Monday 19 July 2021

The flying ordeal

So to continue the plane theme, it's amazing what people like us put up with in economy class when we simply can't afford anything better. You can forget about comfort and convenience - they were long ago dispensed with in the search for bigger profits and maximum bums on seats.

  • For anything up to 12 hours, I'm stuck in a tiny seat with not enough room even to stretch my legs. Chances are the person in front will recline their seat to the utmost until it's about three inches from my face. If I ask them not to recline their seat, they'll likely be rude and defensive.
  • Moving around is strictly limited. In theory I can walk up and down the aisle, but with dozens of people doing the same, and cabin crew doling out meals and drinks, I'm forced into immobility. As I'm normally a physically restless person unable to sit for more than an hour or so, this lack of movement is torture.
  • Eating a meal is a nightmare. The tray table is so small I can't lay out the different items properly and I have to juggle them ingeniously to keep them all on the table and stop them falling on the floor. Needless to say the food itself is usually barely edible and only eaten because I'm starving.
  • If I'm in a window seat, I have to brace myself to tell the adjacent passenger/s I need the toilet, and be ready for the standard hard-done-by look. If I'm not in the window seat, I have to undo my seat belt, unplug my earphones and try not to look hard-done-by.
  • Odds are there are queues for the toilets and the people currently using them are taking so long they must be cutting their toenails, looking for their missing contact lens or weeping copiously. And if you need the toilet while meals are being served and the aisles are blocked, you're stuffed.
Which is why if I'm on a 12 hour flight, I insist on Premium Economy. At east I have a bit more room to manoeuvre.

PS: If I'd included all Jenny's comments on economy class, this post would have been twice as long!

28 comments:

  1. ....and this is why I don't fly.
    What gets me is that I am small. 4ft 11" and 6st 5lbs - and I don't feel like there is enough room for me, so heaven knows how people larger than me feel.
    Sx

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    1. Ms Scarlet: Indeed. I'm 6 foot so you can imagine how cramped I feel!

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  2. It's torture, I agree, a dreadful experience and I imagine if we stopped booking in droves they might change? If we continue to accept it, they will continue in crucifying us, not to mention the health risks of thrombosis.

    Many can't afford the upgrades.

    XO
    WWW

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    1. www: As you say, as long as people accept those conditions, the airlines will just carry on regardless. Some time ago Ryanair was suggesting scrapping seats altogether on short-haul and have everyone standing up. That idea seems to have bitten the dust.

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  3. The ten hour flight to Europe was ten hours I cherished...no one could get at me to ask for something to be done!
    And the food on Air Canada or Edelweiss was fine - more than could be said for BA or Iberia, though nothing could beat the old Mexican airline which served tequila cocktails for the duration of the flight - pity they went bust!
    But the pettifogging so called 'security' at airports was a pain and, as you say, the behaviour of some fellow passengers left a lot to be desired at times. I used to look for flight deals with at least one leg in premium economy - though with Iberia the only advantage was more legroom as apart from that the service was deplorable.And as for having to wear a mask for ten hours...forget it!

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    1. Fly: One or two airlines have excellent meals, but the majority are dreadful. Though if you've had a succession of tequila cocktails, you're probably past caring. And yes, I don't think I could wear a mask for ten hours. How NHS workers put up with it, I can't imagine.

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  4. I find it miserable, also being tall and unused to sitting for long periods of time. My spouse is wanting to go back to Hawaii, but I truly dread the flight.

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    1. Bijoux: So what's the flight time from where you are? Funny, you always look quite short in your photos!

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    2. I do?? I’m almost 5’9! Our total flight time to Maui was 11.5 hours.

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    3. Bijoux: I was just looking at the pic of you in Florida in March 2015. You definitely look short!

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  5. the very last time I flew was to Indianapolis Indiana.
    it was in tourist class of course. it was a business trip. and before 9/11. so the stringent laws in place for terrorism were not in effect.
    the flight was horrible. I can't believe I once wanted to be an 'airline stewardess!' that's what they called them in the old days. I was too Short. even in heels.
    and I declined to accept a ground job.
    although in all the flying I did (mainly to NY and back to visit my mother) I always LOVED the food! now they seldom even serve any. I enjoyed it on my trip to London too. although not enough to want to do it again. I'm content now to do armchair travelling. xo

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    1. Tammy: I can't help thinking the cabin crew themselves must sometimes be embarrassed by the conditions the passengers have to endure. And they can be stuck in a plane for 12 hours the same as the rest of us.

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  6. Ha, ha, this is so good Nick, particularly “And if you need the toilet while meals are being served and the aisles are blocked, you're stuffed”. I was silly enough to get caught like that once! I was upgraded once on the leg from Perth to Sydney, it was great. On the whole though I enjoy the experience. I have a routine, I do a bit of reading, watch films, I agree eating can be tricky. I am lucky that I usually manage to sleep on the long haul. I like a window seat because I prop my head up against the side of the plane, with a headrest pillow, earplugs, and an eye mask.

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    1. Polly: Sleeping is the ideal way to get through a long haul flight. I've noticed people who just sleep the whole way. I wish I could do the same, but I find it really hard to sleep on a plane because of all the comings and goings, and the unfamiliar surroundings.

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  7. My Dave is 6'2" and can't sleep on planes at all. So our overnight flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam was a trial for him. But, he just kept on going all day on arrival anyway. I slept some on the plane and still needed a nap. I don't know how he does it.

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  8. Linda: I never get jet lag, my body just tunes in to local time straightaway. But I'm sometimes very tired from the long journey. I was exhausted on arrival in Victoria (Canada) once, ditto when I arrived in Auckland.

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  9. There is little good to be said about flying these days, but please don't take it out on any service person you see. They're just more messengers.

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    1. Joanne: Too true. I certainly wouldn't take it out on a service person, they're just doing their job and aren't responsible for the seating or flying conditions generally. My entire working life involved customer service of one type or another so I've been on the other side of the counter as it were.

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  10. Ten hours is a terribly long flight. I don't think I have flown longer than 5 to 6 hours. I would upgrade too. I always get the window seat and read for the duration.

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    1. Ann: I have to read in short bursts. I can't read for several hours on the trot. Jenny can read an entire book from start to finish, only breaking for food or drink.

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  11. Although we received our new passports and also passport ID cards last month, sadly we have no immediate plans to use either. It's not for lack of travel desire but unwillingness to endure all the things you described in this post, Nick. We would like to travel to the UK within the next few years and upgrading our seats is a definite possibility, despite the cost.

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    1. Beatrice: The in-flight conditions are a big deterrent to travel, aren't they? We're also considering upgrades for any future flights.

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  12. And everything you pointed out is another reason I refuse to fly again.

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    1. Mary: I'm not surprised. And as you're quite happy to be at home, why go through all the aggravation of flying?

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  13. I used to just love flying, but now it feels like a necessary evil. And with people behaving so badly on planes these days, I dread the next time I'll have to fly.

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    1. Agent: Yes, all the fun has been taken out of flying. I remember how excited I was about flying in the 1990s. That's not the case now.

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  14. The pleasures of flying commercially have certainly diminished over the years compared to years earlier. You've pretty well described complaints I have along with a few more I could add.

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    1. Joared: Nobody would put up with such conditions in any other commercial setting - restaurants, cinemas, theatres etc.

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