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Landing early... (Score:2)
These days, I think the airlines hedge their bets way too much. I have had short haul flights arrive 15 minutes early. How can that be?
Re:Landing early... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Landing early... (Score:2)
My last flight was a short haul, from Chicago O'Hare to St Louis Lambert Field. Still, the ground traffic was fine in Chicago (leaving early enough to beat rush hour, and only having mild traffic jams on the way back) And the ground traffic in St Louis, well, I didn't really care, since my job was for design for construction of airline facilities remodelling at the airport itself. I didn't have to travel anywhere after arriving at the airport, I didn't even have to go through security, since I was already on the secure side of the airport.
On the other hand, that job has been delayed and changed: because the area we were working on was hit by a tornado this spring. We are currently rushing to lay out temporary HVAC while the main job is waiting on decisions of how to proceed.
Re:Landing early... (Score:3)
By "ground traffic" he's talking about airplane ground traffic... you know, access to the runways and the pathways between the runways and the gates and such.
Re:Landing early... (Score:3)
These days, I think the airlines hedge their bets way too much. I have had short haul flights arrive 15 minutes early. How can that be?
Airlines love metrics that say, "we're early or on time 98% of the time" so they sometimes low ball their time estimates.
Also airlines take into account expected weather conditions. So if you fly on a day that has historically had bad weather, they will add extra time on for that.
Also they plan for the longest flight you could have, so if you hit a tail wind for most of your flight, you will have a shorter flight. I've had plenty of flights like this, I've also had a few where we were flying into a headwind for 4 hours and we landed 45 mins after schedule. Not really anything the pilots could do about that.
Re:Landing early... (Score:2)
Re:Landing early... (Score:2)
Military flights (Score:5, Interesting)
Show up at the PAX terminal a few hours before the flight, usually leave on time or a little early, the only security check is a reminder that your weapons can't be loaded (depending on the flight operator). Of course the convienence is offset by your choices of destinations... but Afghanistan sure is lovely this time of year!
Re:Military flights (Score:2)
My first flight into KAF was like the dropship ride in Aliens. Red lights, combat entry, and fully kitted up.
No E-Ticket required!
DG
Re:Military flights (Score:2)
Will PAX actually take you into Afghanistan? When I wen to Iraq we flew PAX to a nice safe airport in Kuwait, and the Air Force flew us into country. Complete with hot zone landing procedures that were really the most fun I had the whole trip.
Can't remember (Score:2)
Re:Can't remember (Score:2)
My last flight is such a distant memory, I can't remember the details.
I can't foresee flying in the future, unless I decide to leave the continent for vacation. And even then, I might decide to go by ship, just for the experience.
Re:Can't remember (Score:2)
*Cue George Carlin: "Fuck you, you get on the plane I'm getting in the plane - there seems to be less wind in here!".
We don't fly (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:We don't fly (Score:3, Informative)
If you need a place to stay in the fall, Harrisburg PA is not bad as an intermediate between those places, and -- depending on the dates! -- I might be able to offer you a nice bed, home-cooked dinner, etc. there.
timothy
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Well from what I see on your website you probably traveled to many parts of the world already, You are retired now so good choice to rediscover what you have been missing on your own backyard a.k.a. the good ol' USA and spending money into the local economy, instead of like some other people who fly around and buying luxury foreign goods.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
driving from our home base in Oklahoma to Baltimore, San Fransisco, Texas, Iowa, and are planning a trip to DC and NYC in the fall.
So not only are you restricting yourself to the same continent, but you don't even go to Canada or Mexico? How dull!
I like to visit the US, but at least it's foreign and exotic to me. All those bizarre foods! Are "corn dogs" really something you eat, or was my leg being pulled?
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Yes, they're real. Corn dogs are common carnival food. I'm not a fan of cornbread myself, but other people do like them.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
"low brow" american food as well as hot dog and hamburgers.
I wouldn't lump burgers in with the corn and hot dogs. Home-made hamburgers can be pretty epic, especially if you're willing to be creative. The ability to mix things like spices, fruits and veggies in with the meat gives you the ability to have the flavor right through the meat, which can be incredibly difficult with things like ribs or roasts.
