Airport Madness!

Packerjohn

Packerjohn

Packerjohn
Location
Canada
For months I have been reading how terrible the airports are at Toronto's Pearson. Of course, London's Heathrow is not better. So many stories about canceled flights, missed connections and poor travelers sleeping overnight at the airport. That made me think about my way of travel; the good old car.

There was a time when I too wanted to flight to Whitehorse or to Anchorage. However, I was discouraged when I heard that everyone had to wear masks, the endless stories about long line-ups, missed flights, angry passengers, etc. So I decided to drive.

The trouble with driving is that Canada is such a huge country. To get from one provincial capitol to another takes a whole day at least. The drive from Winnipeg to Toronto can be days.

As a senior, I have the luxury of time and I can drive. Many people do not. They have 1 or 2 weeks of holiday and they want to be in Costa Rica NOW! That is why I think our government needs to get their act together and fix the nonstop problems at our airports. Until those problems are fixed I think I will continue driving.
 

Airports can and are nightmares. If you want to travel by flying and getting through airports, I have found that it is best to be mentally prepared. Understand what you are about to encounter. Don’t rush and allow yourself plenty of time. Let those around you go insane because they didn’t prepare or didn’t allow themselves plenty of time. I do believe that it’s all about time.

Since I have retired and have been forced to be among the herds, I agree that airports are the worse part of anyone’s travel experience. If you want to find rude people, just go to the airport. I’m 6’4” and people still push there way through getting on and off the plane. People with backpacks are the worse. They hurt more people than they realize by making quick turn arounds and backing up. I saw one young girl swing around and hurt an older woman by knocking off her glasses and scratching her face and never apologized. So, I called her out on it. She laughed at me and ended up getting a warning from the f/a that she was close to getting bumped off the plane. That took the smile off of her face and she apologized to the older lady. I remembered the f/a and she remembered me. I thanked her for issuing the warning. I think most people want to be courteous, but they get caught up in the rush and lose their ability to just slow it down a bit.
 
Packerjohn said:
For months I have been reading how terrible the airports are at Toronto's Pearson. Of course, London's Heathrow is not better. So many stories about canceled flights, missed connections and poor travelers sleeping overnight at the airport. That made me think about my way of travel; the good old car.

There was a time when I too wanted to flight to Whitehorse or to Anchorage. However, I was discouraged when I heard that everyone had to wear masks, the endless stories about long line-ups, missed flights, angry passengers, etc. So I decided to drive.

The trouble with driving is that Canada is such a huge country. To get from one provincial capitol to another takes a whole day at least. The drive from Winnipeg to Toronto can be days.

As a senior, I have the luxury of time and I can drive. Many people do not. They have 1 or 2 weeks of holiday and they want to be in Costa Rica NOW! That is why I think our government needs to get their act together and fix the nonstop problems at our airports. Until those problems are fixed I think I will continue driving.
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To enjoy the ambiance of Alaska and the Yukon, driving is the only way to go!
IMO, You miss so much when you fly or take a cruise up there!
You want to drink in every experience to it's fullest, and when you drive, you see it all! hear it all, smell it all, feel it all!
It's not about getting to the destination. It's about experiencing the trip! I envy you!
 
We've flown many times, over the years, and for the most part, it has been a good experience. However, with all the problems this pandemic has caused in the past couple of years, we are staying close to home. The chaos at the airports, the cancelled/delayed flights, and the piles of lost luggage, etc., have dampened any thoughts we might have about taking a flight.
 
Don M. said:
We've flown many times, over the years, and for the most part, it has been a good experience. However, with all the problems this pandemic has caused in the past couple of years, we are staying close to home. The chaos at the airports, the cancelled/delayed flights, and the piles of lost luggage, etc., have dampened any thoughts we might have about taking a flight.
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Not to mention the fighting on airplanes and who do you know who is sitting next to you (or behind you or in front of you) and where they've been and who they've been with and what they've been doing before getting on the plane??? Then, have you ever wonder how dirty the air is in a plane? Too many variables for us today to fly anywhere. o_O
 
Bonnie said:
Blame the pilot shortage! ... and controller shortage, etc.
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And yet, here I sit ready, willing and able to do my part to help out with the shortage. I have been able to fly since my retirement, but the FAA says 65 and you're out. Put me in the right hand seat. I am perfectly fine with that. And even better, put a much younger man with me in the left hand seat. I would still be fine with it, so long as I could fly. That's what it's all about. I made my money and now I just want to fly.
 
Bonnie said:
Blame the pilot shortage! ... and controller shortage, etc.
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..and the baggage handler shortage, and the check in staff shortage, and the cabin crew shortage.. after they were all laid off during covid.. however the airlines knew all this when they accepted payment for flights, which they knew they wouldn't be able to honour...

Heathrow Airport ordered the cancellation of dozens of flights at short notice on Monday, affecting around 10,000 passengers.


Sixty-one flights were axed as the west London airport did not believe it could have handled the expected number of passengers.


Airlines have been asked not to rebook affected travellers on to alternative flights departing on Monday.


Baggage system failures at Terminal 3 over the weekend resulted in hundreds of bags not being put on to flights.


A Heathrow spokeswoman said: “We are expecting higher passenger numbers in Terminals 3 and 5 today than the airport currently has capacity to serve, and so to maintain a safe operation we have asked some airlines in Terminals 3 and 5 to remove a combined total of 61 flights from the schedule.



At least 91,500 passengers will face disruption to their plans this summer after Heathrow bosses announced an unprecedented daily limit on flights as airport chaos continues to cripple UK travellers.

Pictures from the country's airports including Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh, continue to show long queues of passengers with many complaining of delays and disruption to their journeys.

