Airports/Airplanes

[damnromulans]

I am a huge transportation nerd and I love airports, airplanes, the thrill of checking your bag at the luggage counter, overpriced airport restaurants, and the excitement of waking up at 4 am to catch a morning flight.

What are some of your best (worst?) flight/airport related stories? Any mile-high club members? Favorite airlines, airports, etc?

So far the best airline I have used is Koreanair, but Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways are good too. The worst service I've had is basically any domestic flight in the U.S. - and the Tokyo-Chicago afternoon route with American Airlines is pretty awful, there's a fat bitchy flight attendant named Shirley on that flight who is far too sassy to be in the service industry.

I once engaged in inappropriate behavior using blankets as cover in the middle row of a 747 over the middle of the Pacific. Oops!

I really want to try Aeroflot someday just for the experience. I wonder if they still have smoking on their domestic flights.

 

[muzmaze]

Not a frequent traveler or flyer...but recently went to Cancun Mexico.
Flight to was no problem..return flight not so great. Departed Mex on the edge of the last Gulf hurricane wich was a trop storm at the time...little scary. Also had this shitfaced doctor who looked like a cross between Randy Quaid and Robin Williams, slobbering and leaning on me the whole way to D.C.

Then we had to lay over in D.C. upon return to Boston. D.C. said a delay with mechanical failure, suggested to stay over then have people leave first thing in the a.m., fuck no. People still checked luggage and were rushing to make the gate / flight anyway, as we chose to do. The plane literaly was going down the runway as we ran up to the gate...just missed it and ended up staying over.

Lesson however, do not try to run fast up an escalator wearing flip-flops. In our frantic rushing attempt, I dumped it and split my big toe wide open...never bled so much in my life. Atleast we had one more night, one more bar and hotel room to drink heavily in. I left bloody towels and flip-flops all over the hotel room as I soaked / repaired my still bleeding toe before retiring to bed. It must have looked like a murder scene when house-keeping came in the next morning? We arrived safely in Boston next day. It was all good!

 

[Srontgorrth]

I'm a fairly frequent flyer, but I almost always travel through Southwest, which isn't anything special. My friend went on Virgin Airlines last month and she got to order Absinthe on the plane and watch TV, I wish I was 21+

 

[panzerfaust666]

Yeah I love flying, but i dont get to do it taht often. In a way I am completely afraid of it, but I love the rush of it. and yes, I love checking in as well, all that jazz.

Except when i last went to Japan (dec 09) , a patrol dog in Vancouver Airport started sniffing me like crazy, and sat down beside me ect. So the officers who were leading him around searched me ect ect blah blah. According to the dogs reaction, I had over an Ounce of weed on me? hmmm bullshit, but regardless, it was scary.


Best Airline ive been on...JAL has the best service, but they're entertainment (Magic-II syste,) on the 747 (van to tokyo) was shitty.

Air Canada (van to tokyo) had the best entertainment

Food wise, it was pretty much down the middle, but JAL did give me tonnnns of Sake and a bunch of awesome snacks, so they win

 

[muzmaze]

^
As well like the rush of it. More so powering down the runway, those first few moments of lifting off...its pretty cool. Does anyone know what the typical rate of top runway speed is?

 

[damnromulans]

Best entertainment system I've had was on a KLM flight from Osaka to Amsterdam. I watched 5 hours of DJ Tiesto live event footage.

If you fly Northwest 318 or 319 between Nagoya and Detroit (and Manila), there are no personal TVs or even the little nubs on the seat backs to keep your head from lolling. >_<

Air China takes STEEP takeoffs. If you like the thrill of takeoff I recommend flying with them internationally - they take off and land like it's a goddamned spaceship.

 

[unknown]

I've been pretty impressed with Aer Lingus and JetBlue

my mom works for American Airlines, so I get to fly standby. I flew roundtrip to Ireland one time for $170. Would've been cheaper, but I got first class on the way back (darn!). the only kicker is you don't have a confirmed seat, so for instance I almost got stuck in chicago and only got on the plane because a flight attendant was missing

 

[damnromulans]

I've thought about working as a flight attendant or something but I'm not sure it's worth the horror of getting paid $15,000 a year as a contract part-timer when you start out.

 

[unknown]

you don't need to be a flight attendant to get flight benefits. my mom is a gate agent. you could be a baggage handler or do something else

 

[Khayman666]

I've been pretty impressed with Aer Lingus and JetBlue

Aer Lingus surprised me. Flew to Munich with them last year and I had no problems at all.

Worst experiences were in Calgary (pissy Air Canada employees and security on a serious power trip), Ottawa (I was horrified that the security and customs personnel were all in their early 20s and cocky as hell) and on a WestJet flight from Saskatoon to Vancouver where the turbulence was unbearable. If I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt I swear I would've hit the roof.

