100% feel you there. As mentioned earlier in this thread, one of my flights was next to a guy who was so big I couldn't get me tray down....it depends on the situation but yeah super awkward regardless.
Travel woes
- Thread starter RLD4ISU
- Start date
Remember the good old days when not every flight was packed to the gills? One time I was flying back on a red-eye from a conference in LV with a couple of co-workers. The flight was so empty we each took a row, folded up the armrests and stretched out.
I remember flying in early 2021 and the planes were barely 15% full. Loved having full rows to myself...though likely not sustainable for the airline industry.
I don't see how anyone would have much of a problem with 90% of what they're asking. It should be standardized and clearly posted/messaged when buying tickets. The part I'd consider somewhat controversial would be the same fare for all no matter what. I definitely lean in favor of the person rather than the airline, and it really only "costs" the airline when the flight is 100% full.
Hard to have any sympathy for the airlines when they've been shrinking seats to make a few more bucks. I'm only 6' and it's rare to get decent legroom, I don't know how someone taller than me does longer flights.
I was on one like that last month, maybe 40% full, but it was Delta so they made us all pack into the cheap seats unless you wanted to cough up another $100+ to move into the empty rows. Flight attendant each got an entire row to themselves though.
They schedule to barely handle capacity and if there is by some miracle a flight that is less than half full they suddenly and mysteriously experience a mechanical or crew issue so they have to cancel the flight.
Scheduling so close to capacity may be good for the bottom line but it also exacerbates the issues whenever there is an incident anywhere that disrupts flights. It can take days to iron out the system after just one airport has to cancel and/or delay multiple flights.
I took some flights in 2021 when airlines were still keeping the middle seat open. Those were the days...
Yeah. I took a couple of flights in 2021 and it was nice (slightly odd since it was my first time flying in 3-4 years though).
Weirdly, I did take a flight back in Fall of 2022 that had a total of 12 people on it from LAX-SEA. Definetly surreal to be on that empty of a plane. The gate agent basically just told us to all get on the plane at the same time. Flight crew was super relaxed.
Just got back to Iowa from London. Woke in the morning in London to a text that said my flight was delayed 3 hours. That’s not going to work with my 3 hour layover in Denver. Check United App there is another flight leaving 10min after my original flight also to Denver. I’m like what the heck…Denver must be popular to fly to London. Anyway, I change the flight to that. I find out that most of the passengers on that flight were from a cancelled one the day before. Lots of PO people on the plane.
Had one guy say I will buy you a beer if we exchange seats so he could sit by his wife. I’m on the aisle…he has middle seat. In a too aggressive voice I told him no. I wouldn’t have done it for $200.
Denver was nuts yesterday. The United customer service line was farther than the eye could see. They changed our gate 3 times in 30min to get back to Omaha. Air travel is only going to get worse. Airfares are very affordable to the masses…which is a good thing. Up to the air industry to sort it out. Don’t hold your breath!
Had one guy say I will buy you a beer if we exchange seats so he could sit by his wife. I’m on the aisle…he has middle seat. In a too aggressive voice I told him no. I wouldn’t have done it for $200.
Denver was nuts yesterday. The United customer service line was farther than the eye could see. They changed our gate 3 times in 30min to get back to Omaha. Air travel is only going to get worse. Airfares are very affordable to the masses…which is a good thing. Up to the air industry to sort it out. Don’t hold your breath!
There are rules about delayed flights in Europe, and there may be compensation to you. I need to read up on those…..
I used to be able to double cross my legs when I was surrounded by manspread for hours so at least they weren’t both touching my legs at the same time, but I have too much arthritis for that now.
A story from flying in March 2020 that I will tell for the rest of my life...
I was flying home from Utah on March 6, 2020. (Note: the NBA cancelled their season on March 11, 2020. That was when everything really started to hit the fan.) At the time of my flight, we had been hearing about this "virus" coming from overseas. It was in the US but no one knew how much it had spread. We knew it could make you sick but didn't know how much or why. But we did know: IT CAUSES YOU TO COUGH A LOT.
I remember this trip because for the first time in my life, I took sanitizing wipes with me on the plane. I was concerned enough about getting sick that I bought them ahead of time. I sanitized the seat and tray before I sat down. I had never even considered something like that before. (Note: this was before we knew about how it was transmitted and before masks were even a thing.)
Anyway, halfway through that flight, I took a sip of water that went down the wrong tube. All I could think was "DON'T COUGH." I used every muscle in my body to keep from coughing because I knew everyone around me would get nervous and they might even do an emergency landing (kidding, sort of).
Confirmed: Denver was a disaster yesterday. I only had a 4 hour delay, I was one of the lucky ones.
I wasn't traveling, but had stopped into one of my favorite Thai restaurants for lunch and there was an old couple in the parking lot standing around a car. As I get out of my vehicle, the old man approaches me and asks me if I could give them $5 because their car run out of gas. They happened to have a gas can with them, so I told him to hop in the car and drove him down the street to a gas station, filled up the gas can for him (he conveniently didn't have any money) and drove him back to the restaurant.
After I dumped the gas in his tank, I went into the restaurant and the owner said that old couple had been out there all day trying to get money out of people. I was the only one who took them to a gas station. They didn't really want gas, they wanted money.
After I dumped the gas in his tank, I went into the restaurant and the owner said that old couple had been out there all day trying to get money out of people. I was the only one who took them to a gas station. They didn't really want gas, they wanted money.
Working downtown Minneapolis I get some of the same people hitting me up again and again with the same sob stories. I remember them but they don't remember who they asked a year ago. One guy gets belligerent when I let him know that he has given me the same story dozens of times over the years. I make sure I say it when other possible targets get close enough to hear whenever I can.
Now the guy standing at the bottom of the exit ramp with the sign that says "NEED MONEY FOR BOOZE" I can respect. At least he is honest about it.
You probably should have gone back out and told them that the owner of the restaurant saw them get money out of other people so you know they have money so they should pay you for the gas.
They were leaving as I went into the restaurant, because I guess they had no excuse to be there anymore with gas in their tank.You probably should have gone back out and told them that the owner of the restaurant saw them get money out of other people so you know they have money so they should pay you for the gas.
