the_traveler
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As long as the ship is not named "Titanic"!
OMG- I have flown again
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Pre-9/11 I had always thought it would be fun to traverse the US by plane making stops/connections every two hours as I love take off and landings. Plus I'd be less likely to get a stiff neck from looking out the window. I would also have enjoyed checking out airports.
My other bucket list item was to take a long-distance train ride in a sleeper...and I finally got to do that in November.
Next trip will be by plane as I will be heading back out to Utah when my grandbaby is born. Currently planning to book "last minute" flight when I get the call. Luckily my boss says he's ok with me giving him a day or two notice since I already gave him the approximate time frame for my vacation.
I may, but probably won't, see about taking the 5 from PRO or SLC to EMY to finish what I started in Nov then fly back east from CA. Since it will be in August, it may be hard to get a seat at the last minute and I may not have the time & $$.
My other bucket list item was to take a long-distance train ride in a sleeper...and I finally got to do that in November.
Next trip will be by plane as I will be heading back out to Utah when my grandbaby is born. Currently planning to book "last minute" flight when I get the call. Luckily my boss says he's ok with me giving him a day or two notice since I already gave him the approximate time frame for my vacation.
I may, but probably won't, see about taking the 5 from PRO or SLC to EMY to finish what I started in Nov then fly back east from CA. Since it will be in August, it may be hard to get a seat at the last minute and I may not have the time & $$.
The ads at the top of the page are influenced by the words in the posts for that topic. So any topic that mentions something about a plane is quite likely to have some sort of ad related to planes at the top.
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I think it is a little more complicated then that. The ads are "behaviorial driven." In other words, they are based on recent searches and browsing by the user. I was checking availability and pricing of a Westin hotel this morning. A Westin ad appeared on AU this afternoon. If a user clicks on the small "AdChoices" icon on the banner ad (little triangle in a corner), they can read the policy, and can opt-out.
From AdChoices:
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Hanno
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Point well taken!As long as the ship is not named "Titanic"!If so, you better have everything else on your bucket list done first!
Yeah...it's fun seeing the offers to fly to Lagos, Nigeria for some amount or another. First, I don't like flying; and second, why the [bleep] would I want to go to sub-Saharan Africa?
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The solution is easy. Just avoid all topics that mention planes or flying in their title
What the heck are you doing reading those blasphemous topics anyway? 
No one has kicked me out of AU yet! And I'm typing this from SFO about to take a flight up the Coast Starlight route to Seattle. I'll be following the route from my window at least. (Except it's a little cloudy) Looking down at Amtrak and other railroads is something I routinely do. The other day I was flying ABQ to LAX, and it was a beautiful clear day over Arizona and SoCal. I could besically see the entire BNSF transcon, full of trains, I might add. A picture could not do it justice. I also didn't realize the Ariizona crater is very near the tracks between Winslow and Flagstaff.
Somewhere on AU is a post I made, with several aerial photos of Amtrak's trains that I took. A few of the Crescent, Acela, and Empire Service train along the Hudson.
Somewhere on AU is a post I made, with several aerial photos of Amtrak's trains that I took. A few of the Crescent, Acela, and Empire Service train along the Hudson.
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Some sights that you see from planes are breathtaking. Though not in the US, last week my daytime flight from Delhi to Kolkata in India, was such an occasion. Flight was a Jet Airways 737-800 flight at FL 360 (36,000'). We were flying over Lucknow in North India. The day was clear with slight haze below FL 200, not enough to block the view of the ground.
To the north (to the left) stretched the snowcapped Himalayas sticking their heads up way above the haze, stretching from horizon to horizon, Mt. Everest visible in the distance. Right below to the left was the huge Gomti River flowing by Lucknow. To the right one could see the mighty Ganga flowing by the city of Kanpur, and the Yamuna meandering along further to the south. They join up at the famous Prayag Sangam at Allahabad further east on the Delhi - Kolkata Main Line.
I could clearly see the Delhi - Kolkata Main Line along the right bank of the Ganga coming into Kanpur from the west and then departing Kanpur Central station to the east via the Chandari Loop. Several trains were visible, some on the main line and many in the massive yards around Kanpur. As I said, it was quite a sight, not seen from anywhere else but from a plane.
