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Agreed. I find all this talk of how unbearably horrible/filthy/rude/etc. flying has become to be more drama-queenage than reality. I used to fly a lot for work and of all those flights I have trouble remembering many bad experiences that stood out, the ones I can usually involve another passenger next to me not the airline.
and as for TSA, foreign countries have had stiffer security for decades. I still remember departing from the Milan, Italy airport and having armed guards (some with automatics) standing watch as everyone checked in. Don't even get me started on security in China and Russia in the 1980's.
With the current state of the world, the more security the better.
1. Airlines that don't allow for 1 included check in... As far as I know (this isn't including airline credit cards though or anything like that which I'm sure most of you have) the only airline in the US that allows you to check in luggage at no additional cost is Southwest. My way around this is going to be most of your pet peeves because I am "that" passenger, is to use a piece of luggage (usually rolling duffels are the most subtle) that I know clearly is way above the dimensions allowed as a carry on but would still fit in the overhead and make it through the gate without being told that I have to have it measured. While most would hate passenger like me, to try to make it right (lol...) when airlines do announce complimentary check in (happens most of the the time when I fly) due to lack of space, I do let them check my bag.
2. Getting a can of Diet Coke at a restaurant instead of a fountain Diet Coke. Yes I know this is a very American thing to say, but I love Diet Coke! I drink water most of the time. Not into wine, tea, or coffee for the most part.
3. High fees during peak season- I know though that's too be expected.... I don't have the best schedule to take trips... Usually just around Xmas and July. I've always been envious of people who can take their vacations whenever they want, or get them in seasons I would love like Fall and Spring.
4. When I meet other travelers who are always surprised to see me, a young female traveling alone. I always have to have the same conversation with them about it.
5. No AC (I know, another very American thing to say!).
6. European showers that basically get the whole bathroom floor wet and where they are so narrow that it's very difficult to shave your legs.
7. Getting a ticket that you didn't expect to get since a local gave you the wrong information.... Happened to me in Perugia. I was taking the bus to get to the train station. A local told me that you could use the same ticket 2x. I didn't realize it was meant as a transfer within a very short time frame. A bus police officer came on and asked to see my ticket. I couldn't find my ticket so he took me off the bus and I'm digging through it to find the damn ticket. I hand it to him, and he writes me a ticket. He didn't speak English and I had no idea what the ticket said. There was a nice woman who saw it who spoke fluent English and she was telling him that I was misinformed about the transfer. He just laughed and still made me pay the fine which was hefty. The woman told me just to tell him that I have no $$$ so then they just hand me the ticket so I tried to say that, but the man already saw I had cash a I found the ticket.... He said if I didn't pay it, he would have to take me to down to the police station. Honestly if I hadn't booked my train ticket, I would have done it. Now I know how Amanda Knox felt!!!
8. Bad service in restaurants due to being a singleton- This happens to me anywhere. Hardly anyone drops by to take my order, give refills, check on anything, etc. I could probably dine and dash and no one would notice. I probably have had more bad service in restaurants as a party of 1 than good service. This is the main reason I always get food to go, or in places where it's tacky to get food to go (like Europe), I just eat at very casual places or get food from markets.
9. Arriving at the airport but where you have to taxi, and taxi, and keep taxing!!
10. Being told there's wifi and the signal is poor or non existence.
11. High roaming fees at sea.
12. Parents who leave their out of control kids unattended (yes, I know parents, you all have sweet, well behaved children who are geniuses....). This seems to always happen to me on cruises. I will go to a hot tub for instance that is labeled for adult uses only, but kids are in it and the parents are nowhere in site. These are kids too that are under 14 (the signs also say to not live kids under 14 unattended at the pool or kid friendly hot tubs). Sorry, I want to be able to relax in a hot tub and not have kids snorkeling next to me who keep splashing my face and hair. If you tell a cruise line employee this in the area, they don't say anything to the kids or adults because they don't want to have that conversation. When people like me have mentioned this like on CruiseCritic, people just say "Then just take a cruiseline that doesn't have a lot of kids!" That would be the high end lines that most people cannot afford like Crystal and Seaborne. How about they just follow the rules?! I don't go into the designated kid areas!
13. When my TSA Preapproved thing doesn't print on my tickets. Yes, I have it saved in all my airline profiles and things like that however it doesn't seem to print on like half my American Airlines' flights. I call to complain an AA just says that you aren't guaranteed to always have it print on your ticket due to TSA random checks. I could see if that happens once in awhile to me, but half the time???
My way around this is going to be most of your pet peeves because I am "that" passenger, is to use a piece of luggage (usually rolling duffels are the most subtle) that I know clearly is way above the dimensions allowed as a carry on but would still fit in the overhead and make it through the gate without being told that I have to have it measured. While most would hate passenger like me
I don't hate anyone. But your actions are just another example of people that purposely break the rules and allow the rest of us to either pay for it, or at least to be delayed while we wait for all the overhead bin issues to be solved.
I used to pay $100 each trip to check two bags and yes it was aggravating seeing people bring in obviously oversized bags, cut ahead in line, bring in full size carryons for their infant children (who can't unload them, so big deplaning delay here)etc etc etc, all rude things to do.
Now our credit card allows a free bag for both of us so no more $100 fee - you might look into getting a credit card.
