Do you like to fly?

[Phil 9]

I love flying my models and I love anything to do with aircraft and aviation.

But flying on a commercial aircraft as i did today is just the worst way to travel anywhere. Why does it need to be so dreadful

[brfc7]

I generally enjoy it to be honest, although all my flights have been going/returning on holiday so have been in high spirits before I get on plane.

baz

[Phil 9]

Posted by brfc7 on 16/12/2012 20:42:21:

I generally enjoy it to be honest, although all my flights have been going/returning on holiday so have been in high spirits before I get on plane.

baz

I just love those holiday flights back from a hot destination sat next to the fat bloke wearing little more than a string vest and a pair of flip flops. there should be a dress code long trousers and a t shirt minimum

 

Edited By Phil B on 16/12/2012 21:05:40

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

I have to fly quite a bit with work - more so in that past then now TBH. I hate it! I hate airports, I hate the whole checking in, security, passport checks, boarding rigmorole, I hate the boredom, I hate the being squashed in like sardines, I hate the false "sincerity" of the airlines, I hate the seemingly inevitable delays that we have all simply come to expect, I hate being offered 200euros to get another flight becuase they have overbooked this one. I just really don't like modern flying!

How have these people taken what is surely one of the potentially most exciting things you can do, man dreamt of flying for millenia, and turn it into such a dull, mind numbing, experience. The likes of Alan Cobham and Juan Tripp must be turning in their graves.

BEB

[TheFlyingCrust]

Airborn busses - with less room per passenger than the land based items. Sooooo boring, except for the bits either end. My last flight was long haul to the far east. One just has to hope and pray those sat next to you are ok.

[Bob Cotsford]

Apart from the take-off and landing, it's just tedium. One things certain though - never fly cattle class on a transatlantic run, it's worth paying for premium economy just for the legroom.

 

Thinking about this, in the right conditions the view down on the cloudscape can be fascinating.  It does wear thin after 7 hours though.

Edited By Bob Cotsford on 16/12/2012 20:58:32

[Tim Hooper]

Airlines? I love the take-off. I love the landing. The rest of it is as interesting as watching paint dry.

Now, on the other hand, small aeroplanes are brilliant. I don't fly full-size myself, but I never miss a chance for a flight (and potential stir of the sticks). I was treated to a flight in a Tiger Moth earlier this year, and it'll remain a high point in my life for a long time to come!

tim

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

Hear hear to the Tiger Moth flight Mine was one of the best days out I've had in many years. As was a hot air balloon trip that took me through the clouds for a while to float just above them.

Commercial airlines? Just a lousy experience, a means to get somewhere that has to be "endured".

[sticky fingers]

Much like BEB, I hate commercial flying and all the associated bullshine, all of it, however I have been fortunate to have done a lot of flying in militaryaircraft at least I had a bang seat under my bum or access to a parachute just in case, and then there is the crash axe.my top flying experience was in a microlight, absolutely brilliant, totally exposed to the elements and a brilliant view.

Dave

[Andy48]

I once (many years ago now) had a flight on a jumbo with only 20 passengers on. I was invited to stay in the cockpit for the full flight, sitting in the second engineer's seat. That was really something.

Commercial flights today - all depends on the airline. Delta - never again. Our local airport is great. Just 20 minutes from arriving at the airport to sitting in the departure lounge. Sadly I can see it closing anytime soon.

Edited By Martin Phillips on 16/12/2012 21:28:33

[Steven Buckingham]

I hate airports and commercial airlines. I have to fly for work, but haven't flown on a commercal airline for 'pleasure' for over 11 years, for me the torture of airports and commercial flights would mean starting and finishing my holiday in a foul mood, negating any benefit from the holiday itself.

Edited By Steven Buckingham on 16/12/2012 21:46:27

[MikeS]

Flying with airlines is not what I class as Flying.

Flying in a small aircraft, glider or warbird is what I class as flying. The idea that inspires me is to be flying alone, just you, the clouds and your thoughts.

When I fly at the the club I flying because I enjoy the freedom of it.

