View from the Wing

> So who do you think managed to stuff $22 billion

Well congress ultimately, but as far as actual influence? Maybe start with: Labor unions, manufacturers throughout the supply chain, maintenance vendors - you know entities with actual money and financial interests. Also, local constituents and representatives where the train service happens to go, like it or not the train service is hugely important to the chamber of commerce in general of a place like Syracuse for instance where an air carrier just pulled out and one of those destinations is Chicago - it matters not much from optics that the journey takes longer than 100 years ago. The idea that the “train geeks” have anything measurable to do with it doesn’t pass any smell test. Moreover, the companies and organizations that are involved and do exist don’t magically disappear in any imagined privatization future. I also have a hard time believing that a motley bunch of train geeks somehow has any pull over the ReDUcE GoVERNmENT SpENDInG crowd.

> We could privatize Amtrak next year and they could follow that same business plan

The NEC corridor still needs billions of dollars of upgrades and maintenance. Again that is something that the public sector has almost invariably footed the bill on.

As for your initial thesis in this comment, it’s straight up garbage that has been discussed to death, and you have to assume I’m an uninformed moron to believe it uncritically. I’m not going to repeat this:…

When the person taking my credit card at the drive thru hands me the little machine and tells me which button to push for 15, 18 or 20% tip...and watching me until I hand it back...yeah its expected.

In case you didn't see this story... https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/tipping-culture-etiquette-ice-cream-tiktok-b2343669.html ...there is an attitude spreading that tipping is necessary.

https://viewfromthewing.com/austin-airport-shop-demands-tip-when-buying-a-bottle-of-water-to-go/

Oh...and the Burgerville union demanding that tips be pushed in the drive thru... https://www.coworker.org/petitions/we-demand-tips-in-the-drive-thru

Another article about it... https://thinkingoregon.org/2022/04/23/heres-a-tip-to-businesses-stop-demanding-tips/comment-page-1/

> This might not be new or exclusive to Canada - it's just the first I've noticed it.

Not Canada-only:

> So sorry for the disappointment with the carryon requirements. Please know that your fanny pack is considered a personal item and must be stowed properly during taxi, takeoff, and landing. Still, we understand the frustration and have documented your concern.

* https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir/status/1796641027924889819

* https://viewfromthewing.com/stupid-airline-carry-on-rules-if-its-on-your-body-it-should-count-as-part-of-your-clothes/

It may be a case of people abusing things and instead of a 'small' pack, they have a 'regular' purse and are trying to call it fanny pack. Then actually have a purse / personal item and a carry-on.

A little known fact is that for hotels constructed in New York City "before July 1, 1969 which cost less than $88 per week or $350 per month on May 31, 1968" are subject to a law that states that guests are entitled to become a permanent tenant by requesting a lease of six months or more, and hotels are generally barred from preventing such people from doing such that.

There's someone who has been trying to claim ownership through this mechanism of the New Yorker hotel across from Penn Station, with surprising amounts of success:

https://viewfromthewing.com/new-york-city-transfers-hotel-deed-to-guest-who-wouldnt-leave-guest-tries-to-take-out-mortgage/

They aren’t referring to the client side of this question. Airline websites generally have the quality of any generic corporate IT project…

I assume what the parent was referring to is the backend systems like Sabre that coordinates travel and ticketing between airlines, travel agents, etc. It is a truly ancient system by today’s standards, with origins in the 1960s and mainframes. Systems like this actually have started to limit what airlines can do and how many flights they can manage.

See: https://viewfromthewing.com/airlines-are-running-out-of-flight-numbers-and-they-dont-know-what-to-do-about-it/

The problem with ATC is that they changed from a skills based assessment to a biographical one. This is no joke. They had an explicit goal of increasing ATC diversity so they passed over hundreds of people who took the previously traditional route and graduated from FAA Air Traffic University Programs.

Those candidates still had to pass the training but they have had a much higher attrition rate. So despite increased hiring ATC continues to be understaffed.

https://viewfromthewing.com/diversity-in-the-skies-faas-controversial-shift-in-air-traffic-controller-hiring/