Emirates in talks with AA

[General Lee]

I understand what trolling is. I just don't see how an EK pilot posting about a possible AA tie up is offensive or provocative? This board is designed for airline news, speculation, and rumors.

Qantas has already been helped immensely by the EK agreement. It might be just what AA needs to compete effectively against UAL/DAL. EK would provide AA with service to India, Africa and could fill in your pacific gap by eventually operating Japan, Thailand, and Phil to the USA.

So why are you angry again?

Wow, you assume a lot. Why would the Japanese, Thai, and Philippine Govts allow unrestricted access or open sky's to EK when it could hurt their own national airlines? And again, AA uses BA for connections to Africa. Going all the way to DXB and then back tracking to Africa takes longer. If someone wants to go to somewhere way out there, like to Conakry, then maybe. But to big cities like Nairobi or Joberg, not a chance.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Green]

Uhhhhhh, has anyone EVER thought BOS to Birmingham would work? Can you come up with a reason? Why wouldn't BA start that route? Google says Birmingham to London is 118 miles, or 2 hours 40 min by car. Are you sure it is more convenient? Not for people living in London. Only UAL flies from Birmingham to the US. AA tried it to JFK, and it failed. But, that great brand will obviously make it a hit..... We'll see about that, but to BOS? Whaaaaat?

Emirates used to do more 40 min legs, especially between other cities within the region, like Bahrain and Kuwait City. Lately, they cut that way back, adding FlyDubai 737-800s to do many of them. They figured it out, big planes cost a lot to do shorthaul. Both Qatari and Etihad have A320s doing those same type routes.

Maybe they need a consult. You obviously do, and you're welcome.



Bye Bye---General Lee

Apparently nobody has thought of it until now.

I certainly don't claim to know everything and I might have been wrong once or twice but this is what I think the EK commercial department has been looking at.

The Boston area has one of the largest Indian populations in the US. A quick online search shows that about 20% of Birmingham's population identifies as Asian descent (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or 'other') and according to Wikipedia Boston has the tenth largest Indian population in the US. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Emirates flies more indians and those of Indian descent than any other carrier. The brand has huge value in india and the UK. So I bet if they open the route it will fill up quickly. Sort of a "build it and they will come."

I just checked EK timetables. Six flights per day to Doha, five to Kuwait, and three to Bah. I think the fall off in Bahrain is largely due to that city becoming a conflict zone. Traffic inevitably falls off. I'm not sure if that constitutes a major pullback. I can't remember what Kuwait used to have but 5 wide bodies per day is high frequency. EK is struggling from a lack of planes. Often they shift planes and reduce frequency to free up aircraft for new routes.

Do you ever get tired of running your mouth on things you don't really understand? I would love to watch you have a sit down with an EK executive and listen to you explain how they are doing it all wrong.

 

[Flyer1015]

Huh? You fly for a "loco"--- a "Low Cost" airline. That is the term everyone uses on PPRUNE and in Europe (you don't go there).

I see. I do go to Europe, but on my own accord and to whichever cities I please. My last time around was a Frankfurt/Zurich/Paris trip.

Anyway, your friends in the Sandpit may love it there, but that place does not have the protections that our Constitution has, and in most countries rape victims don't go to jail for adultery. Sorry, but hearing that made me sick. Hope nothing ever goes wrong for your friends, but that whole area "ain't fair." Nope. No thanks. You go out there and enjoy Pakistan turns at night

Our constitution is being violated by the corrupt politicians as is. Stop and frisk = direct violation of the 4th amendment. The NSA spying on just about everything we do, phone calls, internet, you name it. Keeping illegal recordings and records without warrants! Most of our freedoms have been farmed out since 9/11 under the guise of safety in the so called Patriot Act. I just call it the consitution shredder. Two kid run amok in Boston with homemade bombs, and the entire city goes under a lockdown. The city of Watertown had the 4th amendment trampeled as police drew out families from their homes without warrants, house by house in 2 neighborhoods. I'm far more worried about our constitutional rights being violated and shredded here at home than some "moral" based law in Dubai.

it may be your only chance to ever fly a widebody. Good luck!

