I Hate Airports

[CamEdwards]

And I will either be in one or on an airplane for the next seven hours. Blegh.

At least Albuquerque has free wifi.

[finketr]

only 7 hours?

that's cakewalk.

[cartman]

I would never wish my travel experience to South Africa on anyone.

1. I found out THE DAY BEFORE I had to go, that I had to go. I was flying back to Austin from Seattle, and got the call on my layover in Denver.

2. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, and I had the turkey for the family. So when I got home to Austin, I had the quick turnaround and pack.

3. Woke up early, put the turkey in the car, and drove three hours to Ft. Worth. Parents dropped me off at the airport. Got on a plane, flew to Frankfurt, 11 hours.

4. Had a 12 hour layover in Frankfurt.

5. Got on a 10 hour flight to Johannesburg.

6. Spent 5 days in Jo-burg and Pretoria fixing the screwup.

7. Flew on Saturday from Jo-burg to Frankfurt.

8. 9 hour layover in Frankfurt.

9. 11 hour flight back to DFW.

10. Slept at the parent's house, three hour drive back to Austin on Monday morning, in time for a noon con call.

[Raiders Army]

I love airports. It's funny how everyone dresses "up" to fly. Personally, I dress comfortably, but I guess that's just me.

Also, chicks are hot in airports.

I find it funny that if I'm waiting for a flight, I'm either sitting next to the fat guy/woman who's there or I'm sitting next to some old smelly dude. It always happens. I never sit next to the hot chick.

[finketr]

my longest travel day was up at 3.30 am CDT to catch a 6.15am flight. ~7 hour layover in chicago, 12 hour flight to tokyo, 3 hour layover, 7 hour flight to singapore.

now the reverse trip was intieresting... up at 3.00 am to catch a 6am flight 7 hour flight to tokyo...
layover for 3 hours, 12 hour flight to chicago.. my colleague got sick and had to leave the plane in tokyo as the pilot would not take off...

ah well

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

I love airports. It's funny how everyone dresses "up" to fly. Personally, I dress comfortably, but I guess that's just me.

Also, chicks are hot in airports.

I find it funny that if I'm waiting for a flight, I'm either sitting next to the fat guy/woman who's there or I'm sitting next to some old smelly dude. It always happens. I never sit next to the hot chick.

Do you mean business travelers? Don't they usually fly to/from business meetings?

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by cartman

I would never wish my travel experience to South Africa on anyone.

1. I found out THE DAY BEFORE I had to go, that I had to go. I was flying back to Austin from Seattle, and got the call on my layover in Denver.

2. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, and I had the turkey for the family. So when I got home to Austin, I had the quick turnaround and pack.

3. Woke up early, put the turkey in the car, and drove three hours to Ft. Worth. Parents dropped me off at the airport. Got on a plane, flew to Frankfurt, 11 hours.

4. Had a 12 hour layover in Frankfurt.

5. Got on a 10 hour flight to Johannesburg.

6. Spent 5 days in Jo-burg and Pretoria fixing the screwup.

7. Flew on Saturday from Jo-burg to Frankfurt.

8. 9 hour layover in Frankfurt.

9. 11 hour flight back to DFW.

10. Slept at the parent's house, three hour drive back to Austin on Monday morning, in time for a noon con call.

Hope you flew first class at least.

[korme]

When I went to NY there was a complete lockdown at LaGuardia so we were detoured to Baltimore and I had to sit there and wait for nearly 3 hours. It was painful.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Do you mean business travelers? Don't they usually fly to/from business meetings?

Yeah, but I usually travel the day before. If I'm traveling from a conference, I'll change before I get to the airport.

[Karlifornia]

My worst travel story was before I was old enough to make any travel decisions on my own.

I'm pretty sure I was either 4 or 5 years old. Me and my mom were flying from San Jose to Dayton, Ohio to visit my grandparents. We had a stopover somewhere....But all I remember is that the flight ahead of us crash-landed in Des Moines (the cartwheeling plane that came to rest in a cornfield) and we wound up circling, and landing at O'Hare.....and we had missed our connecting flight...and had to sit in O'Hare for many hours. I was a pretty good little kid, but that still must have sucked for dear old mom, having to entertain a very young child in an airport under duress.....


