il_serpente Posted September 19, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 19, 2023 I've been pretty lucky in economy on transatlantic flights, but all it takes to make you consider spending the money on your next 12-hour flight is being seated next to an obese person in the middle section or in front of a seat-kicking imp. Domestic flights in the U.S. have seats packed so tight in economy that it can be pretty uncomfortable even on fairly short flights. Having used points to fly business class from NY to SF once, I can say that it's a completely different experience, almost like you're not on a plane- with your personal space and lie-flat seats, etc. I've had a couple of bad domestic experiences in economy over here and have vowed to always at least pay for premium economy, which gets you reasonable leg room and often perks like free drinks. When there are four of us, though, we usually stick to economy, as it adds up. Do you folks have the Priority Pass over there? It's a membership that gets you into select lounges at various airports or gets you free or greatly discounted food. It comes free with my travel credit card and I think a number of other bank cards do the same. The problem is, too many folks have it now and the lounges can be overcrowded at popular times. But if you're at a less busy time or not one of the big hub airports, it's a fantastic thing to have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 20 hours ago, tonyh29 said: quite shameful stuff though by some passengers , screaming at the staff , some fingers being prodded in faces , I get people are frustrated but no excuse for that sort of behaviour Bringing cheap air travel to the masses wasn't a great idea was it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 6 hours ago, blandy said: They’re buzzing Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 1 hour ago, il_serpente said: Do you folks have the Priority Pass over there? It's a membership that gets you into select lounges at various airports or gets you free or greatly discounted food. It comes free with my travel credit card and I think a number of other bank cards do the same. The problem is, too many folks have it now and the lounges can be overcrowded at popular times. But if you're at a less busy time or not one of the big hub airports, it's a fantastic thing to have. I've got something called LoungeKey, which is similar I think. Via my credit card. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 I'm not a flashy guy, but if i was wealthy, then business/first class travel is what I would do. No question. Only on long haul mind you. 12 hours in economy next to a Chinese fella coughing and hacking up is enough to put you off economy forever! Even in my current situation, I'd consider business class the price was right. A friend flew business to Thailand on Eva Air, a few years back, and it was £1800. Not bad. You pay £600 anyway, so he justified it as he hasn't been away for a couple of years prior. When I checked what is was on Qatar, when I went to meet him, it was £3500. Couldn't justify it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, il_serpente said: I've been pretty lucky in economy on transatlantic flights, but all it takes to make you consider spending the money on your next 12-hour flight is being seated next to an obese person in the middle section LA to Gatwick with Norwegian Air, **** horrible, the lady next to me was big to be polite, it was like a 12 hour Ryanair flight did Tokyo to dubai with Emirates, the big plane, the menu, the "free" beer... The guy next to my girlfriend 2 seats down from me absolutely ponged Also done vancouver to Heathrow with air Canada in a seat where the headphone jack was broken, that was probably my most depressing flight Or maybe lufthansa new York to Frankfurt where we picked our seats the morning before flying and paid extra for a 2 seater window seat, something like row 26 seats E and F only to find out the plane had changed and seats E and F were in the middle of a bank of 4 seats... That was an angry flight, I was fuming the whole time Basically doesn't matter where you fly, who you fly with, if you pay extra or not... Flying is shit Edited September 19, 2023 by villa4europe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomav84 Posted September 19, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 19, 2023 9 minutes ago, villa4europe said: LA to Gatwick with Norwegian Air, **** horrible, the lady next to me was big to be polite, it was like a 12 hour Ryanair flight did Tokyo to dubai with Emirates, the big plane, the menu, the "free" beer... The guy next to my girlfriend 2 seats down from me absolutely ponged Also done vancouver to Heathrow with air Canada in a seat where the headphone jack was broken, that was probably my most depressing flight Or maybe lufthansa new York to Frankfurt where we picked our seats the morning before flying and paid extra for a 2 seater window seat, something like row 26 seats E and F only to find out the plane had changed and seats E and F were in the middle of a bank of 4 seats... That was an angry flight, I was fuming the whole time Basically doesn't matter where you fly, who you fly with, if you pay extra or not... Flying is shit this, i agree with. some people freaking love it...i don't get it even though we were in premium, our flight back saturday night was miserable. i never sleep on planes and was super tired and uncomfortable the whole time plus the breakfast served in the morning was absolutely revolting (the person at the catering company virgin uses that thinks sweet potatoes belong on a supposed full english breakfast needs shooting), and i'd either already seen or just didn't fancy any of the inflight movies. first world problems i know, but flying is indeed well shit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Xela said: I'm not a flashy guy, but if i was wealthy, then business/first class travel is what I would do. No question. Only on long haul mind you. 12 hours in economy next to a Chinese fella coughing and hacking up is enough to put you off economy forever! Even in my current situation, I'd consider business class the price was right. A friend flew business to Thailand on Eva Air, a few years back, and it was £1800. Not bad. You pay £600 anyway, so he justified it as he hasn't been away for a couple of years prior. When I checked what is was on Qatar, when I went to meet him, it was £3500. Couldn't justify it! you can get lucky with the routes sometimes I flew Kathmandu to LHR via Qatar for £600 in business a few years back .. its the main routes that carry the premium , if you start somewhere obscure then it can be dirt cheap 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 8 hours ago, tomav84 said: on the flip side i never understand people that upgrade for short haul... well that was also my logic .. yesterday taught me a lesson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Speaking of flights. Was on transatlantic plane recently, in the front of economy. The extra legroom seats. Poor man’s business class. Overnight flight, so thought I would settle in early and start snoozing while they were still boarding. Then I hear this crashing above my head. A woman is repeatedly slamming her suitcase into the locker above my head, where I have left my bag, containing my laptop. She has a hard suitcase. It’s too big for the locker and no amount of slamming it into my laptop is going to make it any smaller. I stand up and offer to “help”, as in get her to stop being a lunatic. Anyway eventually she wanders off. Later I look around, and she’s sitting about 10 rows behind me. She had no right to even think about using that locker! I was **** livid! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 12 hours ago, sidcow said: Isn't Atlanta the busiest airport because of freight flights rather than passengers? its the main Delta hub , so they route their planes through there , landed there a few years back from a flight from Washington .. I could swear it took us about an hour to get out the airport , but was extremely hung over as well so that might have accounted for some of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 8 minutes ago, tonyh29 said: you can get lucky with the routes sometimes I flew Kathmandu to LHR via Qatar for £600 in business a few years back .. its the main routes that carry the premium , if you start somewhere obscure then it can be dirt cheap Is there any go-go bars in Kathmandu?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 58 minutes ago, Xela said: Is there any go-go bars in Kathmandu?! there are actually third time I went there was for my mates 40th as part of our India tour , so no hiking up mountains , just a whistle stop at the end .. as it was his 40th we did a flight around Everest , quick tour of the city and then went out on the hoy all afternoon / evening evening .. some local lad saw us and tagged along and took us to all these bars for the locals ... really wasn't expecting to see boobies on display ..and for free we ended up in some locals bar till around 3am , as we were leaving this Sherpa woman grabbed me , said you're cute , I'm taking you home with me tonight and lifted me clean off my feet and over her shoulder.. I grabbed hold of a post and held on for grim life .. my mate was just sitting there tears of laughter on his face .. he probably remembers that more than the Everest flight tbh I did manage to break free and avoid become someone's sex slave ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
il_serpente Posted September 19, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 19, 2023 2 hours ago, villa4europe said: LA to Gatwick with Norwegian Air, **** horrible, the lady next to me was big to be polite, it was like a 12 hour Ryanair flight did Tokyo to dubai with Emirates, the big plane, the menu, the "free" beer... The guy next to my girlfriend 2 seats down from me absolutely ponged Also done vancouver to Heathrow with air Canada in a seat where the headphone jack was broken, that was probably my most depressing flight Or maybe lufthansa new York to Frankfurt where we picked our seats the morning before flying and paid extra for a 2 seater window seat, something like row 26 seats E and F only to find out the plane had changed and seats E and F were in the middle of a bank of 4 seats... That was an angry flight, I was fuming the whole time Basically doesn't matter where you fly, who you fly with, if you pay extra or not... Flying is shit Remind me never to book a flight with you... I got screwed by the change of plane thing last month flying to Chicago from SF. My friend and I booked seats opposite of the aisle from each other since we both prefer aisles and neither wanted to be the middle of a 3. Get on the plane and it's a 3-4-3 instead of a 3-3 and the rows are offset so that he was nearly a foot in front of me and I was stuck in the middle section. One thing I do almost miss about the pandemic was the mandated empty middle seat. Delta carried on with that policy well beyond the federal mandate when I didn't feel particularly at risk, and premium economy was not too far off feeling like first class with extra legroom, free drinks and nobody seated next to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sidcow Posted September 20, 2023 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted September 20, 2023 9 hours ago, tonyh29 said: third time I went there was for my mates 40th as part of our India tour , so no hiking up mountains , just a whistle stop at the end Are you a member of the 19th Century aristocracy? 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 20, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 20, 2023 The conspiracy thread at the moment. It's starting to make me really angry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted September 20, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 20, 2023 1 hour ago, mjmooney said: The conspiracy thread at the moment. It's starting to make me really angry. I've stopped reading it and will use the ignore function. It's boring and enraging. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Sorry to bring it on here because I went and read last few pages after Mike posted that it made him angry. We on about the vaccinations for children? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted September 20, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 20, 2023 2 hours ago, mjmooney said: The conspiracy thread at the moment. It's starting to make me really angry. It's by definition a thread that no sane rational person should be in to be fair. I had my first dip in it a couple of days ago and realised it's a place to avoid. And there is just no talking to these people. They're cleverer than you so how can you convince them of anything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 3 minutes ago, sidcow said: I had my first dip in it a couple of days ago and realised it's a place to avoid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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