Why do you assume everyone wants to fly a widebody? I really don't care. In fact, with an infant anything more than 3 days is too much for me. Currently I do 2 day trips and therefore get to see my infant every day. A 14 day 747 trip out of DTW to NRT and beyond? No thanks. I want to see my child grow especially in this critical stage. These days I do one trans con leg to a layover, and then one leg back the next day and days off. Sometimes 2 legs if it goes through LAX, but the concept is the same.

 

[Green]

Wow, you assume a lot. Why would the Japanese, Thai, and Philippine Govts allow unrestricted access or open sky's to EK when it could hurt their own national airlines? And again, AA uses BA for connections to Africa. Going all the way to DXB and then back tracking to Africa takes longer. If someone wants to go to somewhere way out there, like to Conakry, then maybe. But to big cities like Nairobi or Joberg, not a chance.


Bye Bye---General Lee

“The open skies arrangement that the U.A.E. has with the U.S. allows us to take passengers on a fifth-freedom basis from the west coast and central points in the U.S. to points in Asia,” he said. “On the other side of the equation we have open skies with Singapore, Thailand and certain points in Japan.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...premacy-with-a380s-flying-asia-us-routes.html

I think you worked hard to get yourself to Delta and things didn't turned out as you planned. Instead of the glorious career you were expecting you ended up with more than 10 years of stagnation, struggle, and bankruptcy wages. Now Delta is finally pulling itself out of the rut and you find yourself past your prime without the golden pension and flying around a cattle car. You're not as rich or happy as you should have been given your employment with Delta.

It sucks and it's not fair. I agree. Total BS what's happened to the profession in the US.

Then you see a SWA CA making 300k+/year or a 35 year old Emirates 777CA heading to Mauritius for a layover with 17 international cabin crew in their 20's and it drives you crazy. That should have been you since you work for Delta dammit. So you have to go on and on about lubbock (sp?) layovers or how bad dubai is to make yourself feel better.

But as you said in another thread at least you get to enjoy your sundae as you fly across the Atlantic. Does granny put nuts on top for you and tell you about the Convair days? I'm sure everyone is burning with envy.

 

[Furloughed80]

Green,

Seriously, read the first two posts. You don't think they were written specifically to 'push buttons'. Maybe aimed at a specific user? How do you think AA pilots would feel if a significant portion of their widebody flying was 'operated by Emirates'. I honestly think this is wild speculation. The legacies are very profitable right now. I think many 'yanks' are hitting the 7-8 year mark at EK and would like to leave the sandpit. However, they don't want to start from scratch at a legacy. So instead, they dream of US domiciles at EK or EK taking over a portion of a US legacy's widebody international flying. It is wishful thinking...

 

[Green]

Furloughed80

I guess I read it differently. I was thinking they were envisioning AA codesharing with EK on the DXB-DFW, DxB-JFK, DXB-ORD(future), DXB-MIA(future), etc. Then Emirates can bring Indians in to the states and AA would move them where they need to go. Of course the reverse would apply as well. AA would be able to offer flights from anywhere in the states to Hyderabad for example. Potentially there would be some Pacific tie up as well. I don't think anybody expects EK to takeover Americans' current route structure or offer pilot bases in DFW. It would be a growth thing for both sides.

I have flown with quite a few Americans. I think the majority are sticking around. Not much to go back to these days. But I have flown with a few guys who are looking for a job back home. They have some money saved up and want to go relax stateside.

 

[8sugarsugar]

“

I think you worked hard to get yourself to Delta and things didn't turned out as you planned. Instead of the glorious career you were expecting you ended up with more than 10 years of stagnation, struggle, and bankruptcy wages. Now Delta is finally pulling itself out of the rut and you find yourself past your prime without the golden pension and flying around a cattle car. You're not as rich or happy as you should have been given your employment with Delta.

It sucks and it's not fair. I agree. Total BS what's happened to the profession in the US.

Then you see a SWA CA making 300k+/year or a 35 year old Emirates 777CA heading to Mauritius for a layover with 17 international cabin crew in their 20's and it drives you crazy. That should have been you since you work for Delta dammit. So you have to go on and on about lubbock (sp?) layovers or how bad dubai is to make yourself feel better.

But as you said in another thread at least you get to enjoy your sundae as you fly across the Atlantic. Does granny put nuts on top for you and tell you about the Convair days? I'm sure everyone is burning with envy.

the best psychological profile of General Lee to date.

 

[Flopgut]

What happens when the Emir is no longer amused with airlines...