Eventually, we got on a plane to Dayton (or wherever) via standby, and flew through a thunderstorm. My mom is not a good flier, and she didn't deal too well with the turbulence. I remember landing, and as we got off the plane, some little girl pointed at my mom and said "There's the lady that screamed!"

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Shorty3281

When I went to NY there was a complete lockdown at LaGuardia so we were detoured to Baltimore and I had to sit there and wait for nearly 3 hours. It was painful.

I am sorry but until you have spent the night on an airport floor you have no beef here.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

Eventually, we got on a plane to Dayton (or wherever)

Hey!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Shorty3281

When I went to NY there was a complete lockdown at LaGuardia so we were detoured to Baltimore and I had to sit there and wait for nearly 3 hours. It was painful.

....3 hours painful?

3 hours is nothing, man.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Hope you flew first class at least.

It wasn't first class, but it was business class on Lufthansa, which wasn't bad at all.

[King of New York]

Three hours on the tarmac qualifies as painful.

One hour of sitting on the runway = four hours of sitting in the terminal.

I'm lucky that my job allows me to decide, more or less, how much I want to fly. In the last three years, I have reduced my work-related flying almost to zero, just because I loathe the experience so much.

[Passacaglia]

I love airports, too. Maybe it's because being in an airport is a billion times better than being on an airplane.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by King of New York

Three hours on the tarmac qualifies as painful.

One hour of sitting on the runway = four hours of sitting in the terminal.

I'm lucky that my job allows me to decide, more or less, how much I want to fly. In the last three years, I have reduced my work-related flying almost to zero, just because I loathe the experience so much.

Er. I've had to fly twice in 9 years for business.

[miked]

On my way back from my honeymoon in Costa Rica (going to Boston) we lost an engine about an hour or so after takeoff and had to make an emergency landing in Grand Cayman. It was after hours apparently (like 3pm) and everything was closed including customs. So we had to wait in the gate area for the airlines to send down a new plane with a fresh crew and mechanics. There was one little dinky bar open (like one guy working and some drinks and chips) and the line was tremendous. The only thing that kept us sane for the 9 or so hours we had to wait for a plane was the incredibly racist "Big Black Dick" rum cardboard cutout. It was something to behold. We got the ATL around 4am, had to go through customs, etc and standby for our 6:30am connecting flight (since we were supposed to be connecting 8pm the night before). We got the last 2 seats and were at our apartment in Boston by around 10:30 or so. Was about 24+ hours ordeal.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Yeah, but I usually travel the day before. If I'm traveling from a conference, I'll change before I get to the airport.

Plenty of business travelers don't have this option, though, especially if you're effectively commuting each week. I know I'd fly out Monday morning and go straight to the office, and leave the office on Thursday and go straight to the plane. It maximized the time at home.

Originally Posted by King of New York

One hour of sitting on the runway = four hours of sitting in the terminal.

Very true. Especially if you have a club membership.

What I would do is get myself so tired working during the week that when I got on the plane for the flight back and sat on the tarmac during the inevitable ground delay, I'd fall fast asleep.

[molson]

I've done all nighters at airports rather than pay for a hotel room (when I would only be using the room less than 5 or so hours.

Some are better than others, but I don't mind it at all. Waiting on a plane is a whole other story.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by molson

I've done all nighters at airports rather than pay for a hotel room (when I would only be using the room less than 5 or so hours.

Some are better than others, but I don't mind it at all. Waiting on a plane is a whole other story.

That sucks. Last weekend our flight got canceled for 8 hours overnight and they gave us a hotel room and meal vouchers.

[Neon_Chaos]

I hate the agency that books my company's flights.

It took 24 hours to get us to Honolulu via Tokyo.

It took another 24 to get to Chicago via LA due to the long wait time in-between flights.

48-hour trip FROM HELL.

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

I love airports. It's funny how everyone dresses "up" to fly. Personally, I dress comfortably, but I guess that's just me.

Also, chicks are hot in airports.

I find it funny that if I'm waiting for a flight, I'm either sitting next to the fat guy/woman who's there or I'm sitting next to some old smelly dude. It always happens. I never sit next to the hot chick.

