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I remember when flying was a wonderful experience and the flight crew were pleasant and helpful, rather than being annoyed at you. As others have stated it's like being in a cattle car. There is no foot room, you can't really put the tray down flat, the airlines seem to feel they are doing you a favor and they charge you extra for every little item. I gave up flying 8 years ago but had to fly for a funeral and I was miserable. No more flying for me.
Nice OP story. I'm sure I took my last trip by air in 2005, CA to PA to bury my dad. Everyone is gone that means a lot to me and since my knee issues I have absolutely no desire to go near an airport. From all that goes on today, no way, no how.
When my grandkids were a lot younger I used to take them to a grassy area outside the LAX and we'd sit and could almost touch the planes coming in. That was FUN. FOr me and the kids. If anyone is familiar with In n Out near LAX it was right there and we'd have eats and watch the planes. I travelled ENOUGH. Enjoy being home sweet home.
I like current state of flying, the negative aspect of it being like a bus is countered by the positive of low price and so many routes. I see no reason to have some romantic adventure when my goal is to simply get from point A to point B, and I'm amazed at how stressed people get over it.
Growing up I was always, and continue to be, a lover of all things dealing with aviation. As a child in the early 60s, my father would take me and my siblings to the end of the runway at Philadelphia Intl. airport to watch the noisy jets like the Caravelle, Boeing 707 and DC-8s take off in a cloud of smoke from water-injected engines.
And for the past 40 years I've flown dozens of times and been everywhere I ever wanted to see. Now that DW and I have taken our 10th (and final!) trip from the east coast to Hawaii, I am delighted that I will never fly again!
What was once an exciting experience has degenerated into a modern-day equivalent of a grungy bus ride. Between the aggressive tactics of TSA, to the overall cramming in to ever-more cramped seating on planes, and the stress involved with potential delays, other passengers going bonkers, fistfights, I would rather just stay home, or drive.
So no more flying for me, ever again!
It use to be you could get to the airport not long before the plane took off. Fly up for a meeting and return the same day. Now to fly at all is an all day event. It is unpleasant and stressful.
The train is great. In fact, it is highly underrated. You can change your schedule easily at the last moment. You can sit where you want, move around too. So if you are in a car that has noise, you can find a quiet one. You just walk on with your bag and go. You could even change your mind, take your bag and get off at another stop and do something there for a couple of hours, and get back on and continue your trip.
Too much caffeine in the evening? Jeeeeeze, calm down.
There was a mostly business class airline, Midwest Air, but unfortunately it was bought out. Seems I'm incorrect in my speculations about the reasons; it had more to do with 9/11 and fuel costs which hit all the airlines.
In its heyday, Midwest was quite the luxury flying experience, with spacious leather seats, gourmet meals, and outstanding service. What a shame that it couldn't make a go of it.
I've long felt that baggage handling is atrocious. U.S. airports have primitive conveyor belts that vaguely send your bags in the general direction of your flight. Then, primitive trucks deliver piles of bags to the plane, where primitive people throw them violently onto a baggage ramp. This system loses over a million bags a year. Thousands of bags are damaged. There's got to be a better way.
I would put an RFID tag on each bag and robotically convey it to the exact aircraft, and robotically load it without throwing or dropping it. Maybe bags should be packed into modular boxes in a loading area, then the modules pushed to the plane.
I would still fly. As far as baggage, I haven't checked any in years. Travel light.
I'd place a bet that it's the PEOPLE complaining here who grew older and perhaps wiser and saw it for what it always was.
It's the old story - flying was glorified in print and on TV and elsewhere (like war is, junk food is and everything else) and so everyone thought it was the greatest thing.
After a couple dozen flights the smart person sees the truth. It's still the best way to get a long distance covered. We fly to Florida from MA quite a bit during the winter (nonstop, 2.5 to 3 hours). I call that the "coach limit". In other words, short flights are, IMHO, not a problem.
But coast to coast in coach in a crowded narrow plane? sux! As well it should.
Of course, we should have invested in high speed rail long ago. But we won't.
Flying commercially can be described as being transported in an aluminum tube filled with Kerosene. It's hard to make that special.
I with you....haven't flown since 2000 and won't again with the world as nuts as it is. And, as if we needed yet another reason to stay away from airlines, now there's this.......
Historians of the future aren't going to believe the lore brought forth from this bizarre era.
That is one of the millions of phony emotional support animals staying in hotels and flying. That pollutes the clean air us people need who are allergic to dogs and cats. I can now stay in one hotel in NYC, the Roosevelt.
Only hotel that 'doesn't fall for this emotional support BS.' Even the Plaza or Waldorf have fallen for this BS.
And I love animals. Grew up with both and for some weird reason I became allergic to them.
Why does their rights supersede mine? I get service men with emotional support needs. But I have been on chat rooms encouraging this behavior so they don't have to pay to travel with animal.
While I'm still traveling, I get on a plane and get taken off by ambulance.
Cats and dogs dander doesn't leave. It literally gets into the walls, carpet etc. I can not live in a 'used' house where a pet has lived ever. I am so sensitive. Its like smoke over time. you need to strip the house of all dry wall and flooring to make it safe for us. Hubs is too but nt to the extent I am.
We are in our forever home.
Flying is like a big grey hound bus. I still have too many places I want to go so I'll put up with it. But have gotten to where if the trip is less than 300 miles, I'm driving which I love any way.
I with you....haven't flown since 2000 and won't again with the world as nuts as it is. And, as if we needed yet another reason to stay away from airlines, now there's this.......
Historians of the future aren't going to believe the lore brought forth from this bizarre era.
this is unbelievable! That poor man.
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this is unbelievable! That poor man.
