31st May:

The joys of low-cost air travel have already been espoused by many an eloquent commentator, but the actual experience itself never ceases to amaze.

One major low-cost carrier (hint: Ryanair) no longer allows families with infants to board the plane before other passengers. Much better, they think, to charge people a supplement for a 'prioity pass' that grants first access to the best seats. Or would do if 75% of the plane hadn't also bought the same ticket. The infant issue may not seem like a big one, but it's just another example of that carrier screwing money out of customers through the back door in order to improve revenue whilst keeping published fares low. Frankly i'm fed up with it and also with those people who excuse the airline's behaviour with the same old tired and trite "it's only a short flight and it was dead cheap so i'm not really that bovvered" cliche. I've said it before and i'll say it again: if you are competing purely on the basis of price, you have nowhere else to go. You don't have to be the cheapest to succeed, you just have to be cheap enough and offer better service than anyone else.

Vote for me.

In other news, the United States now apparently wants to engage with the rest of the world on the issue of climate change. Bush has called for a summit (as if you would even trust him to call for a pizza) and wishes to bring 14 major countries to the table to seek 'common ground'. Unfortunately, however, that common ground is likely to have Old Glory planted firmly on it, and will not involve the US cutting its own emissions nor joining any global carbon trading scheme. This being the case, it would appear that many of today's news headlines noting 'Bush urges new greenhouse gas goals' have clearly forgotten to add the words 'for everybody else'.