What's changed with airlines/flights in the last 10 years

[Koolau]

Since the discussion has migrated a bit... we are carry on only types and definitely focus on 'tech' fabrics... Think stuff from Columbia brand... it can be washed in the sink and dries quickly. We carry a bungy cord with clips from drying. We carry detergent sheets in a baggy. I don't want to spend time in a laundromat - I do the laundry before bed (takes 5 minutes) - and it's dry in the morning.

Another baggage saver is limit your number of shoes. Shoes are bulky. Wear your bulkiest shoes (often hiking boots), have 1, or at most 2, pairs of shoes in your carryon. Shoes (and all your clothes) need to work with many outfits/combos. If you can limit your shoes to 2 pairs you're golden in doing carry on.

Our longer trip next fall we are doing 1 checked bag, shared between the two of us... That's because I want to bring three Italian language books (dictionary, verbs, and percorso (which is specific to the citizenship language exam)). They are not cheap books or I'd just by copies there. It will also allow us to pack warm jackets since there is a big delta in temp between September transatlantic cruise and December in Florence. I can't just mail the books ahead like I would to a hotel, since we are staying in an airbnb.

Agree about shoes. Mine are size 13. I only wear my shoes - never pack. If i find I'm desperate for shoes at destination, I'll buy them and ship home if they're worth it.

 

[CO-guy]

Apologies for contributing to conversation drift, but by item quantity, my preferred brands are Smartwool (socks, underwear, and sweaters) and Outdoor Research (shirts and pants).

Also, I cannot recommend Bluffworks highly enough. As opposed to "Ath-leisure," their brand would best be described as "Biz-letics" with professional attire made out of stretchy athletic fabrics. Super durable and all machine washable; even their suits. In a pinch, I've put on their dress shirts right out of the washing machine or sink, and they dry in a few minutes while wearing them. Also from my own experience after a fork full of demi-glace to the lap, the pants can be washed clean with bar soap and dry overnight.

 

[brett]

We do two pairs of shoes. The heavier pair on our feet, the light Teva sandals in the carry on. DW brings a very light third pair.....they go in my bag. Both are 37L bags.

Prior to retirement we did a fair amount of cruises. We got so tired of formal nights that we decided to skip them. This made such a difference and we still wonder why we used to lug so much extra for just two or three so called formal nights.

 

[Diogenes]

Have you seen the movie "Up in the Air"? The protagonist was shooting for 10,000,000 frequent flyer miles. Doing so would have made him more exclusive than the men who walked on the moon!

At a less accomplished level, that was formerly me (just not as good looking... me, that is). That's one reason that I'm ambivalent about retirement.

In a former job, we could (with some fiddling) concentrate on which airline to fly. My choice was United... no particular reason, just ended up that way. Upgrades were frequent. Boarding Zone 1? What's that? I'd board... whenever. Various other perks... no point bragging here, but I miss them. Still have some amount of miles, which can be redeemed at very unfavorable rates for flights... but the experience has become decidedly quotidian and humdrum. I would never spend the personal money on travel, whether on airfare or anything else. But as an employee, it was nice... conferences, meetings, contractor visits, research collaborations. Gotta be on-site, before the era of Covid, Zoom etc. So much for that!....

Indeed, just as in the movie (or the book), copious travel meant that one didn't much have to worry about having a comfortable home. Who cares about sleeping in a lousy bed at home, when most nights are spent on a hotel bed anyway? Not any more! Now one has to sleep in whatever bed that one makes. Proverbs have become reality.

 

[CO-guy]

We do two pairs of shoes. The heavier pair on our feet, the light Teva sandals in the carry on. DW brings a very light third pair.....they go in my bag. Both are 37L bags.

Prior to retirement we did a fair amount of cruises. We got so tired of formal nights that we decided to skip them. This made such a difference and we still wonder why we used to lug so much extra for just two or three so called formal nights.

We do the same with shoes, though we prefer Birkenstock EVA and my better-half carries her own third pair of dressier metallic leather sandals. She had them made in Sorrento last summer and they take up no room.

Does 37L still fit under the seat? I'm usually boarding group 2, but prefer to board after all rows/zones/groups have been called, which is why the 30L bag is ideal for me.

 

[audreyh1]

I think the flight booking user interfaces aren’t as comprehensive as they used to be. Sometimes really tough to find something that will work.

I’m wondering when booking flights online will be too difficult. I guess I can turn it over to a tour company.

 

[Scrapr]

I won't go anyplace cold! I got rid of all but my lightest weight jacket. I'm done with cold. Last time I went someplace cold was Chicago area in early Oct. for eldest's wedding. Other than that - forget it.

Regarding clothes. I don't own a suit or tie. I own one pair of long pants for "dress up." Otherwise shorts and T's or maybe an aloha shirt (for dress up.) Laundry is a snap. YMMV

Humble brag?

 

[Koolau]

Humble brag?

No brag. Just fact!

 

[wrigley]

No brag. Just fact!

