Just another reason why commercial airlines suck

[GURPS]

By the mid 80s it already began to suck.

Mid 80's wasn't all that bad, my 1st experiences

Fly to Atlanta for a trip to Ft Benning - Dec 84
I can home on a Train
Fly to my 1st duty station in Colorado Springs Apr 85
Fly all the to Korea - DC to St Louis - somewhere in Cali - Alaska - Japan - Finally Korea - Sept 87
The flight home was a straight MAC Flight to Norton, then I flew home Commercial landing at National

What sucks is Air Travel since 9/11 ... I've been Dallas 4 times - 08, 10, 11, 12 13 Once Back to ATL 09 - all business travel for company off site meetings

 

[RoseRed]

My husband's company offered to send me to South Korea when he had a recent medical emergency. My first reaction was that my face would be plastered all over the internet for kicking the $hit out of some ignorant mother on one of the flights for letting her fu@k trophy kick my seat or climb on me. Or some loud, rude self entitled and self important idiot that won't shut up. I have flown many times commercially and the last several times were not pleasant but not as bad as it looks like traveling has become!
My husband is a globe trotter and has seen the world. Me- not so much. The thought of all those hours in travel and finding my way around stressed me out. Besides his other medical issue, he was in a Covid quarantine so I probably wouldn't have been able to see him anyways! Though it was nice of his company to offer, he told me not to go there and as it turns out, he was released from the hospital much sooner than expected.

That's a long way to go. Glad he's ok.

 

[Kyle]

Mid 80's wasn't all that bad, my 1st experiences

Fly to Atlanta for a trip to Ft Benning - Dec 84
I can home on a Train
Fly to my 1st duty station in Colorado Springs Apr 85
Fly all the to Korea - DC to St Louis - somewhere in Cali - Alaska - Japan - Finally Korea - Sept 87
The flight home was a straight MAC Flight to Norton, then I flew home Commercial landing at National

What sucks is Air Travel since 9/11 ... I've been Dallas 4 times - 08, 10, 11, 12 13 Once Back to ATL 09 - all business travel for company off site meetings

I don’t know, the 80s they started to Diminish the frills and shrink the seats legroom.

that was my observation anyway.

my flights were all up and down the eastern seaboard. More than half to Florida and back.

flown in 727, 707, L1011, and I think one was a DC 10. I really wish I’d been able to enjoy flying in the DC4s, constellations, viscounts, some of the planes that I remember as a little kid.

 

[RoseRed]

I don’t know, the 80s they started to Diminish the frills and shrink the seats legroom.

that was my observation anyway.

my flights were all up and down the eastern seaboard. More than half to Florida and back.

flown in 727, 707, L1011, and I think one was a DC 10. I really wish I’d been able to enjoy flying in the DC4s, constellations, viscounts, some of the planes that I remember as a little kid.

As a smoker, I say the worst was when they still allowed smoking. 1983 we almost missed our flight from Oakland to Baltimore then to Frankfurt. We were split up in seating and the woman across the aisle seat chain smoked. It made me sick. I finally lit up and blew it directly in her face. I guess that MMTAH.

 

[glhs837]

We can build giant solar balloons in the sky to act as charging stations.

 

[rio]

it was a lot of fun, when I was a kid in the 70s.

By the mid 80s it already began to suck.

they couldn’t pay me to do it today.

It was in '78, I was 7 and my brother 9, when TWA forgot to put us on a connecting flight. We were flying from DC to Kansas City and then supposed to take a small connecting flight to Joplin, MO for my grandparents to pick us up. My mom had paid extra for us to fly with assistance and had done so at least twice before. As we were sitting in KC I saw our luggage getting put on the plane and told my brother we should be getting on too. Then I told our attendant, and she said we had plenty of time and walked away. 20 minutes later the flight left without us. Grandparents drove 1 1/2 hours to Joplin to get us, freaked when we didn't get off. Had to have Joplin call KC to find out what happened and then drive 3 hours from Joplin to KC to get us and then 3 hours to get to their house. My Mom had to sue TWA to get reimbursed for our tickets and all the extra travel for my grandparents. After that she just let us fly by ourselves, on a different airline.

 

[Merlin99]

it was a lot of fun, when I was a kid in the 70s.

By the mid 80s it already began to suck.

they couldn’t pay me to do it today.

Back in the late seventies and early eighties people dressed up to take a flight. Late eighties and early nineties it was business casual, after that flip flops, t-shirts and bad manners.