Mike

[John Privett]

Yep, as Martin said, a lot depends on the airline and airport. I flew to Australia with Singapore Airlines in August and the service onboard was excellent. A refreshing change from the Sleazyjet "charge for everything" standard. It probably helped that it was an A380 on what is probably their prime route with probably the best of their staff onboard.

Changing planes at Singapore was fine and the airport wasn't at all crowded. Similarly arriving at Perth, then departing again and flights in and out of Ayers Rock, Cairns and even Sydney were relatively hassle-free with uncrowded airports. Melbourne airport was however crowded with long queues for everything, that was the low point (aviation wise) of the trip. Even the Qantas flights and Jetstar ("Coffee, sir? That'll be three dollars please, credit card only, no cash" ) flight weren't too bad.

Edited By John Privett on 16/12/2012 21:55:46

[Turbycat]

Getting on an airliner is like getting on a bus or a train. It is a means to an end, a neccesary evil! Now what i consider flying is getting in glider being towed up or winched and then using nature to keep you aloft. Be it thermals or slope or wave lift. I hate airliners, I have around 600 hours on light aircraft and over 500 launches of one sort or another gliding. Not a great deal by any standards but I enjoyed gliding the most.

Andy

[001]

I haven't flown on a commercial flight for about 14 years, hate everything about it especially being treated in a manner much worse than cattle would be. Condescending and overbearing airline employees with their petty rules are also something to be avoided.

My first commercial flight was on an Air France Caravelle in about 1963, we went as a party of about 20 to Paris, we were dressed smartly in suits with ties, the ladies all looked very good in dresses, no jeans or jogging suits, we were treated properly and respectfully as a valued customer and given decent food. The return flight was in a BEA Vickers Vanguard, ditto. The next year most of us went to Amsterdam in a KLM Lockheed Electra, luckily at that time I was not aware of it's less than excellent safety record.

Later on in the 2000's things were very different, on one trip I had the misfortune to be herded from Gatwick terminal after a 5 hour wait with no apology or offer of food and drink or compensation to a very decrepit ex British Caledonian DC10 or Tristar, treated like an idiot and subjected to two hours of watching the cabin interior slowly disintegrating around me with dozens of bad mannered package holiday people milling around. And subjected to a very heavy clear weather 'landing' that shook everyone. Worst flight ever. Flying, no thanks.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Best bet is to do what 'er indoors and my daughter managed this year and get the departure time wrong - we arrived at check-in at almost exactly the time it was due to close with me thinking I was in for a boring wait with the usual maximum safety margin she insists on (we live 5 minutes from the local airport). I'd better check the details myself next time...

After a momentary panic from the female members of the party when we were told check-in had closed (and my rather guilty thought that I might get a reprieve from a week's bucket and spade duty) we were booked in, proceeded through security without delay, relieved the ladies' agonized bladders, walked up to the boarding gate in time to join a short queue of passengers and took our seats for a prompt departure.

Of course, the holiday company managed to deposit us at the airport for the return journey over 3 hours before departure so it was back to normal.

Once in a while the whole flight can be memorable - a flight to Gibraltar last year in sight of the ground all the way with the bonus of a low level approach round the rock was a real pleasure as were the last couple of hundred miles back from where I spotted Jersey via the Isle of Wight and onwards around London on a crystal clear night..

Edited By Martin Harris on 16/12/2012 22:49:50

[scott finnie]

I have a serious issue with flying on holiday ,,,,, i CANT , ive worked up a serious phobia of flying unless im in control, i know of a few other pilots who are the same, dont know where it came from, it was literally after waking up one day, i microlight throughout the year and hoping to sit my nppl next spring so i can fly sailplane from Balado . But my god try get me in a commercial aircraft and my god i wont, thats why i opt to drive to France and Spain, i'll get over it one day, i fly regularly with my friend who pilots the Loch Lomond Seaplanes Cessna Caravan and i love it, major control issue ive got, though the other half has yet to complain

[Radge]

As a pilot I clocked up a few hundred hours on BAC 111's 727's, 737's & F27's. My favourite aircraft .......F27's out of Norwich to Schipol & Stavanger. Most hated.......727's out of Manchester or Birmingham to Alicante or Benidorm. Normal humans turning into animals, the noise, smell and aggrevation put me off flying outside the cockpit for life.

