Air Travel:

[John McLaughlin]

Air Travel: What an awakening. It has been 5 years since I have traveled by air and boy how it has changed. First for those who went thru Basic Training in the Army and went by what was commonly referred to as cattle cars to training sites Well IMHO it is almost but not quite like that flying today. Secondly they do their best to nickel and dime you for everything from charging from baggage to food on the flights. In fact to get premium wifi you have to pay an additional fee. I was able to have a small can of soda and a small bag of pretzels at no cost. Not bad for flying from East Coast to Alaska. Oh and all electronics are connected by bluetooth that meant I could not use my old headset. On the plus side the Stewarts and the Stewardess were very pleasant. As I only carried on my backpack, which I put in the overhead rack I was able to stretch out my feet.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I remember when flying was fun. Our local airport was a 20 min drive away, we could leave our house 45 mins before our flight departed, leave our car at the car park, get a shuttle ride to the terminal, walk in and go through security and then be at our gate with time to spare before boarding started.

I recently traveled to a destination that is 1000 miles away, I was going to fly since it was for a very short stay. By the time I paid for the flight, luggage, rental car and hotel room it was cheaper to drive, and that included a night each way in a hotel, so I drove.

 

[2kwik4u]

Maybe I'm like the Frog in the pot, and the temperature has just been slowing going up on me without me noticing.......But I don't think it's that bad really. I fly 10-12 times a year for business. Not enough to get status on any airline, but enough that I consider myself a frequent flyer. I don't mind it a bit, and prefer it to driving like 99% of the time.

1. Get TSA PreCheck. I can leave the house, flying out of SDF, about 90min before the flight leaves. Park the car, walk in, through security, grab a coffee and get on the plane. It cost $75 every 3yrs, but it's SOOOOO worth it. I can't count the number of times it's helped my just walk right through instead of waiting in line for an hour. Wife just got hers a few months ago, and said she's never going without it again. We'll be getting global entry as well before we travel out of country again. Again, it's a small fee very few years, but worth it makes/breaks a connecting flight.
2. Get the "main cabin extra" seats on a reputable airline (AA, United, Delta, Etc). This covers your checked bag fee, gets you a comfy seat, and free drinks. I've found it to be ~$50-$75 or so on top of an otherwise $600 ticket, so ~10% bump in price. It's worth it, makes life easy, and it's just a single fee.
3. Avoid "budget" airlines like Spirit and Southwest. They nickel and dime you for fees, they have cattle-call style boarding, and are generally a PIA. Again, if you're going to spend the money to fly, spend enough to make it worthwhile.
4. Don't check a bag if you don't have to. Pack and travel light. A single hard sided carry on, and a backpack will likely cover 3-4 days away. Even on business trips. This avoids the checked bag lines/waits. Also if you did #3 above, you get to board early so you always have the space you need. I travelled to LA for 4 days, with site specific PPE this spring. Didn't have to check a bag, and travel was easy. Did have to wear my work boots through the airport, but otherwise it wasn't bad at all.
5. Realize flying will almost ALWAYS be more expensive than driving. You're trading cash for time. My personal "fly radius" is about 6hrs. If I have to drive more than 6hrs to get somewhere, then I'll fly. Some people that's 4hrs, some it's 20hrs and an overnight. Typically I have more luxury of cash than I do time as I have to get there for a meeting, or back for a soccer game with the kids. I also typically have the company pay for flights, so I'm admittedly a little jaded here.

Now, with all that said. Most of my travel is for business, not pleasure. So I have a bit of luxury in corporate buying power. That's directly against the timing and planning element though, as a few times of year I show up at the office at 8am, and I'm on a plane by 10am to whatever jobsite is having the issue. It's both exciting and exhausting all at the same time. The flying portion though, has never really been the PIA part of the trip for me.

 

[BigN8]

Maybe I'm like the Frog in the pot, and the temperature has just been slowing going up on me without me noticing.......But I don't think it's that bad really. I fly 10-12 times a year for business. Not enough to get status on any airline, but enough that I consider myself a frequent flyer. I don't mind it a bit, and prefer it to driving like 99% of the time.

1. Get TSA PreCheck. I can leave the house, flying out of SDF, about 90min before the flight leaves. Park the car, walk in, through security, grab a coffee and get on the plane. It cost $75 every 3yrs, but it's SOOOOO worth it. I can't count the number of times it's helped my just walk right through instead of waiting in line for an hour. Wife just got hers a few months ago, and said she's never going without it again. We'll be getting global entry as well before we travel out of country again. Again, it's a small fee very few years, but worth it makes/breaks a connecting flight.
2. Get the "main cabin extra" seats on a reputable airline (AA, United, Delta, Etc). This covers your checked bag fee, gets you a comfy seat, and free drinks. I've found it to be ~$50-$75 or so on top of an otherwise $600 ticket, so ~10% bump in price. It's worth it, makes life easy, and it's just a single fee.
3. Avoid "budget" airlines like Spirit and Southwest. They nickel and dime you for fees, they have cattle-call style boarding, and are generally a PIA. Again, if you're going to spend the money to fly, spend enough to make it worthwhile.
4. Don't check a bag if you don't have to. Pack and travel light. A single hard sided carry on, and a backpack will likely cover 3-4 days away. Even on business trips. This avoids the checked bag lines/waits. Also if you did #3 above, you get to board early so you always have the space you need. I travelled to LA for 4 days, with site specific PPE this spring. Didn't have to check a bag, and travel was easy. Did have to wear my work boots through the airport, but otherwise it wasn't bad at all.
5. Realize flying will almost ALWAYS be more expensive than driving. You're trading cash for time. My personal "fly radius" is about 6hrs. If I have to drive more than 6hrs to get somewhere, then I'll fly. Some people that's 4hrs, some it's 20hrs and an overnight. Typically I have more luxury of cash than I do time as I have to get there for a meeting, or back for a soccer game with the kids. I also typically have the company pay for flights, so I'm admittedly a little jaded here.

