Most years I've just about managed to get all my Christmas cards out by now, but this isn't most years. Instead of my usual last-minute scramble I'm facing a scramble of another kind - my ticket home is for a British Airways flight, and right now I can't say whether I'll be spending Christmas in my own house, in the air, in an airport lounge, or stranded while awaiting some nonexistent connection in Nome, Alaska.
Where at least I suppose a white Christmas can be more or less guaranteed.
My artist friend Dave Windett is way more organised than I am, so instead of sending out cards this year, I've asked his permission to share this one with you.
Ain't it cute? You can see more of Dave's work at Davewindett.com.
(Btw, when my family flew out to LA with Virgin Atlantic a couple of weeks ago, Eleventh Hour was again part of the in-flight entertainment. Go, Virgin!)
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4 comments:
Whatever the inconvenience, at least you’re in a profession where the one upside, even if it is just a tiny sliver, is that it could be material for something.
Just for peace of mind can you not just toss the ticket and book with another airline? I’ve always flown Virgin to the US and never had a problem. One time, last minute, I had to get an American Airlines flight and it was an absolute nightmare: Staffed by the kind of people you wouldn’t trust to sit the right way round on a toilet.
Leafing through the Christmas edition of Radio Times, I saw that Five are showing Crusoe, starting with the first two episodes just before noon on Sunday. The only problem is that thereafter the channel is stripping the following episodes into their schedule every day, early afternoonish, Christmas Day included. Bozos!
I ought to be OK as I'm set to fly just before the strike date, but I can't rule out the knock-on effects that travel correspondents are warning about. Trying not to end up with planes and crews in the wrong places, that kind of thing. Normally Virgin's my own first choice, but this is the second half of the ticket that got me out here.
I was involved in a couple of strikes way back when I had actual jobs, and I've spent my entire working life as a union or Guild member of one kind of another, so I'm the last person to comment on another's workplace dispute. But if this one goes ahead, I'll be very surprised if there's a BA this time next year. The whle affair has that 'British Leyland' feel about it.
Thanks for the Crusoe heads-up. I can see C5's thinking -- the tone of the show suits the holidays -- but like the guy giving directions in the Dave Allen story, I wouldn't start from here...
A lot of the broadsheets are picking up on this already. It does seem to be the daftest time to threaten a strike, and I don’t mean just the Christmas period.
BA posted a loss of just over £400m in the twelve months to March 2009 and as looking likely to post losses of around £600m this year. There’s a planned merger with Iberia and the company has a pension deficit of £3.7bn, so the union might think they have the company on the ropes but one more serious blow and they’ll be on the canvas from which there’s no coming back.
If the staff have a beef with management over current and planned working conditions then they should voice their frustrations. But in the current climate? It looks like all the passengers are trying to fly ABBA – “Anything But British Airways” – with Virgin almost full. But then at least you’re travelling in the other direction.
Crusoe in the daytime reminded me of the childhood holidays when the BBC’s daily morning schedule was packed with adventure serials like Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe and Buck Rogers and The Flashing Blade, followed by some Laurel & Hardy and an episode of The Banana Splits to round things off. That was fine as a kiddie but all these years later I think I’m supposed to act like an adult. Damn!
The real problem is that "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" has already been done. Hope you get home easily and have a Happy Xmas and a great 2010, which is more than BA is going to do.
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