 

[Merlin99]

Talking about flying.
We are going on a cruise in Feb 24 out of Miami.
Drive or fly to Miami?

Train

 

[22AcaciaAve]

If I hit the megamillions my indulgent purchase would be a private plane and a full time pilot. Not some ginormous gold plated monster, but just something to get maybe 4 people and light luggage from point A to point B without the hassle of airlines and airports and psycho humans. I love a road trip but what I'd really like is to say, "Hey, Monello (or a friend or whoever), let's go to Taos this weekend."

And while typing that I realized it's probably not true. If I hit the megamillions my impulse trip to Taos wouldn't be a weekend hop, it would be a hit the road journey seeing a lot of stuff along the way and ending up in Taos for as long as I wanted, then continuing west to see some more places. Getting lost in America is the most fun I've ever had; flying over things not so much.

That's funny, I've been there and done that. I flew to a lot of different places for work back in the 80's. Before cell phones, and before GPS. I remember getting off the plane in Pensacola, Salt Lake City, Buffalo, Nashville and a few other places and buying a paper map at the gift store. My kids who are in their 30's can't believe I could find my way around a strange city without GPS or google maps. But that was part of the fun.....you might end up somewhere you didn't expect, figuring out where you were and how to get back was the game!

 

[Monello]

That is more fun than I got to do.
I got to fly and land/take off on Navy carriers.

But no plastic wings for you.

 

[Monello]

Talking about flying.
We are going on a cruise in Feb 24 out of Miami.
Drive or fly to Miami?

If you leave by the end of next week, you could walk there from where you are. With enough time, everything is within walking distance.

 

[Monello]

I don't know what that means.

He was either the 3rd or 4th dirt bag.

 

[Monello]

It means he was in the Navy, and assigned to shipboard pest (usually rats) control. He was issued 10 cats as part of his assignment; usually all are neutered/spayed to prevent a proliferation and mess up the U.S. Government's inventory control system. He also got 10 traps which were to be used to catch the cats (when you wanted to move them to a different part of the ship) who would catch the rats. He's bragging about catching 10 rats with his 10 cats in one fell swoop in an S-3, which is short for a shipboard 3-stall sh*tter.

Understand now? Glad to help.

Nailed it. But you forgot the part about the dirt bag. That is mandatory for any S-3 story.

 

[Monello]

My claim to fame. I've flown around the world. Twice. Once heading east & other time heading west.

 

[blacklabman]

Nailed it. But you forgot the part about the dirt bag. That is mandatory for any S-3 story.

OK, you've had your fun. In reality a member of the pilot/engineer(me) team that was to certify, among other things, the catapult and arresting gear prior to Fleet operations. Once certified we had an opportunity to "run the deck". I was able to secure the aft starboard aircrew location in the S-3 for one flight. Had a hell of a good time.

 

[Kyle]

Back in the late seventies and early eighties people dressed up to take a flight. Late eighties and early nineties it was business casual, after that flip flops, t-shirts and bad manners.

Would have been nice to experience the golden age of air travell.

 

[Gilligan]

Would have been nice to experience the golden age of air travell.

I started traveling on commercial airliners in the early 1960s. As an "unescorted minor" I had to travel in first class with a stewardess assigned to make sure I was OK and embarked/disembarked correctly. Very enjoyable flights in those days. Always used Friendship Airport on this end.

 

[Kyle]

I started traveling on commercial airliners in the early 1960s. As an "unescorted minor" I had to travel in first class with a stewardess assigned to make sure I was OK and embarked/disembarked correctly. Very enjoyable flights in those days. Always used Friendship Airport on this end.

My first flight was on a 727 in 1970. It was coach, I'm sure, but still nice.

I honestly don't know how expensive it was for the time, but I know the modern "Cattle-car" seating and service model wasn't the way to go.

 

[Bann]

it was a lot of fun, when I was a kid in the 70s.

By the mid 80s it already began to suck.

they couldn’t pay me to do it today.

My very first flight was at about 7months old -my mom flew with me from Akron, Oh to Mobile, AL. (whichever airport that was!)

The next time was when our family flew to Italy when I was 7.

I love flying, but the travel thing is getting to be problematic. So far, most times I've flown out so early (before 7am) I think I've been lucky in that regard. I have a business conference coming up in Sept. so we'll see.

 

[Gilligan]

I know the modern "Cattle-car" seating and service model wasn't the way to go.

My round-trip to Amsterdam a month ago was awful. I would have upgraded but prices are through the roof these days.