How do People Tolerate Flying?

[Red Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Badger +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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.)

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

[jollystomper]

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Originally Posted by 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?

One the reasons DW and I have been hesitant to book our first cruise . Then again, we are not drinkers so maybe that will keep us from this fate...

[Amethyst]

You would have to deliberately climb over the deck rail, or your cabin's balcony, to go into the water on the only cruise ship we have been on.

Our package included (not by our choice) a drinks package with an upper limit of 15 drinks per day - per person! So presumably the ships are designed with that in mind (So were the cocktails - more sugar water than alcohol, I'm afraid).

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollystomper One the reasons DW and I have been hesitant to book our first cruise . Then again, we are not drinkers so maybe that will keep us from this fate...

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Our package included (not by our choice) a drinks package with an upper limit of 15 drinks per day - per person! So presumably the ships are designed with that in mind (So were the cocktails - more sugar water than alcohol, I'm afraid).

Wow- I don't think I could drink that much if I tried- even if they were liberally laced with sugar water. Drinks packages are definitely priced for the Party-Till-U-Puke crowd.

[DFDubb]

I tolerate flying by living in a boring AF place like TX.

[pjm-7]

Never cared much for flying (mostly ear pain issues). I've done a number of trips the last couple of years where I will rent a car (dropping car at or near destination) and taking Amtrak back. I can combine the adventure of a road trip with the ease of letting someone else drive on the way back.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 Wow- I don't think I could drink that much if I tried- even if they were liberally laced with sugar water. Drinks packages are definitely priced for the Party-Till-U-Puke crowd.

We've sailed a number of times on CDF/Pullmantur where certain drinks are included, and have often/regularly had a cold can of Mexican beer at dinnertime....and, gasp, if we've been ashore on a particularly hot day, perhaps one upon our return.

15 a day? I'd be comatose after day one. (OK, OK, most people figure I'm comatose without the drink(s).)

[NW-Bound]

We had free drinks on our last cruise, and I took only 2 per day. A glass of wine for dinner, and a gin tonic for the evening show.

It is not easy to fall off the ship, unless one tries. But I was thinking of Nemo2 taking a selfie outside during a storm like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL2XL17z8Fs

Inside the ship, it looks like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jup-5Xu1OOU

[GravitySucks]

Flying is a pain in the butt, but it beats the alternative at times. From SFO to DEN you're trading 3 hours of discomfort for 3 days of driving.
I fly very little these days as I like to travel with the dog. Just drove California to New York last week and I'm still exhausted. I "might" be getting to old for solo cross country drives. Once the dog passes I'll be flying for my California visits.
Amtrak would be a great way to travel if they could run on time.
I like the Zepplin option, but TSA would probably still insist on molesting me on boarding.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound It is not easy to fall off the ship, unless one tries. But I was thinking of Nemo2 taking a selfie outside during a storm like this.

Unless they're unforeseen rogue waves, the ships usually change course to avoid really inclement weather.....on one trip we bypassed the Faroes because of conditions.......still hit by 35-40 foot waves.

Nowadays outside access is restricted/denied at practically the first sign of a white cap. (Sissies. )

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolRich59 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.

There can also be an extra charge for sitting together with your spouse. I found that out on our last trip. Lena and I weren't seated together, and my cynical mind decided that United intentionally seated us apart so that we'd spend money to sit together (which we didn't do).


IOW, it's an extortion racket, like the mob: "It would be a shame if youse and your wife couldn't sit togetha. For a small fee, we can make sure that youse two ain't separated."

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl There can also be an extra charge for sitting together with your spouse. I found that out on our last trip. Lena and I weren't seated together, and my cynical mind decided that United intentionally seated us apart so that we'd spend money to sit together (which we didn't do). IOW, it's an extortion racket, like the mob: "It would be a shame if youse and your wife couldn't sit togetha. For a small fee, we can make sure that youse two ain't separated."

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.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 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.

We long ago decided that, since we both attempt to zone out as soon as we're on the plane, that we'll sit where we can, when we can, if the price is right.

[Teacher Terry]

When I book our plane tickets I choose 2 seats together and never had to pay to sit together. Paying to take a carry on bag is ridiculous.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry When I book our plane tickets I choose 2 seats together and never had to pay to sit together. Paying to take a carry on bag is ridiculous.

Well most major airlines now offer a basic economy where you and choose your seats, and you may only carry on a single bag to fit under the seat in front of you. There is some varation. This is a relatively new phenomenon.

[Cobra9777]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry ...Paying to take a carry on bag is ridiculous.

Only if you paid a full normal fare. Some of the ultra-low-cost airlines like WOW offer an incredible price if all you bring is yourself and a small bag that will fit under the seat in front of you. Of course you can take a carry-on or a checked bag, but you pay for that additional weight. And often the fare including these bag fees is still cheaper than, or at least competitive with, the big name airlines.

I like the choice and apparently Millennials do as well. Why should a person with a small backpack share in the cost of other people's huge bags? Weight=fuel consumption. I think this is the way it will be in the future. You buy a seat. Then you pay for your "cargo."

DD flew to London this summer on WOW. She paid the carry-on fee but not the fee to choose a specific seat since she was flying by herself. The fare was $900 compared to $1600 on BA.