[Concorde Speedbird]

I think fun commercial flying ended on 24th October 2003 (surprise surprise!) But on the few commercial flights I have had I did enjoy it, thinking of the physics of it.

CS

[001]

Another thought. When we lived in Spain I was quite happy to drive across the length of France to avoid flying.

My stepson came out on holiday one year with his heavily pregnant wife. They were booked to go home on a flight that left Alicante at 5 minutes past midnight. He phoned the travel company early in the evening, as advised, no change of time given. We arrived at the Airport at 10.30 pm. and the flight had already left.

There were about 5 other passengers in the same predicament. We stormed the office of the travel company, the representative was in tears, eventually she locked us out of the office. There were seats on other aircraft that night but we couldn't access them because they were charter flights. He lost 3 days pay plus other expenses. Never did get any money back.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by Chris P. Bacon on 17/12/2012 09:22:07: We stormed the office of the travel company, the representative was in tears, eventually she locked us out of the office. There were seats on other aircraft that night but we couldn't access them because they were charter flights.

If that's how it sounds, I'm not surprised that they "couldn't" arrange any alternative!

A measured approach from a reasoned viewpoint usually results in people assisting you.

Edited By Martin Harris on 17/12/2012 10:00:46

[001]

Martin, sorry, stormed was not the right word, we entered the office. There was a discussion, the lady involved was invited to listen to their recorded message, would not comment on it, she was very negative wouldn't do anything, would not contact her supervisor nor any other company, pushed us out of the office and locked the door no threats were made and no voices raised. So we left and went to the only other travel office open, they had seats but we couldn't use them.

At this time my daughter in law was very uncomfortable so we drove 60 miles home at 2 am and later that day tried to find other flights to Gatwick by phone, could not even get one to a distant UK airport. This was in the days before the internet was introduced. They had to wait 2 days to get seats on another available flight and had to pay £300+ for that. Travel company would not pay any compensation.

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Depends on the "flying" for me......I loved flying in microlights (apart from the turbulence & thermals (which I thought would kill me one day) & flights in light aircraft have been highly enjoyable.

Flying on airlines is basically something to be endured however.....the hassle of security & the cramped conditions are nobodies idea of fun but with loonies intent on blowing us out of the sky I'm very happy to have people checking everything taken on board.....they are there to keep me safe.....

The cramped conditions are because we demand cheaper flights...... If they put in half as many seats & charge twice as much would we be happy with that....h'mm doubt it.....

What everyone seems to miss is that we take the miracle of flight so much for granted..... You're dressed in shirt sleeves & probably reading a book. The machine is transporting you & keeping you & a few hundred other people warm & supplied with oxygen....you're travelling in excess of 400mph some 6 miles above the surface of the earth & the air temperature outside is a balmy minus 60 degrees centigrade & you complain because the coffee is only luke warm.....

[Prop Nut]

Flew with the RAF - loved it. Flew with the Army - loved it, too. Flew regularly with budget airlines, on business, - hated it with a vengeance, due mainly to the trained monkeys at airports who do their best to make it a very unpleasant business at check-in and security. Won't ever fly again, unless I can afford business class - and even then reluctantly.

[Geoff S]

I've given up flying commercially completely. The last time was early 2001 (before 911) when we took our road bikes on a package holiday to Benidorm to cycle in the mountains. As just about every flight we've ever done has involved taking bikes and, mostly, camping gear now the days of bikes etc being classed as part of the standard baggage allowance has ended we don't fly.

The extra security checks I've read about, the strict limits on luggage and the general hassle make it just not worth bothering. We have a campervan now and usually take that abroad to the near continent with much less trouble on the ferries ... and I like ships

I feel a bit of a hypocrite because my pension is paid by Rolls-Royce

Geoff