Flying is not like it used to be

[bogus bill]

Congratulations! I know it`s a lengthy hard process to get your A&P license`s and admire the people that have the drive and talent to do it. I once thought about buying a piece of acreage at a air park in Nevada but it didn't work out. I have a friend that started one up many years ago near Mohave California and he also worked on my plane. He restored a number of planes, won several best of shows that I know of and sounds like you and him are almost twins. He was a inspector at Lockheed and else where. Like you, his kids also followed his footsteps and have jobs in various fields of aviation. He was brought up in aviation as his dad was in it so that helped. You wouldn't want me working on your wheelbarrow.

 

[GunnyGene]

These days you're just self propelled cargo. :x

 

[Fox Mike]

For me a lot depends on where I am going. This weekend we are driving to Cape Cod to 'Summerize' our house there. In the long run it will take me about the same amount of travel time. I am an hour from the airport and have to be there one and a half hours prior to boarding. I have to 'short term' park the car and wait for a shuttle to get us to the airport proper. this is more time consuming. Then, through TSA and if on time, we would fly for about one hour and land in Warwick RI. I then have to secure our baggage, then get a rental car to go the rest of the way. That can take some more time to just get on the road. Now I have another 1.5 hours of driving to our house on the Cape. If I leave home the same time I would get there the same time as if I had flown, and not have to jump through a dozen hoops to do it. I can also stop for a pit stop and have enough room to turn around in the bathroom.

 

[exavid]

I just got too old and worn out. I doubt I could pass even a third class physical these days. I did rack up about 5000hrs or a bit more in Alaska from 1963 to 1998 mostly single engine on wheels, skis and floats. I miss it sorely and wish I could do it again but have to face reality, I'm not in condition and couldn't afford it now. But as they say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I do treasure the memories. Once in a rare while I meet or talk on the phone with some of the guys that flew out of Northern Alaska or some of the people I took on hunting or fishing trips. It feels good to reminisce.

 

[ChiefMuzz]

I really think it's a problem of expectations more than anything.
Flying now is cheaper than it was when flying commercially first became a reality. Then it was a luxury and so of course, you were treated in a very different way. Probably the difference between walking into a Ford dealership and walking into a Bentley dealership. Right now I can fly to Reykjavik from Pittsburgh for $200. That's insane. For that price, I should not expect many luxuries. I'm paying for me to get from here to there. Just like if I went on a car lot and got a base Ford Focus, it's not going to have all the bells and whistles. I should not complain when what I want to pay for something doesn't include everything.
Now flying is not a luxury at it's core. In fact it's a necessity for alot of people. That doesn't mean it can't be luxurious, but if you are expecting what you paid for circa 1970 for the exact same price or cheaper now, you're just being unrealistic. If you want the luxuries, pay for them. Get a first class ticket, get into the flyer's club for the airline and enjoy it. If you are looking for the cheapest possible flights from here to there, don't expect to get first class accommodations. I don't see how that is unreasonable. Flying has changed. You can now get to alot more places, for less money. That's not a bad thing. If you have unrealistic expectations and expect to be treated like you are flying luxury for the cheapest ticket possible, I don't think you're being rational.
As far as 911 and the TSA, that's not really on airlines and at this point that's been going on for over a decade. You can get TSA pre check and if you know what you are doing, you can get through rather quickly without much hassle.
I have my complaints about airlines and don't fly very frequently, but anymore when I do fly I try my best to book Southwest. They are without a doubt, the most pleasant airline to fly with. Usually the staff on flight are very happy and professional. They have a pretty straight forward boarding and fee structure. To date I have not had any issues with them, which I can't say for pretty much every other airline.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I used to enjoy flying, now I view it as a necessary evil.

Off to the fabulous city of Cincinnati next week, in July I'm going back to Austria, 11 hours nonstop from Vegas to Frankfurt, then a jump down to Graz.

Once went from Vegas to Geneva, then took a train to Vichy, then got in a car and drove to my final destination. Planes, Trains and Automobiles all in one day, 25 hours from takeoff in Vegas to finally arriving there, I was so wiped out I couldn't even speak right...athablahblahblahaaaahahaha....

 

[blume357]

I graduated from the European train travel club back in 2008.... my wife and I with 5 other friends left Krakow Poland on a train to get to Split Croatia ..... 32 hours on the train and we actually got there ahead of schedule! No thank you, not ever again.

