zippsy

Just curious MikeO - were your original flights the non-stop flight from Singapore to Newark on Executive economy? Have they now changed them to regular economy going through Frankfurt? They screwed a lot of people with that little change. Lots of people had their flights changed that way and didn't get much more than an e-mail saying take it or leave it. It's like ordering and paying for a BMW, getting a Hyundai 3 months later instead and being told the cost is the same because of recent price rises.

It's simple for me, I've changed airlines. I can get three United flights that take me right to where I am going. I can upgrade to their executive economy class too and compared to the new SQ Frankfurt flights, I'll still spend S$500 less, arrive 5 hours earlier without the drive from Newark and have seats with 4 inches more leg room. In exchange, I have two lay-overs instead of one, I won't get a personal on-demand TV and I'll get surly flight attendants rather than snobbish stupid ones. I'd rather have the non-stop executive class flight but SQ's next best option is far down my list. I just feel bad for the poor people that already bought tickets on EE non-stop flights and were recently sent an e-mail saying, "Thanks for flying with the best airline in the world. Oh, by the way, we have downgraded you to a seat on regular economy class and the flight has a stop-over in Frankfurt. I hope you don't mind but we'll make more money by changing your previously paid for flight to all-business class. Also, we're not giving you any sort of a refund. Have a good day, sucker."

.... I think it has been stated with reliable sources that a diver was bitten and died while on a shark baiting dive. Isn't that enough to discuss the merits of shark baiting & feeding for photo ops? Even if the guy just had a heart attack and the shark sensed this and was trying to take him to the surface to save his life, can't we discuss the merits of shark baiting? I don't need data on this particular incident in order to form an opinion on shark baiting.

No worries Eric. I'll keep quiet. It doesn't make a difference anyway as we all just keep restating the same points over & over. I don't know anyone that has changed their mind on the subject because of any posts. That's why I yawned. my mouth is now zipped, see?

I feel much better about SQ after getting a reply from them about the subject: See how sweet they can be while they tell economy class passengers to piss off? I guess I'll go back to using lesser airlines.

Hey Drew. My second post was trying to be humorous but was intended to highlight the absurdity of some of the reasoning on this thread. The first post was a little more pointed but I'd be happy to delete it. It did express my true opinion of the matter though. This kind of PR gets boring after a while and it doesn't help stop whaling. If this was effective, there would have been peace in the Middle East decades ago.

My sources say that Lee Harvey Oswald was the marksman. He was standing on the grassy knoll behind the wheelhouse when he took the shot. I have proof of it to but I can't share it here yet. Keep an eye on the mainstream press though.

Well I am pissed. I saw this in the Singapore papers and raised as much a fuss as I can but I know I am fencing with windmills. I only flew on SIA because of these flights. I go to the east coast twice a year so I took the flight to Newark and drove south. They say now that unless I want to upgrade to business class, I have to fly through Frankfurt. When I said I'd rather fly through Tokyo and Detroit to my home, they said they didn't fly that route. I congratulated them on being so quick. I actually don't like SIA but this flight was great. Their option for me is to spend S$3,161 to fly to JFK and drive to Baltimore or I could take NW (or Continental or United) and spend S$2,800 and arrive without the drive. With these options, I can save money, have bigger seats, fewer movie options, trade cute but blur and snobby flight attendants for older, surly but safe ones as well as saving myself the drive and cost of renting at NY rates. hmmmmmm...... tough choice? Nah. BTW, at current rates, a full non-stop return flight to EWR gives them S$1,100,000 in the all business class configuration. In the mixed configuration, the capacity revenue is S$984,800. Almost every time I flew the flight, it was full in both classes but quite a number of people used frequent flyer miles to upgrade to business class. I think they will have trouble filling the new plane. But they do have one clear business advantage in doing this. They didn't say but the prices are going up S$1,000 for the C class seats. It's a little hard to raise economy seat prices like that without losing customers. They lost me though. I also used them around the region because of the Kris Flyer program but if I'm not flying them to the US, I will drop that too.

yaaaaawn

And now, thanks to this one dive and one single incident, the perception is reinforced in millions of peoples' minds and introduced to millions of others. Thank you Jim (and those that go on these trips). I can hear the shark finners out my window now, laughing all the way to the bank. Regarding Ila's comment, you may think that bringing the food to a shark is a nice or benevolent gesture but I really believe the shark isn't thinking "oh, how nice. this guy must be my friend. I should play with him gently as a reward." Then again, maybe the shark is more intelligent than anyone knows and it is training you.

Andi, Drew, John - I don't want all diving in Bahamas to be stopped. I just don't like the idea of feeding / baiting. I think divers would still go here without the shark attracting dives and that would still keep the finners at bay.

But that's my point (at least part of it). I think shark feeding IS detrimental to sharks. It's no where near as bad as shark finning (which I also speak out against) but I reckon that shark feeding, baiting, chumming DOES lead to more shark bites - no matter how many or few - than if the practice was stopped. Andthose "accidents" definitely lead to BIG news stories - whether that's right or wrong - and those stories make the average guy on the street feel less of a need to protect sharks and they also give the finners another piece of ammunition to say "we are doing everyone a favor". Protect the sharks. Don't feed them unless an emaciated one shows up on your doorstep and begs for food. Don't bait them because predators hate to be teased. BTW, I love sharks and want to keep them around for my grand kids to see. I would love to cuddle one but I personally know three people with serious scars having done that. I would love to treat one as a pet and feed one but I personally know a high school classmate who lost an arm doing that (on a "professional" shark feed in Florida back when it was legal). I would love to pet a shark. Come to think of it, I have. It was cool. I love to photograph them, swim with them, see them, etc. I just don't see a need tease or feed them just so I can selfishly see more of them, thus putting their future in further peril. LET THEM LIVE!!!

Sorry, I know it looks like I am picking on you but.... Actually, I am not too keen on anyone dumping scraps from boats either. It's just that I didn't realize that there where commercial fishermen on the forum. This is for them: HEY, KNOCK IT OFF!!! The sharks smell the chum and take that as a signal to come over to play cards or catch a movie??? No wonder I have trouble making friends. I only offer them beer. True. But when they smell an easy meal and come over to socialize, don't you think they expect at least a snack?

chum for sharks. sharks arrive. sharks bite a diver. actually, I think it's happened before. I could have foretold it. I may not have been able to say which day, location and victim but I'm not a fortune teller. Just a guy with a little common sense and a healthy respect for nature. BTW, I'm not a "Jaws fearing" diver. I swim towards sharks when I see them but, sadly, those occasions are getting less frequent. With stories like this coming out, I also fear the frequency of sightings will be further reduced.

I don't usually mind anyone doing whatever they durn well please but I do draw the line when someone does something that reasonably can effect me. If someone wants to take the risk to sky dive, if something goes wrong, about the only way that I could be effected is if that person landed on my head. I'm not worried about that. If someone is baiting, feeding, chumming for, etc. sharks, there are several ways I am effected. That's why I don't like anyone doing it. I don't want a wild and potentially dangerous animal being taught that I may have some food for it with me. I don't want the media telling stories like this one and getting anyone less sympathetic to sharks. I don't want the shark-finners to have another reasons to say they are doing the world a favor. I love sharks too but I want to safely see and photograph them for the next 50 years. The fact that some people are getting lovely close up shots of lots of them only bothers me because some of them are making it harder for me to do what I want.