Just got back from Chicago. The weather was beautiful (according to the Chicagoans). Low 60s and sunny during the day, high 40s at night. To us Floridians, it was cold.

 

[Ronstar]

^ You should have stayed and enjoyed this morning's snow.

 

[wrigley]

^ You should have stayed and enjoyed this morning's snow.

I was there for my mother's 85th Bday party. 5 years ago, I was there for my mother's 80th Bday party and on the day we were flying out (Midway) they had their first snow and there was 6 inches of snow on the ground. My adult daughter and my 6-year-old grandson had never seen snow before. They were rolling around in it in my brother's back yard. You should have seen the look on my daughter's face when they were de-icing the wings prior to take off. Another new experience for her.

Mike

 

[sengsational]

We do two pairs of shoes. The heavier pair on our feet, the light Teva sandals in the carry on. DW brings a very light third pair.....they go in my bag. Both are 37L bags.

I found out that the second pair was essential if the primary pair was boots; clomping around in the evening was so uncomfortable, I had to buy light/comfortable shoes at the destination.

 

[Out of Steam]

Since the discussion has migrated a bit... we are carry on only types and definitely focus on 'tech' fabrics... Think stuff from Columbia brand... it can be washed in the sink and dries quickly. We carry a bungy cord with clips from drying. We carry detergent sheets in a baggy. I don't want to spend time in a laundromat - I do the laundry before bed (takes 5 minutes) - and it's dry in the morning.

Another baggage saver is limit your number of shoes. Shoes are bulky. Wear your bulkiest shoes (often hiking boots), have 1, or at most 2, pairs of shoes in your carryon. Shoes (and all your clothes) need to work with many outfits/combos. If you can limit your shoes to 2 pairs you're golden in doing carry on.

I have worn hiking boots onto a plane before to save luggage space and weight for a trip with a lot of outdoor gear. The only pair of jeans I've had on my last few airline trips is if I'm wearing a pair.

 

[brett]

One airline that we use, Westjet, has a policy that allows one to cancel a booking within 24 hours of that booking with no penalty.

I never thought much of it until this past spring. We took advantage of a low fare offer to Rome. Then I went back to double check the rules on rebooking a cancelled last years Morocco flight credit (earthquake) on another airline. I had made an error on the dates.

We were able to cancel the Rome trip without paying any penalties. Otherwise we would have lost one of those two flights as they were both non refundable fares.

Some airlines allow you to lock in to a price for 48/72 hours.

We have used this on a few airlines when we did not have accommodation booked. We used google air or matrixit to scan for, and subsequently book the best days/times/scheds to fly. Held the flight, and then ensured that the accommodation we preferred was still available. We do a fair amount of late bookings so this is ideal for us.

One other thing....when we need to call the airline for changes, etc I make a point of calling early in the AM....1AM, 2AM. I find that I get almost zero call waiting time and much better service from the airline CSR's

 

[audreyh1]

All the US airlines AFAIK give you 24 hours to cancel a non-refundable ticket.

 

[USGrant1962]

All the US airlines AFAIK give you 24 hours to cancel a non-refundable ticket.

Yes, I believe that is a Federal rule.

 

[Koolau]

Just got back from Chicago. The weather was beautiful (according to the Chicagoans). Low 60s and sunny during the day, high 40s at night. To us Floridians, it was cold.

Yep. I find myself whining about the temperature when it gets below 75.

 

[braumeister]

A good experience with Alaska Air I thought I'd mention here.
I had to make a last minute change to flights earlier this year, and instead of a refund Alaska Air gave me a credit for future flights. That was fine, except that it was only valid for one year.
I've fretted a bit about that, since my chances of flying them again before the year is up are very slim. It was several hundred bucks, so not trivial.
Today, completely out of the blue, I got an email from them that changed the expiration date on the credit to five years. That was unexpected and much appreciated. No idea why they did it.

 

[Koolau]

A good experience with Alaska Air I thought I'd mention here.
I had to make a last minute change to flights earlier this year, and instead of a refund Alaska Air gave me a credit for future flights. That was fine, except that it was only valid for one year.
I've fretted a bit about that, since my chances of flying them again before the year is up are very slim. It was several hundred bucks, so not trivial.
Today, completely out of the blue, I got an email from them that changed the expiration date on the credit to five years. That was unexpected and much appreciated. No idea why they did it.

I've been seeing news reports here lately about the gummint becoming more aggressive about air line practices for such things as delayed/cancelled flights. Perhaps your experience is an effort to stave off more regulation of the industry. Who knows? Anyway, good to hear since Alaska has purchased Hawaiian. Hope the more generous policies carry over to the combo.

I'm hopeful that the larger combined airline will lead to better service, lower fares and better polices. Of course, I'm not going to hold my breath. The good news is that the Hawaii routes are already pretty competitive. IF the Japanese market ever fully recovers, all bets will be off as I doubt Alaska has enough planes at this point. I guess we'll see.