvin the other time. Besides, the tics were reasonable.

The show was not. A myriad of half-naked woman doing erotic dances in a cabaret in Berlin. Focus shifts to a struggling young American novelist who meets a Nazi guy on the train and who rents a room from a landlady who eventually falls in love with a Jew. The problem is, there's more of the former than the latter which = no storyline. Pity, pity..

There is lots more to choose from: Les Miz, Phantom, Kiss me Kate, 42nd Street, Rent, etc…After all, it's Broadway!

Times Square is a glittering array of billboards and bright lights! We saw huge 3D Coke bottles, McDonald's signs and you can't beat this, throngs of people outside a hotel waiting for a star. I'm sorry, I asked the name but it's slipped my mind again. There was even police crowd control!

Central Park is dangerous. We were there before the show and there was a police patrol car next to the playground. People jogged along the ROADS, not among the greenery. What a shame!

The Statue of Liberty is actually on an island and you have to take a ferry to get there. There's always a crowd so we didn't venture there. We did take a picture in front of a mock one in front of a store. It'll be funny if it turns out.

The streets are very organised. They go from East to West in numerical order. The perpendicular roads are avenues which are also in numerical order.

Oh, and don't go to Aladdin Hotel on 45th Street, even though it's 1 star and u can book it through Expedia.com. Kinda sleazy. Dirty towels, no lights in the toilets and the staff are not the most helpful pple I've seen.

 

  1. Closing rqs

TTFN, TTYL.

Moi

 

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