 

[General Lee]

“The open skies arrangement that the U.A.E. has with the U.S. allows us to take passengers on a fifth-freedom basis from the west coast and central points in the U.S. to points in Asia,” he said. “On the other side of the equation we have open skies with Singapore, Thailand and certain points in Japan.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...premacy-with-a380s-flying-asia-us-routes.html

I think you worked hard to get yourself to Delta and things didn't turned out as you planned. Instead of the glorious career you were expecting you ended up with more than 10 years of stagnation, struggle, and bankruptcy wages. Now Delta is finally pulling itself out of the rut and you find yourself past your prime without the golden pension and flying around a cattle car. You're not as rich or happy as you should have been given your employment with Delta.

It sucks and it's not fair. I agree. Total BS what's happened to the profession in the US.

Then you see a SWA CA making 300k+/year or a 35 year old Emirates 777CA heading to Mauritius for a layover with 17 international cabin crew in their 20's and it drives you crazy. That should have been you since you work for Delta dammit. So you have to go on and on about lubbock (sp?) layovers or how bad dubai is to make yourself feel better.

But as you said in another thread at least you get to enjoy your sundae as you fly across the Atlantic. Does granny put nuts on top for you and tell you about the Convair days? I'm sure everyone is burning with envy.

Funny stuff Green. I see it differently. Emirates may have openskies with those countries, but larger cities like Tokyo, and London on the European side, will not grant slots to EK, due to protectionism of their own national airlines. So, what will your airline do? Pick far flung city pairs (BOS to Birmingham??) and hope it sticks. BOS would probably love to have your business, even it is not full. What about Asia to the US? Unless it is a 3am arrival into LAX, good luck getting gates at popular arrival times. Gate space and landing slots will keep your expansion small at the largest airports, around the World.


Not a accurate profile about me or Delta. Delta has done great since the merge with NWA. Profits are way up,(including profit sharing)the integration went well, new contract with higher pay, upgrades are starting again with new planes coming, etc. Not nearly as bad as you state. How about Emirates? People on PPRUNE seem to disagree with you. Direct Entry Captains stifle FO upgrades. Housing contracts not the same as before. I could easily post a thread from there and list all of the complaints, but that would take up too much space. To top it off, the traffic is horrible including the drivers over there, and those pesky laws are always there to bite you. Throw in unbelievable heat and humidity most of the year, and it honestly sounds terrible. Expats from all over are waiting for better opportunities back home, and 15,000 retirements in the States over the next decade won't help you. But, you will have an influx of Indian pilots from Jet Airways and Spicejet who will gladly throw gear for you to Conakry. Enjoy that Green!


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[doh]

How's the economy currently in India? Not great. How about the instability in the ME itself? Not good. Does AA currently fly JFK to Milan MXP? I think your thought process leaves out big gaps. What did AC do with Etihad, again? Did Canada allow extra flights? Nope. They will codeshare through LHR, and a lot of the AC traffic from Canada to LHR has O&D traffic, not as many onward connections to Abu Dhabi and onward. What you also don't want to see is the European Airlines dislike of your Sandpit hub, and it's affect on their own profits. I see that as a hindrance to your global reach. They will do what they have to make sure they protect their marketshare, and using political influence from their elected leaders has already helped in some countries. It won't get easier. Buy up Indian airlines if you can, but infrastructure problems at those major Indian airports may last for another decade. You should know that fv, you do night turns to India and Pakistan all the time.

Bye Bye---General Lee

Personally, I hope no one hooks up with islamists. But current economic conditions aren't going to be a hindrance. When the economy is in the tank, you can get in cheaper. Someone will hook up with them...unfortunately...?

 

[General Lee]

I see. I do go to Europe, but on my own accord and to whichever cities I please. My last time around was a Frankfurt/Zurich/Paris trip.



Our constitution is being violated by the corrupt politicians as is. Stop and frisk = direct violation of the 4th amendment. The NSA spying on just about everything we do, phone calls, internet, you name it. Keeping illegal recordings and records without warrants! Most of our freedoms have been farmed out since 9/11 under the guise of safety in the so called Patriot Act. I just call it the consitution shredder. Two kid run amok in Boston with homemade bombs, and the entire city goes under a lockdown. The city of Watertown had the 4th amendment trampeled as police drew out families from their homes without warrants, house by house in 2 neighborhoods. I'm far more worried about our constitutional rights being violated and shredded here at home than some "moral" based law in Dubai.



