Sky High Rant

I usually never sleep on long flights because I have crappy circulation and I like to get up and walk and stretch my legs every hour or so but believe me, by the time I get on ole BA 21whatever, I will be completely knackered. Moving a bed from one corner to another is hard work and tiring. Moving a life from one hemisphere to another is simply exhausting. And juggling my day job and my side job as Super Trininista, packing and transferring sold vehicle etc is really taking a toll. Okay, well maybe I am making it sound totally terrifying but shite, I am really tired.

I also have a rant. I remember when I was a student at UWI in Jamaica, good ole Bwee aka Caribbean Airlines had luggage concessions for students, recognising that we had books, we had clothes, we had food, we had equipment in some cases. So when your old grip was busting at the seams with a year of your life stuffed inside, and your other bag had a semester's worth of food (because all Trini students in trying to beat the Jamaican inflation reserved one bag for non perishable foodstuff), the counter staff at Bwee were very accomodating. I not saying they were selling the hog cause I had to pay overweight charges once cause I got there after all the other hungry students had come in with their overstuffed bags, but they made an effort to understand our plight.

Fast forward now to the age of airline capitalism where you might soon have to pay to pee on an airplane, and I am packing a year of my life away and of course, I dunno if you can do it, but trying to fit a year of your life, even if you're drabulous and not fabulous (like me)  into one suitcase is impossible. My winter coat alone took up half of one bag, not to mention boots and other cold weather accoutrements. Of course I still have to buy other things when I arrive in ole Blighty cause yuh cyah pack everything, but one bag, with my Caribbean skin and hair toiletries and warm clothes is already stuffed. Let's face it, Boots cyah help me, my black skin and my black hair! Boots is no Pennywise! What's more, this is not Jamaica I am going to, so I have not a scrap of food in the bag - just clothes, heavy coats/sweaters, just shoes, just books, my laptop. I am not being unreasonable!

Now don't get me wrong eh. I think among all the airlines I have used in my life, British Airways ranks at the top with excellent in-flight service, timely departures, great movies, though the food could use a bit of haute cuisine love. BA is great. But...British Airways allows you ONE free bag and one cabin bag, which already has my laptop and yuh doh wanna be stuffing too many things into the bag with your laptop. I mean, seriously? You eh talk about jeans and then your warm weather clothes yet. I mean, BA, I not asking for a free extra bag, but oh gosh, a lil discount at least!

So with this dilemma in mind and vexation that these people have no consideration for students coming from tropical Third World countries, I tweeted to British Airway's rep and was told I needed to call 1-800-AIRWAYS. Let me just say this BA, doh waste a big woman's time eh. When I called the number, I got a dude who told me they only ever made concessions to missionaries going to feed the poor in places like Africa. I kid you not. But missionaries doh wear clothes other than what...a pair of shorts and an old shirt and some boots? They don't need two bags! The food they are taking to Africa cannot fit into a bag. It's called cargo. I am not asking for cargo concessions. Just a discount on my university-bound bag. Uni books are not paperback novels. They are heavy. Where is the consideration for higher education? No consideration that students

1.are  unemployed and probably trying to save the £32 these bandits at BA and God knows who else (Virgin? AA?) charging for each additional bag
2. need to pack more than the average traveller cause they are packing for a year or more

But to the Twitter person, this is not a new thing so I am sure you knew what phone dude was going to tell me so why make me waste the phone call? C'mon. I am as busy as you are.

I am not sure if Caribbean Airlines still allow students luggage concessions nowadays but a belated bless you for your hospitality back then. I will pay my £32 cause I will not be naked and cold in London because of BA. But they better at least have a better meal than the meals they served when I travelled with them in July and August. I deserve at least that. My deep BA loyalty is being seriously tested.

RBTT - also on my sh... list.