Thread on Airline & Travel experiences

[Ksyrup]

I got several upgrades to 1st class as gold pre-Covid. Looks like it'll have to be just the right flight to get it now.

[Edward64]

In Europe right now. Portugal is still requiring masks for "transportation" (e.g. on planes but not airport, uber etc.) sectors. An Uber guy told me he thinks they'll do away with all of that soon.

Uber is working great in Portugal. The 3 drivers I used so far are happy with Uber.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Edward64

In Europe right now. Portugal is still requiring masks for "transportation" (e.g. on planes but not airport, uber etc.) sectors. An Uber guy told me he thinks they'll do away with all of that soon.

Uber is working great in Portugal. The 3 drivers I used so far are happy with Uber.

Portugal is amazing. Hope you love it as much as we did.

[Edward64]

I noticed a lot of European hotels have showers that have shower "screens/walls" that run halfway and no doors. This inevitably leads to wet floors. What a frakkin stupid design.

And also their elevators. Small. Yeah right, fit 8 people in that.

[flere-imsaho]

I've never gotten water on the floor in a European hotel and I've travelled to Europe a lot. You must be doing something wrong.... :P

[stevew]

Flying to DFW tomorrow. First time on a plane ever. I ended up upgrading to first class because I after I was going to pay to check bags, it seemed like the difference in price wasn’t that much.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

I've never gotten water on the floor in a European hotel and I've travelled to Europe a lot. You must be doing something wrong.... :P

This is what I'm talking about. Article is specific to French showers but I've seen similar in other European countries.

If you can take a shower without getting floor wet, let me know how.

[Edward64]

Back in good old USA. FWIW, US requires PCR or Rapid Antigen testing within 24 hours of flight leaving. I got the Rapid Antigen from a hospital with the necessary formal docs and it worked out well (e.g. cheaper than PCR).

I would appreciate like 48 hours vs 24 hours. Makes it hard to travel on a Sun or Mon as weekend test availability and quick results is not always a given.

[albionmoonlight]

Planning a trip to New Orleans in a couple of weeks (Thursday through Tuesday). I already have the plane tickets for four of us.

Am I crazy to consider driving instead? The tickets are Southwest, so I can get a refund in credit. It is 14 hours drive one way. But I am hearing so much stuff about planes being delayed/cancelled, that part of me wants to just forget about it and jump in the car instead. But it also seems crazy to do 28 hours round trip travel for a Thursday-Tuesday trip.

Thoughts?

[Edward64]

Met an Indian flight attendant working on a global carrier on my trip back. He had a 24 hour layover in Atlanta and he took up my offer to take him to a gun range (default was the aquarium). He had great fun shooting my 9mm Glock and 5.56 AR-15. (Good thing I had plenty of ammo readily available!).

For you single players out there, he told me you start conversations with flight attendants in the galley after they have finished serving when they are not distracted e.g. go ask for a coke or something. He also said flight attendants like people talking with them in the galley. Yes, there is a fair number of "successes". Always wondered how to flirt with flight attendants and ask them out, wish I knew about this way back when.

Take note you know who forum member. And "no", this ain't prostitution.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Planning a trip to New Orleans in a couple of weeks (Thursday through Tuesday). I already have the plane tickets for four of us.

Am I crazy to consider driving instead? The tickets are Southwest, so I can get a refund in credit. It is 14 hours drive one way. But I am hearing so much stuff about planes being delayed/cancelled, that part of me wants to just forget about it and jump in the car instead. But it also seems crazy to do 28 hours round trip travel for a Thursday-Tuesday trip.

Thoughts?

I can only offer that ATL to NO was one of the absolute worst drives I've ever undertaken.

Yes, I absolutely despise car time, you're not likely to hear me ever use the phrase "good drive" but that trip stands out to me (along with ATL to MEM) as one of the absolute worst I've ever endured.