Why do you assume everyone wants to fly a widebody? I really don't care. In fact, with an infant anything more than 3 days is too much for me. Currently I do 2 day trips and therefore get to see my infant every day. A 14 day 747 trip out of DTW to NRT and beyond? No thanks. I want to see my child grow especially in this critical stage. These days I do one trans con leg to a layover, and then one leg back the next day and days off. Sometimes 2 legs if it goes through LAX, but the concept is the same.

Wait, you took an infant to Frankfurt/Zurich/Paris? Why would you do that? Oh, you left your wife/girlfriend and infant home and went there on your own? Or, did you leave your wife/girlfriend who was pregnant and ready to burst while you went alone to those cities? Otherwise, it's been awhile for you.... Tell us about your highschool trip with classmates to Guatemala. That doesn't count either.

Now that you are a dad, being home a lot is important. But another thing is making enough money to support that kid and others that may follow. Your own retirement is important, and get a 529 started for the kid. All of that will be tough if you stay at your loco. That is where you may run into trouble.

14 day Asia trips do sound rough, but have you ever seen the guys that do it? They are all older, even the FOs. Why is that? It's incredibly senior, for a reason. 14 days on at the beginning of the month, and 14 days on at the end of the next month, means 36 days off in a row. If you want to know your kids, spending everyday for a month at a time will allow that, especially during football or baseball season when you want to be there for them. If you can't take that, then 744 guys can easily bid down to other categories and be even more senior, doing day turns to San Juan or three day trips to Europe worth 20 plus hours each. It's variety and the option to do multiple things. 777 guys can do 3 day trips from DTW to Shanghai or Seoul, worth about 28 hours each. That's 3 3 day trips spread over a month. Could you handle that? Not that bad.

And you really can't compare laws in the US and the ME. Don't even try it. After getting attacked from radicals from within, the govt has to do what is best to protect us. The people in Watertown probably understood that crazies were surrounding them, and most probably were safer in their homes while a search was going on. You must have missed the part about the two brothers opening fire in the middle of the street at police. It appears you may have missed a lot.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Flyer1015]

Wait, you took an infant to Frankfurt/Zurich/Paris? Why would you do that? Oh, you left your wife/girlfriend and infant home and went there on your own? Or, did you leave your wife/girlfriend who was pregnant and ready to burst while you went alone to those cities? Otherwise, it's been awhile for you.... Tell us about your highschool trip with classmates to Guatemala. That doesn't count either.

I took a pregnant wife to Frankfurt on an A380 Lufthansa flight, and returned via Lufthansa from Paris through Frankfurt on the way back. ZED Medium fare standby tickets. And yes we've travelled with our infant within the United States. I haven't done international but I could do that too since our baby is a great traveller (hardly cries).

Now that you are a dad, being home a lot is important. But another thing is making enough money to support that kid and others that may follow. Your own retirement is important, and get a 529 started for the kid. All of that will be tough if you stay at your loco. That is where you may run into trouble.

I already have his 529 set up, and have a Roth IRA plus the 401K from 2 companies. At my age, I've ahead of the retirement game in terms of where I should be at.

14 day Asia trips do sound rough, but have you ever seen the guys that do it? They are all older, even the FOs. Why is that? It's incredibly senior, for a reason. 14 days on at the beginning of the month, and 14 days on at the end of the next month, means 36 days off in a row.

I worked at a 747 cargo outfit, they had 16 day trips and 14 off. They had the same thing, 14 off at the end of this month and 14 off at beginning of next month meant 28 days off. That worked against them too, 16 days of work end of this month followed by 16 days of work beginning of next month meant they wouldn't be home for 30+ days. As I said before, in my current life situation anything more than 3 days hurts me too much.

If you want to know your kids, spending everyday for a month at a time will allow that, especially during football or baseball season when you want to be there for them. If you can't take that, then 744 guys can easily bid down to other categories and be even more senior, doing day turns to San Juan or three day trips to Europe worth 20 plus hours each. It's variety and the option to do multiple things. 777 guys can do 3 day trips from DTW to Shanghai or Seoul, worth about 28 hours each. That's 3 3 day trips spread over a month. Could you handle that? Not that bad.