Then as we got nearer Kolkata, I got a true appreciation of the massive flyover-duck-under interconnection that connects the Main and Chord line from Delhi and the Main Line from Mumbai/Chennai together and feeds into the four Kolkata Terminal Stations Howrah, Sealdah, Shalimar and Chitpur. It was an amazing thing to see it all laid out in reality, like a map below us. Someday when I meet some of you, I will show you the track diagram, and you will understand my ecstasy!
To the north (to the left) stretched the snowcapped Himalayas sticking their heads up way above the haze, stretching from horizon to horizon, Mt. Everest visible in the distance. Right below to the left was the huge Gomti River flowing by Lucknow. To the right one could see the mighty Ganga flowing by the city of Kanpur, and the Yamuna meandering along further to the south. They join up at the famous Prayag Sangam at Allahabad further east on the Delhi - Kolkata Main Line.
I could clearly see the Delhi - Kolkata Main Line along the right bank of the Ganga coming into Kanpur from the west and then departing Kanpur Central station to the east via the Chandari Loop. Several trains were visible, some on the main line and many in the massive yards around Kanpur. As I said, it was quite a sight, not seen from anywhere else but from a plane.
Then as we got nearer Kolkata, I got a true appreciation of the massive flyover-duck-under interconnection that connects the Main and Chord line from Delhi and the Main Line from Mumbai/Chennai together and feeds into the four Kolkata Terminal Stations Howrah, Sealdah, Shalimar and Chitpur. It was an amazing thing to see it all laid out in reality, like a map below us. Someday when I meet some of you, I will show you the track diagram, and you will understand my ecstasy!
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NS VIA Fan
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I was travelling from Vancouver to Halifax a couple of years ago with not enough time to take the train all the way. It would be 6 days so I settle for Vancouver to Edmonton on the Canadian then a YEG > YHZ, 5 hour non-stop flight the next morning.
Between Edmonton and Winnipeg we flew parallel to CN's exGrand Trunk Pacific main across the prairies and there below was the Canadian......the same train I just got off ……easy to spot, stainless-steel gleaming in the morning sun! Got some great video.
As much as I like train travel. I have to fly also and enjoy it. A regional airline here in eastern Canada is actually called "Porter" Airlines and they've established quite a niche for themselves offering exceptional service. Even those flying on the cheapest coach ticket get to use their airport lounges. Airport security here is handled by CATSA……They've got a job to do and we just have to learn to live with it but I've always found them very professional.
Between Edmonton and Winnipeg we flew parallel to CN's exGrand Trunk Pacific main across the prairies and there below was the Canadian......the same train I just got off ……easy to spot, stainless-steel gleaming in the morning sun! Got some great video.
As much as I like train travel. I have to fly also and enjoy it. A regional airline here in eastern Canada is actually called "Porter" Airlines and they've established quite a niche for themselves offering exceptional service. Even those flying on the cheapest coach ticket get to use their airport lounges. Airport security here is handled by CATSA……They've got a job to do and we just have to learn to live with it but I've always found them very professional.
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At some point, I know that I will fly again. However:
1) It will likely be on a non-American carrier (Virgin Atlantic is the most likely, followed by British Airways, followed by just about any other European carrier).
2) It will likely be in one of the "premium" classes (trying to phrase it as "not economy/coach" is probably the best, but sorting between "Premium Economy", "Business", and "First" for BA versus the three differently-phrased classes on Virgin versus Lord Only Knows What Else on other airlines is a puzzle in and of itself without a handy table to use).
1) It will likely be on a non-American carrier (Virgin Atlantic is the most likely, followed by British Airways, followed by just about any other European carrier).
2) It will likely be in one of the "premium" classes (trying to phrase it as "not economy/coach" is probably the best, but sorting between "Premium Economy", "Business", and "First" for BA versus the three differently-phrased classes on Virgin versus Lord Only Knows What Else on other airlines is a puzzle in and of itself without a handy table to use).
Shawn Ryu
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^Virgin America?
Virgian Atlantic is awful, its barely any better than Delta. Of course no airline is worse than AA.
