Air Travel Changing
- Thread starter oldman
- Start date
Feelslikefar
Senior Member
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- Nashville, TN
Airlines that were 'interesting' (out of the ordinary) for me, would be Reeves Aleutian Airways and Olympic Airlines.
Reeves flew us to the Island on the Aleutians and the cross winds made for some scary moments landing.
They used an L-188C Electra 4 prop job.
I flew Olympic Airlines from Athens to Crete in 1988 and what was allowed as carry-on was pretty interesting.
You name it, bring it on board!
All time favorites for me, would be British Air (the 80's ) and the Virgin Atlantic flight we took from LA, Ca. to Heathrow, UK. 1993.
They spoiled our youngest son with his own small pack pack filled with kid stuff. They would come by with treats the
entire flight. First plane we flew on that had small TV's in each seat back. Cartoons kept him busy most of the long flight.
Flown a lot in the past, but just don't get too thrilled about taking a flight anymore in this new age.
Reeves flew us to the Island on the Aleutians and the cross winds made for some scary moments landing.
They used an L-188C Electra 4 prop job.
I flew Olympic Airlines from Athens to Crete in 1988 and what was allowed as carry-on was pretty interesting.
You name it, bring it on board!
All time favorites for me, would be British Air (the 80's ) and the Virgin Atlantic flight we took from LA, Ca. to Heathrow, UK. 1993.
They spoiled our youngest son with his own small pack pack filled with kid stuff. They would come by with treats the
entire flight. First plane we flew on that had small TV's in each seat back. Cartoons kept him busy most of the long flight.
Flown a lot in the past, but just don't get too thrilled about taking a flight anymore in this new age.
I remember the days when flying was a really special thing and you'd be pampered by caring and helpful attendants. Lots of room in your seat and always a decent meal on most flights over a couple hours.
These days it's more like how many can we squeeze into the plane and how much can we charge for "extras". I guess luggage is now an extra with many. It's just a cattle car experience now and that's reflected by how you're treated by most attendants now. Thank god safety and maintenance hasn't seen the wrath of cost cutting .... yet.
These days it's more like how many can we squeeze into the plane and how much can we charge for "extras". I guess luggage is now an extra with many. It's just a cattle car experience now and that's reflected by how you're treated by most attendants now. Thank god safety and maintenance hasn't seen the wrath of cost cutting .... yet.
For years and years, airlines had lost money. I'm not talking about a few hundred or even a few million dollars, but many millions of dollars. This was mostly due to fuel prices and costs associated with wages and maintenance. Then the idea of charging for luggage and the other extras became a reality for many of today's airlines, except Southwest.
As for meals, flights over four hours on United still get a short meal, except for anyone sitting in one of the upper classes of service. The pilots eat pretty good when food is onboard. I was a bit paranoid when it came to eating. I never ate at the same time of my F/O. I was always concerned that some of the food would be tainted and we would both become ill, so I either ate a different entre or at a different time from my F/O. Just to be on the safe side.
I can still remember when people dressed a bit differently than they do today. Men either wore a suit or dressed in business casual. The women would wear a suit or business casual as well. Very few women would wear a dress when flying.
As for meals, flights over four hours on United still get a short meal, except for anyone sitting in one of the upper classes of service. The pilots eat pretty good when food is onboard. I was a bit paranoid when it came to eating. I never ate at the same time of my F/O. I was always concerned that some of the food would be tainted and we would both become ill, so I either ate a different entre or at a different time from my F/O. Just to be on the safe side.
I can still remember when people dressed a bit differently than they do today. Men either wore a suit or dressed in business casual. The women would wear a suit or business casual as well. Very few women would wear a dress when flying.
Some people sitting in first class look like bums. They probably use their miles to upgrade, which is fine. I dress in what you call business casual. Unless I am flying with a companion, like my wife or friend, I never know who will be sitting in the seat beside me. I have sat beside doctors, lawyers, a Vice President from Kodak and others. I have seen mostly younger people dressed in shorts, a muscle shirt and a pair of slides in first class. Not that dress is all that important, but we should present ourselves to suit the setting or situation. Don’t you think?
Nothing beats flying in First Class. I get free flights for myself and a companion, but save my credit card points to upgrade from coach to FC. Sometimes when I get to the airport, I will ask at the check-in if there are any open seats in FC. If there are, it is sometimes possible to get a seat at a very big discount if you ask really nice.
The gate agent sometimes will cut me a break and exchange my coach ticket for an upgrade, depending on how many classes of service are on my flight, I may get a seat in Business Class for little or no extra charge. Try it sometime. You never know what may happen. Just never tell them a “story.” They are smart enough to know when they are being played.
The gate agent sometimes will cut me a break and exchange my coach ticket for an upgrade, depending on how many classes of service are on my flight, I may get a seat in Business Class for little or no extra charge. Try it sometime. You never know what may happen. Just never tell them a “story.” They are smart enough to know when they are being played.