ANNOYING THINGS PEOPLE DO ON PLANES

[harryz72]

paulguitar said:

Absolutely nothing wrong with a smart pair of shorts, and it astonishes me anyone would put out any kind of ‘attitude’ to someone who has paid up for their ticket in whatever cabin they are in. Obviously it would be a different situation if someone wearing a ‘no fks given’ T-shirt was upgraded FOC into business.


Talking of upgrades, I have flown Trans Atlantic for work something like 80 times now and the best I ever had was a seat in premium economy, which I think perhaps my employers booked by mistake, I have never had an upgrade and I am sure as hell not going to spend my whole first week’s wages on one! I still live in hope that I may one day be upgraded due to overbooking in economy…

Edited by paulguitar on Friday 5th October 20:36

I've been upgraded a few times due to overbooking but most of the time its fairly easy to get upgraded for free in the US if you have status with the airline, especially if you pick the right route and timing (e.g. a non hub to non hub on any weekday other than Monday or Friday). Not sure what its like in Europe though. International is a whole different game though IMO. Unfortunately never managed to get a freebie and usually end up using miles to upgrade that I have accumulated through work as having a bed on a flight makes me 200% less grouchy the next day when I land lol. That being said I did pay for a upgrade to premium economy once and found it very enjoyable compared to coach.

[paulguitar]

harryz72 said:

I've been upgraded a few times due to overbooking but most of the time its fairly easy to get upgraded for free in the US if you have status with the airline, especially if you pick the right route and timing (e.g. a non hub to non hub on any weekday other than Monday or Friday). Not sure what its like in Europe though. International is a whole different game though IMO. Unfortunately never managed to get a freebie and usually end up using miles to upgrade that I have accumulated through work as having a bed on a flight makes me 200% less grouchy the next day when I land lol. That being said I did pay for a upgrade to premium economy once and found it very enjoyable compared to coach.

Yep, I enjoyed my premium economy experience, it was with BA several years ago, not massively different to economy but it was a nice change at no cost to me.


I did at one point have enough Avios to upgrade to business, but instead I used them to cover the cost of a hotel for a trip to Barcelona for the GP in 2014. It was great to get something out of them after so many trips across the pond.

[juggsy]

Great thread.

On those that get up to get their crap out of the overhead locker constantly, I’ve witnessed a new annoyance I’ve not seen before. That’s people who get their stuff out, sit back down, but don’t bother to shut the locker after. Happened twice on a return to San Fransisco recently, first time it kept bugging me so I just reached up and shut it for them. Second time I didn’t realise until a cabin crew member asked if I was ‘done’ with the locker, when I looked up it was wide open from the moron in front who had gone in there some time ago If I ever see it again they’ll get the full force of my British passive aggressiveness.

On the subject of kids, it feels like you’re dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t. We’ve flown with our little one since he was 9 months around 10 flights, visiting relatives, getting to warmer climates and having some beach time which he loves. Don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be able to fly with him just because some people get their nose bent out of shape of having a child on board. Now he’s going on 3 we can load up the iPad and he’s happy for a couple of hours (never been long haul), but cue the disapproving looks from those who think we’re copping out by having him glued to a screen all that time, when he should be reading A Brief History of Time. In fact there’s only been one flight where he’s played up as his ears wouldn’t pop so he was really uncomfortable. Luckily everyone around us were incredibly understanding, hopefully they saw we were trying everything to comfort him. Completely agree if you let your kids run riot they, and the parents should immediately be dispatched to the hold mid-flight.

Edited by juggsy on Saturday 6th October 08:32

[StanleyT]

Came back from the States a few years ago and the stewards "turned me left" as I got onto the plane - and not just left, upstairs!! (747). Got to "my" seat and someone was in it. After the stewards pointing out that I'd given them my Amsterdam - London boarding pass with associated seat number rather than the Toronto - Amsterdam boarding pass I was escorted back out of luxury back to peasant class. Our pesky work corporately claim our Airmiles / Avios point to their corporate account so that was the closest I ever got to how the other half live!

Three weeks ago though had the seat move for a different reason. Sabb 200 flight, for some reason, every fat knacker on the flight - myself included as a 6ft3 PFBPHD had booked the single seats on the left of the 1 +2 flight it appears. Pilot had some Out of Balance Load come up and stewardess (singular as only 48 units on the on flight) was having to swap slight grannies for beefier oil workers and fat PFBPHDs.

[bad company]

FWIW said:

Standing up the moment the plane comes to a halt. You’re not going anywhere for at least 10 mins ffs.

Not getting anywhere no but if you had a back problem like mine you’d also be standing up as soon as you can.

[surveyor]

StanleyT said:

Came back from the States a few years ago and the stewards "turned me left" as I got onto the plane - and not just left, upstairs!! (747). Got to "my" seat and someone was in it. After the stewards pointing out that I'd given them my Amsterdam - London boarding pass with associated seat number rather than the Toronto - Amsterdam boarding pass I was escorted back out of luxury back to peasant class. Our pesky work corporately claim our Airmiles / Avios point to their corporate account so that was the closest I ever got to how the other half live!