Virgian Atlantic is awful, its barely any better than Delta. Of course no airline is worse than AA.
That marks the first bad thing I've heard about Virgin Atlantic. What're the issues with them?
Virgin America is actually a line I looked at traveling on a few years ago (I think this was on that Vegas trip I took...remember, no train to Vegas), but their hub location wasn't really workable. Mind you, I consider them to be a "foreign carrier" (it's Branson's operation, holding company shenanigans notwithstanding).
Ispolkom
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Not having status on any airline, I find no particular difference between legacy airlines in how badly I'm treated in coach.
jis
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I disagree. Or rather I don;t think they are any more evil than any other transportation company including Amtrak
jis
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In India a Railroad Engineer, i.e. the guy that sits up front operating the locomotive is called a Loco Pilot!
So we shall banish them from AU too
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Thinking that European Carriers are all better than the US carriers for TATL service is 1990's thinking. Today, I would rank CO and even US (aircraft with the new Envoy) up with or better than European carriers for both the hard and soft products.
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I can say for sure that E+ in UA has more leg room than Lufthansa or BA Y (BA Y+ is much more expensive than UA E+ and is better than UA E+) or Virgin. Virgin's Y is literally cattle class and their IFE sucks. Lufthansa is yet to get around to put in lie flat beds in J. They still have those 15 deg tilted contraptions in their 747s.
I can understand opting for an East Asian carrier over American. Several of them are truly superior in my experience. But choosing a random European carrier over a UA or DL or even US, just shows ignorance more than anything else IMHO. Of course for real kicks go for Ryan Air to experience quality European LCC.
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On out-of-date thinking: You're lucky to get me out of the 1950s sometimes!I can say for sure that E+ in UA has more leg room than Lufthansa or BA Y (BA Y+ is much more expensive than UA E+ and is better than UA E+) or Virgin. Virgin's Y is literally cattle class and their IFE sucks. Lufthansa is yet to get around to put in lie flat beds in J. They still have those 15 deg tilted contraptions in their 747s.
I can understand opting for an East Asian carrier over American. Several of them are truly superior in my experience. But choosing a random European carrier over a UA or DL or even US, just shows ignorance more than anything else IMHO. Of course for real kicks go for Ryan Air to experience quality European LCC.
More seriously, I remember insulting someone here who either is a fan of or who works at JetBlue by lumping Spirit and JetBlue together as LCCs. Mind you, the point is taken on LCCs vs. Legacies (and in general, given the choice between a pair of "real" LCCs...i.e. Spirit or Ryanair, my choice would probably be six hours in a Metra or NJT bilevel with a novel and a soda).
For the unfamiliar (i.e. me), Y is economy and J is First Class? And hearing bad things about Lufthansa...mind you, it was the 90s, but I used to hear relatively good things about them. They just slow in updating their fleets?
As to the East Asians...setting aside the Flying Pullmans that Singapore put in the air, how do the "non-compartment" planes fare on those routes?
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Y = Economy Class
J or C = Business Class
F - First Class
Those are generalities that are typically used as shorthand on air travel discussion sites. In practice, there are numerous fares and letters associated with each seating class.
Thanks a bunch. And I know what you mean...last time I flew cross country, someone else booked the tickets and presumably got a special fare. I was willing to spring for the first class upgrade onsite on the way home (they were hawking such an upgrade at the gate...the flight wasn't empty, but it wasn't packed, either), but my ticket was ineligible.* As to the piles of codes, I recently saw a BA code listing...I think that listed something like 13 or 15 different codes (there were three "redemption" codes, three "full fare" codes, and then a bunch of discount/special codes including an ex-Concorde code.
*On the one hand, this seems dumb of the airline (they could at least offer the upgrade with the payment of an add-on surcharge...that might make me wince and pass, but either way it would be money in their pockets that they wouldn't have otherwise).
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Well, at least they removed the Redemption Codes for Concorde. I have at least two friends who used BA and AA miles respectively to fly free on the Concorde.
