T0 THE NEW YORK TIMES 7/16/06

Thank you for quoting me in 'Cry Me an Upgrade' on the best way to get what you want from flight attendants.

Here's why I don't recommend using crocodile tears to obtain an upgrade. While airline workers are checking you in or serving you a drink, they are also sussing you out for safety's sake. If you cry for a better seat, an airline employee might suspect mental instability and conclude that it would be best for you not to fly.

Since 9-11, there's very little leeway on what the airlines consider "irregular" behavior. On top of this, there are now 70,000 fewer airline employees than in 2002 and they are handling up to 100 million more passengers than in 2002 (NY Times, 5-21-06, "Rough Summer Is on the Way for Air Travel").

Today smart travelers tone down their demands to stressed flight attendants who privately weep from lost pensions and exhaustion.

Rather than pine for an upgrade, perhaps pray for an uneventful flight—no delay, no shoe bomber, no turbulence, no toxic smoke in the cabin, no fuselage crack, no ditching, no mid-air mishap, no excessive radiation from a solar flare.

Hooray for uneventful flights that land relatively on time.

Diana Fairechild, Author Jet Smarter and www.Flyana.com