BootsnAll Travel Community

i always hear so many people complain about flying and the airlines the service, the food or whatever

maybe because i never fly that often i love the whole process - i even like to go to the airport - any chance to go there i do

do you like that side of travel?

or do you cringe at the thought

If I'm going on a fun trip, then being at an airport isn't so bad cause the anticipation for the trip is heightened, but for any other kind of travel--HATE IT. Especially now because it takes so long to get through the lines and checkpoints. I understand WHY we do that and I'm willing to patiently particiapte in it all, just don't like it.

OF course, I fly somewhere almost every month, so it loses it's appeal pretty fast.

I used to have a parts pilots license, so have flown small planes myself (only under supervision, and never got the full licence - couldn't afford it - gutted! It's one of the things I'm gonna do if I ever strike it rich)

I love flying, but for some reason always seem to cut it fine getting to airports. Always something happens, no matter how much time I give myself to get there... just once I would like to get to the plane without having to leg it across the entire airport...

Hey Novice, this rings a bell! Was it Frankfurt airport?

Backroads across Germany, 110 mph down the autobahn to get there in time??

Anyway, flying is just a means to an end for me. I try to make it as comfortable as possible by being smart about frequent flyer points and getting upgrades to business class. But in the end, I'm stuck on a plane for up to 13 hours - it isn't going to be fun and games...

--
Rob - http://www.robstravels.com

I thoroughly enjoy flying most of the time. The airline and the quality of the flight attendants (not to mention seat location) makes a big difference. If my seat is unusually uncomfortable or the flight attendants provide poor service it kind of ruins it.

Airline also makes a difference. For instance, I love flying WestJet, since everyone's friendly and the service is good, but flying long haul on Tango is just a pain. $3.50 for a 75 cent bottle of water, $5 for headphones, plus the rude service one expects from Air Canada; what a rip off.

Checking in is always fun and exciting, and takeoff and landing are exhilerating.

I love flying!!!!

I love the aiport, I love smelling all the new perfumes, I love going into all the expensive boutiques in my backpacking gear, I love sitting down in the cafe somewhere having a drink watching all the different people and wondering where they're going, I love the food on the plane, I think it's great and I make a point of eating all of it. I love the way that our sleeping time is arranged for us by the unsubtle use of dimmed lights and I love looking at the view from my window. I saw the most magnificent sunset from London to Hong Kong, astounding! On my Virgin flight the entertainment package was superb, we had our own entertainment system so could play games, watch any film we wanted at any time (not just when they show it) and we had a huge choice of TV and music channels.

I love flying!!

I'm with Jennie. Except for the initial take-off why-doesn't-this-bird-fall-out-of-the-sky fear, the whole experience is great. Even when I am returning someplace at the end of the trip, at least there is the flight to look forward to! Even long flights aren't too bad because I'm so excited to get wherever I am going

Court

Yep, me too: I love the whole process of flying.

Being at the airport (especially leaving) is always exciting. I know in some hours I'll be in a different place. Watching people is really cool and also how they react on your appearance. Actually I also love flying itself - although this might only be, because I know I'll arrive in a new place soon. I have slept on quite a lot of airports already (Taipei, Tokyo, Sydney, Dubai), which is a funny experience as well.

Adrian

www.aresthetics.ch/trav
My personal travel website

Being at an airport or flying means you're travelling, going some place new, beginning a new adventure, much fun to be had. Why wouldn't you LOVE it?!?!

I just think of all the folks who are lucky to "get away" once a year, for some small trip within their country or whatever just to visit family or the like. I consider myself blessed every time I have the chance to venture to another location and that means enjoying the entire process.

"Henceforth I ask not for good-fortune, I myself am good fortune. Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing." –Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

Hi Rob,

Frankfurt was just one example - only Munich airport after the Oktoberfest did i manage to get to on time... I have been paged at nearly every airport I have ever visited (JFK stands out clearly for this, I am incapable of catching a flight there gracefully)

Frankfurt was fun though Once i got there I couldn't use the automatic ticket thingymibob - their computer wouldn't accept me so I had to do the run around the airport like a headless chicken thing to get a ticket and across to departures on time...not easy in bike boots!

i adore flying, and the airport is one of my favorite places...so much energy flying around, reunited families and lovers and pets...i love watching the contrast of the harried business man to the excited teenager to the seasoned and patient mother.
I love everything except the fact that my ears always feel like someone's pushing a shiv into them when the plane is landing. it was especially bad coming into Frakfurt. hopefully Zurich and Thailand will be better.
speaking of which ---Eladi_---i'll be in Zurich for a day on a layover on wed, anything you would reccommend?
thanks,
grey

Nahh, I'm sure it's this way.
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/greycat/

I have been in an aircraft 390-odd more take-offs than landings and have been crammed into all sorts of aircraft from Cessna-180s, to hot air balloons to a Robinson-22 trainer helicopter, not to mention commercial flights. Commercial flights can be okay, depending on the ammeninites provided and I love it when you get your own little television and choice of movies. Commercial flights are more of a means to an end, though, while everything else is a glory.

