ironporer

My wife went thru a 26 hour odessey last week 4 Oct, flying Iberia ATL-ORD-Mad with our 5 mo. old son Paul. The flight to Chicago was fine, as was her transfer to the next plane- where she was denied the seat with 'crib' by a fat bitch who would not give it up (even tho we paid $120 for 'lap' seating). Landing in Madrid she had to pick up her 97 lb suitcase along with her 40 lb carry on, meanwhile carrying Paul (20 lb) in a papoose style pack.and get a cab and then a train it San Sebastian. Thank God for a few gentleman who aided her in picking up the bags to the train! And thank God they arrived safe sound and tired to the hotel. Still waiting on the return on the 19th, hpe she gets the same help.

To all those who do help little old ladies (and those not so old) to cross the street etc, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

rincewind

Don't you love the way people believe they own a seat when they buy tickets?

I wouldn't hesitate to give up seat to make it easier for a mother or someone that was disabled. All the seats are the bloody same. They all smell of beer farts and sweat so what difference does it make where you sit?

I was on a flight once where a Canadian family (2 adults and 2 kids) were getting on board. They must have booked late (probably to save a few $s) so their seats were scattered around. No one gave up their seats so they could be closer together and then they all bitched about it when the kids were crying for their parents. What is wrong with people

I wish I spoke french though as the woman was bitching at the US people (in french) for hanging onto their seats as if there was gold under them.

Flights are stressful enough (hours in a small cylinder flying 30,000 feet in the air, breathing in the same air for the entire flight, smelling the toilets all around the cabin, no leg room and out of date pretzels) but fellow passengers can sure make it worse.

CaliforniaBride

And that's just the passengers

anotherlimey

Luckily I've never had a really bad flight. My worst experience was just last week flying to Miami from Chicago via Atlanta on Delta. On the Chicago->Atlanta leg I was in economy next to some fat bint, she was so large that her fat was rolling over the arm rest and touching me but that wasn't all, she was wearing a top that was clearly too small so it was NAKED FAT touching me

I was coming off a plane in Miami once when I helped a black girl off the plane with her bags because she had a baby with her, as we walked through the terminal to baggage reclaim everybody was looking at us like something was wrong, couldn't understand why, I thought they might be a bit racist or something

-tom

HoosierDaddy

I'm fortunate enough to be married to a United Airlines employee
I try and get back to Scotland once every 18 months. We've been extremely lucky in getting either Business or 1st Class about 75% of the time (which is a boon on a 7 or 8 hour flight). The only time we've been stuck for a flight was from SFO to ORD but that was only a 6 hour wait.

The perks are nice considering how stressful the service industry is at times...

mattbutt

There is a down side to the perks, its shitty when you have to go back to real world and fly cattle!

Worst ive had and its partly self inflicted was a flight from Seattle to Newark on a 737, due to a 'night out with a customer' we missed the last flight out of seattle so decided to make the most of the evening .

Then flew stand by on the first flight out with a hangover, stuck between two 6ft+ guys in the back row making an already small seat smaller, my back was killing me from sitting slighty at an angle the whole 6hr flight...I was just waiting for someone to say it serves you right, I couldnt wait to get off that plane.

rincewind

This will sound weird, but flying 1st Class makes me feel uncomfortable

I flew 1st class once, and when cattle class were boarding, they were all looking at me like I was a prick. You know, the look we all give 1st classers when we fly cattle class

After that one flight, I've never done it again. I might consider it for a USA to UK flight (for the leg room) but not for internal flights.

I'm so sad, I won't even use my Silver Medallion privileges to board early. I just wait for my row to be called

mattbutt

Never seen the point of that priority boaring for whatever card holders, the last thing i want to do is spend more time sat on a plane. No priority of loading the plane is a good idea!

helenw

Hey my better half works for them too, good innit?! Unfortunatly when I fly with the kids we have to fly coach because of their ages Still, they don't know any better and enjoy it tons. (2 of them want to be United pilots when they grow up, the other wants to be a trolly dollie bless)

anotherlimey

Something I hate about the airlines is their differences in mileage programs. With Delta I can't choose any reasonable times/dates to use up their skymiles for a domestic US ticket unless I have 50000 of them. However with AA I can get a good ticket with 25000, for example I have just booked a flight for my fiancee, roundtrip MIA->ORD over a weekend, with Delta she would have to leave at 6am on a Wednesday, then return on a Saturday at 11pm but with AA she leaves on Wednesday at 3pm and leaves at 4pm on Sunday.

I used to have Citibanks AA card but I moved accounts to Washington Mutual so now I only have my Amex Delta card

-tom

mattbutt

Im sure you can transfer miles to another airline? Not sure if it would have to be an alliance partner?

HoosierDaddy

My wife just found out that her company is closing their reservations office in Bloomington, IN effective January, 2005. While she is not at that one, she is at another one in the same State. Apparently UA are creating 650 positions in India. Should she lose her job (as we'd knock back a transfer to Chicago) then at least we'll still have 6 months of flying benefits.
Outsourcing - don't you just love it?!

Minty

My wife to be works for Hawaiin airlines who fly not only to Hawaii but to Tahiti, Australia, Japan (soon hopefully) etc. Looking forward to taking full advantage!!

Here's to all those trolly dollies out there - WELL DONE!

Minty