Aero-WHAT?

All week I’ve been traveling for work, visiting various “Windows on America” to help with outreach and increase publicity in the local media. The trip started on Monday night, in the lovely border town of Uzghorod. Uzghorod is a fascinating mix of Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian and Russian cultures…a unique gem in Ukraine. But that’s not what I wanted to write about.

I flew to Uzghorod. Around the office, I’d heard mixed review of the domestic air service. But having flown from Kyiv to Simferopol in the past, I thought, “Can’t be so bad, right?”

It’s not that it was bad per se. But rather, it was not what I expected. I got there in one piece, and from what I could tell, the pilot was very good. However, I couldn’t help but think that if my mother had been on that plane, dear god how the shit would have hit the fan. First of all, we boarded on the tarmac on an aluminum – not even metal – stepladder that shimmied and shook. Then, there were NO security and safety demonstrations – save for a quick announcement to read the card in the seat pocket (mine was missing). Once the propellers started (yes, it had propellers) you couldn’t hear anything. My seat vibrated the entire two hours and the sudden small changes in altitude also kept things lively.

Needless to say, there were no beverages or snacks (save tea and a hard sucker) and the toilet left quite a bit to be desired…but it worked. Prior to this, I have berated Aeroflot for being scary beyond compare. Not so anymore. Kudos now go to unnamed regional airline in Ukraine.

However, like I said, I got there in one piece. And in a way, it was a unqiue experience. As I peered out my small portal, I imagined that I was traveling in the 1950s a la my grandparents. Who knows, maybe it was the same plane that at one time ferried them from Connecticut to Florida. Hurray for recycling!