I recall sitting in the co-pilot's seat in a Beech-18 (an older twin-engine that looks kind of like old commercial aircraft), climbing to 12,500' so I could jump out of it. We were climbing over mountains just north of the Fraser River near Vancouver, Canada and you could clearly see Mt. Baker to the southeast. Imagine this: the sky was painted purple with the combination of the setting sun and the haze hanging in the summer air. As we rose above the haze the full moon shone silvery and Mt. Baker appeared a brilliant snowy Mt-Fuji-shaped peak in the distance. Oh yeah, then I got out of the plane

Now THAT is flying.

I love airports/flying when I am leaving home...hate it when I'm returning!

Just another travel addict trying to get Out of dodge...

Flying is the best. For one thing, when in your life do you get 3, 5, 13 hours of virtually uninterrupted time? Especially flying alone. So many hours to do whatever seated activity you want!

Plus, the people-watching is awesome. I love sitting in the airport making up stories about all the people passing by. Where else can you find such an odd assortment of people?

Hmmm, it makes me want to go jump on a plane just for the flight. Maybe I should get a flight simulator, and just sit in the back of it.

Jessie

"Whenever I have to choose between two evils, I always like to choose the one I haven't tried before." --Mae West, I believe

I've been flying commercial flights since 1955
-- still love it. It is true that airline service isn't as good as it used to be -- but that's because it can't be -- years ago, flying wasn't as universal for people as it is now. The typical airliner in the 50s, before jets, carried 30 to 70 people (so costs were higher and fewer people could fly). Now, airlines have taken the place of the bus as the means of travel for most folks.

I like to "follow" the flight and keep track of where I am -- in the USA, I pretty much know by looking out the window, not that I am not frequently lost (as a passenger). I've been a pilot and navigator for almost 30 years, so I recognize most places here, but this past week, I flew from London to Phoenix. Through the in-flight entertainment system, I was able to follow just exactly where we were the whole time -- I saw the sunny west coast of Greenland (Sunny! In November! Can you believe it?), Hudson's Bay, and Rocky Mountain National Park -- some of which I may never get to on the ground. Greenland was MAGNIFICENT, by the way.

It is still almost unbelievable to me that we can wake up in London, go to church at St Paul's Cathedral (or whatever), and then be at home 6,000 miles away by dinner time the same day. Remarkable.

i love it - its the only time I can kick back, drink a beer, read a good book and not worry about things. I love flying long haul alone so that I can bask in the fact that I am the most selfish person in the universe..

Philip

p.s Boats are better though

Well, i get really uncomfortable flying, but i'm well trained at sitting still and coming up with my own amusement, from 6 hour drives in Australia, as a child, about every 5 weeks or so. So, i was quite happy sitting there, watching the movies, writing, reading, thinking, sleeping, planning, talking etc for the 27 hours!

If you want to talk about cultures, or ask questions about cultures, particularly Australia, go here!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gdaycliche/

I love flying. The rush when you take off, and then the slow landing as things gradually get bigger and bigger. It's amazing.

I always want to cry in airports. Haha. It's pathetic. I see people leaving others, and then people being reuinted... it's such a busy, bustling place. So many people, with so many different stories and plans. I hate flying from Halifax to Toronto though... booo to going back to Ontario. I tried to get my parents to visit their family down here at Christmas, which was sadly to no avail.

I forgot - Canadians, fly JetsGo if you want another cheap, friendly and efficient flight. I've never had any problems with them, and they've actually landed early, instead of late!

"Never for me the lowered banner, never the last endeavour." -- Sir Ernest Shackleton

I love to fly, but I hate landing. I discovered on my first landing that, for some reason, my ears get plugged and the pressure is just excrutiating...usually I spend the next couple days partially deaf. Call me crazy, but I love airline food, and I love free movies. I think that SwissAir is my favorite, based on the food (although they did lose my backpack for a couple days once).

I have also slept in my fair share of airports. I have to agree, the people watching is fun, albeit depressing, and it's extremely hard for a vegetarian to get a decent meal...

Travelicious, I know what you mean about the vegetarian food thing. I flew EVA and they fed me Chinese vegetarian which wasn't a problem until they put a bowl of congee, some bitter melon salad-thing and fake meat roll-up things in front of me when I woke up on a red-eye. My westernized palate took one look at it, sniffed the congee and then opted for a breadroll and a handful of trail mix from my daypack. I might have been okay for later in the day, but not for breakfast....