Sunday, August 5, 2007
UPRIGHT AND LOCKED
Restroom? No Go.
Half an hour before a flight from Raleigh-Durham to Reagan National Airport, an American Airlines gate agent announced that the only restroom on the small plane was out of order and would be unavailable for the duration of the hour-long flight .
Passenger Amy Grulke of Fairfax asked CoGo: Can it be legal for a plane to depart with no working restroom?
"We have no rules regarding restrooms," said U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Mosley. He suggested that CoGo contact the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA does set water-quality standards for aircraft, spokesman Dale Kemery said. He promised to investigate whether the agency has any further involvement. Soon he called back. "We don't do toilets," he said, and suggested contacting the Federal Aviation Administration.
Not us , said FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette, who said that if there were a rule, it would be an EPA rule.
CoGo's advice: Hold it.
BIG WHEELSNew to New York
Last month another player joined the list of discount bus companies plying the Washington-to-New York route. DC2NY (202-332-2691, http://www.dc2ny.com), which bills itself as the "upscale bus," offers on-board wireless Internet and free water and soft drinks. The one-way walk-up fare on Washington Deluxe, Eastern and others is $20; DC2NY charges $5 more. Tickets for all can be booked through http://www.gotobus.com.
CoGo hopped a ride last week from the 20th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW departure point to the second pickup spot at 14th and I streets NW. The brand-new bus offered roomy seats throughout and laptop-ready tables in the back . (Seating is first-come, first-served, though employee Asi Ohana said the company would try to honor requests for table seating made at the time of reservation.)
For passenger Sarah Posey, who works for a title and escrow company, the company's free WiFi was key "because I'm working; I didn't have to take the day off." A glitch kept folks from logging on immediately, but when CoGo got back to the office, we received five e-mails sent from passengers reporting that the trip had gone well, with the bus pulling into New York near Penn Station about 4 1/2 hours after departur e. American University student Eric Tomlinson reported that there was no on-bus movie (the company's policy is to ask whether the majority wants to watch a movie or make a pit stop), but "luckily I have my laptop and wireless Internet to access my Netflix."
DC2NY is a new service with some kinks to work out, but so far, CoGo's a fan.
BALANCING ACTSSafety on Segways
Shortly after CoGo wrote about a new Web site for finding Segway tours around the world, reader Jean Hochron wrote to say that such tours are " potentially dangerous, both to life and limb as well as to your pocketbook."
On a City Segway Tours ride around downtown Washington this summer, Hochron said, she and two of her three friends fell and sustained minor but painful injuries . Moreover, Hochron was charged $500 because her Segway handlebar was cracked from her spill.
"I'm a 55-year-old woman; it's not like I was doing anything wild and crazy," Hochron said. In fact, she was going slower than 5 mph when she took the tumble.
As to the $500 charge, City Segway Tours manager Jack Louis said the handlebar had to be replaced, and that's the cost mentioned on the list of parts included in the damage liability form that riders sign. More than 32,000 riders have taken his tour since April 1, and "less than seven" were charged for damages, he said. In each case, they cracked a handlebar and were charged $500. Renting a Segway is "just like renting a car; you're responsible for damages," he said.
Louis couldn't provide statistics for injuries, but said that this season there has been "nothing really serious; just scrapes and things like that."
Carla Vallone of Segway Inc., the manufacturer, said riders should make sure tour operators train staff members and riders , provide helmets and have no more than eight riders per guide. Louis said City Segway adheres to those standards.
Hochron concluded: "It can be a fun thing to do, but not something I'd encourage."
BARGAIN OF THE WEEKHot Dog!
Fly from Dulles to Frankfurt this fall for $547 round trip, including taxes. Details: What's the Deal?, Page P3.
Reporting: Cindy Loose, Anne McDonough
Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to cogo@washpost.com. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.