This happened to us for the same reason. Only we made it to first class. Long walk to the back...

[schmalex]

brickwall said:

ghost83 said:

on the flight back someone went to the toilet and got changed into his actual pj’s

Loads of people do this on the overnight flights in business class. In BA first they provide the pyjamas!

I’m lucky enough to fly Emirates First fairly frequently and always slip into the PJ’s they give you for night flights (last year, they were doing sea kelp infused PJ’s to keep you moisturised. They were OK, but played havoc with my skin!). Annoyingly, though, they don’t give you flight socks in F, so I always either ask for a pair from business, or take a pair from an unoccupied seat if I wander to the bar at at the back of the A380 for a drink (the F bar at the front is a bit small and very dull compared to the business class bar).

The shower onboard is very pleasant and makes flying regular ULH much more pleasant. Last week, I was able to walk off a flight from London to Sydney and straight into a client meeting as I’d been able to shower, shave and change into a suit on the flight.

I fly lots and am pretty sanguine about most things, but never understand how pretty much everybody is utterly baffled by the check in and security check procedures. They really aren’t complex yet even half regular travellers seem to cock them up most of the time!!!

Edited by schmalex on Sunday 7th October 21:29

[paulguitar]

schmalex said:

I’m lucky enough to fly Emirates First fairly frequently and always slip into the PJ’s they give you for night flights. Annoyingly, though, they don’t give you flight socks, so I always either ask for a pair from business, or take a pair from an unoccupied seat if I wander to the bar at at the back of the A380 for a drink (the F bar at the front is a bit small and very dull compared to the business class bar).

The shower onboard is very pleasant and makes flying regular ULH much more pleasant. Last week, I was able to walk off a flight from London to Sydney and straight into a client meeting as I’d been able to shower, shave and change into a suit on the flight.

Sounds fantastic! I would like to go up front if my employers were paying, but they only pay to put me in steerage. Having said that, I always have a night in a usually pretty decent hotel paid for and don’t have my first gig until the next night, so I can recover from the hours spent getting achy in economy by the time I have to work.

[schmalex]

On the flip side, regardless of how comfortable they make it, it’s still 30 hours door to door with a 30 minute break before walking into a meeting...

[paulguitar]

schmalex said:

On the flip side, regardless of how comfortable they make it, it’s still 30 hours door to door with a 30 minute break before walking into a meeting...

Yes, understood. That's how the big money can be justified for first and business, the fact that it makes it viable to do a day's work after the trip.

[nonsequitur]

schmalex said:

brickwall said:

ghost83 said:

on the flight back someone went to the toilet and got changed into his actual pj’s

Loads of people do this on the overnight flights in business class. In BA first they provide the pyjamas!

I’m lucky enough to fly Emirates First fairly frequently and always slip into the PJ’s they give you for night flights (last year, they were doing sea kelp infused PJ’s to keep you moisturised. They were OK, but played havoc with my skin!). Annoyingly, though, they don’t give you flight socks in F, so I always either ask for a pair from business, or take a pair from an unoccupied seat if I wander to the bar at at the back of the A380 for a drink (the F bar at the front is a bit small and very dull compared to the business class bar).

The shower onboard is very pleasant and makes flying regular ULH much more pleasant. Last week, I was able to walk off a flight from London to Sydney and straight into a client meeting as I’d been able to shower, shave and change into a suit on the flight.

I fly lots and am pretty sanguine about most things, but never understand how pretty much everybody is utterly baffled by the check in and security check procedures. They really aren’t complex yet even half regular travellers seem to cock them up most of the time!!!

Edited by schmalex on Sunday 7th October 21:29

I've often wondered that, when taking a shower on an aircraft, when you are nicely soaped up and in the process of having a good old scrub up, and as you apply your freebie shampoo, the SEAT BELT sign illuminates, followed by the PA 'will all passengers return to their seats and strap in!'

[schmalex]

There’s a seat in both of the shower areas of the Emirates A380 in case of unexpected turbulence. (I don’t know about the others but I assume they’re similar).

Also, the captain can (and does) stop anyone from taking their booked slot if the weather ahead looks as if it might be bouncy.

[Jag_NE]

The people in the row or two behind you, who choose to stand up immediately after the seat belt sign goes off and loiter in the aisle, assuming they have a priority to exit before you just because you didn’t want to stand in the aisle like a lemon for 15 minutes. More often than not we all board a bus on the tarmac....

[paulguitar]

Jag_NE said:

The people in the row or two behind you, who choose to stand up immediately after the seat belt sign goes off and loiter in the aisle, assuming they have a priority to exit before you just because you didn’t want to stand in the aisle like a lemon for 15 minutes. More often than not we all board a bus on the tarmac....

