A
azb
Guest
Hello, everyone, I am in NYC, unfortunately, to attend a funeral.
First of all: American Airlines reservation agents were kind enough to give me the special offer and waved all the requirements (ex: advance purchase and conditions). But the real shocker was the $128 dollars taxes. Yes, on a 300 hundred dollars RT fare, I paid 128 dollars worth of total taxes. That also included the 10 dollar departure tax.
So lets see what do you get for the increased taxes? First of all: no lunch, just a bag of chips and a coke.
My carry-on bag was not checked by anyone. I had seen almost all the Dominicans being checked, yet i was allowed to pass by the check points 2 times and no one was interested in checking my carry-on baggage. I saw no armored door in the cockpit. No air-marshal type looking men anywhere, everyone was a Dominican (except a tourist couple... no way they were air-marshals).
Flight was very smooth and despite the recent crash, the plane was full to the max. JFK airport was in total fog and the plane made a category 1 landing (instrumental landing); the ground was seen when the plane touched the runway. Yes, it was an Airbus 300 (the same type which crashed). Needless the say, i was impressed with its performance.
Upon landing in NYC, I saw very little security changes in the airport. Yes, there were some national guards monitoring the new arrivals but they were only there for presence.
Being from the Middle Eastern background, I was a bit apprehensive arriving at the immigration. To my surprise, I was greeted like everyone else and welcomed to NYC. No one asked me any questions and customs didn't even notice me and let my go through. Everyone was normal and I didn't feel i was treated any different from anyone else.
The new Yorkers are all very normal and fear plays no part in their lives. At least I didn't see it evident in anyone's mind. I was treated like a normal civilian everywhere I went. No one even noticed me as I spoke in my language with my buddies. No one cares.
So what is all the CNN propaganda of fear and of Muslim back lashing? I am not sure where its all coming from.
I must say that even though I am here on personal visit (not pleasure), i felt very much at home and actually enjoyed coming back to my town where i grew up in. New Yorkers are great people and I felt normal and fearless as I had felt before 9/11 event.
Tomorrow, I will be back to my beautiful isla and among my friends.
Cheers.
First of all: American Airlines reservation agents were kind enough to give me the special offer and waved all the requirements (ex: advance purchase and conditions). But the real shocker was the $128 dollars taxes. Yes, on a 300 hundred dollars RT fare, I paid 128 dollars worth of total taxes. That also included the 10 dollar departure tax.
So lets see what do you get for the increased taxes? First of all: no lunch, just a bag of chips and a coke.
My carry-on bag was not checked by anyone. I had seen almost all the Dominicans being checked, yet i was allowed to pass by the check points 2 times and no one was interested in checking my carry-on baggage. I saw no armored door in the cockpit. No air-marshal type looking men anywhere, everyone was a Dominican (except a tourist couple... no way they were air-marshals).
Flight was very smooth and despite the recent crash, the plane was full to the max. JFK airport was in total fog and the plane made a category 1 landing (instrumental landing); the ground was seen when the plane touched the runway. Yes, it was an Airbus 300 (the same type which crashed). Needless the say, i was impressed with its performance.
Upon landing in NYC, I saw very little security changes in the airport. Yes, there were some national guards monitoring the new arrivals but they were only there for presence.
Being from the Middle Eastern background, I was a bit apprehensive arriving at the immigration. To my surprise, I was greeted like everyone else and welcomed to NYC. No one asked me any questions and customs didn't even notice me and let my go through. Everyone was normal and I didn't feel i was treated any different from anyone else.
The new Yorkers are all very normal and fear plays no part in their lives. At least I didn't see it evident in anyone's mind. I was treated like a normal civilian everywhere I went. No one even noticed me as I spoke in my language with my buddies. No one cares.
So what is all the CNN propaganda of fear and of Muslim back lashing? I am not sure where its all coming from.
I must say that even though I am here on personal visit (not pleasure), i felt very much at home and actually enjoyed coming back to my town where i grew up in. New Yorkers are great people and I felt normal and fearless as I had felt before 9/11 event.
Tomorrow, I will be back to my beautiful isla and among my friends.
Cheers.