How do People Tolerate Flying?

[Souschef]

We decided, after our flights in baggage class between BOS and LIS last Autumn, that it was business class from now on.

+100! As we aged and could not tolerate transatlantic flights of 10 or more hours in coach, we started flying Business Class.
It is not only the comfort on board, but the access to the Business Class lounges at both ends. It gets you out of the geck and gull of a large airport like LAX. We would make it a point to arrive early to take advantage of the lounges as part of our vacation.

 

[Freedom56]

Flying in comfort is a choice. We fly this way for domestic transcontinental. At $599 each way from LAX to FLL or LAX to JFK, it's a bargain. Overseas travel has always been on business class for the past 30 years. Splurge a little and remember you can't take your money with you.

Jetblue has disrupted domestic business class service and prices from other carriers have dropped to compete. Soon Jetblue will be flying trans Atlantic routes and will offer this service.

 

[Midpack]

I had my fill of flying during my career, averaged about a flight/month. Flying to Europe was brutal! Like others, now we only fly when it’s someplace we can’t drive in a day, maybe two. OTOH, as uncomfortable as flying is today, if you shop smart you can’t beat the low cost. Most people say one thing, but ultimately pay for cheap - and that’s what’s driven all the comforts and frills out of commercial flights. We reap what we (collectively) sew.

 

[foxfirev5]

After completely burning out with corporate travel I swore off flying for a year or so after ER. DW and I slowly got back into it after a few road trips. Flying is a PITA and driving is much worse IMHO.

DW got me back into a plane by only buying first class tickets to ease the pain. After realizing there really isn't much special about that experience we're now sliding back to coach. We prefer to spend the extra on hotels rather than a wider seat for 3 hours.


We generally fly at less congested times which are also cheaper. Also, we get to the airport very early, have a meal, relax and watch those still hung up in the rat race. Cheap entertainment to boot.


It's all about attitude, but I admit it has taken me a couple years of ER to lighten up and enjoy the ride.

 

[Christine]

The first few trips years ago were exiting - but now it's so boring and tiresome. I much prefer to use a week with the motorhome to hours on airports and a plane.

I have all the time I need. Plenty of room. My bed. My recliner. And don't forget - my own bathroom.

 

[sanfanciscotreat]

And how do you make an airline reservation these days and pay with cash?

 

[marko]

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.

 

[COcheesehead]

We invested in creature comforts. Good Bose noise cancelling headphones, compression socks, comfy shoes, iPads with a good book and or movie. We look at our time onboard as a break. We also try to have a good meal before boarding.

 

[flintnational]

After reading this thread, I am really dreading my flight to Europe in a few weeks. Maybe I will cancel the flight and drive instead. We could always overnight in the Azores.

 

[donheff]

Flying in comfort is a choice. We fly this way for domestic transcontinental. At $599 each way from LAX to FLL or LAX to JFK, it's a bargain. Overseas travel has always been on business class for the past 30 years. Splurge a little and remember you can't take your money with you.

Jetblue has disrupted domestic business class service and prices from other carriers have dropped to compete. Soon Jetblue will be flying trans Atlantic routes and will offer this service.

Maybe it belongs in the "Blow That Dough" thread but DW has started to insist on BC for the eastbound overseas legs. I just cashed in a credit from United to purchase tickets to Tucson and popped for 1st since it wasn't that much more than economy plus. When we go to Florida we pack the bikes on the car and take the Auto Train (with a room).

 

[joeea]

I find flying these days to be just barely tolerable.

I have found that the JetBlue "Even More Space" seats are worth the extra cost for my wife and I when we fly cross-country.

Still, the only thing good about flying is arriving at our destination. If there was another good way to get there I'd give it a try. Maybe once my wife fully retires we'll take a trai.

 

[joeea]

And how do you make an airline reservation these days and pay with cash?

Use a local travel agent.

