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| love flying |
Since DH and I recently traveled by plane to Hawaii, I thought I'd post some of the obstacles we encountered... prior to booking, upon booking, at airports, and onboard. Most were things we were aware of and had discussed prior to the trip, but some were not... and I consider all 'a learning experience'.
Part of it was the fact that we had never traveled quite that far or quite that long in over 20 years. Things have changed... not only with us, but with flying.
1. Luggage: How much luggage would we need for a week? We generally fly with just a carry-on, so borrowing or buying a larger piece of luggage would be necessary. And since we usually fly Southwest where there is no charge for luggage, adding a fee needed to be considered.
2. Price of tickets: And again... obviously we're not big travelers, so having first checked for cheap flights, we soon realized that if you get a really cheap flight, you have no 'guaranteed seating'... (unless you pay an extra fee??). So it's possible we wouldn't be seated together. For a short flight that might be fine. But for a 10 hour flight - not so much.
3. Time of Flight: Also since time and age has descended on me, I'm not good at getting up extremely early (in the dark)... and it takes me a lot longer to get myself together (I've always moved pretty slow, but now it's worse). So we needed to consider only flights that departed from noon on... figuring we'd have to be there 2 hours early anyway.
4. Layover 1 (going to Hawaii): We saw that layovers can be from 55 minutes to 24 hours. Well, we certainly didn't want to hang around an airport for 24 hours - who would? So we chose the shortest layover we could find... 55 minutes. Well, that was a mistake as even though the plane landed on time, it took almost 30 minutes to deplane (full flight and us in the back). Then there was construction going on in the terminal, so they changed our connecting flight gate to one in another terminal which could only be gotten to by bus. The bus went less than 5 miles/hr and made numerous stops - so although we DID make the flight, we were probably among the last to board. We won't make that mistake again. We're old... and don't move that fast.
We didn't ask about making our connection until we got into the terminal... but it seems like it would have been nice if they had made an announcement such as "Please allow those who have connecting flights leaving soon to deplane first".
There is more... such as legroom, distance from facilities, window vs aisle, etc... but I will continue in my next post. As I stated at the beginning, this was definitely a 'learning experience'.
Thanks so much for dropping by. If I could I would serve you a cup of tea/coffee and a piece of the Bourbon Pecan Coffee Cake I made for DH today. It turned out pretty good.
Hugs,
- Rian
Cup of tea and a piece of coffee cake? Sounds great ... better than anything you'd get on a plane!
ReplyDeleteActually they gave out some sort of Biscotti cookies that were pretty good, Tom.
DeleteI took Laura on several flights, and they were so different from my business flight days. Flying isn't fun any more. Or for the weak of spirit.
ReplyDeleteTrue, Joanne. Going through the airports felt like a battleground we had to get through. The actual flying part I like...
DeleteI no longer travel by air unless I really must. And I make sure I am not in the back of the plane if I have to make a connecting flight. As you said, live and learn. BTW, I just finished Time After Time and LOVED it. Wrote a very positive review on Amazon. I will read this book again. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time we ever had to do connecting flights... and yes, you live and learn. We know now that being in the back is not good when you have a connecting flight.
DeleteAnd it makes me so happy to know that you liked my book, DJan! The story almost wrote itself - and gave me great joy to write it. It's an extra boon to know that others might enjoy it too.
I sympathize. Fortunately, on our most recent trip, May 2015, Hubby had prearranged handicap assistance. Without the help of young, energetic, wonderful personnel, we would likely have missed our connections. We still have places we would like to go, but we are pondering how to meet the challenges involved in both air travel or taking our van. Enjoyed your recap. Are you still open to more travel adventures?
ReplyDeleteOpen to more travel adventures? Oh yes, I do plan to go back to Hawaii again to visit son at some point. Loved it there. As for other travel - possibly. Traveling through airports at our age is a challenge. We don't qualify for 'handicap assistance' - although once when they announced "anyone needing assistance boarding can board now" I was tempted...
DeletePecan coffee cake sounds absolutely fantastic.
ReplyDeleteFlying is certainly not for the faint of heart. I always say it is a whole lot of hurry up and wait. Hurry up and get to the airport early, then wait to board and take-off. Hurry up to catch your connection, then wait some more. I've definitely learned to leave at least 90 minutes (and that can be tight) on layovers, longer if I have to go through customs. Cheaper flights usually mean more connections so more time hanging out in airports.
Did you book these tickets yourself? Sometimes it's not a bad idea to ask for a travel agent's assistance as they can sometimes find better options and if there is an issue, they'll often work with the airline to resolve the problem.
Yes... and it's that "hurry" part that I'm not good at. And yes, I booked the tickets online myself and then called the airline to check - and at one point to change seats.
DeleteYears ago when we went to Europe, we did have a travel agent... so much easier... but then we were younger too.
We flew to Alaska in 1998 when our first granddaughter was born. Will probably never board a plane again. :) I am not big on taking drugs but my doctor gave me two nerve pills...one for the flight to Alaska and one for the flight home. Actually I used only half a pill for each flight. I like my feet on the ground. Silly, I know. The cake and coffee sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHenny, I actually took a pill with me that my dentist gave me to use before a dental procedure... (it's very mild, but keeps my heart from beating out of my chest) - but didn't use it. I thought it might help me sleep on the way back, but even though I didn't sleep, decided not to use it. I really like the flying part... just not the airports.
DeleteI loathe flying. The rare times I do, I try to leave a good 90 minutes or more between flights, to allow for delays. That's no guarantee, of course, and then if things are on time you're stuck waiting for what seems ages before the next leg of the journey. I've always wished my super power could be teleportation! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I just read Maebeme's comment--we're on the same wavelength. LOL.
Yes, "Beam me up, Scotty!" - wouldn't that be nice!
DeleteNow you have convinced me that I have no need to fly. It use to scare me, now it seems to really annoy. Thanks for the heads up.
ReplyDeletePatti, I don't mean to turn anyone off flying. I actually love flying... just making the challenges known so next time we will be even more prepared.
DeleteDear Rian, I didn't fly for about 15 years, during which time 9/11 had happened, and so like you when I flew again, in 2013, I found things somewhat daunting. Peace.
ReplyDelete