 

[opos]

My entire business career from 1961 up through 1990 entailed massive amounts of travel..during some of the time I flew my Bonanza for work but the majority of my travel was commercial...I don't travel any more....my family all lives close enough to see on a regular basis and I have no interest in "vacationing" via the airlines. Travel in the '60's was very different than in the 90's..very uncrowded (no..or few screaming babies), people dressed well and washed and were usually fairly well groomed...Crews were friendly and the customer comfort, safety and attitude were of major importance. I was a burned out "road warrior" with 30 years of almost weekly travel during most of the time...I was a large corporation "specialist" in one major product line and my territory included the entire U. S. working with the sales force in that area...when I left that major corporation I became a major player in the industry involved in the same product areal and lines...again my area was the entire U.S. There were about 15 people that covered the whole Country and we were on the go constantly. Several of us also traveled out of the Country on a regular basis and international flight "back in the day" was incredible....

I'd bet very few of the readers here know what the OAG was....we lived by a little red and white book called the "official airline guide" which was published for various parts of the Country...some of us had the national and international one as well...it was a monthly publication listing flights, times, etc...they changed every month and were pretty correct most of the time....how come we didn't just look on the computer or at our phone? There were no computers or cell phones...every airport had long banks of pay phones in every terminal.

The "saving grace" in many cases were "perks" like a $25-$50 upgrade from coach to first..coast to coast. Great meals...the ability to "grab a flight" on short notice and be ticketed on board...interchangabillity from airline to airline using the same ticket...so if you missed a flight..just find the next one regardless of airline and go.....None of the idiot restrictions or very few....Courtesy and assistance were the byword.

I have a younger (58) Son that is a traveler..fortunately his company realizes the toll heavy travel can cost a person so they make things as easy for him as they can...they spend their money wisely on class upgrades, realizing he'll be working on the plane and his abililty to use his time is more than paid for if he's not got some seat kicker screaming behind him. So it's been about 15+ years since any significant travel (few trips to Mexico and Hawaii fishing in the 90's) and I finally used up the last frequent flier miles I had "banked" over the years back then. Being "on the road" some 12-15 days every month for nearly a full working lifetime is often more than flight crews are legal to fly and when they break they rest...when I got off the plane my business days just began. My heart goes out to the hard core travelers of today...back when it was all "simple" and "fun" I burned my way through 3 marriages and a significant bout with alcoholism (long time sober now) and it was more the "norm" than the oddity for the real warriors....If I ever go to the airport to pick someone up and happen to go into the terminal near the ticket booths...I can easilly spot the burn outs....look the same..dead and just moving from place to place without any thought...all by rote...

First commercial flight I recall was on an old DC 6 ...Last flight was an Aeromex from Los Cabos into Los Angeles....Both trips were exciting....one was the first...one was the last. My Dad had a plane as did I later on, so there was some private flying that came and went but commercial stuff was easy to recall when it started and ended...If you are asked to fly a lot in business...drink soft drinks and love your family...some of us missed that part.

 

[bogus bill]

We live on the old Spanish trail. It`s almost unbelievable to think about people walking six months over these mountains and deserts to get to California! Now we complain about a couple hour flight to go a lot farther.

 

[lgriff1968]

I had to book a flight today, the first time in about 2 years that I am actually flying somewhere. Whenever possible I would prefer to drive to wherever I need or want to go, and being retired I have the time to do it. But this trip had to be by air because it is to go to L.A. and help my son get his stuff into a storage unit and then keep him company as we drive his car up to Seattle, and then later I will fly back home from Seattle. So I need two, one-way tickets. One pleasant surprise was how inexpensively I could get a flight. But then I discovered how flying is not like it used to be.

My economy fare allowed me to get ONLY a center seat. If I wanted an aisle or window seat it was at an extra cost of about $75. I also was informed that this fare entitled me to no checked luggage, and NO ACCESS TO THE OVERHEAD BINS for a carry on. At that point I agreed to an upgrade just to be able to put my small suitcase into an overhead bin. I fully expect that while on the plane I will be told that access to an oxygen mask in an emergency is only a few bucks extra, as will be the right to use the restroom.

This all made me remember the "good old days" when I first started flying. I was a young Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. If I flew in uniform I was able to get a reserved seat at 50% of the civilian cost of the ticket. At least half of the time I was given a last minute and free upgrade to 1st class because even then they would overbook the economy section of the plane. Every passenger in those days got a meal if the flight was more than a short hop. The meals weren't elaborate, but they sure were more than people get now even if they pay for one of those box meals the airlines offer. In those days your basic ticket included one checked suitcase, plus you could bring a carry-on. And of course in those days you were allowed to smoke on the plane, and at that time I was a smoker. And younger folks might not believe this, but getting on a plane in those days of the 1960's did not involve ANY security screening. No metal detector, no pat down, no list of prohibited items. In fact, once I forgot to pack my handgun in my suitcase so I just slipped it into my pocket and took it with me on the plane. Yes, flying is not now like it used to be.

