<p>Ok, fair point, hayden! And I do take that into consideration! I’m an early boarder though - that’s the benefit of all those miles / points / status! </p>
<p>Pizzagirl, i know where you’re coming from. I don’t fly as frequently as you, but I average 40-60,000 miles a year. Sometimes I feel like a long suffering captive waiting for some fresh indignity, and sometimes I just shake it all off, sympathize, and am able to smile through it all. My mood usually depends on whether the flight is on time / delayed a reasonable amount of time; or whether the flight is delayed 3 hours and I’m now arriving in LA at midnight. </p>
<p>Did anyone see that video of the flight attendant’s safety speech ? She was hilarious. </p>
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<p>Overhead space was increased a while ago. Remember when wheelie bags had to be put in sideways instead of wheels first? </p>
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<p>By the time H got on the plane, all that were left were center seats. Had someone insisted on choosing the center seat on my aisle, I would have given it to them, but then given the window seat to H, and taken a center seat somewhere else for myself. That being said, I have seen people do it before… save seats for family or friends who are boarding after them. But yes, I did look for someone who was on the average size taking up either an aisle seat, or window seat.</p>
<p>"We are heading to Europe and have 1-hour layover in Amsterdam. Friend warned me to do carry on since we may not make the connection and easier to grab bags and run for the next flight than risk lost luggage, "</p>
<p>I was in AMS earlier this month and had a 2 hour connection, but going from UA to EasyJet which doesn’t interline. It’s a well laid out airport but I concur - do carry-on unless you have absolutely no choice but to check. Business travel is one thing but for personal travel it’s even easier to rely on a carry-on; you don’t have to impress anybody if you wear the same thing a few times. </p>
<p>Some of you might enjoy Flyertalk, which is CC for frequent travelers. I’ve had some fairly arcane questions answered over there. Those people make CC look like a cakewalk! </p>
<p>I’m not in favor of the ‘slide on by me’ to get to ones seat, even though I generally am in first class, exit row or economy comfort. Creeps me out to have someone’s butt or crotch in my face. Now if you’re Hugh Laurie or Michael Fassbender, okay, I can deal with it. Or my kids or my husband, but otherwise, yuck. I can spring outta that chair in a microsecond if you’re coming through. I really don’t need to get up close and personal to let you in your seat.</p>
<p>Huh. Live and learn. It’s so instantaneous, I never figured so many people were bugged by it! </p>
<p>Haha, busdriver. A few years ago my sister was on a flight to London with Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale. She and her husband had gotten an upgrade. She said she didn’t mind AT ALL when he bumped against her on his way down the aisle. :)</p>
<p>I’ve been in these wars. On my summer vacation, I battled the guy in front of me. I won! My knees were stronger than his back for the whole 3 hours.</p>
<p>There is no joy in flying these days unless you somehow can fly first class. There is contempt from airlines to passengers and passengers to airline staff and plenty of stress in between. I don’t know what the answer is but I can still remember the days when flying was fun…which just goes to show how old I am.</p>
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Domestic 1st class isn’t even what it used to be.</p>
<p>Int’l business class, however, w all-aisle layflat-beds made up w high threadcount sheets & down pillows (some airlines give 2 pillows) & down duvet, pajamas, multi-course meals w fine wine, Godiva chocolate to go w a glass of port after your choice of desserts, active noise-cancelling headphones, nice clean lav w the corners of the toilet paper folded artisticly btwn users, plenty of overhead baggage space, and smiling attentive flight attendants is a real joy and something I actually look forward to.<br>
<a href=“http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-26/airlines-mull-first-class-future-after-success-of-business-beds.html”>http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-26/airlines-mull-first-class-future-after-success-of-business-beds.html</a></p>
<p>Mr. Fang and I flew business class to London. Oh my goodness, that was luxurious. Wine, food, a bed…a bed, an actual bed you can lie down on.</p>
<p>The issue with putting stuff in the front overhead bin when you’re in the back is that then the front passengers have to go backward to get their stuff out of the bin while everybody is trying to exit the plane. That’s just impossible. </p>
<p>I never carry on anything bigger than what will fit under my seat. It is not worth the hassle of finding bin space. But no, my coat is not going on the floor where my feet are and where people have spilled junk. That’s like putting things on the floor in a movie theater. Yuk. </p>
<p>I can’t believe nobody has mentioned the whole pink tagged bag thing. People bring a carry on that’s actually too big to be a carry on and they load it in a separate compartment and then you pick it up on the ramp as you exit the plane. The problem is, a crowd forms waiting for those bags and other people can’t get out because they are stuck behind that group. And that group doesn’t pay the fees for checking and they don’t have to wait for their bags at a luggage carousel. Why did the airlines start doing that??? </p>
<p>I also don’t understand how they figure out the zones for boarding anymore either. It would make the most sense to board window seats as zone 1, center seats for zone 2 and aisle seats for zone 3. Then nobody has to crawl over anybody. </p>
<p>I am in the camp of those who used to love to fly but not anymore. I will drive whenever it is feasible. </p>
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<p>If you check baggage, it is generally a good idea to keep a carry on bag with your first few days’ of essentials for the trip, in case your checked baggage is delayed.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, if the mileage programs induce people to buy additional flights on the airline on which they have status or a mileage accumulation on, as opposed to a cheaper fare or more convenient times or routing on another airline, then the mileage program will have served its purpose to the airline. Of course, the airline controls the value of the miles – devaluation comes in the form of restricted award availability, increased miles for a given award, expiration of miles in inactive accounts, etc., so the mileage accumulation may not be that costly to the airline.</p>
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<p>The gate checking appears to be mainly intended for times when an allowed carryon bag cannot fit for a late boarding passenger, or a passenger brings something like a baby carriage or a wheelchair. Now, if people are abusing it with excessive or oversize carryon bags, it does seem odd that airlines do not enforce the checked bag fee at that time (perhaps they are in a rush to get the plane going rather than make the passengers pay).</p>
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<p>I suppose, after bullying and assaulting him, you reclined in triumph.</p>
<p>While I don’t like people’s butt in my face, I also don’t like having to gather up all my stuff , get up out of my seat while holding it, and then get settled in again. One time I had a leg injury and was purposely seated in the aisle seat the person in the middle seat also had some injury (neck I think-- dont recall) . The lady by the window did not, and must have gotten out of her seat, no exaggeration, 10 times. I wanted to add her to the injured list!</p>
<p>And what about the armrest wars. Thats another challenge. Up or down, and do you get to use one or 2? Share or not share. All a PITA.</p>
<p>My two rules: If you are the poor person in the middle seat and I have two armrests, I will gladly cede to you the one we share. If you are sitting beside me and are not a family member, that armrest is going to be down. I need a dividing line.</p>
<p>I would not be happy if someone particularly large sat beside me and spilled over into my seat. Full body contact while negotiating the getting-narrower-all-the-time aisles is unavoidable these days, but I don’t want bodily contact while I am in my seat unless it is with my spouse or child.</p>
<p>Has anyone researched whether the smaller and closer seats are contributing to more blood clots?</p>