Who is drawn to flying?

[BlackDiamond]

One of my favorite memories is when I was in college at Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA and used to fly back and forth to see my parents near Boston. I would get a ride over to ABE airport where Allegheny Airlines flew Convair 580 twin engine turboprops to Boston with a stop at New Haven CT. At that time Allegheny had a deal where you could fly for 1/3 off if you were a student, a reserved seat not standby. I remember that landing and takeoff at HVN was tricky with the hill at the end of the runway. They eventually changed the intermediate stop to Trenton. The landing in Boston was always cool especially if they came in on runway 31-13 from the southeast and flew right over our neighborhood. I later got interested in the train, then got my first car so didn't fly as often in the later years.

Another thing I remember about the Convairs is they had no APU on board so they had to plug into a ground APU which impressively sounded like a jet engine when they started it up.

I got acquainted with the Convairs again in the early 70s stationed in Clovis NM. Texas International airlines had their Dallas - Albuquerque "milk run" stopping at Witchita Falls, Midland, Odessa, and Clovis before continuing to ABQ. They used Convair 600s for the twice daily flight basically the same as the 580 except Rolls Royce engines. Clovis Airport (CVN) had no tower so the crew would call into the age t on the ground, if the clouds were clear of the grain elevators near the field then there was enough ceiling to land . Those were the days.

 

[Deni]

They have flown a 747-8 on that route for quite a while now. It is not something that started recently. I remember flying it some five or so years back when I flew back from Delhi on an A380 to Frabkfurt and then a 748 to Chicago. Specifically booked that slightly roundabout route to Orlando to catch the 748. Ironically now LH flies Frankfurt - Delhi and Frankfurt - Mumbai using 748s.

To clarify, I didn't say it was something that started recently (since I flew it a few years ago I'm well aware of LH's 747 on the ORD-FRA route), just pointing out it was a route I knew about that still ran a 747 on it out of ORD, which has lost several 747 flights in recent years, like KLM's ORD-AMS that seems to run 787s all the time.

 

[Siegmund]

Like ehbowen, I only enjoy flying if I am in the front seat (which I was a lot, in small planes, 2012-2016, but haven't been more recently for a variety of reasons.)

The last time I enjoyed commercial flying was in early 2002. The first few months after 9/11 were lovely, with people paying attention to each other, not too much crowding, and airlines giving great service to lure nervous fliers back, though the walk-up convenience of 1999-2001 was gone and has never returned. (Right before 9/11, Alaska Airlines was promoting "no need to come early if you don't have checked baggage", and for Anchorage-Fairbanks flights, it was very possible to do actual driveway-to-driveway trips in under 2 hours: drive across town, get to the airport 20 minutes before takeoff, be in the air for ~45 minutes, hop into a friend's car in the other town.)

I used to enjoy the novelty of flying and find it merely noisy and mildly uncomfortable, when I was young and 9/11 hadn't happened yet. Now it seems to be more miserable every time I go. I have had to fly a few times per year for work, but I haven't flown commercial for pleasure since 2010, and have no plans to ever do so again (though I am considering making an exception to go to Iceland for the 2026 solar eclipse.)

 

[MARC Rider]

The first few months after 9/11 were lovely, with people paying attention to each other, not too much crowding, and airlines giving great service to lure nervous fliers back,

Uh, I had the occasion to fly in October 2001, and my experience was just the opposite. Well, maybe most people were trying to be friendly under the stressful conditions, but both my flights were sold out. And lines to the max that stretched out the airport and seemingly into downtown. No curbside check-in, so we had two long lines, one to check baggage (and we had the misfortune to be right behind two hunters who were checking their guns, talk about the extra red tape!) All the Maryland National Guard soldiers hanging around with automatic weapons didn't add to a relaxed experience, either. After that long line, we had to deal with the security line. This was before TSA, but the whole thing was very intrusive and not very well organized, so the lines didn't move very fact. At least they didn't make us take off our shoes, though. Then we were stuck in something like row 30 or whatever jammed in near the galley and the restrooms. But they did serve meals on our 6 hour BWI-SFO flight. On the way back, we were in a big long line at SFO that wasn't moving for a long time. People started muttering, and then some tried to cut in front of other people until a functionary from the airline threatened to have people arrested for complaining (both about the people cutting in line and the fact the line wasn't moving.) Then at the podium, we found there was a problem with our reservation (that wasn't a problem) and they wanted to bump my wife on to a later flight. (It's probably because we made 2 reservations because my daughter and I flew out a day earlier than my wife.) We got that taken are of, and then the rest of the flight was OK.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The first few months after 9/11 were lovely, with people paying attention to each other, not too much crowding, and airlines giving great service to lure nervous fliers back, though the walk-up convenience of 1999-2001 was gone and has never returned.

