How do People Tolerate Flying?

[hesperus]

Shortly after I joined this forum in 2008, we were talking about how to economize, and testing each other on the knowledge of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and all kinds of economic hard times. There wasn't any thread on "blowing more dough". Instead, there were some threads on how much money people lost, such as the "million dollar" club or something such.

How times have changed, and so have the posts.

They'll be back. It's just where we're at in the cycle. The difference is I'll have less years to enjoy it, so it may not effect my decision to fly first class.

 

[RobbieB]

I'd rather be in the million dollar wagyu munching, first class jet set group than the super saver dryer sheet cuttin' million dollar loser club.

 

[scrabbler1]

Flying private is a whole different experience. I was the only passenger on a Gulfstream IV while my niece’s husband was doing a training flight. Like you said. I drove to the airport and walked right on the plane. Luxurious. Very quiet and smooth. The owners would fly it to Europe and be awakened by the smell of breakfast just before landing. What a lifestyle.

I flew on a private jet twice back in the 1990s. My mom was ill and she was able to gain free air transport through the Corporate Angels Network which would donate their unused passenger space for seriously ill patients and their companions. We have to get to whichever area airport they are flying from, so it works out well if you are leaving from and going to large metro areas.

The first time was in early 1992, going from Houston back home to New York. The private jet was deadheading to meet people flying in from Europe, so mom and I were the only passengers on the plane. It was like your living room turned into an airplane! We even flew over my mom's house and my apartment building at low enough altitudes so we could see them easily.

The second time was later in 1992 and we had some company employees on the plane with us, this time going from New Jersey's Teterboro Airport to Houston. Once in Houston, they even drove us to the rental car office, saving us the 10% surcharge by not needing the airport shuttle bus. Those were the two best flights ever.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Now that we are not limited to X weeks vacation days a year, we do more day trips and driving vacations. Plus with driving it is easier to take our dog with us. This year we have passes for national and state parks plus two regional park systems, so we're looking forward to making good use of those. There's some scenic parks pretty close to home we either have never been to or haven't been to in a long time.

 

[scrabbler1]

We will fly economy+ domestic up to about 4-5 hours. We just got back from Chicago last week and I am rethinking. I got middle both legs. 1 seat back from First Class. So I could see the food & the drink. I could see the relaxed atmosphere...but I couldn't enjoy it. Trip started off great! Under an hour from our front porch, Uber, drop off, check bags, security and at the gate. My hopes were high!

Then on the plane I'm in the middle of a couple. I thought that is strange. Then she got upgraded to FC. And a standby guy gets on. You know what they call Chicago? The city of broad shoulders. This guy wasn't fat, just big. By the time we got to the runway & engines up he had eaten a cheese snack, another snack and a big salad. Plus he bought something elses from the FA. He was kind of like John Candy on Planes, Trains & Autos. Nice guy. But I hunched forward most of the trip. (that much closer to FC)

That time limit is about my max before we go to the front of the plane

Back in 1988, I was once paid $20 to exchange coach seats with the business partner of the man sitting next to me who was seated elsewhere on the large plane. Contrary to what the man said to me, it wasn't "the easiest $20 I ever made." I was sitting next to this huge man, bigger than John Candy. I had the aisle, he had the window......and part of my aisle seat, too. Me left leg was in the aisle most of the flight because my whole body was off-center in my seat. Even though I ate my airline meal pretty quickly on the LA-to-NY nonstop flight, in that same short time he had eaten everything but the plastic silverware wrapping. And my seat was in the last non-smoking row, so it became the second-hand smoking row.

 

[marko]

....and then there's my flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston last winter where I got First on Delta for $82 LESS than coach on JetBlue.

Of course, coach on Delta was less than JB as well, but I figured I that, in my mind, I had already spent the money.

Bonus: The flight attendant on Delta quietly handed me two bottles of wine on deplaning, thanking me for my years of business! A good day all around.

 

[pacergal]

On flights 2 hours or less, we fly economy if we can both get aisle seats. Otherwise, we have started flying first class.
We've decided to fly less often, but enjoy the trip so much more, arriving feeling relaxed and in comfort.

 

[marko]

Otherwise, we have started flying first class.
We've decided to fly less often, but enjoy the trip so much more, arriving feeling relaxed and in comfort.

And as others and myself have noted, First Class done right makes it part of the trip itself vs just a means to get where you're going.

Literally 'it's the journey and not just the destination'.

 

[Nemo2]

And as others and myself have noted, First Class done right makes it part of the trip itself vs just a means to get where you're going.

Literally 'it's the journey and not just the destination'.

Never felt that way. As I've noted previously, my late wife & I were frequently upgraded, (they were 'free' tickets anyway), to first class with Air France, due to her affiliation with them in Riyadh.

[-]Less uncomfortable[/-] more comfortable, yes, but still a bloody plane ride.

 

[Walt34]

Flying private is a whole different experience. I was the only passenger on a Gulfstream IV while my niece’s husband was doing a training flight.

That's a whole different realm of "private flying" than I've ever experienced. The nearest I ever got to that was seeing one in the hangar. My flying consisted of single engine Cessna and Piper aircraft, although I did get to land a twin once.

 

[easysurfer]

To me, flying and driving stuck in traffic is a necessary evil.

My preferences of travel is on foot and bicycle. But there are times those means aren't practical so have to go by car or up in the air.

 

[NW-Bound]

Flying sucks, but the alternatives could be a lot worse. Or one gives up travel altogether. If one has time, RV'ing is another mode of travel, but it takes a bit of know-how, and comes with a different set of problems.

In my recent RV trip to Alaska, I stopped at the Teslin Bridge in the Yukon to rest. I saw a tour bus with a Virginia plate also stopping for lunch there. I asked the tourists and indeed they came from Virginia. They said it was their 11th day on a month-long trip.

