24 OCTOBER 1998, Page 32

Next time, Aeroflot

TRAVEL NOTE: an exciting new experi- ence is on offer from United Airlines. You arrive at the airport, check in, say goodbye to your luggage, and make your way to the gate. Then they won't let you get on the flight. It is full, so they say. You have a con- firmed reservation? That does not reserve you a seat. What else did they think you might want to reserve on this flight — a table for dinner? They will let you kick your heels at the gate for five hours and put you on the next one. When it at last arrives, your long-lost luggage does not arrive with it. Only teasing. It was on the flight you were bounced off, and they have it tucked away somewhere. If this is your idea of fun, by all means fly the joky skies of United, but next time I shall opt for a more reliable airline, like Aeroflot.