Speaking of paying for upgrades, there are complex pecking orders for which fares will be offered upgrades first. So I am not surprised that they did not offer it to you. It is more than likely that there were dozens ahead of you in the pecking order for upgrades. Surprisingly even Union Contracts place deadheading crews within that pecking order somewhere, though that is becoming less common now.
Upgrades are such huge deal that the airlines with more capable IT systems actually display upgrade queue status in real time on displays at boarding gates these days, and you can bring up the upgrade list even on your smartphone using an appropriate App or using a web interface. For a large number of fare classes airlines offer automatic upgrade on as available basis, and depending on each individual's status in the frequent flyer program, their upgrades are cleared according to the pecking order established by the fare class and the FF status considered together with the time at which the person checked in. It is mind boggling how complex this can get!
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The only thing E+ gives you is a couple extra inches of pitch. That’s it. Everything else is identical to standard coach seats. In my view UA’s, BA’s, LH’s, and VS’ economy cabins are not that much different from any other coach cabin outside of a few things like PTV options. If one is cattle class they’re all cattle class, E+ included.
I’d suggest he just buys on price and schedule. Otherwise there’s not much reason to have a preference. Unless he is flying frequently enough to earn status and/or is too tall to fit into conventional Y pitch.
To be fair, I’m not sure I could come up with a less logical pairing among US airlines if I tried. :lol:
I don’t quite follow the question? Are we talking about the age of the airframe or the seats or the IFE or something else?
How do they fare? Y is still Y no matter what airline you’re on. Variations do exist but they’re almost too minor to even notice anymore. The one biggie is seat pitch, which generally suffers compared to US carriers, but you can often snag an emergency exit row if you’re a tall American flying on a tiny Asian carrier.
Those would generally be full-fare codes, so don’t be surprised if it’s nowhere in your fare basis unless you paid the walk-up rate. Most of the codes you’ll actually purchase are for some form of discount (and limitation) in effect and available at the time of purchase. These codes also vary by airline. On United Airlines codes like F & A are first class while J, C, D & Z are business class. Y, B, E, M, U, H, Q, V, W, T, S, K, L & G generally refer to coach class.
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So you do agree completely with me. Good!
BA Premium Economy is actually significantly better than plain economy - wider seats and footrest, and of course extra legroom. UA E+ gives you enough additional space so that you can actually work on a 17" laptop. Minor difference from plain E, not much, but useful difference when you are trying to work on your laptop on a 10 hour flight.He may be considering traveling by something other than Economy. I think there are significant differences between airlines for more or less the same fare when you get to Business Class. Of course if one wants to get the cheapest ticket then your advice is a good one.
I just got off a United 777 after sitting in First Class. The layflat seats were amazing and the food was excellent. I'm about to get on Emirates and ride in coach on them for just an hour long flight. I'm curious to see how their service is.
I'm a pretty frequent flyer on AA, and I still think they offer a good product, reletive to the other US legacies. I really like the winged headrests in coach, and even their old MD-80's have a decent interior. Nothing compared to their new 737, in which I rode on the other day. The overhead bins are like those on widebodies, where the entire bin comes down from the ceiling. This gives you a lot more headroom, and a lot more spacious feel.
Never been on Virgin Atlantic, but I love riding on Virgin America. The cabin lighting is pretty "retro" and the IFE is pretty decent as well.
All in all, every US airline is about the same. It just depends on which employees you get and the circumstances under which an IROP may occur. I hope AA, my hometown airline, is able to make it through Ch. 11 without too much gutting or hostile takeovers from others.
I'm a pretty frequent flyer on AA, and I still think they offer a good product, reletive to the other US legacies. I really like the winged headrests in coach, and even their old MD-80's have a decent interior. Nothing compared to their new 737, in which I rode on the other day. The overhead bins are like those on widebodies, where the entire bin comes down from the ceiling. This gives you a lot more headroom, and a lot more spacious feel.
Never been on Virgin Atlantic, but I love riding on Virgin America. The cabin lighting is pretty "retro" and the IFE is pretty decent as well.
All in all, every US airline is about the same. It just depends on which employees you get and the circumstances under which an IROP may occur. I hope AA, my hometown airline, is able to make it through Ch. 11 without too much gutting or hostile takeovers from others.
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