 

[marko]

I really don’t like to fly, the crowds at the airport, security check ins, immigrations, flight delays, I really hate it all but sometimes you have to tolerate to get to where you want to go, then there’s the Chinese travelers that really irk me with their cutting the lines and coughing/sneezing without covering up to spread their germs. I can tolerate shorter flights under 5 hours much better than long international flights with multiple hour layovers, took me over 24 hours to get from SFO tO Bangkok with layover and delays, I’m really surprised I didn’t get sick, I usually end up with a cold from some Chinese passenger

Flew from Shanghai to Singapore with three Chinese old ladies hocking louies on the floor behind me every 20 seconds for the entire flight. Kept my shoes on.

 

[Red Badger]

We decided, after our flights in baggage class between BOS and LIS last Autumn, that it was business class from now on.

+1.
We got spoiled during my w*rking years with both high end FF status and frequent upgrades. If we're not in the pointy end of the plane, we don't go.

 

[Ronstar]

I don't like to fly. I'd rather take a road trip. But when I fly, I usually fly Southwest and have developed a routine to keep the experience as tolerable as possible. I try to pick flight times at off peak times to minimize traffic, airport congestion, and hopefully get a non-full flight. Arrange for rides to/from the airport to minimize the hassle. Try to pack as little as possible. Take a book or something interesting on my iPad to occupy myself during parts of the flight when I'm awake.

 

[athena53]

Most people say one thing, but ultimately pay for cheap - and that’s what’s driven all the comforts and frills out of commercial flights. We reap what we (collectively) sow.

That's exactly what's happened- occasionally an airline that's all Business Class, or close to it, will start up and fail. The vast majority of passengers buy based on price.

I enjoy road trips, but no more than 3 days to my destination. I fly if I want to get there faster. I don't pay for Business on domestic flights- my home airport is not a hub so many of the flights are regional jets- not worth it. I DO fly Business to Europe and it makes all the difference.

BTW, the real reason they don't board from the back is that early boarding is yet another thing they can sell separately- to their Elites and their credit card holders. It's a major perk if you need to put a bag in the overhead compartment.

 

[braumeister]

We had a trip the other day that included both the very good and very bad.

Flying business (Saga class) on Icelandair from Reykjavik to Cleveland, we had to spend a few hours in the lounge in Reykjavik. Amazing place! Not only was it very spacious, quiet, and comfortable, but they just kept bringing out one marvelous kind of food after another. Some of the best eating we had in Iceland, actually. The food on the flight was also outstanding.

Then we arrived at Cleveland, and I've rarely seen such a goat rope.
Getting off the plane, we were escorted to a very small baggage claim area. The bags showed up and we had to carry them from the conveyer belt to the other side of the room and put them on another conveyor belt for transport to the real airport baggage claim area.
Then we had to go through security all over again in order to get into the main airport so we could go through customs/immigration and then go back out of the secure area to really claim our bags.
They've been doing construction at the Cleveland airport, but this excercise seemed totally pointless.

 

[RAE]

Increasingly, if I have to get on a plane to get there, I don't want to go.

+1, same here. I avoid commercial air travel unless there is no way I can get out of it. DW went to Europe this summer with a friend, and they had a great trip, EXCEPTt for the air travel. Nothing but delays, rude TSA, crammed like sardines into their seats, etc.. And to top it all off, Northwest cancelled her flight coming home (for mechanical reasons, they told her at the time), and then changed their story once she eventually got back home (to "weather-related" - even though there were no weather issues within 1000 miles of her departure location). By doing that, they were able to get out of paying for her full hotel bill or giving her what she should have gotten in terms of compensation. She told them on the phone that what they were offering her was not acceptable, and the rep. then said........"well, that's our final offer, and don't bother asking for a supervisor or trying to appeal, because you will only get the same offer". Great customer service, eh?

 

[Jerry1]

BTW, the real reason they don't board from the back is that early boarding is yet another thing they can sell separately- to their Elites and their credit card holders. It's a major perk if you need to put a bag in the overhead compartment.