It's incredible tedium, absurd stretches of just ... nothing. I can't advise doing that round trip so close together, I just can't. (i mean, if you have a high car tolerance and had more like a week to recover, it might be more of a coin flip )

edit to add: I did that drive to NO right around 30 years ago and it still stands out in my mind that strongly, fwiw.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Edward64

This is what I'm talking about. Article is specific to French showers but I've seen similar in other European countries.

If you can take a shower without getting floor wet, let me know how.

My in laws in England have one just like this. I have showered there countless times and never had any issues with water on the floor.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Lathum

My in laws in England have one just like this. I have showered there countless times and never had any issues with water on the floor.

Can you post a video and let me see your technique?

[stevew]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Planning a trip to New Orleans in a couple of weeks (Thursday through Tuesday). I already have the plane tickets for four of us.

Am I crazy to consider driving instead? The tickets are Southwest, so I can get a refund in credit. It is 14 hours drive one way. But I am hearing so much stuff about planes being delayed/cancelled, that part of me wants to just forget about it and jump in the car instead. But it also seems crazy to do 28 hours round trip travel for a Thursday-Tuesday trip.

Thoughts?

If your car has adaptive cruise control and the lane guidance, I’d just drive. But try to plan it to avoid traffic.

[molson]

Couldn't you just drive IF the flight got cancelled for some reason?

I've read about increased cancellations and delays but it's pretty unlikely to happen to you. It seems like yours would be a pretty common route that there would be plenty of options to work around if needed. So much can go wrong in 28 hours of driving.

I've been flying a lot lately and it's been smooth sailing. I might be over-doing it a bit with planning, but I'm locking a lot of stuff in now in fear that it will be way more expensive next year. We're going to Amsterdam, Athens, and Israel in the next 12 months. All with strategically hoarded points. International routes seem to have not bounced back in volume so we also have strategically planned long-layovers/free bonus day-trips, like a 18 hour layover in Warsaw.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Planning a trip to New Orleans in a couple of weeks (Thursday through Tuesday). I already have the plane tickets for four of us.

Am I crazy to consider driving instead? The tickets are Southwest, so I can get a refund in credit. It is 14 hours drive one way. But I am hearing so much stuff about planes being delayed/cancelled, that part of me wants to just forget about it and jump in the car instead. But it also seems crazy to do 28 hours round trip travel for a Thursday-Tuesday trip.

Thoughts?

You can afford gas for a 28 hour trip?!

[molson]

I didn't even think of that.

Also, this was a very bad time to buy a school bus converted into to a recreational vehicle. I don't know how RVers do it. I just kind of don't look when I fill it up with gas.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by molson

Couldn't you just drive IF the flight got cancelled for some reason?

I've read about increased cancellations and delays but it's pretty unlikely to happen to you. It seems like yours would be a pretty common route that there would be plenty of options to work around if needed. So much can go wrong in 28 hours of driving.

I've been flying a lot lately and it's been smooth sailing. I might be over-doing it a bit with planning, but I'm locking a lot of stuff in now in fear that it will be way more expensive next year. We're going to Amsterdam, Athens, and Israel in the next 12 months. All with strategically hoarded points. International routes seem to have not bounced back in volume so we also have strategically planned long-layovers/free bonus day-trips, like a 18 hour layover in Warsaw.

I need to hire you as my travel agent!

[molson]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I need to hire you as my travel agent!

Honestly this is probably my best talent.

I was all proud of myself last night working around a Delta award redemption glitch to book an a weird Athens/Tel Aviv itinerary for a random particular day where it was only something like 30k points one-way (usually it's 100k+) if done through particular long layovers we wanted to do anyway, and then ending in Seattle instead of Boise. And Seattle back to Boise you can do one-way for under $100 any of many times a day on various airlines.

Of course if I spent all the time I spend on this working at my job or something, maybe I'd be Attorney General by now.

[PilotMan]

It takes a special kind of love for detail, and love for finding easter eggs, and love for travel to get what you have. It's like a game you must enjoy or else you'd just give up and take whatever comes. So good on you for being that way and finding a way to pull all that together.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Edward64

If you can take a shower without getting floor wet, let me know how.

Same as Lathum. In fact, I lived for about 3 years in a house in England with that kind of shower and never got water on the floor.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Same as Lathum. In fact, I lived for about 3 years in a house in England with that kind of shower and never got water on the floor.

All I'm going to say is you guys probably don't scrub as vigorously (head, front and back) as I do and/or your spray was a weak ass dribble.

What I noticed in Asian hotels was a nice move towards more rainfall shower heads. This I really liked.

[flere-imsaho]

I mean, some of us don't need a firehose to get clean, apparently.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

I mean, some of us don't need a firehose to get clean, apparently.

I didn't realize we were discussing bidets all of a sudden.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

I mean, some of us don't need a firehose to get clean, apparently.

Touche

[Edward64]

Not going to complain as getting tested (and results back) 24 hours before flight was a pain.

But assume we'll continue to monitor and, if infections & hospitalizations spike, take action as necessary.

Yay for one more step towards normalcy.

The Biden administration is expected to announce Friday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will lift its requirement for travelers to test negative for Covid-19 before entering the US, according to a senior administration official.

The move, which CNN was first to report, will go into effect for US-bound air travelers at midnight on Sunday.

[Ksyrup]

We leave Wednesday morning for our trip to Hawaii and while we're ready to go, I'm a bit stressed about the possibility of flight cancellations/delays. I'm hoping the fact that we're leaving on a Wednesday will keep the chances of a disaster low, but who knows. I'm just glad we decided last year to do a mid-week flight rather than Friday/Saturday of July 4th weekend.

We come back on Sunday the 10th, but it's a red-eye and the main flights on the mainland are Monday the 11th, so hopefully those are OK as well.

We've just got so many moving parts (we're meeting my parents at LAX and taking the same flight to Lihue) that it elevates the chances for a problem. That's 4 flights between us before we get to LAX. And we're going through Atlanta, where the majority of flights were canceled this weekend.

[Bobble]

Not to scare anyone but we just got back from a trip to Napa. Flight there was no problem. The trip back was cancelled flight, flight time change, scramble for hotel room, cancelled flight while at airport, battle to get put on a non-stop instead of a connection flight. So, +36 hours or so with a 12-hour camp out in the airport. Luckily it was all on the return leg.

[bhlloy]

Ping Pilotman - we are sending our dogs to Switzerland next week and it’s been quite the logistical nightmare to get them there. The agency moving them says any pets in cargo are personally accounted for by the pilot and last on/first off, wondering how true that is or if it’s propaganda? I’ve obviously read the horror stories over the years.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by stevew

Flying to DFW tomorrow. First time on a plane ever. I ended up upgrading to first class because I after I was going to pay to check bags, it seemed like the difference in price wasn’t that much.

I flew first class during 2020 and 2021 more than the rest of my life combined. The main reason was it was cheaper after adding in my check bag fees. I haven't seen that in about a year, though.

[albionmoonlight]

We just flew round trip from RDU to New Orleans (Southwest) going through Midway each time.

It was . . . fine. Totally uneventful. I kept expecting things to go wrong, and they just didn't.

My co-worker, on the other hand, flew to Baltimore this weekend and was part of the 700 canceled flights, and she ended up having to rent a car in DC to make it back here.

The randomness is not plesant.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Ping Pilotman - we are sending our dogs to Switzerland next week and it’s been quite the logistical nightmare to get them there. The agency moving them says any pets in cargo are personally accounted for by the pilot and last on/first off, wondering how true that is or if it’s propaganda? I’ve obviously read the horror stories over the years.

It really comes down to the company I think. I honestly couldn't tell you what our company policy is on animals shipped as cargo. But I do remember getting some pet loading forms when they were traveling as checked luggage with the passengers on board so we could reassure the passengers their pets were on board. I don't see pets loaded onto our longer flights at all now that I'm flying long haul.

Our company has a separate group that is responsible for loading and transport of animals. The animals stay in a special air conditioned van until they are loaded onto the plane, and it is supposed to be as close to closing up the doors as reasonable (still could be 30-40 minutes though). So the animals aren't generally treated like regular cargo. It's possible that the pilot might be responsible once they are aware of the animals in cargo, but I really couldn't speak to it as

I'll add a couple caveats to that though. First, I have no idea if foreign countries operate the same way, or if they just off load with everything else, or not. Second, it's hard on pets. There's no way around it, it's hard on them. Third, pets in the cargo bin are in an air conditioned/heated and pressurized cabin, just like the passenger cabin, but if for some reason there's any sort of fire in the cargo area, the extinguishers that meter out halon to fight the fires will suck all the oxygen out of the cargo bin and anything living in there will die. That is clearly an emergency situation, and thankfully extremely rare, but it's still something you should be aware of as it is a risk. Also, I think there are some breeds the are not allowed to travel at all, due to the risk flying poses, like bulldogs, pugs, etc. They can simply asphyxiate from the higher altitude and stress.

Sorry for the long winded answer, that's about all I know on that though.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

We just flew round trip from RDU to New Orleans (Southwest) going through Midway each time.

It was . . . fine. Totally uneventful. I kept expecting things to go wrong, and they just didn't.

My co-worker, on the other hand, flew to Baltimore this weekend and was part of the 700 canceled flights, and she ended up having to rent a car in DC to make it back here.

The randomness is not plesant.

I've been lucky too but had a couple of co-workers get absolutely wrecked. One had to rent a car and drive back to Chicago from Nashville because it was such a mess.

Does anyone know if the issues extend to international travel? Supposed to be flying to China as soon as the quarantine times get more reasonable and not looking forward to dealing with that mess.

[PilotMan]

I can tell you that Europe is having some incredible wait times (hours) at security for some airports. We're not experiencing lots of cancellations on the international side like you're seeing domestically however. As far as China goes, we have no idea when that market will come back for the US.

[RainMaker]

Do you see things getting better soon? Saw the DoT taking a ton of heat lately for the issues.

[PilotMan]

Which part exactly? Because there are lots of different things at play right now that are causing issues. Or more the China stuff which is more related to Covid right now. Who knows when that flying will come back for the US.

[Ksyrup]

Flights to Hawaii were absolutely no problem yesterday. All 3 flights full. We even got in on our second flight 25 minutes early. Hope the same happens on the way back - assuming I decide to leave the island!

[Edward64]

Have a great vacation there. I enjoyed our time in Hawaii … but island fever is real

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Have a great vacation there. I enjoyed our time in Hawaii … but island fever is real

I didn't feel it while I was there but we were only there for 2 weeks and I've been near a coast for 3/4ths of my life so I find the beach soothing to me. A friend of mine from Kansas did 3 years of post-graduate work at University of Hawaii and he said he started to feel boxed in after a while and I could see that.

SI

[PilotMan]

Flights are so full right now, there's absolutely no give in the system when staffing problems arise. My airline is already projecting staffing needs for next summer's travel season and trying to formulate and adapt. The logistics of running an airline are insane. You couldn't pay me enough money to do it.

[PilotMan]

This is pretty solid. Paywall removed.

https://wapo.st/3uVr6xE

[flere-imsaho]

I am absolutely The Dad when traveling with the family and The Minimalist when I'm not. The difference in my anxiety level between the two situations is absolutely huge.

[Ksyrup]

What do we think prices are going to do over the next few months? I saw an article that prices are down 1.8% since last month. I need to buy tickets to Miami for a February cruise. I don't want to buy them now, but I've got a $150 credit I need to use by mid-October so I hope they drop some in the next 60 days or so.

[Edward64]

I've read that they'll go down because fuel $ is going down and the summer rush will be over. As far as when to buy the tickets over the next 2 months, don't think anyone can predict that.

Don't forget that airlines will allow you to cancel within 24 hours (and get a credit), some more because of Covid stuff. There are also airlines that gives some sort of price guarantee for a short period of time. See below for your airline

Airlines that offer you a credit if the price of airfare drops

[molson]

My fun travel hack for the day.

I always book international award flights as far in advance as I can - usually 9-10 months depending on the airline. Over that time, you'll usually get a few schedule changes and a re-booked itinerary. When that happens, you usually get to change your itinerary for free to anything you want (as long as departure and destination are the same) - even an itinerary that costs way more than the one you got originally.

You might have to call in to get someone that can approve such a change and politely insist on the better specific alternative itinerary you found - don't rely on the ones they offer. And they might only change it for free it was a significant schedule change. I just had one this week where my 3 hour layover in Istanbul was re-booked to a negative 9 1/2 hour layover. As in our connecting flight was leaving 9+ hours before we even arrived. I can't run fast enough to make that one. I went through the online chat, told them the alternative itinerary I wanted, waited a while for supervisor approval, and then finally got re-booked on a much better itinerary for the trip out that would cost 120,000 points if I booked it today, whereas I only spent 33,000 points.

[Ksyrup]

I have done that a couple of times on US flights with Delta. They are making so many schedule tweaks these days and allowing you to re-book if you don't like the new schedule that I'm finding better flights and either am able to re-book those flights online or call in and explain why the new routing is better, and they give it to me.

[albionmoonlight]

I just flew cross-country over the last two weeks, and things felt really normal. The only thing that I noticed that seemed a bit off was a decent amount of amenities/restaurants in Midway were closed in the middle of the day (and the ones that were open had big lines/waits).

I am assuming that it is really hard to convince people to come work the hotdog stand at the airport for minimum wage when they can just work a hotdog stand in their neighborhood without a crazy commute for minimum wage.

But the actual plane/flying stuff was fine.

[sterlingice]

Anyone have thoughts on travel medical insurance?

I'm going to be in Europe for a couple of weeks and trying to decide if I should get it or not. When you look it up in Google or Duck Duck Go, you get a lot of articles saying "of course you should" right next to their disclaimer that there are paid affiliate links for their recommendations so not exactly and unbiased source. And, of course, if you ask, say Forbes, if you should spend your money on something they're hawking, the answer will always be "yes".

But I can't nail down how much medical care costs if I get injured. Can I go to the state hospitals? What will it cost? That sort of thing. I'm in fine-ish shape with no major issues or medications. But if I get in a car accident or whatever, that's going to require medical care. However, if it's going to cost me, say $1000 for a hospital visit and not $50K like in the US, why would I bother paying $500 for health insurance when... I could just use that $500 to pay for half of my hospital bill that I may or may not need. Like that extra $500 isn't going to be a big deal. But if it's going to cost me $50K, then the $500 is totally worth it.

SI

[PilotMan]

I've always gotten travel insurance traveling out of the country (to Mexico) for emergencies and such. It's not medical specifcially, but covers emergency medical and transport, also you can get assistance with finding doctors and such. But you should check with your credit cards as well. Some of them already cover this as part of the card benefits if you've booked with the card.

Most of the travel insurance's that I've seen are only a $120 or so for the trip, depending of course, on how much you've spent. Nothing like $500, but you're not wrong of course. It's always a big of a game on how you feel if you don't have it.

[Edward64]

This would have been pretty cool to see. I've only seen cats & dogs. I wonder how it travelled in the cabin.

I want one!

Bald eagle spotted going through TSA line at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

According to the FAA’s website, it’s at each airline’s discretion to decide what animals are permitted to fly with passengers in the cabin.