I would also suggest that being in the midwest (at least where I live) can be a bonus - you get flavors from everywhere. Our provincial government has been super aggresive in bringing in immigrants (we took half of Canada's immigrants over the last few years) and we are getting a lot of influence from asia - the Phillipines especially. It's pretty cool to be able walk down the street and be able to pick up some damn spicy rolls and a slurpee.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Take it easy, I thought I was plainly teasing. We had lots of good food in the US. Too much actually - the serving sizes are incredible.
And the diversity certainly helps when it comes to eating. OTOH, the dominance of franchise chains works against that.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
I certainly can't against the serving sizes though. There some restaurants that my wife and I go to that we know already that there will be leftovers, so we budget that for our meals for the week.
I certainly don't care for the chains either though, but for people who travel that aren't adventurous in trying the local cuisine find comfort in the sameness. An Olive Garden in Maine will be the same as an Olive Garden in California. I can see how that would appeal to some people.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
One nice thing bout living here is...I rarely even SEE chain restaurants in the city proper. Mostly local owned places, and most people think, why go to a chain when all the best food is locals places?
I've been here so long that to see how so much of the rest of the country lives, shocks me.
Last time I went through Houston, I was amazed to see wave after wave of strip malls...each with the same chain restaurants in or around them...go a couple of miles...it repeated itself just like some old cheap cartoon where the background loops over and over again....
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Yep...I was on one episode of this show when he was doing NOLA. Funny...I've had friends across the US calling me up saying they saw me on TV.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Since my wife and I retired we don't fly. I don't like taking off my shoes.
Try flying outside the US. That problem does not exist. I've flown though airports with roving guards brandishing assault rifles or SMG's, the immi and customs people gave me no trouble. The only place where I've ever had to take off my shoes is in the Philippines and they seem to do it just because they've been told to.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
For some reason the last time I flew from London to Tokyo I didn't have to take my shoes off. I don't know if they have simply abandoned it or if they only do it when flights to certain destinations are boarding. They never both with customs when the flight is from Japan at any rate, which is odd because you can buy various weapons in Japan that are not legal in the UK, but I'm not complaining.
They only started checking shoes after they realised that their metal detectors can't see things 2cm off the ground, i.e. hidden in the soles of shoes. Maybe they have better detectors now. Fortunately I have never been asked/required to use the full body naked scanners either.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
They only started checking shoes after they realised that their metal detectors can't see things 2cm off the ground, i.e. hidden in the soles of shoes.
The obvious solution to that would be to extend the detector below shoe level, e.g. by putting a platform in the detector for the scannee to stand on. Would be much faster and less personnel-intensive (cheaper) than a shoes-off inspection.
But I thought the shoe business was due to a shoe bomb; not necessarily something that can be detected by a metal detector.
Re:We don't fly (Score:2)
You seem to have an engineer's approach to the issue. However this is security theater, and good engineering does not often make for good theatrics.
Ten Years Ago (Score:2)
I think the last time I flew was ~10 years ago. I picked "I don't fly" because from what I understand, air travel doesn't resemble my experience anymore.
Re:Ten Years Ago (Score:2)
For all the bitching people do it really hasn't changed all that much. You take your shoes off now, the detectors are a bit more sensitive to metal, and at some airports you might have the body scanner which takes like 5 secs but I guess there might be some guy somewhere in a room that can see the general outline of your twig and berries. Honestly not sure how anyone got through high school PE or used a gym if they're that freaked out about it but I guess that would also explain our obesity epidemic. Even the ones that do have them they don't send everyone through and some gates don't have em at all. I think it's just a matter of air travel always (at least since it became huge with gen pop) being a little bit stressful so anything that makes it worse becomes magnified into a bitching point.