Yep, that was about right! They spent 11 days to go from Virginia and had not reached Alaska yet. I made a point to check the tour bus itinerary when I got home, and I did. Where I saw them in Teslin, that was still 700 miles from Fairbanks. Yes, they did not reach Fairbanks until the 12th night. The return trip had a marine leg of 450 miles, then 9 more days till they got home.

Lots of time sitting on that bus, with viewing done through the bus windows. They got only 2 nights in Fairbanks (1 full day), and 2 nights in Anchorage (1 more full day), and 2 nights on the ferry. The rest of the time was spent in transit, with brief stops in a few places just to say they have been there.

Imagine how much more time they would have to spend in Alaska if they flew from Virginia to somewhere in the Northwest, such as Whitehorse, or even Edmonton.

 

[CoolRich59]

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

Me too. I injured my foot and knee early in the summer and have been getting antsy to take a trip.

The other day I started looking at some flights on American Airlines. I clicked on a flight that looked promising. Then I got a pop-up message advising me that if I wanted to bring a bag to put in the overhead bin, there would be an add'l fee. So it appears we've gone from add'l charges for checked bags to add'l charges for carry-on bags.

It was at that point that I decided any trip we take is going to be by car. It reduces our options, but flying is getting to be more and more of a hassle and I just don't want to deal with it.

 

[marko]

Never felt that way. As I've noted previously, my late wife & I were frequently upgraded, (they were 'free' tickets anyway), to first class with Air France, due to her affiliation with them in Riyadh.

[-]Less uncomfortable[/-] more comfortable, yes, but still a bloody plane ride.

We usually start our trip with a limousine pick up at the house.

Separate check-in line for FC (some airports also have a separate security entry that they don't tell you about) and the lounge for a drink. If it's international, we're often able to board directly from the lounge without going upstairs with the crowd.

Yes, it's still a plane ride but most of the hassle that makes it 'bloody' is removed and we just try to make it part of the experience.

 

[Nemo2]

Separate check-in line for FC (some airports also have a separate security entry that they don't tell you about) and the lounge for a drink.

One time...heading back to Riyadh from Toronto, we wangled an upgrade for a friend, who was excited that we sat at the next lounge table to Patrick Macnee from The Avengers.

It's still a plane ride...give me a ship any day.

 

[Gumby]

give me a ship any day.

Easy to say now. You may not be so avid facing Force 10 seas out in the North Atlantic in the winter.

 

[Nemo2]

Easy to say now. You may not be so avid facing Force 10 seas out in the North Atlantic in the winter.

True dat. DW's dad, who lied about his age to join the Canadian Navy during WWII, tells about chipping ice off with an axe so that the vessel, (minesweeper, IIRC), didn't go tits up.

This one, four years + back, up in the Shetlands was fun though:

 

[NW-Bound]

Don't get swept overboard.

Last week, read about a woman falling off a cruise ship, and threading water for 10 hours before being rescued.

Just today, similar story about a man swimming for 7 hours.

How the heck did that happen? And how lucky they were to be noticed when falling, and then found bobbing in the ocean?

 

[Nemo2]

Don't get swept overboard.

Last week, read about a woman falling off a cruise ship, and threading water for 10 hours before being rescued.

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.)

 

[Cut-Throat]

I must be different from many people, because I don't see how anyone can tolerate flying.

I don't like it either, but I want to spend next winter in Hawaii. So, I don't see an alternative...


Last year we went to Australia... That was a long ass flight... at least Hawaii is half as far.

 

[Red Badger]

We usually start our trip with a limousine pick up at the house.

Separate check-in line for FC (some airports also have a separate security entry that they don't tell you about) and the lounge for a drink. If it's international, we're often able to board directly from the lounge without going upstairs with the crowd.

Yes, it's still a plane ride but most of the hassle that makes it 'bloody' is removed and we just try to make it part of the experience.

+1. But we Uber to the airport and limo home. The Uber PU point at CLT is FUBAR (major construction). And yeah, It's still flying and can be problematic. Just like driving when an 18 wheeler flips on ice and completely blocks the road until a huge wrecker gets it moved 4 hours later..... after an all day flight. We are usually very content being in the pointy end of the plane. Seldom any crying adults (we don't mind the babies) or drama kings/queens. Just tired, upgraded road warriors dreaming of retirement.

As for the flying hassles, been there - done that - got the t-shirt.

 

[marko]

+1. But we Uber to the airport and limo home. The Uber PU point at CLT is FUBAR (major construction). And yeah, It's still flying and can be problematic. Just like driving when an 18 wheeler flips on ice and completely blocks the road until a huge wrecker gets it moved 4 hours later..... after an all day flight. We are usually very content being in the pointy end of the plane. Seldom any crying adults (we don't mind the babies) or drama kings/queens. Just tired, upgraded road warriors dreaming of retirement.

As for the flying hassles, been there - done that - got the t-shirt.

Used to do the night Amsterdam>Narita run over Siberia quite a bit. Had a few flights all alone upstairs in the 747 looking out the window. Just me and a flight attendant.
Mystical experiences watching the Aurora Borealis and seeing those small villages below out in the middle of nowhere...sunrise over Korea.
Wrote an entire essay on it.

 

[Cessna152]

Would flying be more tolerable if you had a state room and dining areas, but it took a day or three to get to your destination? That is what things were like in the earliest days of air travel in a Zeppelin.

 

[Gumby]

Ever since I first learned of them, I have wanted to fly in a Zeppelin. What a splendid way to travel.

 

[Alan]

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.)

I'd heard that she had violated the formal night dress code so was forced to walk the plank.