Relatedly, I just signed up for Southwest's credit card to take advantage of the free companion pass for a year deal. Again, I don't love the airline, but I'm pretty sure we can get over $1k in value for that this year. Not bad for a net $0 annual fee (I make use of the credits).

The last two flights on American Airlines, including yesterday, the flight attendants were pushing hard to sign up for the AA credit card and were offering 60,000 bonus miles and a bunch of other perks.

They also had free bags for a period and 1 set of RT tickets if you charge anything within the first month, even a cup of coffee.

There is no way you're a United Airlines 1K. ROFL

You have no time to fly with your 200,000 posts on CP and all the time you spend in DC. You're always here.

Of course I am. 68 PQF and $23,000 PQP last year, peasant. And six flights on SWA too, because I had no other decent choice.

Don't get me wrong, I like flying. I do random trips specifically to take interesting flights or visit interesting airport experiences. 68 flights in a year, though...damn. That would wear me out.

I assume you're excited about the new lounges at DEN? They were severely lacking before.

It wore me out too. And that was "accomplished" by mid November. I didn't fly the rest of the year.

I am, yes, once they are completed. Until then, it's a cluster ****. And the new and improved West security is worse than North was. Thankfully, my brother (United GS) told me about a secret security line and it's fantastic.

Lounges, not security. :)

But yeah, agreed on the security checkpoints. The future looks good, but kind of a pain in the meantime.

I know. That's why I said this:

I am, yes, once they (the lounges) are completed.

:)

But I rarely use the United Clubs anywhere, unless there's a long delay. I time things to get to the gate(s) no earlier than 30 to 45 minutes before boarding. And since I'm 1K, I don't have to worry about being last in a long line and run out of overhead space. Nice perk.

I can see how flying a lot can be exhausting.
Had a friend that flew every Mon to chicago, stayed the week, came home Fri. ugh.

Other than that----people. Anxious people.
you are zone 5-get the **** out of the way for those of us that are zone one. Watched a couple stand up, block everyone, the whole plane filled up, they were almost the last to board. What did they gain?

Never have had a nutcase go crazy-it is just a matter of time.

I think everyone should just wait to be last to board.

I do that when I am in the last boarding group. Wait until they are ready to close the door.

More like a 68 IQ and a $23,000 new worth.

I think you have things mixed up again, just like all your posts in DC.

The way you bow to the government, you are the royal peasant. ROFL

I have to be honest. My day won't be complete until you tell the group what you had for breakfast at your hotel. Did you take pictures???

I'll PM you a photo of the shit I took after my breakfast. :rolleyes:

I am at the airport right now and I dislike everything about public traveling. I'm like John Larquette at the end of Stripes in the bunker blaming everybody for everything.

Nobody's telling you when to line up.


https://i.imgur.com/z17C03r.png

LMAO LMAO LMAO

Wow, I flew out of there and in there Feb 7 and Feb 14 going to KC to watch the SB with my Dad, and didn't have problems like that.

I always get on the plane last. People always try to hurry to get on the plane first as if they are getting something extra to get on first. That’s just another 20-30 minutes to be crammed on a plane with a bunch of random people.

I’ve been living that life the last 4 1/2 years. 2-3 round trip flights to godforsaken Cleveland. The flights are short(2 hours), cheap($50-60 roundtrip) and direct which makes it a lot easier. I never travel with anything more than a small backpack and I’ve had TSA precheck the whole time, which minimizes my time at the airport. It’s definitely gotten old over the years and I dread my time in Ohio, but the job is worth it. Hopefully this shit will be over this year and I can be home full-time.

I haven’t had too much drama on my flights, which is small miracle considering most of my flights are with Frontier and Spirit. The Frontier staff at the gates are assholes about bag sizes and are often harassing passengers to get them to pay extra bag fees for their carry on bags. There’s a lot of little hacks I’ve learned over the years to minimize the nuisances and make everything much smoother.

I flew a decent amount for a few years, but had optional flights home every 2 weeks domestically and every month internationally... rarely used them within the US and never used them when I flew overseas.

Some did what you describe, fly out Sunday night and back every Friday. Idiots don't really stress me out for more than the few seconds it takes to shove through a crowd or wait 5 days for someone to get off the plane, but I'd just think it's a colossal waste of time flying so much for work.... and while I've rarely had to deal with delays and so forth, obviously the more you fly, the more you're going to deal with bad weather and other delays, short or missed layovers, etc.