I just wear comfortable slip on shoes or sandals and it's not a problem. There's the whole liquid plastic bag deal but I've honestly never followed those rules and I fly twice a month. I still throw all my shit in a giant ziplock bag. I really don't think TSA cares as long as it isn't a giant bottle of something or other that your carrying in your hand so everyone else can complain that your getting through with it.
private pilot (Score:4, Interesting)
My last flight took off when I pulled back on the stick (which was a good hour later than I'd originally intended, but it's different when it's your own fault), and landed early due to a tailwind. If I weren't able to fly myself, I'd do a LOT more driving - I don't think I could stand all the security BS anymore - although the average coach seat is probably roomier than my little plane.
Re:private pilot (Score:5, Funny)
Re:private pilot (Score:2)
I think TSA staff see "randomly selecting" hot men/women for the Full Nude Scanners as a perk of the job, with bonus points if they can find a reason to check their packages.
Re:private pilot (Score:2)
As someone with almost $200,000 in student loan debt, thus no funds for the lessons, one word:
Jealous.
mainly depend on the type of flight (Score:2)
I frequently (2 or 3 times a year) from the US to Europe. I found few problems with domestic flights (US->US or Europe->Europe) but a lot of problem in transatlantic flights. My "last flight" happened to be on time.
I usually suffer significant delay (more than a couple hours) on the way or on the way back.
Something more complicated... (Score:2)
...8 hours late and at the wrong airport (La Guardia instead of Newark).
My last airplane flight... (Score:2)
Complicated (Score:4, Interesting)
My last airplane flight left on time, and although it did land on time, I wasn't with it when it landed. While skydiving that day, I took three other similar flights.
Just like flying coach, you get packed like sardines and remain really uncomfortable for the duration of the flight...however, you get to bail out!
Re:Complicated (Score:2)
Cliche, perhaps, but I still don't get why someone voluntarily jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Well, other than D. B. Cooper.
Re:Complicated (Score:2)
Cliche, perhaps, but I still don't get why someone voluntarily jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Well, other than D. B. Cooper.
It's safer than most people think and a lot of fun. The other reply you got about any old idiot being able to fall out of a plane isn't really that far off. There are people with tremendous skill to be sure, who worked hard to get there, but I myself only have 34 jumps and am not particularly athletic. To do the basic flying I do doesn't take much.
Most skydiving deaths happen to really experienced people with thousands of jumps. They're flying high performance canopies, swooping to land, and doing other things that increase the risk. Even then, there are about 30 deaths per year and millions of successful jumps. The most common injury is a sprained ankle.
Re:Complicated (Score:3)
Cliche reply: As soon as they make a "Perfectly good airplane" I will stop jumping out of them.
Re:Complicated (Score:2)
Southwest, nonstop BWI to AUS: excellent (Score:2)
In both directions, Southwest really was quite nice.. I even got the refundable extra seat (for wideasses) and got both of them refunded, which was cool..
Re:Southwest, nonstop BWI to AUS: excellent (Score:2)
In both directions, Southwest really was quite nice..
How can southwest be in two directions? Were you flying in the Bermuda Triangle?
December snow storms in NE USA (Score:2, Interesting)
Last time I flew was a trip from New York to a Cuba last December. The trip back was easy, but getting there was a nightmare.
I'm not a US citizen, so the travel ban doesn't apply to me, but to avoid any pain-in-the-ass or problems with my US visa, decided to be a bit discreet about the trip. The travel plan was JFK -> Port-au-Prince -> Santiago de Cuba.
The flight from JFK was the morning of Dec 26. A huge storm was coming in the evening, but I should have been able to get out okay. Unfortunately, the JFK->PAP flight was meant to return to JFK in the evening. With the storm, it wouldn't have been able to. The flight crew didn't want to stay in Haiti or go elsewhere, so they canceled the flight. When the flight was cancelled, the carrier automatically booked me on a later flight with another carrier. The other carrier's flight was cancelled also.
After the second carrier's flight was cancelled, they booked me on another flight on a third carrier for the next morning. As evening rolled around, a whole shitload of snow started coming down. Transport at the airport was shut down-- not just planes, but also taxis, trains, buses, everything. I was stuck in the airport that night, the whole of the next day, and the following night.
