Flying
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Apparently it is horrible out there right now. Flew for the first time since 2020 last weekend and my very short round trip flight was perfect, but others are not having the same experience. Never travel on the day of a show.
Saw this. Probably not true but still worth sharing.
An award should go to the United Airlines gate agent in Denver for being smart and funny, and making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.
A crowded United flight was cancelled. A single agent was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.
Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS.”
The agent replied, “I’m sorry sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these folks first, and I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.” The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, “Do you have any idea who I am?”
Without hesitating, the gate agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. “May I have your attention please?” she began, her voice bellowing throughout the terminal. “We have a passenger here at the gate WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Gate 17.”
With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the United agent, gritted his teeth and swore “Fuck you.”
Without flinching, she smiled and said, “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to stand in line for that too.”
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
I haven't flown in five years
I haven't flown in five years
it's just shit
probably, hopefully, might not ever again
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Seems good to have in mind,
Seems good to have in mind, written by a Flight Attendant:
Flying this summer is ROUGH!!! I feel like as a Flight Attendant I should attempt to share some tips to get you through airline travel for the foreseeable future.
1. Things are not good..... if its less than 7 hours - DRIVE! I'm not kidding. There is nothing enjoyable about flying right now. On any airline. If you must fly, keep reading.
2. Download and use the app of the airline you are flying. You can do everything on it - get your boarding pass, track your bags, see your incoming plane, and change a flight. It sure beats waiting in the long line to talk to an agent! Trust me - Usually these apps will tell you a flight is cancelled before the crew even knows!
3. Fly MUCH earlier than you need to - a whole day early if its important!! This week I saw many people miss important things like weddings, funerals, cruises, international connections, and graduations. The tears were very real, for very real reasons, and there was nothing I could do! If you have to be somewhere, spend the extra money, go a day early. Have a glass of wine and stay in a hotel, enjoy your night not being stressed while everyone else misses their events.
4. ALWAYS fly the first flight in the morning so you have all day to be rebooked if the shit hits the fan. Yes, that means it might be a 3:00 alarm, but morning flights don't cancel nearly as often.
5. This is not unique to this year, but keep in mind summer is thunderstorm season. A single storm can shut down a whole airport. We can't fly through them. Storms usually build as the day gets later. Book early flights!
6. Schedule long layovers - Your 1 hour layover is NOT enough anymore. 30 minutes, not a chance. 3 hours minimum.
7. What you see on the news is an understatement. We are short staffed and overworked. Not just pilots and flight attendants, but also ground crews. Without ground crews there is no one to park the planes, drive jetways, get your bags on/off planes, or scan boarding passes. This causes many delays that snowball throughout the day. Sometimes HOURS.(Another reason morning flights are best!)
8. When flight crews get delayed we time out. We can NOT fly longer than 16 hours. Its illegal. So it doesn't matter if you have a wedding to get to, when we are done we are done. The way things are now, there are no back up crews, so when this happens your flight cancels. (Now you are starting to see why those morning flights are best!)
9. Avoid connecting in Newark (Or any New York airport for that matter). It is literal hell. You have a 50/50 chance your flight will cancel or missing your connection. They have been cancelling flights at their starting points just to keep the planes out, because there just aren't enough people to manage the planes, so the gates stay full. Also the restaurants are expensive, it is not a great place to be stuck.
10. Be nice. As stated above, we are overworked and tired. We will not help you if you are mean. No one cares that you are going to miss your cruise if you are an asshole. So even if we can help, we will save our help for someone nice. Tensions are high. Our patience is gone. If you make us mad - you will not be flying on our planes. We will leave you behind without a second thought, and laugh about you later.
11. Being drunk on an airplane is a federal offense, so don't overdo it. If you drink too much at the bar waiting for your delayed flight you risk not being allowed to fly at all. We are too tired to deal with your drunk ass when we have legitimate issues to deal with.
12. Get trip insurance if you have a lot of money invested. I hate the whole idea of this, but I also hate the idea of losing money. Example: I was working a flight yesterday that waited over an hour for a gate. A family of 8 missed their flight to Rome. The only flight of the day. They were going to a cruise which they would now miss. They were all crying, there was nothing I could do. (Also a reason to fly a day early!)
13. Flights are FULL. If you buy the cheap seats you will not be able to sit with your family. It says so when you purchase your ticket!! Flight Attendants aren't there to rearrange the whole plane just so you can sit with your family because you tried to save $100 on a third party website.
14. Speaking of third party websites and saving money..... Like I said flights are FULL. If a flight is oversold, and no one volunteers to give up their seats, who do you think is the first to be bumped? You guessed it, the family that saved a few $$ by using sites like Expedia, Kayak, Hotwire etc.
15. Pack smart. Don't be "That guy" Don't hold up boarding because you have your extenders open till they are busting and you can't figure out how to make it fit in the overhead. (Passengers are stressed too, they can be aggressive when boarding a delayed flight)
16. Take showers, brush your teeth, leave the perfume off, don't eat stinky food (caesar salad and tuna fish I'm talking to you!), and bring headphones. Trust me. These things sound basic, but add to stress on crowded planes. If you are stuck on the tarmac for 3 hours after a 4 hour flight, you will thank me for this.
17. Bring a sweater if you tend to be cold. So tired of half naked girls asking me to turn the heat up. NO. Wear clothes!! Side note: If you dress like this and ask for heat, there's a chance I will turn the AC up.