The 100,000 daily limit took effect immediately yesterday, with Heathrow telling airlines to cancel 10,000 flights on Monday, and the measures will remain in place until September 11.

Airport bosses also ordered UK airlines 'stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers' because Heathrow was already expecting an average of 104,000 daily outbound passengers in the coming months.

According to calculations by the Times, the cap means that at least 91,500 passengers face having their flights cancelled this summer, with the highest number falling on July 21 which is scheduled to be the airport's busiest day.

It comes as the chief of airlines has slammed Heathrow Airport for introducing an unprecedented 100,000 limit on daily departing passengers until September

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said the airport should have gotten its act together after airlines predicted a strong rebound in traffic.

'They clearly got it completely wrong,' the former CEO of British Airways told Reuters.

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oldman said:
And yet, here I sit ready, willing and able to do my part to help out with the shortage. I have been able to fly since my retirement, but the FAA says 65 and you're out. Put me in the right hand seat. I am perfectly fine with that. And even better, put a much younger man with me in the left hand seat. I would still be fine with it, so long as I could fly. That's what it's all about. I made my money and now I just want to fly.
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Dear oldman, I feel your frustration. I just completed my last flight at 84.
 

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bowmore said:
Dear oldman, I feel your frustration. I just completed my last flight at 84.
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After I retired, I flew for a private operator that owned three brand new Gulfstream jets. I spent just two weeks at the factory learning the avionics, but these planes were so easy to fly that I could have been ready to fly after 3 days. I still wasn’t ready to give up flying, but there were just too many short legs, which I was just not used to, so after another two years, I went back into retirement.

If I could just fly two days a week, I would be happy.
 
oldman said:
i
oldman said:
Airports can and are nightmares. If you want to travel by flying and getting through airports, I have found that it is best to be mentally prepared. Understand what you are about to encounter. Don’t rush and allow yourself plenty of time. Let those around you go insane because they didn’t prepare or didn’t allow themselves plenty of time. I do believe that it’s all about time.

Since I have retired and have been forced to be among the herds, I agree that airports are the worse part of anyone’s travel experience. If you want to find rude people, just go to the airport. I’m 6’4” and people still push there way through getting on and off the plane. People with backpacks are the worse. They hurt more people than they realize by making quick turn arounds and backing up. I saw one young girl swing around and hurt an older woman by knocking off her glasses and scratching her face and never apologized. So, I called her out on it. She laughed at me and ended up getting a warning from the f/a that she was close to getting bumped off the plane. That took the smile off of her face and she apologized to the older lady. I remembered the f/a and she remembered me. I thanked her for issuing the warning. I think most people want to be courteous, but they get caught up in the rush and lose their ability to just slow it down a bit.
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Very well written, Oldman! You are right. The secret is to come early, come prepared and try to maintain a sense of humour even though that might be pretty hard. I think the days of 50 min. connector from one flight to another are gone. I think it's better to have a connector time of 3 or 4 hours. What the hack? Everyone is starring at their smartphones all the time anyway so you might stare at yours. From my experience, it's better to come early and have to sit around and wait or drink coffee then to come late, sweat bullets, get mad and wonder if your flight will leave today or is is leaving tomorrow or worse, the flight is completely canceled. No more sun, sex and sin in Cancua! "We're so sorry!"
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I
 
There have been nightmare scenarios in U.S. airports as well due to reduced staff, including pilots and thousands of flight cancelations in the U.S busiest airports. Unless it was a dire emergency and I had to get to a loved one who is out of town, you couldn't pay me to fly. My son dodged a bullet last month because neither of his Colorado flights were affected. He only had a 45 minute delay on his return trip.
 
We have friends who travel constantly. They were recently in Thailand and flew from there to Copenhagen. (Yes, I want their lives.) They are meeting us on an Alaska cruise in early August. I just received a message from them saying they missed their connection in Frankfurt due to a 2 1/2 hour wait in the TSA line. Their luggage, with all their clothes for the cruise, is missing.

Air travel is a nightmare right now. We went to Greece last September, and it was a breeze. So glad we did. No way would I travel to Europe right now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can make it to Juneau next month!
 
The government was well aware that this day was coming. I had posted a few years ago about the pilot shortage. And like Holly pointed out, jobs of all sorts at the airport are available. Even some of the concession stands are closed due to having no help. Tampa International Airport had a big sign stating that they had 900 openings for various jobs when I was down there just a few months ago.

I spoke to other pilots that were forced to retire and some told me that they would be willing to work a few days a week if allowed. Some of us just want to fly. I appreciate the baggage handlers. On hot days like we have been getting, the job can be gruesome. The handler that loads the bags inside the plane’s belly usually comes out of the plane looking like he just had a shower.
 
Gatwick Airport has run out of water in the middle of one of the hottest heatwaves in years, leaving passengers stuck with a limited amount of toilets.

A burst water main resulted in low water pressure at their airport, creating even more chaos for holidaymakers trying to catch their flights.

The airport has been handing out bottles of water to passengers and has now brought water tankers on site, while only a limited number of toilets are working and some restaurants had to close earlier.

The airport has apologised and is working closely with SES Water and believe the matter will be 'resolved soon'.

Raquel Rodrigues, 49, from Worthing flying to Spain said: 'We had a flight cancelled already and now there are no toilets.

'There are only two working in the whole terminal and you can imagine what the queues are like.

'Nobody wants the airport to close but there are heated exchanges between staff and people trying to travel with young families.


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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...aurants-close-passengers-left-no-toilets.html
 
I flew home from Dublin on July 1 and was worried about my flight getting canceled after watching the news. I went to the airport 6 hours early. I had a nonstop from Dublin to Dallas. Once in Dallas they changed the terminal 3xs and it finally left 3 hours later. I have had my fill of flying for awhile.
 

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