I feel lucky that I managed to get to Terminal 4 (international departures) before the terminal to terminal trains shut down. Terminal four had several fast food joints and bathrooms. It wasn't the case at the other terminals. Although, by the second morning the food was running out. Luckily, after the second morning things had cleared up a bit, and I was able to get a taxi and stay with some friends in NY.
I finally managed to catch a flight on the Thursday (should have left on Sunday). Of course, due to the delays leaving NY, I lost me connecting flight. No problem, I thought, I'll just talk with the Cuban airline in Port-au-Prince.
Port-au-Prince was a fucking nightmare. I've traveled a bit, and I've spent a good amount of time in southern Nigeria, which is my benchmark for a really crazy, shitty place. Port-au-Prince is far worse.
In any case, the Cuban carrier in PAP didn't have an office at the airport. I would need to visit their office in the city. I was given an address. I already had and address, but I was given another one. The airline office wasn't in either place. It was nowhere to be found. That sucked.
After a couple of very expensive days in PAP (all the international aid workers, journos, diplomats, and other functionaries with expense accounts had driven all prices sky-high), I said 'Fuck it', caught a bus to Santo Domingo, DR and flew from there.
So, snow storms. Two nights spent in the airport. A few nights spent in Haiti. One week of delay in my travel plans. Worst travel experience ever.
Cuba was pretty cool, by the way.
Landed before I took off. (Score:2)
Flagstaff to Las Vegas. 42 minute flight, gained an hour switching time zones. So I landed 18 minutes before I took off. Great way to keep hitting Happy Hour.
Perfectly on time. (Score:2)
Something Else (Score:2)
Flying from JST to IAD last March. Rain stopped just as we left the house. Got through security as the plane came in from AOO. The ground crew person asked if we could hurry up and board as the fog was rolling in. The captain started the right engine and the fog kept getting thicker. He started to fire up the left engine as I watched the radar and other stuff on the tarmac disappear in a gray soup. A few seconds later the engines were shut down and we disembarked. The captain said we'd wait for a few minutes and try again, then he and the rest of the crew headed into the restaurant.
About 15 minutes later I got an automated call from United saying they had already scheduled me for tomorrow's flight since I'd miss the connection in IAD. Not bad customer service, I must say. It messed up the last 2 days of my vacation, but at least I didn't have to sleep in an airport or stand in line for hours (and I got bulkhead isle seats for no extra charge, since that's all that was available on my connection to DIA).
Re:Something Else (Score:2)
(and I got bulkhead isle seats for no extra charge, since that's all that was available on my connection to DIA).
You know, other airlines don't charge extra for bulkhead, isle, or exit row seats. I work for Delta, and I get asked if there's a charge for these seats all the time.
Re:Something Else (Score:2)
and I got bulkhead isle seats for no extra charge, since that's all that was available on my connection to DIA).
I work for Delta, and I get asked all the time if we charge extra for isle, bulkhead, or exit row seats. I'm surprised that some airlines actually do charge people extra for these seats. I know we certainly don't.
Usually on time (Score:2)
I travel quite a bit (for work, mostly, though I am a dual US-Australian citizen so do travel between the two countries as well for non-work purposes a couple of times a year). My observations are:
- Most flights generally run on time. Particularly international ones, as I have the feeling that, since they run less often and the consequences for people missing connections on those is greater, airlines try to prioritise them (gate slots etc.) when things are tight. But as a proportion of total flights, those which have arrived significantly late are not very numerous.
- Landing, but then not being able to get a gate (resulting on you sitting on the taxiways for ages) happens far more often in the US than Australia. OTOH, Australia seems to be hit by the 'some flights from some other airport were delayed due to weather, but we were relying on those planes to arrive to service some other route, and so on, and now the entire network is running late) syndrome a lot more often. Less planes, less airports, less routes I guess. This happens in the US sometimes but they seem to be able to 'catch up' quicker.
- It takes at least 3x longer to check in and pass security at a major US airport than at a major airport in Australia or Asia (dunno about Europe - haven't been there since pre-9/11). Australia doesn't have the liquids restrictions, it doesn't ask you to take your shoes off, and it doesn't do the patdowns/nudie scans. That makes travelling within (or from) Australia MUCH less stressful than within the US, and also a lot quicker.
