Does anyone actually enjoy flying? (hotel, vacation, planes, airport)

[BrianGC]

I just care about getting from A to B the quickest way possible in relation to the cost of the plane ticket vs driving. I don't mind flying, except for egregious delays. At least with driving, I can usually just use Waze or Google Maps to bypass delays and have minimal impact on my arrival time. Plus my car is a lot more comfortable than typical plane seats.

[elnina]

Originally Posted by shellymdnv

I love it. The actual experience on the plane may not be the greatest but it usually means that I am off to somewhere fun and exciting or returning from such a place.

Yup! I do! ^^^ For the same reason. I couldn't say it better ^^^
Just got off a plane today - 10 hrs in the air, probably half of it spent watching out the window. With a little luck you can see really interesting stuff out there.
I took few pictures, ate two meals, watched a movie, walked around, visited the galley for a snack and a chat, socialized with others, had ice cream with flight attendants, met the pilots at the cockpit - chatted some more. Flight is never boring to me....

[emm74]

Airplane jail.

I suppose it might be more pleasant if I was willing to pay for a business class seat (although I mostly fly Southwest, so that's not even a thing anyway). But I'd rather spend that money enjoying wherever my destination is, rather than on the flight to get there.

I personally don't like driving, but I don't mind being a passenger so if someone else were driving, I'd be fine with switching a plane to a car if it wasn't too far, maybe up to about 5 or 6 hours. After that, flying becomes a necessary evil.

[MarshaBrady1968]

I used to love it. Since I have been a mom, I like it less. Motherhood took me from a once laid back person to someone in fear of everything.
At take off and landing (where most crashes occur) I do say a quick prayer and have a touch of elevated HR and BP - what if something happened to me and my kids had no mom?

I understand that statistically cars are more hazardous, blah, blah blah

[athena53]

Originally Posted by BrianGC

<snip>Plus my car is a lot more comfortable than typical plane seats.

DH was over 6 feet tall. When we met we lived in NJ and my parents lived in Myrtle Beach. We flew there once and then he suggested we drive. He cheerfully drive the 12 hours himself, just to avoid fling, leaving me free to converse, read a good book or enjoy the scenery. I could see the wisdom in that. We started flying again after we moved to KS but when I retired we decided to drive, even though it involved an overnight each way. He died in 2016 and I STILL drive there. Some of my family members think I'm nuts, but I love the freedom- no TSA, no concern about what I can and cannot pack or what my bag weighs, no worry that getting someplace 5 minutes too late will result in a 4-hour delay. I can decide on the spur of the moment what dates to go. It may be a little cheaper but that's not why I do it.

Not a practical option for my next two big trips (Hawaii and the Galapagos).

Originally Posted by MarshaBrady1968

I used to love it. Since I have been a mom, I like it less. Motherhood took me from a once laid back person to someone in fear of everything.

At take off and landing (where most crashes occur) I do say a quick prayer and have a touch of elevated HR and BP - what if something happened to me and my kids had no mom?

I understand that statistically cars are more hazardous, blah, blah blah

This is the other side of the coin, but... I've now taken my 5-year old granddaughter on two plane trips to Chicago, each an hour one way. Last year when we took the first one, she was 4. I am profoundly grateful to my son and DIL for being able to "let go"- I'm not sure if I would have been able to drop my kid off at the airport and let them get on a plane, even with a loving, competent, well-traveled grandparent. I've let them know how much I appreciate it!

[eureka1]

I enjoyed it the first 100 times, now not at all.

[More Rock]

Yes, in the 70s when you got leg-room, actual meals, and The Great Unwashed were not boarding then.

[StealthRabbit]

OP, how many flights / yr?
For 'recreational' traveler (<10 / yr) flying is pretty trivial)
For business or serious traveler (50 flights + / yr) it becomes a 'natural / necessary habit'. I have done 50+ flights / month many times, often international and regional hops in Asia and Europe and USA)

I just love GOING places, so flying is one of the methods to enable that.
I use a spreadsheet for trips that has self populating formula for;

1. 'Fly';
2. Fly/drive,
3. Drive (50mpg free fuel car);
4. drive minivan (25 mpg + some lodging;
5. drive mini motorhome (20 mpg, no lodging, 50% stealthcamp);
6. drive semitruck (8 mpg)
7. Motorcycle (50 mpg)
8. bicycle...

Internationally, I check trains.

I choose whatever fits my destination / weather / interests / timeframe, and finally budget.(Not a top priority).
Last week was fly/drive to SW National Parks, this week short RT (Road trip); + 4 flights + rental car.
SWA Companion Pass is currently getting a lot of use, likely 80 - 100 free flights this yr.

I have over 3m road miles (CDL driver + lived in the boonies most my life)
I Love to drive, ride, peddle, paddle, float, rail, and fly! (Walking and running is ok too).

You don't like lines / LOTS of people?
Stay out of Asia (especially Japan and China)! (Trains, taxis, subway, money changers, ..queue everywhere (just for fun I guess).

[Sonic_Spork]

I enjoy flying. But I'm lucky.

I have never been bothered by the TSA. Guess they don't profile little white women in wacky socks as being possibly dangerous.

I'm a small human. So I'm not usually uncomfortably squeezed against others during the flight.

I do not travel with pets or children.

And I like the Biscoff cookies (biscuits) very much with coffee. Yum.

Also, I normally fly to go on vacations, so I'm doing fun things. And I like very much to fly alone, it makes me feel all independent and adulty and such. My inner extrovert makes me wish that other people were more friendly and chatty on flights than they tend to be, but I did once meet a fascinating older gentleman and we talked for the whole 2 hour flight and both enjoyed our conversation very much. That's pure gold to me, turning strangers into friends. Doesn't happen often though. Mostly people on planes want to be left alone, as far as I can tell.

[MinivanDriver]

Once I'm in the air, yes.



I had a client for several years who had a private plane. So we'd fly everywhere in that thing. As in fly 800 miles for a lunch with a prospect then fly home. Literally arrive at the private airport, fly 90 minutes in a nice, roomy jet, meet for two hours, then fly 90 minutes home. I could leave at 8 a.m. and be home by 2:30. Holy smokes, it was great.