T O D A Y Is Prague overrun with tourists? Talk it over in Table Talk's Wanderlust area. Road Warrior Jerry Yang (11/24/97) Tip of the Week Win a trip to Korea (11/24/97) R E C E N T L Y Surreal Gourmet By Bob Blumer A turkey chicken's Thanksgiving recipe (11/21/97) Crossing Mongolia By Amanda Jones Of gersand grit on the first recorded four-wheel expedition through the Gobi Desert to Lake Hovsgol (11/20/97) Gypsies of Spain By Curt Hopkins Scenes from a passionate stay in Granada (11/19/97) From Python to Pacific By Don George Former Monty Python star Michael Palin discusses his new PBS series and book, "Full Circle" (11/18/97) Full Circle By Michael Palin An excerpt that traces five days in his 245-day odyssey (11/18/97) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Wanderlust archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Your virtual travel agency - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -		I N F O R M E D_S O U R C E S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - First-class seat, second-class service Last week's letter from a woman executive complaining about discriminatory treatment in the first-class section of an airline apparently struck a chord: Numerous readers -- men as well as women -- wrote to agree that sexist service is a problem on many airlines. Below are three of the letters we received. Because of the interest this topic evoked, we're going to investigate it further. Look for a more extensive report in an upcoming Road Warrior. And if you have a tale or observation about onboard sexism that you'd like to send our way, please e-mail it to wanderlust@salonmagazine.com. But first let's take a look at this week's query: I've started to encounter a problem in hotels with phone billing, and I'm wondering whether it's a widespread problem. When I make a long-distance call, the phone companies bill me even when I am not connected. I usually call home every evening when traveling, but I hang up before my voice mail ever picks up the call. However, these calls are always on my bill when I check out of the hotel. The automated billing equipment kicks in, so I'm told, as soon as you dial a number. And nothing can be done except to go through your bill and have those calls removed when you check out. While the hotel staff has always removed these charges once I've asked them to, I find it irritating that in this day and age of modern technology the software can't actually tell whether someone picked up the phone or not. If I'm pressed for time when checking out I don't really want the hassle of verifying all my calls. Any advice? -- GUENTHER KRUEGER Is there an easier way to avoid getting billed for phone calls that never connect? Send your answers to wanderlust@salonmagazine.com. We'll pass them along next week! Last week's query: I would like to address the subject of sexism on major airlines. I fly a great deal; my usual business trip takes me from Atlanta to New York and back, usually on the same day. Because I am an officer in my company, I fly first class. As a female, I am usually in the minority in the first class section of the plane. In the past three years, I have encountered the rudest, most blatantly hostile treatment from, ironically, female flight attendants. I have been asked to show my seat assignment, while the men around me are asked what they would like to drink. I have been told to put my coat in the overhead compartment while my male counterpart's coat is hung up. On one particular occasion, while returning from a Metropolitan Museum meeting lugging four portfolios, I asked the flight attendant for a hand -- she refused and simply stared at me in utter disgust. I have heard similar stories from my colleagues and friends. Is this common? What action, if any, do readers recommend? Thanks for the vent. -- ELIZABETH O'DOWD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I read Elizabeth O'Dowd's article on second-class service with unfortunate recognition. I am not as frequent a flier as Ms. O'Dowd, but I have been treated with rude indifference. Although this was by the female staff, that may be because the flights I have taken have a far greater number of female flight attendants. I have noticed that the men traveling around me get served faster and more often. In first class, I even had to ask for a meal while my fellow male travelers were given meals and plied with drinks. Any request, even for things given to male counterparts, is met with animosity. Since I am younger than most of the air crew, I sometimes take this as resentment. I do not demand much from the staff -- I usually mind my own business by reading a magazine. However, I demand to be treated in a professional and equal manner. I'm not an air warrior but I usually take four or five flights a year. Since most of my flights are international, my solution is to take a foreign airline when I can. I find British Airways to be far more open to female travelers and I feel I can be assured of professional service on BA. Until airlines change their attitudes toward female passengers, many of us will make our travel plans accordingly. -- AMY FLYNN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I am so happy to see this topic raised! As a female professional working in financial services, I sometimes travel internationally using first- and business-class services. Female cabin crew members on the major U.S. carriers are, almost without fail, incredibly neglectful, if not downright hostile and rude, toward me, particularly in comparison to the way they absolutely fawn over the male passengers. I am a fairly low-maintenance traveler and do not require much solicitude, nor am I difficult to satisfy with the normal amount of attention and courtesy; for me it's mostly a game to observe the myriad of ways in which women passengers in the "upper classes" are slighted by their "sisters." I should add that this behavior was never a problem with Virgin, Singapore, Cathay or British Air, but was REGULAR at the hands of United and sometimes Continental. I am not carrying on a vendetta against United -- I actually have a family member who is a United flight attendant, which is all the more reason to regret the bad experiences I've had. -- KATHERINE JOYCE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In regard to Elizabeth O'Dowd's complaint, I recommend taking names and writing very specific letters to management, detailing exactly what happened. Stay calm and polite as you request the flight attendant's name -- and let her see you writing it down. You'll be amazed how many will turn sweet-as-mother's-love in hopes you'll decide not to write something that can be inserted in their master file. Good luck. -- CASEY ELLIS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SALON | Nov. 24, 1997 Return to Jerry Yang, road warrior