- [This one has nothing to do with arriving on time]: Australia and the US both suck when it comes to free WiFi in airports. Some airports have it but it's by no means ubiquitous. In particular I single out SYD, ORD, and LAX, which I pass through more than any other three airports, as having no free WiFi. In Asia OTOH they ALL have it.
Re:Usually on time (Score:2)
- It takes at least 3x longer to check in and pass security at a major US airport than at a major airport in Australia or Asia (dunno about Europe - haven't been there since pre-9/11). Australia doesn't have the liquids restrictions, it doesn't ask you to take your shoes off, and it doesn't do the patdowns/nudie scans. That makes travelling within (or from) Australia MUCH less stressful than within the US, and also a lot quicker.
s/Australia or Asia/Europe, Australia, or Asia/
I can't recall when it's taken me longer than 5-10 minutes to get through the security checkpoint at any European airport.
The only place that comes close to Unistat's level of security theatre hassle is China (Beijing in particular), and it's still not nearly as bad.
- [This one has nothing to do with arriving on time]: Australia and the US both suck when it comes to free WiFi in airports. Some airports have it but it's by no means ubiquitous. In particular I single out SYD, ORD, and LAX, which I pass through more than any other three airports, as having no free WiFi. In Asia OTOH they ALL have it.
Hm, I got free WiFi at Kingsford-Smith (Sydney) last time I was there (December). Also had it at the little regional airport in Coffs Harbour.
Re:Usually on time (Score:2)
Hmm interesting. I can't recall ever seeing free WiFi at SYD (though there are a few free wired kiosks around to use). It might depend on which terminal you're in. Or perhaps it was free WiFi offered by a particular business (e.g. cafe?) inside the airport rather than an airport-wide thing.
Or perhaps there actually is free WiFi now and I just haven't noticed because I stopped checking years ago ;)
Re:Usually on time (Score:2)
Last couple of flights I've done have been okay, San Francisco to Minneapolis, and then Kansas City to Grand Rapids.
Had a little snag on the Grand Rapids flight though. I had to explain what my e-cigarette was, and how it worked. Other than that, smooth sailing.
I still hate flying though, but more for the experience of being in the airport than anything else.
I've always hated the intense sensory experiences that airports create. It's like a wall of noise, you can talk all you like, but it just gets absorbed into the noise. It drives the little robot in my head that tries to keep up with everything nuts.
Have not found there is always free WiFi in Aisa (Score:2)
Australia and the US both suck when it comes to free WiFi in airports. Some airports have it but it's by no means ubiquitous.
In the Beijing airport, yes the WiFi is free.
However I found it was hardly usable anywhere, most "free" WiFi in fact I find is worth exactly what you pay for, and usually laden with ids and/or framed content.
Also in Beijing you have to register your passport to get an access code (they have kiosks around the airport for this). That almost certainly means they know EXACTLY where all of YOUR traffic is going, and are probably scraping what they can. So I guess it's free as in beer, not as in speech...
I don't recall being able to get free WiFi in Narita (Tokyo) airport, I'm pretty sure there was a fee of some kind. For whatever reason, I had no internet there when I dropped off my rental wireless data device.
Basically I wouldn't hold out Asia as a model of airport happiness (except for having free carts everywhere on both sides of the security checkpoints).
my last flight never started (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:2)
On time, normally (Score:2)
Got caught once flying out of Melbourne. We get a couple of fogged in days per year and when that happens the airport has to shut down. For years it hasn't been worth upgrading instrumentation to get around this. But recently Melbourne airport bought a brand new ILS which got demolished by a low flying Emirates departure which had entered the wrong payload mass (10^5 kilos too low).
Then a couple of years ago I got stuck in Incheon during the northern winter. It took three hours to deice and get the plane off the ground, by which time I had missed my connection and lost half a day in total. But overall thats not bad for the 20 or 30 flights I have been on over the years.