Yeah, me too. Last night was "crazy guy who talks to himself" for the first leg of the flight, followed by "clumsy guy who spills his scotch on me" from DFW to DC.

And the "hot chick" factor was very poor yesterday as well. I think I only saw one woman who would have been considered hot... though I was intrigued by a woman who looked a lot like Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (+20 or 30 pounds) who was reading a Forgotton Realms novel.

[cartman]

just a wild guess as to why you were at the ABQ airport, but I'm pretty sure that the Denver airport is closer to the NRA Whittington center.

[CamEdwards]

Actually Colorado Springs is the closest airport to the Whittington Center, but I was in ABQ for the National Police Shooting Championships. Pretty cool event. I have yet to make it out to the Whittington Center.

[AZSpeechCoach]

JFK...flying JetBlue the day after the Valentine's Day ice storm last February, with 15 high school juniors and seniors. Eleven hours in the terminal without any information whether or not we would get sent to Boston that night. We eventually made it, but that was the longest 11 hours of my life.

[PilotMan]

I love these threads.

[SackAttack]

My last flight was a red-eye from LA to Chicago in April, and I wore shorts and a T-shirt.

Oddly, I was getting weird looks when all 6 of us traipsed out onto the tarmac to board the little puddle-jumper to Green Bay. I mean, it was only about 40 degrees and windy, I don't know what the problem was.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Also, chicks are hot in airports.
.

I am currently at Dayton Airport and I can give first hand confirmation that this is an accurate statement.

[OldGiants]

I spent considerable time on Orbitz to find a flight home from San Francisco last August that would leave and arrive at reasonable hours, 1PM SF and 11PM Richmond time, and NOT GO THROUGH O'HARE!

So my wife and I arrive at SF airport, get sandwiches for the flight (I guess real food is a no-no these days) and head to the gate at noon for our 1PM flight. As we pass the AA gate, my wife's phone goes off. It's Orbitz calling to tell us our flight has been delayed SIX HOURS.

I look at the board, it still says 1PM flight, so we decide to get on line. We're third. As we wait, they post the delay. Quickly, the line roped-off area fills, and spreads back a long way. We hate the delay, but are grateful for our luck in being third in line.

The travel agent finishes with a customer, but heads for lunch even the line is long and ornery. The other two agents give her looks and mumble criticism.

Soon we are taken care of. No more flights to DC, but we can back to Richmond before midnight if WE GO THROUGH O'HARE.

My wife is happy, but I'm concerned. Still, there's no real choice. We go to O'Hare, a 2PM flight.

2PM comes and there is a weather delay. We don't leave until 3:30 PM.

On the plane, the guy next to me is returning home. He gets a call. Its his son asking how to work the sump pumps because its raining so hard the cellar is flooding. Guy spends the next 20 minutes talking pumps until the stewardess tells him to turn off the phone for take-off.

We get to O'Hare. It is 9 and our flight for Richmond leaves at 9:05. The stew says most flights are delayed out of O'Hare because of the 'afternoon storms'.

Well they weren't delayed so much as cancelled. Every single flight. No one will leave O'Hare until sunrise the next day. Turns out to have been the worst lightening ever. The air traffic controllers abandoned the control tower for over an hour. All hotels near the airport without power. If you could get to one, you might get a room, but no elevator would have taken you up, I learned from other travellers the next day.

Our cell phones were running down and the rechargers packed in the luggage on the plane. The younger generation roamed for plugs for their game boys and such, and a few confrontations occured over sockets, so we decided to pass. We had these things called books which required no electricity. We found a quiet spot off the main arcade and plotzed. Several young women around us, rolling on the long rows of seats to sleep, and young wife breast feeding a babe. All the men were too tired to care, the women talked about their own missing children, and soon most were dozing.

Snoring really echoes in a silent but cavernous O'Hare. Spent the night there. Got to eat our sandwiches.

Got out the next day on a 1PM flight. Our luggage had made it back before us.

[finketr]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

My last flight was a red-eye from LA to Chicago in April, and I wore shorts and a T-shirt.