How senior are those 777 guys again? You make it sound like those hired at Delta will be going to Japan and Europe right away. The reality is you'll be reserve on the 717 in ATL or JFK. I have two friends at Delta hired in 2010, both NYC7ERB and they are talking like they are about to be displaced out of that seat into a lower paying equipment. I guess that's to be expected when 757s get parked and replaced by lower paying 739s. Who knows what the future holds, but right now I'm ok with my life situation. I'm not on reserve (huge plus), have good QOL, and see my family every day. You need to realize that not everybody is salivating over the chance to fly a widebody.

And you really can't compare laws in the US and the ME. Don't even try it. After getting attacked from radicals from within, the govt has to do what is best to protect us. The people in Watertown probably understood that crazies were surrounding them, and most probably were safer in their homes while a search was going on. You must have missed the part about the two brothers opening fire in the middle of the street at police. It appears you may have missed a lot.

"The govt has to do what is best to protect us." Yeah right. That's how it starts, that's how it always starts. The crazies surrounding them? My house is well defended and ready for any crazy teen that might try and find his way in. The real problem are the crazies in DC who have no clue how to run anything, who continue printing money like no tomorrow, ready to engage in another war (yet again), with no control on fiscal spending, all the while handing out "free" money to the less priviledged people (or so we are to believe).

 

[dicko]

What happens when the Emir is no longer amused with airlines...

What a ridiculous comment;

Are you implying that the Emir plays with airlines in the same way you play with your Smisek doll collection ? You may now return to burning the little Southwest jets on your Lego model of Hobby Airport.

 

[Green]

Good come back General. Just an FYI upgrades are still running at apprx 4 years even with the DECs. Not bad for a 777 left seat. Housing allowance has not changed. Still 44k/year for FOs and 49k/year for captains. Pilots from all companies complain on pprune. Pilots always complain. It's what we do.

I will agree to disagree on the future expansion. I think emirates is going to continue to spread like wildfire. The driving in Dubai is terrible. That's the best you've got? Lol. Ok. Fair enough. Lots of bad drivers in Dubai. Be warned. I hear there's lots of unstable kids with weapons in the states. Maybe that's a good reason not to work for delta.

 

[General Lee]

Flyer1015,

First off, nobody who pays for tickets likes seeing infants on a plane, especially nonrevving. If the baby is a great flyer, that's fantastic, but doing European tours with young kids is a bit nuts. Seeing grandparents in Frankfurt, that may be ok. Taking the baby to FRA, ZRH, and CDG? That is absolutely crazy.


Second, your friends at Delta who were hired in 2010 fear being bumped. Hmmm. They are already holding a widebody as a 2010 hire. That already is an amazing feet for a US pilot. Most of their peers at DL are still on MD88s or 320s. I think they believe the parking of some 757s may displace them to a plane "they probably should have been on anyway since they were 2010 hires...." Are they fearing less pay? They are jumping up in pay each calendar year anyway for longevity, so if they do get bumped to the 737-800/900ER, which pays $5 less per hour, they will make it up easily with the next yearly longevity raise. No biggie, and after 9-11 DL dumped all the L1011s, 767-200s, 727s, and 737-200s. You think there was some pain back then? Rumor has it though that some of those 757s that were destined to be parked may infact get overhauls instead and stick around longer. That may save them from the "horrible 739ER" that pays a bit less...

So, you were at a 747 operation before VA, and after PNCL? I'm guessing a cargo outfit that didn't have the best trips... If they did, you would have stayed. Not all DL longhaul trips are 12 day trips, many are 9, 10, 11, or 12. Some are 6 and 7 day trips. IOW, it varies. Senior guys who only want one commute go for the longer ones, but they certainly can pick 2 6 day trips too. It's called options. They can even bid domestic trips including turns on the 7ER fleet. You can do a mixture of both if you want. That's good. And with almost half the pilot group retiring within the next decade, many people will be doing Europe or Asia faster. Heck, your two friends in NYC on the 7ER already have flown to Europe, and they were 2010 hires....


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Flopgut]

What a ridiculous comment;

Are you implying that the Emir plays with airlines in the same way you play with your Smisek doll collection ? You may now return to burning the little Southwest jets on your Lego model of Hobby Airport.

Ok, good luck.

