How do People Tolerate Flying?

[Amethyst]

The idea is to ask the flight attendant to guilt some single passenger into moving "so the family can sit together."

This was actually pulled on me, successfully, about 30 years ago when I flew for work. The alternative seat turned out to be one of the flight attendants' jump seats! No good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes.

Or you can look at it as a $20-$50 discount for not sitting together and not using the overhead bin.

I think you just ran into the new “basic economy” experience.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Last time I flew was February and we fly again this February. I will only book where we can choose our seats. We always pay on a big trip to check our bags anyways.

 

[Gumby]

The idea is to ask the flight attendant to guilt some single passenger into moving "so the family can sit together."

This was actually pulled on me, successfully, about 30 years ago when I flew for work. The alternative seat turned out to be one of the flight attendants' jump seats! No good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes.

Back when I did a lot of business travel, I would voluntarily move to allow people to sit together. I always thought "it's going to suck either way for me; they might as well be happy."

 

[Red Badger]

A few times when we were travelling on award stuff, I'd get upgraded to the pointy end and DW would languish in premium economy. Well, the hell with that.

I never had a fellow passenger refuse a seat in FC, so I could sit with DW in ghetto plus. My idea of a win-win-win. YMMV!

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I grew up in the 1970's riding a 56 passenger school bus, that hauled over 60 kids, every morning and afternoon. It was survival of the fittest among the farm kids.

By comparison sake, flying (even coach) today is not all that bad, seems like a first world problem to me.

 

[RobbieB]

By all means then, enjoy your sardine can!

 

[aja8888]

Flying in the U.S. is still better than flying in some third world countries....well, just barely.

35 years of heavy business travel all over the globe has cured me of the process.

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah. Frequent flier miles. I fly all the time. What's the last thing I want to do vacation?

Yup, first class upgrades -

 

[brett]

We don't particularly like flying. But it is either flying or staying home. So we put up with an 18 hour flight to Thailand, etc. in the winter and a 9 hour flight to Europe in the fall. Plus some 1-2 hour flights on regional carriers.

Add on charges. We don't care. We simply look at the total cost. Besides, we typically do carry on only no matter how long we are gone. And yes, we would be willing to pay an additional charge for taking carry on vs. checking a bag. Cost is not our issue when it comes to why we do carry on only. We don't control airline pricing so we see little reason to whine about it. It is strictly a binary decision for us. Accept the price, select another airline, or stay home.

There may come a time when we no longer want to endure these flights. The only saving grace for us is that when we travel, we typically go for several months at a time.

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

I've mentioned a few times that I've logged over 4,000,000 miles during my work time. I was fortunate to be able to go First/Business during those flights.

It used to be that going First was an upgrade; nowadays I believe that First is the real price of the flight and everything below that is a compromise between price and comfort.

When I first RE'd we tried economy to Europe for the first time. Never, ever again; we'll pay the money for First or not go.

AMEN, brother!!! One of the promises I made to myself was I wanted to have enough money to never fly below business class internationally for the remainder of my life. Same goes for my bride. If we're in business and there is a first class available, we'll do our best to upgrade to that. The difference is absolutely incredible.

Pretty much the same goes for me domestically. Most of the time I get upgraded for free due to being a frequent traveler, but sometimes I have to pay.

From time to time, I do have to fly on the other side of the curtain (GASP!). It's really not very pleasant at all.

Once I retire, I'll continue to travel, but probably only 1-2 big international trips a year. If you told me I could fly from Texas to Europe or Asia for free, but I had to be in coach in a plane that was packed, I'd politely turn that down. Just not worth it.

 

[scrabbler1]

Back when I did a lot of business travel, I would voluntarily move to allow people to sit together. I always thought "it's going to suck either way for me; they might as well be happy."

That wasn't the case for me when I swapped seats and ended up next to the oversized man, and sat one row ahead of the smoking section. I went from "I was okay" to "it sucked a lot" even though I was $20 richer.

 

[mpeirce]

Flying in the U.S. is still better than flying in some third world countries....well, just barely.

Once was on a plane flying from one African country to another and they sprayed the interior of the plane with pesticide while we were all in our seats.

Apparently flights to Hawaii occasionally do this (or used to). So there you go...

 

[MRG]

Once was on a plane flying from one African country to another and they sprayed the interior of the plane with pesticide while we were all in our seats.

Apparently flights to Hawaii occasionally do this (or used to). So there you go...

Time I came back from South Africa we were all disinfected with some spray.

 

[braumeister]

Spraying the interior of the aircraft with bug spray before letting the passengers off was always routine for military flights landing in a different country from where they originated. One of our many benefits.

 

[marko]

From time to time, I do have to fly on the other side of the curtain (GASP!). It's really not very pleasant at all.

Funny story:
One day the company accountant asked if I always flew First Class.

I said (joking): "You know, one day I peaked behind that curtain, grabbed the flight attendant and screamed: 'My God! Do you know there's PEOPLE back there!?'..."

 

[Amethyst]

So you just thought that long queue of unhappy people coming into the plane and traipsing by your seat, was just passing through on their way to a different airplane?

Funny story:
One day the company accountant asked if I always flew First Class.

I said (joking): "You know, one day I peaked behind that curtain, grabbed the flight attendant and screamed: 'My God! Do you know there's PEOPLE back there!?'..."

 

[Alan]

Spraying the interior of the aircraft with bug spray before letting the passengers off was always routine for military flights landing in a different country from where they originated. One of our many benefits.

We have flown to Australia 3 times and one time they came around and sprayed the interior on approach to Sydney. Since it was just that one time I guess that they must have been having problems that year.

Now that we are in England, and retired with plenty of time, we rarely fly as we can drive to most places we want to go. We took a cruise ship from Houston to England in 2016, cruised to Norway this year and our next flight won’t be until 2019 when we plan to fly to Florida, cruise through the Panama Canal to visit our daughter in LA then fly back.

 

[Ed B]

I am 6'6". And while I am relatively slim for my age, flying cattle class sucks! It sucks for me and my knees and it sucks for whomever I share an armrest with.

 

[RobbieB]

That's another reason to go first class. You can enjoy a cocktail while watching the unhappy people file back into their sardine can.

 

[marko]

So you just thought that long queue of unhappy people coming into the plane and traipsing by your seat, was just passing through on their way to a different airplane?

I was busy with my Mimosa and Wall St Journal

More than once though, I had someone quite rudely inform me to "move it" and that I was in their seat. I had to politely tell them that "2B" was the boarding gate and that his seat "23C" was 'you know...out... that way... somewhere'.

 

[SoReadyToRetire]

One of our last flights DW used her conceal carry purse. It worked well, she waltzed through security with a loaded single stack 9mm 1911 magazine in it![emoji12].

Now THAT's scary!

 

[frayne]

Actually the only way to fly is by private jet or chartered aircraft, point A to point B without all the BS.

 

[braumeister]

Actually the only way to fly is by private jet or chartered aircraft, point A to point B without all the BS.

Nah, too plebeian.

Transporter beams are my favorite way to travel.

 

[Nemo2]

The woman was, apparently, drunk, and had been in a shouting match with her B/F all day, so it's not too farfetched to consider that she may have thrown a hissy fit and jumped....to 'show him'.

CCTV footage might well appear if the need arises.


(We had a deliberate jumper on one ship....body was never recovered.)

As if there was ever any doubt:

British woman who survived for ten hours in the Adriatic DID jump, say cruise investigators | Daily Mail Online

 

[marko]

Actually the only way to fly is by private jet or chartered aircraft,

And if you can't do that, First Class on a 747 with Singapore Air is the next best thing!