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Show On the road with Shirley Smith The Big Apple en route New York City... In these days of deregulations, airlines offer a lot more than just a seat on an aircraft bound from point A to point B. The competition for your business is stiff and major companies are vying with each other to provide you, the passenger, with an ever wider variety of services. Many people are not aware that most of these services even exist. Take this morning, for example. I set out to fly with American Airlines to New York via Chicago. We boarded the . plane, settled in for take off and were toki our flight would now be delayed an hour and a half to two hours due to snow in Chicago and the fact that 4 runways were closed. Well, who wants to fly into Chicago in a snowstorm, and besides, I would have missed my connection to New York. So, I consulted my American schedule, available at all terminals, and found that I could reach New York by flying first to Dalls-Fort Worth. No matter that my ticket was issued Salt Lake - Chicago - New York. Airline personnel were more than helpful, pointed me off to the right boarding gate and even retrieved my flight coupon that must accompany each passenger on a flight. American prides itself on service and although the preceeding incident could have taken place on any airline, other special pluses belong to American alone. Most airlines offer a variety of special meals ranging from low calorie to Kosher, but American embellishes a bit on this idea and offers the American Traveler Menu - an alternative designed for the frequent traveler to the same old airline fare. At the time you make your reservation, and at least 6 hours before flight time, you may request (and your travel agent can do this for you) a choice of the Mariner's Seafood Plate, Chef's Salad, Manicotti Sorrento, The Great American Hamburger, Crab Louis, Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich, Fresh Fruit Salad or Reuben Sandwich. These choices, in addition to bland, diabetic, vegetarian, kosher, low sodium, low chloresterol, and low carbohydrate meals, may be ordered on all lunch and dinner flights and will arrive on board with your name on it. Do you have a favorite seat on the aircraft? American takes care of that too. You may reserve a seat up to 11 months before your departure - and it will be held until 15 minutes before flight time. Do you get tired of the pre-flight check-in hassle? American offers curbside check in and a one stop service that allows you to pick up or purchase your ticket, check your bags and receive your boarding pass. And, if you're travelling round trip or to various destinations, boarding passes for all flights can be issued when you check in for your originating flight. Need a wheel chair or special help in boarding? Make that request when you reserve your ticket and it will be waiting for you. Sending the kids off to Grandma's? Let American know and flight personnel will be glad to assist. Youngsters 7 and older may travel unaccompanied on any connecting American flilght and 9 and older may travel on an American flight connectine to another airline and flight personnel will personally supervise their connections. If you are traveling with an infant and the plane is not full, American will see that the seat next to you is left unoccupied. If you travel often, it pays to fly a single airline. American's way of saying "thank you" to its frequent travelers is its Advantage Plan. Based on the mileage you compile within a 12 month period, you receive awards in the form of free or reduced fare travel. For instance, 12,000 miles give you a first class upgrade on any coach ticket and 50,000 miles gives you a free first class round trip to any of American's destinations. And today, on the Dallas - New York portion of my trip, I experienced a new - at least to me - service provided on American's DC 105 at the discretion of the captain. Passengers were given an opportunity to watch the takeoff and landing on closed circuit TV - a camera is mounted in the cockpit - and listen to the exchange between the flight crews and the tower. An exciting experience! If you would like an exciting experience on American or any ' other airline, call Shirley at 649-7430 or 649-1555 for reservations and information. |