 

[Flyer1015]

Flyer1015,

First off, nobody who pays for tickets likes seeing infants on a plane, especially nonrevving. If the baby is a great flyer, that's fantastic, but doing European tours with young kids is a bit nuts. Seeing grandparents in Frankfurt, that may be ok. Taking the baby to FRA, ZRH, and CDG? That is absolutely crazy.

"Like seeing"? There's a lotta stuff I don't like seeing either. It's called too bad. I'm not going to limit myself and family because of what certain people don't like. So far I've been buying the wife/baby a ticket (BIA free in arms) and we haven't done Europe yet with the baby. But I can see myself doing it next year.

Second, your friends at Delta who were hired in 2010 fear being bumped. Hmmm. They are already holding a widebody as a 2010 hire. That already is an amazing feet for a US pilot. Most of their peers at DL are still on MD88s or 320s. I think they believe the parking of some 757s may displace them to a plane "they probably should have been on anyway since they were 2010 hires...." Are they fearing less pay? They are jumping up in pay each calendar year anyway for longevity, so if they do get bumped to the 737-800/900ER, which pays $5 less per hour, they will make it up easily with the next yearly longevity raise. No biggie, and after 9-11 DL dumped all the L1011s, 767-200s, 727s, and 737-200s. You think there was some pain back then? Rumor has it though that some of those 757s that were destined to be parked may infact get overhauls instead and stick around longer. That may save them from the "horrible 739ER" that pays a bit less...

I know a couple 2010 DOH A320 Captains. That's a pretty good feat too. But seriously, all that's a moot point. You cannot proclaim that Delta is the perfect end-all solution for every pilot out there. If you indeed are real Delta pilot (and I have my doubts) then good for you. Stop putting others down constantly with a barrage of personal attacks and pay remarks. No one cares.

So, you were at a 747 operation before VA, and after PNCL? I'm guessing a cargo outfit that didn't have the best trips... If they did, you would have stayed. Not all DL longhaul trips are 12 day trips, many are 9, 10, 11, or 12. Some are 6 and 7 day trips. IOW, it varies. Senior guys who only want one commute go for the longer ones, but they certainly can pick 2 6 day trips too. It's called options. They can even bid domestic trips including turns on the 7ER fleet. You can do a mixture of both if you want. That's good. And with almost half the pilot group retiring within the next decade, many people will be doing Europe or Asia faster. Heck, your two friends in NYC on the 7ER already have flown to Europe, and they were 2010 hires....


Bye Bye---General Lee

Before 9E and in a non-flying role. I never implied I was a pilot there, but I did work in a scheduling role so I knew what the pilots did. As you stated, Delta has 6-12+ day trips and for me right now, that's too long. I really don't care about physically operating a plane into Europe either. I've non-revved many times over and gotten to experience many cities across the big pond. Next on my plate are the Scandinavian countries since I haven't done that yet.

 

[fareview]

Poor little FO G.L.,

You can see from his response on 2010 FOs on the B767 that he is hyper sensitive to fuselage width, destinations & rank.

You can feel his envious frustration with this as he will NEVER be a Captain on the B777 or any other wide body for that matter - that he holds so dear.

Still he can take the Mad Dog to Akron for his kicks in a few years time

Poor little FO G.L. ..that's what FA Lucille Ball and her mates probably thinks as he heads out to dinner as the junior boy with the old dolls...

GL...stick to the stuff you know ...like complying with the skippers instructions.

Mind you I did think the 767 was a nice little jet back in its heyday of the disco years....poor little FO G.L.

fv
(Speaking in his language from now on)

 

[8sugarsugar]

I have an image of "private pipsqueak" being this 40 year old flight simmer in his mom's basement.

 

[711-24-7]

Is that supposed to be funny? (You misspelled it, of course) Your airline has 3 daily flights to Hyderabad, an A345, a 772, and an A332. And, I really don't think it is LOVED by Western Tourists..... Riiiight. Goa, maybe. Hyderabad, doubtful.



Bye Bye---General Lee

Nope, not trying to be funny, i guess you havent spent enough time in India to see Western tourists everywhere (there is more to India then Goa, you wouldn't know since you only do Europe trips)...also just seeing how many times you'll take the bait just so you can have another post, besides is it tiring and time consuming to go thru all of the topics on the board to talk down to everybody? (No personal attacks on you, just a question, but I am sure as high and mighty you are on FI you'll prob will come back with a REALLY mature attack)