Views From The Cottage by Melanie Martyn
NOT SO MUCH A BREAK….
as it is a break in routine. At least for all the parents out there, and yes, some of us grandparents get to play with our lil blessings! Many families make plans well in advance for this nine-day respite. Many parents have to enroll their kids in March Break day camps as they can’t always get off work. Grandparents come in real handy if they can take the helm watching over them during the day and throwing as much fun as they can into that precious time-space. Depending on the age group, it can be a real pleasure or a real handful LOL
Where did this March Break come from anyway? I’m thinking that in the 60’s, we had a two week break. Somehow, over the years it changed to one week (if I’m not mistaken and I’ve been known to be….Once I thought I was wrong; but I was mistaken) and the Christmas holiday became the two-week holiday. Now that made sense as who could get any work done anyway while dreaming about sugar plums and Santa gifts! Well, it appears the school breaks have been happening even before the 30’s era. It is noted that many Colleges and Universities in the States started breaks to do swim meets. Many institutions felt it timely to have a break for reading/study week prior to exams. All I know is that you had to have something to look forward to after the January/February cold snaps!
Let’s get back to those families that were so happy to fly away to somewhere warm or maybe they were happy planning that time to visit family members that had moved quite a distance away. Finally, there was a window to go see Granny! I have friends that moved to the East Coast. My good friend had not seen her daughter or precious lil granddaughter since last June. All I saw on Facebook was notes back and forth with excited faces doing a countdown to March 11th when they’d see their loved ones in person after months of ‘zooming’. On that very day, I noticed a lot of teary memes and the heartache literally jumped off the screen! Flights booked months ahead for Flair Airlines were being cancelled. I thought at first they were just having a delay. Surely they would have them out on an alternate plane waiting in the ‘wings’ for just such a need. Perhaps they’d ship them out on the next flight that eve or maybe even the next morning, worse case scenario….
Well, it wasn’t the worst yet. Sure, they can get them on the next flight, but that flight was five days later!!! So, their one week reunion was to be squeezed into two overnights and then home??? Taking into consideration the cost of flights these days is just one cost. Early flights mean you usually book a local hotel and then there is parking for your vehicle while you are away. Add in a few hundred dollars minimum to take care of the pets you have to leave at home. Oh, let’s consider the time off work you booked that were over and above your normal holiday so ‘no-pay’ there…. This we can tally all up and come up with a dollar figure for compensation, hopefully. What of the emotional costs? Who can put a figure on the cost of heartache and missing this precious time with loved ones. The airline speaks of flight cost reimbursement and/or a free flight on another date but the ‘window’ is not so easily replaced. The time and effort and intense planning to coordinate everything to a ‘T’, takes its toll.
There were many unhappy campers at Pearson International Airport last Saturday. I would assume each flight missed would have about 190 frowning ‘non-passengers’. So, what was the story with Flair Airlines? My friends little family was just about to board the plane and even had all their luggage loaded into cargo. Ten minutes later they hear “Flight Cancellation” and the plane is removed from it’s passenger boarding bridge. WTH??? As I’m getting word of all this through Facebook, I quickly ‘google’ the airlines and hear that in total, four planes were repossessed from the Airlines just at that moment. Supposedly, it was for non-payment of their outstanding lease arrangements. Now doesn’t that give you a feeling of dread and “I’ll never fly that airline again!”. If these flights are missed and the planes are taken out of action, think of the mess-up of other missed flights scheduled. One poor customer was waiting down in Florida for a flight that did not arrive and had to pay out of pocket to get back home to work.
Now if a large airline cannot make their lease payment, what does that say for their accountability on the maintenance of these huge flying birds. Last month, Flair had to make an emergency landing in Fort Lauderdale as there was an issue with their cabin pressure regulation system. This system allows proper oxygen flow in high-altitude situations. Hmmm….makes you want to take a big breath! But don’t hold it…I will be driving on my next va-ca!!!
(Mar. 15, 2023)Views from the Cottage by Melanie Martyn