The most stressful airport I've been to is Heathrow. Feel like cattle going through customs, and have to go through two or three points of security and scan passports for (some) domestic flights. Arriving there and stepping outside after a flight is always great though.

Toronto (YYZ) has got to be the smoothest running airport I've been through. Never had a delayed flight, security was always quick, and the customs officers have always been really friendly.

I used to love flying, but find myself thining twice a lot now. I hate that I now feel violated and powerless whenever I want to go somewhere.

 

[Einherjar86]

I fly from Buffalo to Tampa quite often, and I almost always use Southwest. I love airports and watching people and talking with them. I'm actually leaving for Tampa tomorrow morning.

 

[Zephyrus]

I fly from Buffalo to Tampa quite often, and I almost always use Southwest. I love airports and watching people and talking with them. I'm actually leaving for Tampa tomorrow morning.

My uncle was running the NFTA while that airport was built.

 

[Dak]

I like the whole thing about being thousands of miles away in the same day that comes with flying, but with the cost and level of invasiveness that security employs (and especially considering that the full body scan machines are on the way) I probably won't be flying too much anymore.

I like to drive and it's private, and I don't have to deal with trying to sleep while other people need to get up/come back from the bathroom, or a LCD screen flashing in my face.

 

[Einherjar86]

My uncle was running the NFTA while that airport was built.

I love the Tampa airport. It's really impressive.

 

[Zephyrus]

I was talking about Buffalo.

 

[Billenzimmer]

I fly long haul at least once a month, usually with work and sometimes on holiday. After 2 years doing this job, I'm pretty much over the whole novelty of flying. Going through the airports (especially check in) takes a load of time, I usually get hilariously dehydrated during the flights, and never sleep that well.

Best airlines:
Emirates- excellent service, never been refused a drink (sometimes happens after 3 or 4 even though I'm not drunk)- in fact last time, each time an attendant walked past me and saw an empty glass, they asked if I wanted another, and were giving me 2 bottles of vodka a time (=4 shots). One little idea that makes a lot of difference- the in flight entertainment works whilst the planes on stand and doesn't turn off before landing- you can watch a long movie in this extra time

Cathay Pacific- good service, huge choice of inflight entertainment

Worst airline:
Ryanair- always seem to be running late. Same price as Easyjet, but actually make Easyjet look good.

Lufthansa- poor choice of in-flight enetrtainment, uncomfortable seats

Best airport:
Probably Schipol (Amsterdam)- plenty of shops, etc. easy to navigate, close to the city centre.

Worst airport:
Chales de Gaulle (Paris)- whoever designed this place wants to be fucking shot. Took me an hour to get from one gate in terminal 2E to another in 2F, including one part where I technically left the airport and entered France. Sign posting is erraticly placed/ next to useless/ non-existent.

Best flight:
Other than anything that doesn't crash? London to Melbourne via Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific- watched movies for 12 hours to Hong Kong, had 5 large G+T's in an hour, popped 2 valium and slept over 9 of the 10 hours to Melbourne, woke up feeling fairly refreshed

Worst flight:
Amsterdam to Bangkok, with KLM- old 747 with movie screens in the ceiling. System was malfunctioning for first couple of hours, playing the first 2-15 minutes of each film/ TV show before skipping to the next, so was subjected to the same parts of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and He's Just Not That Into You repeatedly

Paris to Pointe Noire (The Congo), charter flight. No booze, inlight entertainemnt was on a brick of a handheld thing, only had a few crappy French movies on.

Oh yeah, and lounge access rules

 

[Einherjar86]

I was talking about Buffalo.

Well... maybe you should've been more specific.

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

I like to drive and it's private, and I don't have to deal with trying to sleep while other people need to get up/come back from the bathroom, or a LCD screen flashing in my face.

Indeed. It's much easier to sleep while driving. Until you hit those fucking rumble strips, of course.

 

[Dak]

Indeed. It's much easier to sleep while driving. Until you hit those fucking rumble strips, of course.

Lol. Fortunately I am not one of those people who starts nodding off as soon as they get behind the wheel. I enjoy the road.

 

[Srontgorrth]

Indeed. It's much easier to sleep while driving. Until you hit those fucking rumble strips, of course.

LOL

JetBlue is one of the only other airlines I've been on, and it was nice, but really long (6-7 hours from Long Beach CA to NYC, then another hour from there to Maine). TV on plane is nice, but since Southwest doesn't have that I usually try and watch a movie, read, and play on my PSP.

I'm flying out tomorrow morning for the state competition of the We The People Program, gotta get up at 5am