As a young Marine corporal on my way back to the land of the big PX in Feb. 1967, I was at Camp Sukiran Okinawa. While there I purchased a 4" Colt Python at Camp Butler for $89.00. I flew out of Kadina, AFB on a Braniff commercial flight, in uniform, and carried the Python in a carry-on bag. I declared it on the customs form prior to landing in Hawaii. Customs looked at the form, asked if I had any fruits or vegetables and sent me on my way. Have only flown commercially one other time after that in 1986. I will not fly a commercial airline in today's atmosphere.

Regards

 

[Fox Mike]

exavid! You don't have to worry about a class III today. All you need for a "sports" ticket is a drivers license. I am 81 and my hearing is so bad I can't hear myself fart without my hearing aids. I can still get that said "sports" ticket.

 

[A.J.]

Worst flight I ever had was sitting next to a morbidly obese woman. Her sweaty fat rolls flowed over to my seat for a good 2 hours. Miserable experience! I hate flying.

 

[Kevin]

.First Class is well First Class and Business Class isn't to shabby. If you haven't done this I can't explain it to you.

+1 on this. We fly to Bulgaria in the summers and the last few years over to Australia, with the three of us, we cannot go first class, but Business class is pretty darn nice. And with our status on the airline, we have an insane limit to the amount of luggage we can bring.

The journey is as great as the destination....

Probably 7 years ago, we went to Bulgaria, and we got on the plane. It was only about half full, but the entire plane was all business class. That was memorable...very quiet and so pleasant.

And Global entry coming home cannot be beat. Since you are pre cleared, you don't go through a line at customs, just scan your passport and walk on through, easy peasy....

 

[blume357]

two years ago in June I was flying to New Hamshire on American in coach class.... loading was delayed a few minutes then they boarded us and I always get a window seat so I can use my GPS and know where I am at all times (in case we go down, right?) and a 400 lb guy sits down next to me... I'm 'wide' myself and there is no way we can't be 'rubbing buddies'... then we sit at the terminal for 30 minutes and this is one of those planes that the air does blow out of the little over head jet thingy while the plane is sitting still...(keep in mind this June in S.C., it's hot and my buddy and I are trading sweat) so finally we taxi out to the end of the runway and then proceed to sit there for another 30 minutes. (seems there was too much traffic at Philly were my connecting flight was)... of course when we finally landed, I had missed my connecting flight. the good news was the next flight to Manchester N.H. was in two hours and they put me in first class. I learned there is an amazing difference... and I did make it to Epping N.H. and got to go to the Sig Academy... and also visit with a number of N.E. sweep friends....

 

[Carrij]

I was a burned out "road warrior" with 30 years of almost weekly travel during most of the time...

I'd bet very few of the readers here know what the OAG was....we lived by a little red and white book called the "official airline guide" which was published for various parts of the Country...

There were no computers or cell phones...every airport had long banks of pay phones in every terminal.

The "saving grace" in many cases were "perks" like a $25-$50 upgrade from coach to first..coast to coast. Great meals...the ability to "grab a flight" on short notice and be ticketed on board...interchangabillity from airline to airline using the same ticket...so if you missed a flight..just find the next one regardless of airline and go.....None of the idiot restrictions or very few....Courtesy and assistance were the byword.

Being "on the road" some 12-15 days every month for nearly a full working lifetime is often more than flight crews are legal to fly and when they break they rest...when I got off the plane my business days just began.

I burned my way through 3 marriages and a significant bout with alcoholism (long time sober now) and it was more the "norm" than the oddity for the real warriors....

If I ever go to the airport to pick someone up and happen to go into the terminal near the ticket booths...I can easilly spot the burn outs....look the same..dead and just moving from place to place without any thought...all by rote...

If you are asked to fly a lot in business...drink soft drinks and love your family...some of us missed that part.

I highlighted parts that sounded so much like me. Unfortunately if you try to explain how it feels to someone who has never experienced it, you get the deer in headlights look back.

I remember after one conference a half dozen of us were sitting in the airport bar. One of the guys asked if anyone was still married to their first wife. Nobody was.

True road warriors were/are a breed unto themselves. Wife number three for me has been a blessing. Sometimes when we travel she says to me "you're getting that look " as I begin to zone out and brings me back to the present.

 

[coach]

Worst flight I ever had was sitting next to a morbidly obese woman. Her sweaty fat rolls flowed over to my seat for a good 2 hours. Miserable experience! I hate flying.

That's one reason why I always wear long sleeve shirts when I fly.

 

[bogus bill]

I recall taking a flight out of O`hare early one morning and it struck me that close to 90 % of the men around me were all dressed exactly alike in blue suits, white shirts. It looked like a army in blue suit`s.

 

[bobski]

I use to be a fly-a-holic. but...haven't been on a plane of any kind since 1996. oddly enough....I don't miss it.

 

[coach]

Ya think?
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2018/05/20/passenger-urinates-on-seat-frontier-airlines/