Thursday, April 09, 2009

Please be kind to pregnant women when traveling

After reading Heather's dooce blog (I wonder how many more hits do I need to get $40k of ads income... LOL) when she was traveling via air and seven months pregnant, reminded me when I went on a business trip for a week and I was about 6 months pregnant (or week 25). I had a big belly then. Although I only had a carry on and a laptop bag, but I was dragging my feet. I asked if the airline stewardess would help me lift up the carry on in the compartment, she replied, no, it's not my job, it's someone else, and I injuried my wrist (yet she did not find that someone else). And in the return trip, another airline stewardess looked at me and turned around before I can ask her. What happened to the customer service?? It's like night and day when flying airlines from other countries. I wish it's the other way around. The airline executives must have squeezed all the benefits out of their employees. In turns, I worry about the air travel safety. The pilot, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who performed the miracle landing on Hudson river after the bird strike testified on Capital Hill and indicated that professional airline pilots' pay and benefits were cut severly and jeopardize the quality of future airline pilots who sign up. Short sighted executives drive up the stock price to earn their million dollar bonus is another problem in our financial business system similar to the financial meltdown.