Hmph. Not Quite MilAir

Okay, so as I was dealing with my fellow passengers flying out of Naples, I felt like I fish out of water. No personal escorts to the flight line. No meet and greets. A thorough security screening. Boarding passes being scanned and check. Of course I also wasn't asked for my body weight...

Some how, even in a more German dominate population, the crew pegged me as Italian. Ha. I love opening my mouth speaking "American" English even when my puffy coat, out of control curls, scarf, boots, and a bag of fresh mozzarella di buffala make me look Italian. (It's all about the accessories!) Seriously. This is a game that never gets old for me. Of course it had been nice just a few weeks prior flying with a ton of people I knew & all spoke English.

As the plane left the gate, I got this really strange feeling.

All of a sudden I started questioning their trilingual safety instructions, the fact that people had to "ask" to move seats, and perhaps the most disconcerting item- I had no idea who was flying me to Munich!

Yes, this the first commercial flight I've flown since the Turkey adventure in January and although the food and beverage service was nice, I just don't get the customer service I'm used to anymore. And this was Lufthansa!

I'm telling you, MilAir just may be my 1st choice method for flying from here on out. Where else do you get to walk around in the cargo bay? Or go visit the captain? Or not have to worry that your bag made the flight since it's right there next to you? Of course it helps to know the crew flying the plane because then you are treated better than any Flag Officer. Then again, it does come at the cost of having to cuddle up with your coworkers to stay warm in the belly of C126 but it's a small price to pay and I like that coworker. A lot. Clearly if I was able to get over my need for personal space!

But the C9? That's pretty much the same as one of these regional flights that I'm currently waiting on. And I have in on the highest authority that some of their pilots are pretty phenomenal at what they do. I mean, on my last flight on a C9, our pilot not only avoided 85% of the nasty turbulence just so I could sleep, but also provided a fabulous lightning show out my window. Now, that's customer service!

And my final thought as my flight is about to start boarding...make sure you thank your pilots when you exit the plane. Seriously. They are doing a ton of stuff up there (all those switches really do something!) so if you have a smooth flight, easy landing, make great time it's probably because they're working over time to make your flight enjoyable. And if it's still a rough flight? They were doing what they could but the voices that tell them where to fly and what to do (voices in the radio) couldn't help them find a solution...and they dealt with the same flight you did.

Okay, now I'll answer you questions:

1. Yes. I am an international travel snob.
2. Yes, I am motivated to be SES again if I can get my own plane and can request who I want to fly it all the time.  And I'd get my own flag!!!
3. I'm currently in Munich, waiting for my flight to Brussels where I have the most fabulous guy waiting for me.