CHICAGO
 

What the f*** are we doing here in Lobotamy 26 miles from city. Sitting in Harry Carays about to commit Hari Kari.
You thought the Regal Suicide was remote?
That idiot The Third Floor Oxygen Thief has excelled himself this time. ' But there is a railway station only 15 mins hotel shuttle away. Yes ********. If you had bothered to go there you would see zero buildings ie. shelter. An open crossing with a platform. That's it. Train was 15 mins late. try that in mid- winter moron.

Get this: the half-wit negotiated a 10% whooping do discount on food ( Not alcohol because this is 'kin America and that's a bad bad thing) when the rest of the guests get a 15% discount card! Couldn't make it up. Promote him to DFO IMMEDIATELY. I believe there will be a vacancy soon. If you are depressed enough to want to eat in hotel( or stuck due to 35 kt minus 5 winds) then insist on a 15 % discount card and send the 10% card back to you know who in the blue bag. Make sure you have made a dirty protest on it before you seal the envelope available only at reception as no stationery in room.

POSITIVE STUFF: People GREAT. Especially Ang and Gia in the Brick House. The Green Door in town is only remaining wooden building after
Great fire(quick rebuild). Al Capone's old hangout. Buddy guys ex jazz. Andy's good but 20 bucks cover. For the really adventurous a bit NE city centre is EXIT. A heavy metal place where the goth girls take off their tops and dance around a pole in the bar area: with luck you will observe the Dykes getting down and dirty. awesome as they say here. The Oak Brook Taxi guy will pick you up prov you text 45 mins advance and whisk you to safetyat 4 am.

Closer to home within shuttle range is Downers Grove Irish bar with real good music in proper pub setting thur thro sat. Try RITAs burlesque and report back! Closed Monday.
Oh. Half price wine Hari Kari ( aka Slashers II) on Tuesdays.

Pip Pip

Fun
 

Sounds like a really, uh, fun layover. :rolleyes:

Fun in ORD? - go to

'Howl at the Moon'
26 West Hubbard Street

Two live pianists + band playing a selction of crowd pleasers including on the spot requests from the audience. Pianists play off the cuff, no sheet music and plenty of crowd participation. So take a crew with you, better in a group.

Think there's a small cover chage Fri and Sat evenings but still worth it. The atmosphere is electric especially towards the latter part of the week. You'll need to get there relatively early tho to avoid disappointment.

Promise you - you won't be disapointed
All the best
CB :ok:

Jetsam
 

Hey, why don't you request the Freighter hotel in ORD. Very close to the train station - with a shelter. Rooms are all suites with stationary.
Close to Airport and McDonalds.:ugh:

The crew hotels of Cathay Pacofic are a disgrace and an insult, except two or three exceptions.

Everybody who is planning to join should be aware of the fact that in this company management thinks it is perfectly ok to put you in a Motel in Suburbia just to save a few bucks.

:yuk::yuk::yuk::yuk::yuk:

Haha, good one.

If you check your room bill which is placed under your door prior to check out, you will note that the room rate for assumed airline is 60 USD.

I think its not that bad. Decent restaurants within walking distance, a few shops to satisfy the wife's list and comfortable beds in quiet rooms. Sure, it isn't a party/hangover fest of a place but then again who needs that everywhere they fly?

When flying for Air France some years ago.. It was the Sofitel Watertower. Loverly location, incredible hotel. This !!!!! hotel thing seems a Swire thing.

geh,

are we living on the same planet? Is it you, DH ?

The hotel is a f@cking SH!THOLE !!!!

Oh, trust the bean counters to save a dollar here or there at our expense. My airline crew were staying down at Causeway Bay for almost thirty years. Then, a smart alec decided that, hey, we can save on transport AND hotel charges if we house the crew at Regal at the airport! The crew will love it there. They'll get crew discounts at the restaurants. Plus, you get a free ride to the city a day.

After much fist pounding, management said fine. If you don't like the noise at the airport, or the fact that the only view you get from your room is more airplanes, we'll put you at a nice quiet place. NORTHERN TERRITORIES!

Thank God the CAA decided to step in, and at least we're in Kowloon.

Oh, and someone saved a dollar a day per crew from our DFW hotel bill by making sure we do not get the complementary breakfast by the hotel. :ugh:

The NEW Northern Territories???
How did the CAA step in? On what grounds out of curiosity?

Ok, the CAA stepped in by saying that we should not be at the Regal Hotel. Based on the some literature about how we are psychologically 'not at rest' because we are still in the vicinity of our work place, being exposed to the sounds and sights of the airport and airplanes. Some psychologist may be able to explain better.

However, although the bean counters wanted us to go to the Northern Territories, some guys from the Flight Ops and the union tried out the hotel and they decided that the area is not fit for stay. Even the Flight Ops thought so. Really says something.

caNNOT req anything
 

One can't request a hotel old boy - not a holiday company and they don't listen to flight ops anyway.

They tried to boot the freighters out to Lombard too but the local manager refused to allow it. A cx manager with balls!

Nice having all the good places in town but we ain't there which is the point!

Jetsam don't give up. Every company whether aviation or commercial tries to penny pinch on staff hotel costs. With solidarity, persistence, rational argument or legal threats the staff can maintain a reasonable accommodation when travelling on company business.

As an example line staff used to demand that they received no less a standard than flight crew. We all had the same goal with a standard of what Lufthansa used to describe as "No less than you would take your spouse.".

By talking to other departments and combining resources and complaints you may well be able to provide a united front which may reduce overall company costs. Play the company ball, rather than the departmental one. It may work.

Although it's hardly an ideal location, I don't think there's much chance of changing the hotel, in my humble opinion.
Where else will they get a room for $60 USD?
Enough shopping, eating, drinking, and it's also only a 20 minute drive from the airport.
What will be our defence? It's hard to meet women? Unfortunately the company don't think like us.

At Christmas the hotel restaurant closed and 8pm on Christmas Eve. Room service also closed at 8pm. It was minus 5 degrees outside and anywhere within walking distance closed at 6pm in any case. To go to town by taxi is a $160 round trip.
Christmas day the hotel restaurant was closed all day, as was everything around the hotel.
Yes, GREAT crew hotel.:ugh: