Plane travel

[jackstraw]

Maybe pain travel is more appropriate. Dinner last night with my friend we were discussing how travel didn't bother us years ago. Now it's just annoying even if everything goes as planned. Maybe it's an age thing?

The topic came up because I had a 6am flight today out of Boston. So that's a 4am-ish departure from home. We taxi out and the engines shut down. Odd. Tow in, deplane. Reschedule, reschedule, reschedule. I think I'll be departing at 4:25pm. Oh the joy of travel.

[beaterdit]

Maybe I'm just a pussy but it is almost intolerable for me these days. Same as you, never used to mind it at all. It does seem like there a lot more problems now. You can almost count on delays and missed connections.

Flying back from a trip to Croatia in the fall. Fight out of Ljubljana Slovenia sat on the pavement or two hours causing us to miss our connection in Paris which was direct flight to Salt Lake. We had to take three different busses and run across CDG airport for that fiasco. Eventually rerouted through Boston, that flight sat on the pavement in Paris for an hour causing us to have to basically throw our checked bags AND BIKES at the delta guy and pray as our fight was already boarding on the other side of the airport. Take a train and run across Logan and were the last two people boarded only to find they had double sold our seats. We were stashed in the back in front of the bathroom in the non-reclining midget seats. Never been in so much pain. Supposed to get home at 11am and got home at 11pm to no bikes or bags. Turns out the bikes and one backpack were ON OUR PLANE, they just didn't bother to send them out to the carousel WTF. They eventually found my backpack in Detroit and I got it back 2 1/2 weeks later, also WTF.

First world problem hell I guess.

[ötzi]

I got through TSA with no ID the other day. Didn't know that was possible. I mean I'll take it, but...

Credit cards and my phone was pretty much all I had on me, I had taken my license out of my wallet and had forgotten to put it back

[cat in january]

Did they ask you any questions? Somehow I lost my license on a trip to Alaska. They asked me about a boat I had registered years ago. I was sweating because my memory of some things is not first class. Luckily I got the answer right.

Friend is driving with his family out to Utah to ski because he doesn’t want to deal with airlines. Don’t blame him.

[jackstraw]

I got through TSA with no ID the other day. Didn't know that was possible. I mean I'll take it, but...

Credit cards and my phone was pretty much all I had on me, I had taken my license out of my wallet and had forgotten to put it back

Clearly a likeable guy!

Finally made it to Phoenix 10:50 ec time. Reno next.

[m2711c]

ANA does food right.



haagen dazs fer dessert too!

[jackstraw]

ANA does food right.



haagen dazs fer dessert too!

Dude! What the...sweet!

Yeah, I got some pretzels

[ötzi]

Did they ask you any questions?

Nothing too major. THey asked my previous address, birhtday, social, it was pretty minimal.They took my bags aside and went through them, I was happy they ignored the vape pen right there in my backpack pretty much front and center, considering it was in Utah I thought I might be about to have a real problem.

Clearly a likeable guy!

Clearly. Also a shocked guy, I had zero thoughts in my head about my license until I opened my wallet to give it to the guy and it wasn't there, for a second there it was like an out of body experience. Maybe that helped things, I dunno.

[Pinned]

After years of heavy work and personal travel, I've learned the only way flying becomes tolerable is to just give up any semblance of control. Anything could go wrong and you really can't do much about it. Stressing tires me out, so if I'm flying I'm just existing.

Also pack as light as you can and bring good noise canceling headphones.

[plugboots]

Flying always sucked, will always suck, and after 9/11 it became intolerably sucky.
I flew constantly for work for ~20 years and I still have PTSD from the experience.
Only flying on a private jet is OK.

[The Reverend Floater]

Great thread.

I hate flying so much that I am now willing to fly Business Class on longer flights. If I do a five hour flight (say SLC to Atlanta) in coach, my back and legs get wrecked. If it's a company flight, you get your ass I'm flying Business/1st!

In general, I think a lot more people fly than say, 20 years ago, so everything is that much more stressed.

Also, Pinned is absolutely correct: If you go into it thinking you have any control, you're bound to get hosed. I start my day embracing the pinball mindset and just hope shit goes right.

[Rideski]

I don't like flying, but like arriving in a distant locale. I do like road trips, so air has to be worth it. Had some smooth flights, and some very bad flights. One if my recent flights was worst ever turbulence. GF utilized the barf bag. Guess I'll fly again, begrudgingly.

And, search Jong

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...-The-Tip!-quot

[plugboots]

My first flight ever was from Chicago to Portland and there was a bar open to everyone that was between first class and couch. Imagine that.
As soon as the seatbelt light went off, my flying-experienced buddies got up and dragged me up to get cocktails. I stood around and partied until the light went back on and we sat down and landed.
Nonetheless, it smelled like an ashtray because people could smoke. Every single flight since, (except heli and private), has been worse than the previous.

[Core Shot]

As for ID. If you get a passport it’s worth getting the plastic passport card. I bring drivers license and plastic passport and store them separately.
Figure I can always get home on the backup if I lose or someone steals my wallet.

Same international. The card only works in Mexico and Canada. But chances are it will help you get home from anywhere.

[liv2ski]

Knock on wood, the only flights that have pissed me off were on SW, so I don't book with them any more. Up to a 5 hour flight, I can deal with coach up to Vancouver, but anything longer needs an upgrade and to Yurp requires business class for sure. I hate airports and going through security, but I love to fly, once I am on the plane.

[ötzi]

After years of heavy work and personal travel, I've learned the only way flying becomes tolerable is to just give up any semblance of control. Anything could go wrong and you really can't do much about it. Stressing tires me out, so if I'm flying I'm just existing.

Also pack as light as you can and bring good noise canceling headphones.

Agree with this entirely. I also bring a little food.

[cat in january]

I think edibles have made the whole flying experience much easier to deal with. Get to the airport early and don’t start until you get there. What me worry

[Ted Striker]

...the only way flying becomes tolerable is to just give up any semblance of control. Anything could go wrong and you really can't do much about it.

Also pack as light as you can

This is true for aircrews as well. Probably more so. If you think you're getting home for xmas just because the schedule says so, you picked the wrong career. And arguing with "crewsched" (sounds Orwellian because it is) generally gets you nowhere. Or somewhere you don't want to be.

[Name Redacted]

The obvious

[S_jenks]

I think edibles have made the whole flying experience much easier to deal with. Get to the airport early and don’t start until you get there. What me worry

I recently went through airport security not realizing that my vape pen was still in my pocket (and not left in the car like it should’ve been). TSA either didn’t see it in the plastic bin, or didn’t care as I popped through the other side.

Swore to myself that I wouldn’t use, but being a full day flight I eventually started taking drags in the bathroom stalls. Wasn’t super proud of it, but my god did it make flying so much more tolerable.

[Name Redacted]

I recently went through airport security not realizing that my vape pen was still in my pocket (and not left in the car like it should’ve been). TSA either didn’t see it in the plastic bin, or didn’t care as I popped through the other side.

Swore to myself that I wouldn’t use, but being a full day flight I eventually started taking drags in the bathroom stalls. Wasn’t super proud of it, but my god did it make flying so much more tolerable.

You can take vape pens with you on the plane. Just not in checked baggage and you aren't supposed to smoke them. But of course what you are vaping is subject to applicable laws.

We are headed to MX in a few weeks. Wondering if I should risk the THC/CBDs that I've become accustom too. Sure would be nice but I'd hate to be the guy who gets busted for sneaking weed into MX.

[ötzi]

It'll be fine. I just took a pen and a couple of carts to Argentina and Chile with no trouble. I kinda hid the carts, sorta. They were both new so I was hoping a dog wouldn't pick up on them but I never saw a dog and they barely looked at me anyways. Apparently I don't resemble Britney Griner. I did ditch the carts before coming back.

Shit I took gummies to Japan and China, that was a little sketchy but no problems. Well I ate too much and then got separated from my fam in Shibuya at night, that was a little nerve-wracking.

[Jax]

Had a business trip to NYC a few months back and I swear to god, on the flight back, the 60-something lady next to me had her fingers in her mouth practically the entire time. She was eating nuts, licking her fingers individually after she put each one in her mouth. Then she reached up and adjusted *my* air vent that I had just sanitized and pointed at me, to point it further away from me. Pretty sure I gave her laser eyes as I readjusted & sanitized it with another wipe. Even with noise-cancelling headphones, they don't help with noticing the shit that goes on around you. Said lady proceeded to chew her fingernails, one at a time, for the duration of the flight. And she touched every possible thing around her.

Why the fuck do you even have a mask around your chin lady.

Flying reminds me just how much I can't stand most people, or at least, their mannerisms. And planes are gross.

Bringing your own food on planes should have it's own set of banned items: canned tuna, corn nuts, cheez-its, bagged popcorn, doritos, fritos, etc.

Oh yeah, this one time flying back from MX, some young-adult kid managed to vomit all over his mom who was wearing a very absorbent jogging suit. Plane smelled like barf for the duration, obviously. Cabin crew dispersed those tiny coffee pods they use for brewing to each passenger to mask the smell. Ugh, torture!

If I can possibly drive there, I'm not flying.

[nickwm21]

Alaska or Delta only. That way - when the inevitable happens - they actually pick up the phone and help….


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Air travel is generally a soul killing, dehumanizing activity, but isn't it fucking awesome that we can literally pick just about any spot on the globe and then in just a few minutes use a little electronic device in our hands and obtain a means to get there?