Oddly, I was getting weird looks when all 6 of us traipsed out onto the tarmac to board the little puddle-jumper to Green Bay. I mean, it was only about 40 degrees and windy, I don't know what the problem was.

when i made my aforementioned trip to singapore, i was wearing shorts and a polo in business class... it was like 20F when we left peoria and not much warmer in at ohare.


i'll say this though, if you are flying international on united, at o'hare, at least, you have access to the red carpet club... as i discovered when i flew to switzerland in may.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by finketr

when i made my aforementioned trip to singapore, i was wearing shorts and a polo in business class... it was like 20F when we left peoria and not much warmer in at ohare.


i'll say this though, if you are flying international on united, at o'hare, at least, you have access to the red carpet club... as i discovered when i flew to switzerland in may.

How are the longues of the full-service carriers?

What do you gentlemen do that requires you fly such a grueling traveling schedule?

[finketr]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

How are the longues of the full-service carriers?

What do you gentlemen do that requires you fly such a grueling traveling schedule?

the lounge in o'hare isn't all that spectacular compared to singapore and tokyo-narita. The lounge in dallas is pretty nice compared to o'hare but still not as good as tokyo.

For me, the company policy is a single flight >= 10 hours or >=14 hours total flying time without at least a 6 hour layover somewhere.

I am the routing guru for my employer. I've been to Belgium, Brazil, and Singapore to install network gear and ensure everything is set up right when completed. For my Swiss and other trips, I am brought in on how they will integrate with the rest of the corporate intranet.

[CamEdwards]

Hey OG... at least you got to see a boobie.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

Hey OG... at least you got to see a boobie.

Cam, once again, boiling it all down, to what's truly important.

Oh, and I love summer time. Hot girls and airports go hand in hand.

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Cam, once again, boiling it all down, to what's truly important.

It's a gift.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Originally Posted by OldGiants

Got out the next day on a 1PM flight. Our luggage had made it back before us.

I don't remember if my luggage has beaten me to a destination, but I know that on one occasion, it made a trip and I didn't. I got caught up in the delays and cancellations when Houston got flooded by Allison. I was trying to fly back for my brother's graduation. I was scheduled to fly through Atlanta on Delta, but due to delays that would have me miss my connection, they swapped me onto a nonstop on Continental that was subsequently canceled. (The Delta flight did get out that night, so I probably would have made it up to Boston, after overnighting in Atlanta, assuming there would have been a seat on the earliest flight up.)

The airport was cut off for most of Saturday by flooding, so everything was canceled then, and by Sunday it was pointless for me to fly anyway.

When I finally collected my luggage, on Monday I think it was, it had tags indicating that it had been to Boston and back.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wednesday

When I finally collected my luggage, on Monday I think it was, it had tags indicating that it had been to Boston and back.

That's awesome.

[Lathum]

So I have been stuck in columbus for 5 hours.

The bad thing is I am going to miss my connecting flight to Seattle.

The good thing is I am connecting through Vegas and my flight was the last one out

[Cringer]

Damn, gas prices have gotten too high I can't really say driving is the way to go now. It still is for me, but I can't push it on other people so easy now.

So you in Vegas a whole night then? The Strip is what, a $10-$12 cab ride away? I know just off the Strip to the airport was only $8.

[ColtCrazy]

I'm with Raiders on this one. I love airports....hate airplanes, but love airports. People watching at it's best. You see so many interesting characters. London Gatwick/Heathrow are my favorite but there's several in the US I enjoy going through (Charlotte comes to mind)

Since some have shared, my longest travel experience was to India back in '95. I left on Christmas Day out of Louisville, 2 hour flight to Washington Dulles. Spent about 8 hours there and then flew to London Heathrow for about 8 hours. Had a 12 hour layover where I went to visit some family, then hopped on a flight to New Delhi for another 10 hours. I ended up falling asleep in the middle of dinner that night at the hotel. Wild day.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Damn, gas prices have gotten too high I can't really say driving is the way to go now. It still is for me, but I can't push it on other people so easy now.

So you in Vegas a whole night then? The Strip is what, a $10-$12 cab ride away? I know just off the Strip to the airport was only $8.

If they put the friggin' terminal on the other side of the airport, you could walk across the street to the Strip. I'm sure the cabbies had a lot to say about putting the terminal on the side away from the Strip.

[Lathum]

I plan on sleeping on the plane and hitting the card room all night