It's definitely a practice in patience though and I'm more laid back about the stupid shit people do now.

:thumb:

This is the Holy Grail of traveling but it's easier said than done at times........

How was ur hooker this morning

Your girlfriend gave great head and only $50.

I can see why you keep her around.

She wasn’t in New Orleans

That's what you think..........ROFL

Today I am witnessing the most ****ed up and over crowded airport situation in my life: Charlotte Airport is out of control. Cancelled flights and delays all over, all the clubs closed due to overcrowding, around 250 people in each airline service counter, no seats, thousands of people standing, hard to walk anywhere without bumping into someone, people arguing, so many people on spring break with kids and tons of shit like stollers, toys and other crap all over.

What a complete disaster.

I need more alcohol.

Today was a total travel shit show. East coast and Florida weather ****ing everyone. We flew out of KC early and still sat on the runway in Chicago for 2 hours before finally getting to Miami. My buddy and his family had a flight out 40 minutes after us…..flight got cancelled. He may have to charter a private jet to get here in time to join us on the cruise we are going on. Other buddy got delayed out of Sky Harbor for 8 hours…..with his 2 year old. Just a nightmare. Cruise ship gonna sink tomorrow with our luck so far.

Welcome to spring break and basketball tourney travel

I've said this before, but I'll board with the last group, thank you very much.

Every minute I don't have to spend in a cramped tube is extremely valuable to me. Especially the minutes where fat people put their crotches next to your face while they play bag tetris in the overhead compartment.

Taking a break from my normal hooker comments to verify that Charlotte is the worst airport in the country and I won’t be accepting counter arguments.

I flew out of Sky Harbor to Charlotte on Thursday and made it by THIIIIIIISSSSS much.
When I landed in Charlotte it was the biggest shit show I've ever seen. Just unreal.

Flying will never be as good as it was pre-9/11.

Sitting on the runway at Sky Harbor cause we have no available gates to dock. Soooooooo close to getting home.

Thank God I was in business class for last two flights and had extra room. I never wanted to leave the terminal and get on the plane more than today in Charlotte. :doh!:

That can't be right. They have a barbecue restaurant there.

When I ordered a Dr Pepper they asked if Pepsi was alright

I bet man. I feel for you. There's nothing worse.
When we were completely boarded and about to leave Phoenix they got on the intercom and say "we apologize everyone" and I thought Oh ****, but they said there was lightening so the ground crew had to go indoors for 25 minutes. I thought for sure they were going to de-board us.

THANKS FOR LETTING US KNOW!!! And I'm SO glad that you were in BUSINESS CLASS!!!

This is the ****Official Scho Is On A Flight Thread**** now, thank you for caring.

Orlando has been an absolute shit show since yesterday. There was a storm that effectively cut off Florida from the rest of the country so planes couldn't get in. My 5:00pm got pushed to 7:30, which made me miss my connection in Austin to San Diego. Then that was canceled and I was booked on a 6:05 to Albuquerque which was then canceled. Got rebooked on a 11:00am today, barely found a hotel room and now my 11:00 has been delayed until 1:39 which again is making me miss my connection in Austin. So they rebooked me out of Austin to San Diego on a 9:15pm which means I get to spend almost 6 hours in Austin on a layover.

I just stood in a line for over an hour to check my bag, praying ATC stops playing musical chairs with my flight. The departure time has changed no less than 10 times since I left for the airport at 9:45 this morning.

Just get me the hell out of Orlando to ANY other city so I can get home.

Sure. But aren't you glad that he let us know that he was in business class, and therefore didn't suffer uncontrollably?

I fly mostly in the west but had a trade show in MCO week before last. That is one ****ed up airport. The signage is a cluster**** and security was worse than DEN.

Thankfully, I got a FIRST CLASS upgrade on the flight home so I survived. I forgot to tell everyone until today.

Of course. It also lets me know he was out and about doing business.

On top of everything else, the wifi is slow as molasses. There are two flights listed as going out of gate 121 and the gate agent just got on the intercom and said, "I'm gonna give the most honest answer I can. I don't know NUTHIN!"

She then said that the next flight out of that gate is to Austin (the other one was Houston). So as of NOW, we should be boarding soon. PTL!

Spent $100 on pretzals and booze in the SkyClub

Only $98. Mighty Mike got a $2 tip

Interesting. I flew out of Orlando on Thursday and back in on Friday afternoon with no issues from Cleveland. I assume this storm was out West somewhere because the weather here has been perfect.