Far more complicated (Score:2)
Left on time, arrived on time. As usual. (Score:2)
Yesterday I met with my instructor, we hopped in the plane and off we went to do some moderately crazy shit (slow flight, steep turns) out over the local practice area. We didn't have a high enough ceiling to do the really crazy shit (spiral dives, spins). My turns were tight enough that we hit our own wake turbulence. Cool!
When we were done he told me to take us home via a particular landmark. I flew there, called for clearance, flew the approach, landed. Great fun.
...laura
i'm on the terrorist watchlist (Score:4, Funny)
you insensitive clod!
Re:i'm on the terrorist watchlist (Score:2)
Left on time, landed at another airport (late) (Score:2)
I'm used to flying into SFO (san fran international). There is nearly never a reason to not land, there.
Now I live in San Luis Obispo, and there is only ILM in one direction on one strip, and the wind was blowing the wrong direction. So we were diverted down to Santa Barbara and had to take a bus up to SLO (about 2 hours, after they found a bus that would go at nearly midnight on a Sunday).
usairsucks.org (Score:2)
Check out what US Airways did to me a couple summers ago:
http://usairsucks.org/ [usairsucks.org]
Worst airline ever. I will never fly them again. Their token vouchers expired unused as well.
Another market research poll (Score:2)
SSIA
Left Late, Landed Late (Score:2)
I was flying back from Richmond, VA to my hometown in Illinois. The plane left late, and arrived late enough at O'Hare that I missed my flight back home. So the best the airline company could do for me was to send me to a different airport in Illinois about an hour from where I lived so I had to call someone to drive out there and pick me up. It kind of sucked.
Fortunately, there weren't any problems on getting to Richmond.
My last flight (Score:2)
I flew with KLM last time to Holland. The plane had propellers, and I thought this was a modern airline!
On the way back I smelt something burning. I turned to my colleague and said "Can you smell that?", and before he could answer the lady in front of me turned around with a look of horror on her face.
"I thought it was me!", she said, not meaning the smell was from her…
My colleague said he couldnâ€(TM)t smell anything, and started to take the piss, but I called the trolley-dolly just in case. He couldnâ€(TM)t smell anything either.
You just know when you've smelt something burning and this wasn't an electrical smell, it was the smell of burning fluid, like when you drip brake fluid on a hot exhaust pipe.
Even though the smell didnâ€(TM)t return, I spent the whole flight trying to smell it again.
I hate flying. It's a control thing.
Re:My last flight (Score:2)
Everything's amazing and nobody's happy. (Score:2)
Complicated (Score:2)
Soemthing more complicated for me was a competition glider flight of 306KM @ 126kmh. Would have liked to arrive earlier but definately left on time!
Re:Writing properly appears complicated for you (Score:2)
Yawn, Poor old APL still trying. Ah well, Its easy enough to filter all AC posts. Bye bye asshole.
Complicated... (Score:2)
Something more complicated (Score:2)
I had to vote "something more complicated", but I should have known better than to fly Oceanic Airlines [wikipedia.org]. Their safety record is horrible.
Re:Had it with planes (Score:3)
I like Amtrak, but the time it takes to get anywhere is pretty ridiculous. I traveled half way across the country, and somewhere just outside of Havre, Montana, one of the valves for the breaks froze open. Apparently it hadn't been properly winterized. We were only running 8 hours behind at that point.
It was a much less aggravating trip even with the near extra day that we ended up taking to make our destination. Certainly a lot less so than having to be groped by a perv before being crammed into a tiny seat.
Re:Had it with planes (Score:2)
That's what put me off Amtrak. Thought of taking it from CA to TX. Could be faster than driving because the train can move all 24 hours of the day while I have to stop and sleep some time. (No, I'm not crazy enough to pull an all-nighter for a road trip.) Whether it actually is faster than driving I don't know. I thought I could handle a 2 hour delay, but when I heard it could be a 22 hour delay, that was too much. It's not cheap either.
Re:Had it with planes (Score:2)
Yeah, but when your less than a day train trip gets a 10 hour delay, with repeated stops in the middle of nowhere because you're off the schedule and CSX gets priority, it then becomes a whole day nightmare. That's when I finally drew the line, and I haven't been on another Amtrak train since.
