The start of my journey proved to be going wrong, (click to read previous times), but my faith in Oh Poo Poo saw me through with a smile on my face.
As I travel so much in the air, I have a reasonable idea of where I would like to sit. I cannot afford Business or First Class travel, why pay so much when you arrive at the same time, and instead of the food being served on china plates, it is served on plastic, so I fly baggage class. In with the suitcases in the hold.
If possible I try and get the front seat window of the economy cabin. This has a number of advantages. I can rest my head on the bulkhead of the aircraft to sleep, I can be one of the first off the aircraft, so less queuing at passport control, and sometimes the seats are the same seat of those in Business Class, they just move the class divider to give more seat to economy class.
Failing the front seat, get the emergency window exit seat over the wings. These seats give more leg room, and also allows you to leave the seat without disturbing the people in the seats next to you.
Failing getting either of the first two options, get the very back window seats. OK it is more bumpy with air turbulence, but you tend to get your food first, and so what, there is going to be a big queue and a fight to get off the aircraft, sit back and let them get on with it.
So it was on my trip to Roma, I was able to get seat 4A, front of economy, lots of space, just the last business class seat in front of me and dividing curtain. I can put-up with that for two hours the flight would take.
The problem was, there was a small child, less than 5 years old occupying seat 3A in front of me.
I do not know what nationality the child was, as I could not understand the language, even “Mama” was said in a foreign tongue I have never heard before.
The mother had no discipline over the child. It was jumping up and down. The seat back was continually being raised up and down into my face. It was screaming and shouting, laughing and crying at will. It ran up and down the isle.
People around me were really upset. No sleep was achieved. Just an unruly child.
To make matters worse, when the meal was served, lunch, it was pathetic. a sandwich, little biscuit and red orange juice.
This is cost cutting to extreme. A year ago, although again the food was pathetic, Alitalia did serve more.
Yes this is how most airlines are going, but the only difference I can tell with the low cost airlines and scheduled national carriers, is that on low cost flights you can choose either to buy or not to buy food, and you have a choice what to buy, and on national carriers, you get no choice, and you will probable pay twice the amount for the ticket.
Oh Poo Poo sit back and enjoy, at least I will get to Rome.