Year mums been jam packed

:thumb:

And don't ever forget it. ;)

Dang NASCAR swilling airport.

Not yesterday but I did spend $522 with tip on dinner Friday night in Chesapeake for 3 of us.

Thought some of you would want to know that.

I did not see Mellow Yellow or Mountain Dew so could not confirm full NASCAR status.

Just checked in for my flight to California on the "United App." There are two people ahead of me on the Fist Class upgrade list and only two seats left.

Just thought you all would like to know.

Couldn’t bear to spring for a Delta flight, could ya?

Did you preorder your tea and crumpets?

That just popped up on the app, actually. But I don't preorder anything. I just order my free snack and wine on the plane since I'm 1K.

GET A LOAD OF THE HIGH ROLLER SWINGING HIS DICK AT THE AIRPORT

Ok, for the frequent traveler -

Which airline is your go-to, and why? I think I'm a fan of American, but I don't travel enough to say absolutely. I've had good experiences on both United and Delta also, but I'm usually a Southwest or Frontier pissant with my occasional travels. I wouldn't mind locking down on an airline and using their perks from their CC's as DerFace suggests/recommends.

United because Denver is a hub. It's that simple. If DEN were a Delta or American hub, I'd pick one of them.

Southwest now has a large presence at DEN too but I hate flying them mostly because of no seat assignment. I used to fly Frontier until about 12 years ago when they switched to low cost carrier and slowly started taking away all the perks.

Didn't Frontier and Jet Blue attempt a merger that was cockblocked by the FAA(?) not too long ago? That might have been a good deal for the consumer.

I grew up a TWA brat, and having an airline hub in your hometown is a bonus. I don't believe anybody calls KC home any longer.

I don't know.

It was JetBlue and Spirit

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...it/ar-BB1jiWbx

I once flew Spirit from Fort Lauderdale to the USVI because United didn't fly there then. Once. I'm just over six feet, and my legs were spread apart wider than BEP's in front of Putin.

LMAO

Had a guy's trip to Vegas just before Covid and flew Spirit out there (non-stop). Three of us stood back in the back most of the flight drinking beers and playing grab ass with the flight attendants. That was a fun flight, even if one of the guys had his luggage show up a day late.

1. Tie - American
1. Tie - United
3. Delta
4. Southwest - Only when forced when no other choices left

NEVER fly Frontier or Spirit. No one traveling for business should. Too unpredictable.

Phoenix is my hub and the routes I fly the most often match AA and UA. Delta not so much.

I like the Airbus planes of AA and the service seems a slight notch above United.

I used to fly exclusively on United in the 90's and 00's and was elite status for about 6 years straight. I also used them from Newark to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing.

The airport clubs of AA and UA are similar but they are no longer exclusive and always overcrowded with shit food. You need to enter international airlines clubs to see real high end experience and comfort. I'm not sure I have ever been in Delta's club.

Singapore Airlines is on a whole other level, both the flights and clubs.

Lufthansa and British Airlines are also nice but haven't been on any of these in many years.

Qantas and Swiss Air very good.

Perks are hard to tell the difference as they are all close with a few unique things for all top tier fliers. The airline branded credit cards are also huge these days.

As someone posted prior, flying in 2024 is much worse than pre-9/11

Also very important: the FAA publishes on websites the ontime status of all flights in US.

Helps to know which airlines and which specific routes have the best/worst ontime percentages.

I actually use Frontier and Spirit almost exclusively, but it’s because I’m paying for the flights. I also used to use Allegiant until they stopped flying out of the airport I used. My flights are usually between $25-35 each way, but I never take luggage and only need a small backpack. Both of these airlines(especially Frontier) will try to nickel and dime you by charging for carry on bags, moving seats, priority boarding, etc.

I haven’t had any problems with these airlines for the most part, although the clientele is a little Dollar Generalish. If I was going on a vacation and packing a lot of luggage I’d probably take Delta or something like that, even though those ****ers lost my luggage the last time I flew with them. I just use the airlines like public transportation at this point.

I try to avoid Allegiant/Spirit/Frontier but I would rather deal with them on a direct flight than have a layover with anyone.

Yeah, that’s where I’m at. **** layovers. I also only book one way flights individually instead of round trip, which gives me more control over my travel when cancellations/delays happen.