Uh, I had the occasion to fly in October 2001, and my experience was just the opposite.

I remember thin nerves and very suspicious staff, long slow lines at gates and other check points, routine delays for repeated scanning, with aggressive questioning and strip searching amongst a background of fatigues and automatic weaponry. It looked and felt like passing through a war zone to me.

 

[jis]

I remember thin nerves and very suspicious staff, long slow lines at gates and other check points, routine delays for repeated scanning, with aggressive questioning and strip searching amongst a background of fatigues and automatic weaponry. It looked and felt like passing through a war zone to me.

I flew five days after 9/11 VS flight JFK - LHR. It was a 747 with about a dozen passengers. I have never been through a security and search procedure more intrusive and time consuming than on the one. But at least all of us were moved up front irrespective of what class we were ticketed for. So there was that.

The next leg of my journey LHR - CCU on BA 777 was a full flight and pretty close to what was normal back then. It was like we had transitioned to a pre 9/11 world in transiting through LHR! In spite of being full it was a very pleasant flight in Y+.

 

[NEPATrainTraveler]

I'm not a avgeek, but I guess you could say I enjoy flying. There are things I don't enjoy though like having to arrive 2 hours early, going through security and having to pay for checked baggage (on most airlines anyway). Still, the nicest thing about flying is how much time you save. Being able to go from Chicago to Northeast PA in the same day was amazing. I do see myself flying more, especially in situations where Amtrak isn't feasible/time is limited.

 

[Cal]

Truthfully the few times I’ve flown domestic I haven’t enjoyed it, but I’ve always enjoyed international and overseas flying. Perhaps the excitement of going to a new place or a place I’m not usually in makes the experience better.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Truthfully the few times I’ve flown domestic I haven’t enjoyed it, but I’ve always enjoyed international and overseas flying. Perhaps the excitement of going to a new place or a place I’m not usually in makes the experience better.

Yes, not only the excitement of going to a new place, but it seems to get treated a little better on an international flight even in economy.
Our last international flight was October 2015 when my wife and younger son flew BOS - KEF for a few days in Iceland to see the Aurora Borealis. Generally a good flight, although the Keflavik airport was somewhat underwhelming, being under construction at the time. They also had a strange policy of all their return flights to destinations in the US leaving about the same time resulting in extreme overcrowding in the international departure area. But Iceland was a lot of fun and a fascinating place to see, we rented a car and drove around the South coast of the island. Oh and we did get a great Aurora show on the last evening we were there.

 

[jis]

Truthfully the few times I’ve flown domestic I haven’t enjoyed it, but I’ve always enjoyed international and overseas flying. Perhaps the excitement of going to a new place or a place I’m not usually in makes the experience better.

The domestic legs that I enjoy the most have always been on an upgrade to FC where the equipment is an overseas aircraft equipped with lie flats. With a little bit of care one can land those on some major international carriers specially between major hubs. In my case I quite often manage to snag those on the MCO -EWR leg. @Steve4031 got an international 787 on the SFO - ORD leg.and enjoyed the real wider Y+ seats the other day on his return to Chicago from San Francisco as a result of the disrupted #6.

 

[Tlcooper44]

The domestic legs that I enjoy the most have always been on an upgrade to FC where the equipment is an overseas aircraft equipped with lie flats. With a little bit of care one can land those on some major international carriers specially between major hubs. In my case I quite often manage to snag those on the MCO -EWR leg. @Steve4031 got an international 787 on the SFO - ORD leg.and enjoyed the real wider Y+ seats the other day on his return to Chicago from San Francisco as a result of the disrupted #6.

Oftentimes I find myself flying SFO-BOS in late December.
If I am not flying privately, I always look to try to score an upgrade. United tends to use a 777 for the added demand, and they are equipped with lie-flat seats.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Away from the coasts domestic flights are barebones affairs. There are no plated meals, lie-flat seats, or sleeping pods anywhere on the aircraft. Where I live domestic flights feature regional jet sized seating and lavatories even on mainline aircraft. On the other hand my longest domestic flights typically last four hours or less whereas a bad intercontinental flight can last fourteen hours or more so pick your poison I guess.

 

[Steve4031]

I’ve always enjoy any type of travel. What I enjoy about air travel is that it opens up new places to travel to and ride trains.

I enjoy looking out the window during take off and landing. And if I’m flying over something new I’m curious. I enjoyed flying over the North Pole. And it was interesting flying over Siberia.

I want to fly around the world some day.