18. Thats not water on the bathroom floor. For the love of God wear shoes to the bathroom!!!
19. Don't tell a Flight Attendant they look tired. We are and we know. You may cause us to ugly cry right there in galley.
20. Happy Travels!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: GDTRFB
All good tips. The industry
All good tips. The industry is melting and employees are buckling under it all. Be Nice. It can make all the difference in the world (as usual).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank
> I haven't flown in five
> I haven't flown in five years
It's been since 1997 for me. No fear, just no need anymore.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune
it's how i've seen 80% of my
it's how i've seen 80% of my nelson shows...
it's all whatever. my least fave part is de-planing. sit your ass down.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
>>>>my least fave part is de
>>>>my least fave part is de-planing. sit your ass down.
Flew some interior flights in China in 2001 and people would start to stand up as the plane was landing. Then if you were in the aisle waiting for the door to open people would start to push into you.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
No fly for me.
No fly for me.
It's mostly a claustrophobia thing, a big guy squeezed into a small seat that's squeezed inside a small, hermetically sealed tube. Plus, I suffer from inner ear issues that lead to easy motion sickness.
The last time I flew was in '93, going to LA with some friends to see Phish at the Wiltern Theatre. On the landing approach I was in the cold sweats nausea state with bag at the ready when just before the wheels touched down the plane blasted off again and took a steep accent out over the ocean.
The pilot came on and said, "Well, if we were landing in Houston I could say there were armadillo's on the runway, but in this case I just thought we were coming in a little too high and a little too fast". We circled around for a while and finally landed, and the bag was used. I decided at that moment that I would never fly again.
When we were pulling up to the gate I turned to my friend and said, "The moment we get off this thing I'm going straight to the car rental station and I will be driving back to the BA".
I've come close a couple of times since then and have missed a few cool opportunities because of my dislike/dread of flying, but unlike so many people I don't have the traveling jones and I enjoy long drives, so I don't miss it at all and don't have any regrets.
Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: GDTRFB
Lance, I totally get that. I
Lance, I totally get that. I have flown a lot over the years and still have reasons and places to go that more or less will require it. It used to be mostly enjoyable for me, especially pre-911, but not really since. Specifically more recently, it seems like a totally risky, expensive pain the ass. If it ain't the security or "labor shortage" mess it might be some asshole who does something entirely out of hand that screws up everyone else's long planned plans, at best.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
Pretty much decided I'm done
Pretty much decided I'm done flying. Trains, buses, boats, and cars only from now on.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MikePA
ive already flown 81K miles
ive already flown 81K miles this year, i often fly 100K plus a year and started back to flying in the Spring of '21...its a shit show if you dont plan and is worse without status...i have to fly for work but i can see not flying if i didnt have to, also, i do LOVE to drive so...
peace
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dimethyllovebeam
I was hopeful this was a dmt
I was hopeful this was a dmt thread.
I flew once, 3 yrs ago. It's truly a social and psychological test. Guy next to me was looking at his ex-girlfriend's facebook page and getting more and more pissed, and the 6'6 guy behind me had his kneecaps in my back for 2hrs. Good times. Fuck physical flying.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
I have flown more than two
I have flown more than two dozen times since the pandemic began and will be off on another trip next week. Yeah, flying can be a pain in the ass but sure beats taking a covered wagon across the country or a boat around Cape Horn.
Been doing a lot of red eyes to the East Coast which works out fine. Usually get a seat in the very back of the plane and more often than not, the middle seat is empty or I get a whole row to myself.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dimethyllovebeam
Often wondered if more
Often wondered if more prayers are said in planes in a 24 hr period than are said in chuches around the country in that same 24 hr period.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: GDTRFB
Yep. It would be nice if
Yep. It would be nice if anyone could just slash requirements and commitments to "improve metrics." I should try that in my professional life too. LOL
"United to cut 12% of daily Newark flights to boost performance"
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/exclusive-united-cut-12-daily-1218518...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
The Beatles - Flying Extended
The Beatles - Flying (Extended Version)
https://youtu.be/tXVPvNsl4i8
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Andy
I fly all the time. No covid
I fly all the time. No covid down time. I am One Million Miler on United. Last flight to Luxemburg (rental car was least expensive there at the time), Europe for 2-weeks. Of course United took 8-days to have bags delivered to hotel. Never got sick once. Avoid crowds. Wear mask. Be safe out there. Enjoy life; it goes bu sooooooooooooooo fast.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Andy
PS: $623 rt United to
PS: $623 rt United to Barcelona in early December.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
I cannot say I am afraid to
I cannot say I am afraid to fly but I am definitely uncomfortable and would prefer to drive if the trip is within 12 hours drive time. The biggest uncomfort is how in hell does something that big and heavy get in the air and stay there? Same with Cruise Ships, why does this 100 ton vessel not sink? I guess I am not much of a "science guy". Then there is the parking, security checks, getting in lines, waiting in line bullshit. I will be flying out to Denver in September, but if it was up to me I would just stay in Florida. Florida has everything I need in this stage of my life. I am not so much into hiking mountains anymore and prefer golf,beaches, boating and fishing, and all those thing are close by.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Racketinmyhead
The attorney making sure his
The attorney making sure his carbon footprint is "net neutral".
Take it to the streets!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: That’s Nancy with the laughin’ face
heckler doesn't fly?
heckler doesn't fly?
take it to the skys!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Racketinmyhead
"Friday for Future"
"Friday for Future"