Dave
I get lunch by myself many times cause I like eating out at exotic places many times that no one wants to go to lol, or just because my girlfriend works different hours than me, so most of the time I go solo. The quality of service depends on where I go. In the US it's more taboo when you eat out by yourself but in other places no one bats an eye, if you go to taquerias or Mexican restaurants there is a mountain of people getting lunch by themselves. Some of the trendy Asian places are worse for getting lunch solo. Sometimes the service for solo can be great especially cause the waiters wanna know everything about you and that's cool, I've gotten phone numbers that way before lol. But in some other places the service eating solo can be atrocious. It always depends
I don't hate anyone. But your actions are just another example of people that purposely break the rules and allow the rest of us to either pay for it, or at least to be delayed while we wait for all the overhead bin issues to be solved.
I used to pay $100 each trip to check two bags and yes it was aggravating seeing people bring in obviously oversized bags, cut ahead in line, bring in full size carryons for their infant children (who can't unload them, so big deplaning delay here)etc etc etc, all rude things to do.
Now our credit card allows a free bag for both of us so no more $100 fee - you might look into getting a credit card.
Dave
Not going to get a credit card with any airlines as I have no loyalty to any particular airline. I'll stick with my technique.
I have never used an overhead bin - a lot more peaceful without them I just have to relax and ignore the bin crowd.
Dave
Maybe you don't need your bags back when you get off the plane. I'm a business traveler and I do. On flights involving a connection or a regional carrier, bags seem to be delayed or lost 25% of the time (more on American Eagle) and by the time I get them, my meeting is over and I'm back home.
Don't go through the scanner with stuff in your pockets, then stop to ask if you can keep your passport or your wallet in your pocket when you are asked to go back through.
In general I agree that you should obey the rules, but I am not going to hand over my passport to a security officer when I have already put my wallet in the X-ray machine. It is my only identification at that point and, if someone steals it or they hand it back to the wrong person, I don't want to wind up in a foreign prison. Insist on holding your passport in your hand while walking through a metal detector or X-ray machine, even if you have to call for the security supervisor.
I've got a pet peeve to add = security-checkpoint-bench-hoggers.
A couple days ago we went thru a checkpoint at JFK (God I hate when you need to get on a bus and redo security for a transfer) and once past the checkpoint to where they have benches to get reassembled the first two benches I get to have people who are just killing time. The first had two Chinese ladies snacking while chatting, second had a dude typing on his phone while his bag took up the other half of the bench.
When you get your stuff out the bin you're all out of sorts because no shoes, no belt, electronics are pulled out, jacket, etc. you just want two minutes to put stuff back on and make sure you have everything and press on to the gate. Clearly the little area of benches right after the check point is for exactly this purpose. Save the loitering for the gazillion other chairs that are 50 meters away near the gates.
While I'm at it when we got on our connection in Seoul the Korean lady in front of me had put her purse under the seat in front of her and jammed a big Duty Free bag under the seat behind her, which was where my small backpack and feet go. I pushed it forward with my feet, she pushed it back under with her hands, then I took it out and placed it in the aisle next to her. She glared at me like I was rude, I have no idea why she thinks it's first come first serve for under-seat space like overhead bins.
Phew, end rant. 35 hour travel day door-to-door Washington DC to Bangkok.
Well, I know this is a revived thread, but this is fresh in my mind, so I'll share my pet peeve (which has been previously shared by others, I'm sure)
Poorly behaved children with parents who apparently believe they have no responsibility to control their kids. I flew just yesterday, and since we were flying to NC on the back side of Florence, it was a very turbulent flight.
In the row in front of me (bulkhead seats) was a mother with two young children (I'm guessing 3 and 5?) The daughter frequently shrieked (seemingly just for the hell of it) and the son was using hs ipad without headphones to play some obnoxious sing songy kiddie game. The flight attendant came by and asked the mother if he had headphones. Of course he didn't. They turned the volume down, but it wasn't long before the volume went back up.
A little later in the flight, the turbulence got worse, so I put down my ipad and closed my eyes to practice some anxiety calming tecniques. I felt someone touch my knee (the knee next to the window). I opened my eyes and saw the little boy peering around the seat. I smiled, gave a little wave, and closed my eyes again. He continued to do it four more times. I finally had to lean forward to ask the mother to stop her son from disturbing other passengers. He continued to do it.
Then upon final approach (again, very turbulent air), neither child was sitting in their seat. Of course, they both slammed into the bulkhead wall when we landed, which made for much crying and wailing.
Sigh. I was thrilled to deplane for a number of reasons.
In the son was using hs ipad without headphones to play some obnoxious sing songy kiddie game. The flight attendant came by and asked the mother if he had headphones. Of course he didn't. They turned the volume down, but it wasn't long before the volume went back up.
.
There is NOTHING more nerve-wracking than hours of listening to bleep-bleep-doodle-doodle-bleep-bleep-dingle-dingle-bloop-bloop-whoop-whoop from some toddler's I-pad. It gets to be like a dental drill after a while and can work its way through headphones. A close second is having the person behind you not using the controller to play video games on the back-of-the-seat video screen, instead poking strenuously at the screen for hours. You're trying to sleep and your headrest keeps thumping...and thumping...and thumping. Headphones won't help that.
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and as for TSA, foreign countries have had stiffer security for decades. I still remember departing from the Milan, Italy airport and having armed guards (some with automatics) standing watch as everyone checked in. Don't even get me started on security in China and Russia in the 1980's.
