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*The word "shtilinkerhait" means quietly
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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My brother, Martin, said, "Growing up we had a panic room in our house. It was whichever room my mother was in."
The New York Times Magazine (4/15/12) wrote about the Shhh! Coach. Yes, flight attendants on Virgin Atlantic will now order passengers to put their seats in the upright position in the softest of voices. At least to those passengers in its new Upper Class Dream Suite. These passengers are paying about $10,000 to fly round-trip between London and New York.
Richard Fitzgerald, a "whispering coach," said that attendants will be trained to speak in a pitch between 20 and 30 decibels. What a nice touch! "Me makht a gantsn yontev fun dos." (They're making a big deal of this.)
Fred Bruning, reporter for Newsday's Part 2 features section, wrote that "Flights once had allure, but it's gone the way of legroom."
Bruning writes about boarding a plane where the interior was so swank and seats ample and comfortable ("bakvem"). He wrote, "Stewardesses were attentive and hospitable. They asked, 'Would I like a magazine?' Was this my first flight? ...The stewardesses brought breakfast ("frishtik"). The men wore business suits; the women were all "oysgeputst" (dressed up) in stylish dresses. He asks, "What a flight. What happened to the romance of flight?"
Now we wonder whether the airline has double-booked your aisle seat. We are "baroygis" (angry) when the airlines want to charge extra so that our family can be seated together. "Nit far dir gedakht!" (May it never happen to you.) BTW, Chuck Schumer, a Democratic senator from New York, is working on the elimination of this new pricing policy.)
Forget about the softness of a voice; we should be more concerned that Spirit Airlines' announced it is raising the charge for carry-on "bagazh" (baggage) to $100. And, United Airlines says it will no longer allow families with small children to board early. Oh, and let's not forget that some airlines put a premium on aisle and "fentser" (window) seats.
Today it's called "unbundling"--turning a
once all-inclusive price into more of an ala
carte experience. Yes, we're being
nickled-and-dimed.
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No matter how economical the flight,
Marjorie Wolfe will never fly on any airline
named "Air Chance."
romance of flight? Now we
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