Re:Had it with planes (Score:2)
I love the comfort of Japanese Shinkansen (bullet trains). Large seats, plenty of leg-room, in-seat power, much quieter than an aircraft... I have not tried the latest generation but when taking the Sky Liner from Narita into Tokyo I discovered that the toilets were huge. You could easily get a couple of wheelchairs in there. Japanese toilets tend to be barely large enough to open the door.
I wish we had trains like that in the UK but even the new high speed line doesn't get anywhere near those speeds. My friend moved to Tokyo but occasionally she gets the train back to Osaka just to see her dentist.
Re:Had it with planes (Score:2)
Yes, that King George certainly has it in for zealous libertarians!
Re:Had it with planes (Score:2)
Do you get wifi on Amrtak trains?
Many European international trains have (sometimes even for free) wifi, and 1st class comes with a meal and drinks.
Food and drinks are nice, but the wifi is really important because you can suddenly work properly, which means you're not wasting any time while moving.
Re:Flew this morning, all on time (Score:2)
Re:Flew this morning, all on time (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, you english are silly when it comes to snowfall. I heard this guy J. Clarkson recently had a good idea about improving that, though.
I'm sure he had an idea at least.
The thing about snow in England is that no one is prepared for it for some reason. Someone made this website to remind people to buy a shovel in the summer instead of just when it snows and they're all sold out: http://buyafuckingshovel.com/ [buyafuckingshovel.com]
Re:Flew this morning, all on time (Score:2, Offtopic)
heh - happens in Minnesota and Wisconsin and parts of central Canada (some places I've lived) too - after that first snowfall you can't find a shovel for two weeks. In the previous few years I've noticed the big stores stockpile last year's model in the warehouse just so they're the only ones not completely out. It's a lot like when straight line winds/a minor (EF0) tornado tore through my neighborhood - we had no power for over a week and I had to get a generator 300 miles away (they were sold out within hours of the storm, and I couldn't even get out of my neighborhood for more than 24 hours due to trees down, and had no power or telephone service, so no internet - my UPS got redirected to my chest freezer, but that only helped for a couple of hours). Thankfully my parents were on their last day of vacation close to where the generator was found and could pick it up and bring it back.
Re:Flew this morning, all on time (Score:2)
*shrugs* if you're in an area that's prone to power failures or snow/storms, it's your own damned fault if you're unprepared when it happens. I live just outside Ottawa, in a home that backs on to a major wetland that also serves as a flood plain. We have had a total of one power failure in the last year, but keep a 7.5KW genny ready to go (and a 3.5KW genny as backup in the garage) for the rare occasion when it does happen, as well as a spare sump pump to keep the basement dry. It's just insurance. The one time the sump pump packed it in when we weren't around to get it running right away, we had 2" of water in the basement and a $500 cleanup on our hands. And a couple of years ago, when we had a once-in-a-century storm that overwhelmed the storm sewers, we had 18" of water in the basement and a $25,000 insurance claim. Other than those two events, we haven't had any issues with the flooding in 20 years (though our neighbours sure have), and because we already had a generator, we weren't caught in the dark (literally) a few years ago when the big east coast power failure happened, nor 12 years ago when the ice storm happened. It's about knowing what you're likely to encounter, and being prepared for it. In the end, it's a lot cheaper than paying for the cleanup when things do go pear-shaped.
Similarly, the snow shovels and snow blower are kept in the shed during the summer, and in the garage during the winter. They're easily on hand, and we're ready for it when it happens. I realize I'm sounding high and mighty and arrogant here, but seriously, when you consider how much you stand to lose to a flood, or a major power failure, or a major snowstorm, or whatever, why on earth wouldn't you make sure to be ready when you live in an area that's prone to it?
Re:Flew this morning, all on time (Score:2)
Re:Flew this morning, all on time (Score:2)
The Top Gear snow plough made from a converted Combine Harvester did seem to work quite well for something they hacked together. Obviously massive pinch of salt needed because it's TV but worth looking into.