Yes, I agree completely, and this has come up a few times in this thread. The only viable excuse I have seen for standing up immediately is the situation of having back trouble and needing to stretch out a bit. I remain completely unconvinced that standing hunched up in the aisle for several minutes with the aircraft doors fully closed get you off it any faster…

[Jag_NE]

paulguitar said:

Yes, I agree completely, and this has come up a few times in this thread. The only viable excuse I have seen for standing up immediately is the situation of having back trouble and needing to stretch out a bit. I remain completely unconvinced that standing hunched up in the aisle for several minutes with the aircraft doors fully closed get you off it any faster…

Agree. I take pleasure in cutting them up!

[captain_cynic]

Jag_NE said:

paulguitar said:

Yes, I agree completely, and this has come up a few times in this thread. The only viable excuse I have seen for standing up immediately is the situation of having back trouble and needing to stretch out a bit. I remain completely unconvinced that standing hunched up in the aisle for several minutes with the aircraft doors fully closed get you off it any faster…

Agree. I take pleasure in cutting them up!

I've always passed them and several others before I'm even out of the Jetway.

Passed through LAX a few days ago, out of the terminal in less than 30 mins, the wait for the hire car bus felt longer, needless to say I was at In-N-Out burger on Sepulveda blvd in a little over an hour.

[peter tdci]

paulguitar said:

Yes, I agree completely, and this has come up a few times in this thread. The only viable excuse I have seen for standing up immediately is the situation of having back trouble and needing to stretch out a bit. I remain completely unconvinced that standing hunched up in the aisle for several minutes with the aircraft doors fully closed get you off it any faster…

I've always found it amusing that there is usually a group of people who appear to want to get on the aircraft as quickly as possible (loitering around the desks at the gate) and another group who want to get off as quickly as possible (standing up seconds before the seatbelt light goes off). I suspect the Venn diagram of the two might be revealing

What this thread (and others) has enlightened me to though is the extreme hand baggage only (no acronyms here) brigade who time their journeys from plane to limo to the second!

[paulguitar]

peter tdci said:

I've always found it amusing that there is usually a group of people who appear to want to get on the aircraft as quickly as possible (loitering around the desks at the gate) and another group who want to get off as quickly as possible (standing up seconds before the seatbelt light goes off). I suspect the Venn diagram of the two might be revealing

What this thread (and others) has enlightened me to though is the extreme hand baggage only (no acronyms here) brigade who time their journeys from plane to limo to the second!

Yes, I have amusedly observed much the same as you have. I have to do way more traveling than I would like to, and I suppose repetition means one gets to see the same behaviour enough that it becomes amusing to witness.

Whilst I can understand slightly more the hand-luggage-only folks being in a mad rush, I also still see plenty of folks waiting at the baggage carousel who had leapt up the moment the plane had come to a halt performing the ’stand hunched on a stationary aircraft with the doors still firmly closed, looking very silly’ routine.

I reckon on having a nightmare trip about 20% of the time, and rolling into my hotel several hours after I had hoped to. I think if you travel a lot you just have build a certain acceptance of this into your psyche.

[surveyor]

paulguitar said:

peter tdci said:

I've always found it amusing that there is usually a group of people who appear to want to get on the aircraft as quickly as possible (loitering around the desks at the gate) and another group who want to get off as quickly as possible (standing up seconds before the seatbelt light goes off). I suspect the Venn diagram of the two might be revealing

What this thread (and others) has enlightened me to though is the extreme hand baggage only (no acronyms here) brigade who time their journeys from plane to limo to the second!

Yes, I have amusedly observed much the same as you have. I have to do way more traveling than I would like to, and I suppose repetition means one gets to see the same behaviour enough that it becomes amusing to witness.

Whilst I can understand slightly more the hand-luggage-only folks being in a mad rush, I also still see plenty of folks waiting at the baggage carousel who had leapt up the moment the plane had come to a halt performing the ’stand hunched on a stationary aircraft with the doors still firmly closed, looking very silly’ routine.

I reckon on having a nightmare trip about 20% of the time, and rolling into my hotel several hours after I had hoped to. I think if you travel a lot you just have build a certain acceptance of this into your psyche.

That will be me. I like to be moving rather than sat still, and in particular hate queues at passport control. I'm happy to nip to the loo and wait for my suitcase....

And if I'm arriving back at Manchester from Dublin there will be buses involved. One may well turn up on time - but maybe not two....

[IanUAE]

1) People who stretch when sitting down, reach behind and touch your screen, often repeatidly;
2) People who were desperate to stand up as soon as the seat belt sign goes off, then "amble" off the plane (the queues at immigration at middle east airports can get very long thus with hand luggage important to get there quickly);
3) People who don't want to put their seat upright when a meal is served.

As others have said, when flying extensively with work (and with the hobby for me), I want to get out of the airport as quickly as possible to get to the hotel.