[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Almost all coach passengers pay for headsets nowdays. Indeed I would consider a charge of $2 as a bargain! Even if you bring your own headset you will probably still be asked to pay the $2. If you dare to object, and you are travelling on AA, there is a reasonable chance the flight attendant will threaten you with arrest.

If it's not too late I would try to switch to Lufthansa ("LH")--even though there's a connection in Frankfurt. If it were me I would, gladly, pay the $150 - $200 change fee AA charges. If you're not starting your trip at an airport served by LH then you could use AA for transportation to the "gateway" airport. About 15 - 20 years ago AA lost the ability to relate to customers on any kind of a civilized basis. Indeed some AA flight attendants proudly refer to themselves as "Sky Nazis." If you have the money, make arrangements to have an attorney meet your flight in Delhi. AA has become the ultimate example of a police state at 30,000 feet.

If you are a Sikh I would consider the potential for being (illegally) thrown off the aircraft if you use AA or any other US-based carrier. Sadly, a lot of Americans are too ignorant to understand that we have a common adversary.

If travel on a US-based carrier is unavoidable Continental (non-stop Newark – Delhi) is probably the least of all the evils.

Stay tuned for the airline sympathizer rebuttal.