It's more about who has the routes you want than who has the "best" airline, IMO. I like Delta, but they don't hub out of Denver like United does, so I've never had a Delta credit card.

If you decide to chase international travel rewards, you're generally better off with a travel card with transfer partners (e.g., Chase Sapphire or C1 Venture) rather than an airline specific card. That said, I do both for the sign up bonuses.

I know a guy who "segment hunts" because he only flies once or maybe twice a month, but wants to the get the PQFs on United to get to Platinum. Crazy ****er routinely flies to SAN from DEN via LAX, so he gets 4 PQFs per trip. And there are about eight directs to SAN from DEN every day.

OMG what a waste of time.

For the most part, I find all airlines to be the same - not very pleasant, but necessary. Well, except for Frontier, which is on my permanent boycott list because they're a sleazeball garbage company who will steal from you at any opportunity.

I was loyal to Southwest for several years, when I was flying a lot. They always had the best prices and were reliable. Then I had an international trip scheduled when the Covid shutdown happened, and I had purchased United tickets since Southwest didn't fly there. United treated me really well, and they seemed to turn around their customer service to actually be nice to passengers, which is a unique thing among airlines. Simultaneously, I'd recently had a minor unpleasant experience on Southwest, so I gave United another shot and liked them. Now United is generally my first choice, even if they're a little pricier than Southwest.

As others have mentioned, though, United has a hub in Denver, so they're an easy choice to make since they go nonstop almost anywhere. That plays a big role.

It's actually not that bad. An hour layover and then a 25 minute flight to SAN from LAX. I've done it a few times. But yeah, no. All my flights last year were direct except one PQF from Monterey to LAX and then home, but that was because I had to.

It just seems like you’re just asking to get stuck in another airport if you purposely add flights like that. I guess if you don’t mind the layovers it’s not so bad, but eventually you’ll find yourself stuck sleeping overnight in an airport by doing that. United Platinum members must get free in-flight handjobs the way I’ve seen people chase those points.

Oh it absolutely is. And he routinely gets stuck at LAX. A 58 minute layover is really pushing it at LAX.

And no, Platinum just gets you Group 1 boarding along with Gold. It's basically a prettier Gold with a few other perks. 1K is actually pretty cool, but LOTS of flights. I don't want to make it again this year, but I've already done 16 PQFs and about $8K in PQPs so it looks like I will.

Hilton Lifetime Diamond is also pretty good, but when I learned how I got that status, I basically just stared at the welcome kit...

I really think with the amount of wealth in the US, an airline like American or United could create business class only airplanes and do quite well with them.

Over 21 years old only, free drinks and a meal on flights, coat closets for suit jackets and special perks for that segment.

There is one in France and that is the only one.

layovers stink

Once to get to Ontario, CA.
MPLS to Dallas. Layover 2 hrs, Flew over Palm springs to Ontario.

My question these days is, do you avoid the Boeing Max planes?

I think the bolt thing was just a dumb one-off error. The software stuff that caused the two crashes is a lot scarier.

I've been avoiding the Max planes where possible, but of course United uses them and they're my general airline right now. I have a flight at some point where the Max planes might be the only choice, and I'm not sure if I'll give up the miles and go with another airline.

I canceled a trip that was scheduled on a Max 9 a month ago but they were also still grounded. But I'm on one tomorrow. And no, it wasn't just a complete one-off. They found multiple planes with the same issue albeit not having NO bolts. Just loose ones.

Alaska Airlines CEO says loose bolts found on 'many' planes
The CEO of Alaska Airlines has ripped Boeing in the wake of the recent near-disaster, revealing that loose bolts were found on “many” of the company's 737 MAX 9 planes. CEO Ben Minicucci said that a new in-house inspection of the Boeing model in the fleet has uncovered that “many” of the planes had loose bolts.

United Airlines has found loose door plug bolts on at least five of the Boeing 737 Max 9 planes, as airlines begin inspecting planes following the Federal Aviation Administration’s temporary grounding order.

The loose bolts were found during initial inspections of what is known as the “mid-cabin door plug” partway down the fuselage of the 737-9, according to maintenance logs viewed by Skift.

“LH Mid Cabin Emergency Exit Door Plug, Upper Forward Guide Fitting, Lower Attach Bolts (2 ea.) are loose,” reads one of the reports, which was dated January 8.

I do actively look for flights that are Airbus now, but it doesn't always work out. Their seats hurt my back but that's better than being blown out of an airplane.