And people like me figured out that if I’m in the back and I’m boarding first, that instead of fighting for overhead bin space, all I have to do is throw my bag up into a bin mid plane and go take my seat.

 

[MOSAT]

Megacorp turned me off to flying. I did too much of it for work. Now I drive, or we don't go. So far DW has expressed no interest in overseas travel, thank goodness.

Where are the flying cars we were supposed to have by now? That may make overseas travel bearable.

 

[Car-Guy]

I had to travel a lot for my job, both domestically and internationally. In the early days if the boss said I need to go to "somewhere" I didn't ask why I just went. It was an adventure and it was back in the days of no security lines, few if any crowds, friendly flight crews, and smoking was allowed on planes. As time went on, it became a PIA. Crowds, no smoking, security lines, etc. The last few years of my working life, if the boss said I needed to fly somewhere, I'd ask why? If the reason wasn't good enough, I'd say no or send someone else. If the reason was good enough, I'd say only if I can go business or first class, which he always approved. Even that became intolerable and air travel is one (of many reasons) I retired early.

And it's not just the flight and getting through the airports. It's getting a rental car, checking in and out of hotels, packing and unpacking, filing expense reports, and all the associated BS.

Since retiring I have not been on a plane and I see no reason to ever fly again. I see no reason to pay good money to be treated like cattle. Already seen as much of the international world as I care to see. Been there and done that! Now it's drive or I won't go.

 

[COcheesehead]

The world is full of wonderful places and people...some only accessible by plane. Little annoyances are tolerable in order to be able to experience so much.

 

[Jerry1]

We need a thread or a link on how to get business/first class seats at a discount (notice I did not say cheap). I just did a kayak search and to go to Paris, economy is about $1,500 and business is over $8,000. I can appreciate that there are folks on this site that can afford that, but for those who say you’re only flying first class are you really paying that kind of premium, or are you finding ways to bring that cost difference down? I could see double, but 5 or 6 times the price? I could only do that once or twice in my life and that’s only financially speaking. Mentally, I’d struggle paying that kind of premium unless I had a lot more money than I’ll ever have.

 

[marko]

We need a thread or a link on how to get business/first class seats at a discount (notice I did not say cheap). I just did a kayak search and to go to Paris, economy is about $1,500 and business is over $8,000. I can appreciate that there are folks on this site that can afford that, but for those who say you’re only flying first class are you really paying that kind of premium, or are you finding ways to bring that cost difference down? I could see double, but 5 or 6 times the price? I could only do that once or twice in my life and that’s only financially speaking. Mentally, I’d struggle paying that kind of premium unless I had a lot more money than I’ll ever have.

Depends on when and where you're planning to fly from. $8K for BC to Paris is steep. We generally pay about $3500 each RT from Boston to Paris/Europe but you do have to be careful about what days you fly. Being RE'd implies some flexibility with dates. Last week I saw a FC flight from Boston to Barcelona for $17K!

Buying way ahead of time works; mid-week flights are sometimes cheaper; combining an economy ticket with miles works too.

 

[audreyh1]

I tolerate flying because it gets me to places around the world I want to see in a reasonable amount of time.

Same here - now prefer flying even domestically.

After several years full-time RVing and then several more driving half way across the country for family visits we decided life is now too short for long drives. DH really put his foot down on driving our own car over the Xmas holidays - essentially 5 days on the road round trip.

We often go first class now.

We just traveled from deep south Texas to Seattle. Even with some delays (smoke!) it was still less way than a day’s travel. I remember very well how long it took to get from that section of WA to our TX home in 2011. Over a week. That was a rude awakening that what was relatively painless when full-timing, was a slog when you were only on the road for <3 months.

We like to travel, and at this stage can’t go where we want to (including visiting family) without flying, so we’ve focused on making it more comfortable instead (upgrades, lounges, TSA Pre-check/Global Entry).