flying with rb67

[gone]

Flying is such a god awful, miserable experience now. We never fly anymore, as the train doesn't present these type of problems. Nowadays, my philosophy is; if I can't get somewhere by rail, ship or bus, I don't need to be going there.

That's pretty much my method of dealing w/ modern stupidities. Flying has been ruined, so I don't do it anymore. The government is spying on my internet use, so fine, I seldom get on it anymore (no great loss, believe me). Gas is constantly going up, so we sold our car and bike and bus. You have to be one step ahead of the cretins. Every government screw up is just another opportunity to try something different. The day that I can't outsmart this government is the day I should be buried.

 

[nwilkins]

yes I would always take the train if I could.

 

[skysh4rk]

Flying is such a god awful, miserable experience now. We never fly anymore, as the train doesn't present these type of problems... Flying has been ruined, so I don't do it anymore.

I know, right? Aviation is only the safest it's ever been (actually, I think it's the safest form of transportation) and it can get me half way across the world in less than 24 hours, but it's just ridiculous the additional ten minutes I have to spend in the security line nowadays.

Personally, I find it's mostly other passengers that make travelling difficult.

yes I would always take the train if I could.

On a serious note though, flying can be a little frustrating and I do often prefer the train or ferry when travelling around Britain and Ireland, but there's no question that flying is far more convenient for a trip of any considerable length.

That said, I've had some very good recent experiences in airports in southeast Asia. For instance, in Beijing, security officers themselves insisted on hand checking my film (I never even had to ask) and in Hong Kong, we could check-in our bags for the flight in the city centre before we even left for the airport.

Actually, come to think of it, my bad flying experiences are usually when flying with an American-based airline.

 

[BrianShaw]

Actually, come to think of it, my bad flying experiences are usually when flying with an American-based airline.

While this is a completely inappropriate comment, let me counter it. My best flying experience was on British Midlands Airline where during a final approach the stews were throwing gin-and-tonics at everyone and then immediately asking for the glasses back. Shooting a G+T is a fine way to prepare for a landing. I thought that were having some sort of problem that they didn't want to tell us about, but felt prepared for anything after a stiff drink... and it WAS a stiff drink.

 

[skysh4rk]

While this is a completely inappropriate comment, let me counter it.

My comment was inappropriate?

How so?

Upon further reflection, I probably wouldn't say that my experiences on American-based airlines are really ever 'bad', so that was probably the wrong word, but they're often just not as nice as many of the other airlines I've flown in the past decade or so. I should note that this is only a comparison amongst major international airlines that I've personally flown.