A shovel isn't much use in the snow. You can clear a path to your car but the roads are still covered in compressed snow and ice. With all the cuts I doubt any council is going to invest in more snow clearing or gritting equipment so we are basically resigning ourselves to losing a few days a year to the weather.
Re:Flew this morning, all on time (Score:2)
The Top Gear snow plough made from a converted Combine Harvester did seem to work quite well for something they hacked together. Obviously massive pinch of salt needed because it's TV but worth looking into.
It seems like the kind of thing that would work well in some situations, but not great in others (small roads for exmaple). I think the flamethrower at the back would probabaly not be involved (am i thinking of the same episode?). Hopefully they will think about looking into it in the future.
A shovel isn't much use in the snow. You can clear a path to your car but the roads are still covered in compressed snow and ice. With all the cuts I doubt any council is going to invest in more snow clearing or gritting equipment so we are basically resigning ourselves to losing a few days a year to the weather.
The idea I remember someone talking about was that if everyone had a shovel, when they clear the path outside their house, they also clear the bit of the road infront of their house. Then if everyone does this, the road is cleared, and if every road does this, it is easier to drive around (well, thats the theory anyway...). I guess its a "Big Society" kind of thing, but relies on everyone working together.
Re:Who's doing the flying? (Score:2)
At least, that's what you hope.
Re:Who's doing the flying? (Score:2)
Re:Who's doing the flying? (Score:2)
...and a "GREAT" landing is one after which you can use the airplane again.
Re:Who's doing the flying? (Score:2)
"Any landing you can walk away from is a good one." - flight sim pilot.
Re:US Airways, Ottawa (YOW) to London (LHR) via PH (Score:2)
Is there some reason you never mentioned what city PHL is in, despite it (arguably) being the one that is least likely to be familiar to others? I mean Philadelphia was my guess, but you never know :)
Now, I've done a bit more flying than you, but your numbers are not that bad (other than the PHL issues). For example, my longest journey time (one-way) is 40 hours or a little more. Of course, this was on a series of trips I did that are a bit more than flying from North America to Europe. I did four separate trips to Thailand over the course of a year or so, from either New York or Los Angeles. Depending on what route you take (which in my case is whatever the cheapest flight was taking) it can get pretty ridiculous, even without long layovers. The *shortest* you might find is about 24 hours total travel time (not counting getting to the airport early etc.), and I personally never had one that was *less* than your longest of 28 hours :)
In addition to that, I've done a ton of cross-country flying as I went to grad school (and currently live) near Los Angeles, but I'm from New York and all my family is there. Plus I've done some interesting travel as a geologist (which is why I went to Thailand initially but some other places too), did a trip to Europe in high school, etc.
I don't even want to think about what my cumulative hours spent in airports might be. A couple of times the flight was delayed or canceled and the airline got me a free hotel room, but more frequently I've had to just find a quiet corner of the terminal to try to get some sleep in, with layovers sometimes 12 hours or more (not even taking into account delays and so on). A recent one I can remember specifically at the moment was a 12-hour layover in Abu Dhabi, flying from Bangkok to NYC on Etihad Airways (the UAE airline).
Honestly though, flying is amazing. The experience is often uncomfortable, but if you just ignore it and go with the flow and think about the fact that you're able to reach the other side of the globe in a (relatively) quick amount of time, it can be quite enjoyable.
Re:United decided my bag wasn't good enough to get (Score:2)
Re:United decided my bag wasn't good enough to get (Score:2)
I've had bad experience on most airlines at some point. It isn't practical to avoid them permanently for a single bad experience.
Re:Right on time (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:2)
Re:Right on time (Score:2)
Re:FIRST (Score:2)
Really? Seriously? You needed a that's what she said joke for that?
Re:Lufthansa (Star Alliance) (Score:2)
You say that like it's a bad thing. I much prefer to land at Midway than O'hare, or Burbank than LAX, at the smaller airports I can be in my car and on my way before I can even leave the terminal at the behemoth's. NYC is a tossup because they all suck.