Now, with all that said. Most of my travel is for business, not pleasure. So I have a bit of luxury in corporate buying power. That's directly against the timing and planning element though, as a few times of year I show up at the office at 8am, and I'm on a plane by 10am to whatever jobsite is having the issue. It's both exciting and exhausting all at the same time. The flying portion though, has never really been the PIA part of the trip for me.

Everything he said.....

​

 

[adrianp89]

Flying sucks - but I am cheap so I buy cheap flights, usually SouthWest. I have a trip next month with Delta - I expect it to be much better than my usual. My radius is about 10 hours. I enjoy grinding out a drive and seeing how long I make a tank last.

 

[fatboyroy]

i only fly for work or for emergencies. Any personal travel/leisure/vacation I take an RV. I use my work time driving so by the time I get to destination I am officially on vacation lol.

 

[John McLaughlin]

Maybe I'm like the Frog in the pot, and the temperature has just been slowing going up on me without me noticing.......But I don't think it's that bad really. I fly 10-12 times a year for business. Not enough to get status on any airline, but enough that I consider myself a frequent flyer. I don't mind it a bit, and prefer it to driving like 99% of the time.

1. Get TSA PreCheck. I can leave the house, flying out of SDF, about 90min before the flight leaves. Park the car, walk in, through security, grab a coffee and get on the plane. It cost $75 every 3yrs, but it's SOOOOO worth it. I can't count the number of times it's helped my just walk right through instead of waiting in line for an hour. Wife just got hers a few months ago, and said she's never going without it again. We'll be getting global entry as well before we travel out of country again. Again, it's a small fee very few years, but worth it makes/breaks a connecting flight.
2. Get the "main cabin extra" seats on a reputable airline (AA, United, Delta, Etc). This covers your checked bag fee, gets you a comfy seat, and free drinks. I've found it to be ~$50-$75 or so on top of an otherwise $600 ticket, so ~10% bump in price. It's worth it, makes life easy, and it's just a single fee.
3. Avoid "budget" airlines like Spirit and Southwest. They nickel and dime you for fees, they have cattle-call style boarding, and are generally a PIA. Again, if you're going to spend the money to fly, spend enough to make it worthwhile.
4. Don't check a bag if you don't have to. Pack and travel light. A single hard sided carry on, and a backpack will likely cover 3-4 days away. Even on business trips. This avoids the checked bag lines/waits. Also if you did #3 above, you get to board early so you always have the space you need. I travelled to LA for 4 days, with site specific PPE this spring. Didn't have to check a bag, and travel was easy. Did have to wear my work boots through the airport, but otherwise it wasn't bad at all.
5. Realize flying will almost ALWAYS be more expensive than driving. You're trading cash for time. My personal "fly radius" is about 6hrs. If I have to drive more than 6hrs to get somewhere, then I'll fly. Some people that's 4hrs, some it's 20hrs and an overnight. Typically I have more luxury of cash than I do time as I have to get there for a meeting, or back for a soccer game with the kids. I also typically have the company pay for flights, so I'm admittedly a little jaded here.

Now, with all that said. Most of my travel is for business, not pleasure. So I have a bit of luxury in corporate buying power. That's directly against the timing and planning element though, as a few times of year I show up at the office at 8am, and I'm on a plane by 10am to whatever jobsite is having the issue. It's both exciting and exhausting all at the same time. The flying portion though, has never really been the PIA part of the trip for me.

1 I agree with the TSA Pre Check and will get for my wife and I. Have not needed it in the past, will also look into the Global Entry however they don make it easy as you must travel to a large airport or major city for the interview.

2 I agree with the extra leg room when traveling long distances, however, not available on every leg.

3 Here I disagree as I flew a major airline. I was IMO or would have been nickel and dime if many items if I bought them.

4 Not always possible when traveling on vacation. It is like charging extra for tomatoes or pickles in a restaurant. Why not just include it in the cost of the ticket. Now there are ways around this by bringing the bag up to the door and asking the attendant to check it for you (usually done at no cost)

5 As a retiree I have the luxury of time and prefer to drive under a 1000 miles. Why:I live 3 hours from a major airport, one hour to park the car, an other hour or two to get to the gate 3 to 5 hours depending on stops (maybe longer if there are delays) to get to destinations, 45 minutes or more to get baggage plus another 45 minutes to get rental car. Driving also gives me the flexibility to stop for breaks and see the sights.

I should say in my previous life I flew quite frequently to include Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

 

[HangOutdoors]

TSA precheck is great. Now that I am traveling a lot for work I really appreciate it.

 

[adrianp89]

TSA precheck is great. Now that I am traveling a lot for work I really appreciate it.

Side note for all our boaters - if you get your Captain's License, you need a TWIC card, which includes TSA Pre-Check.

 

[AZMark]

Everything he said.....

​

Same, except Southwest is the only airline that does not nickel and dime on everything. Lack of reserved seats sucks though.

I travel a decent amount and my wife travels very little. She is always high anxiety and struggling when we fly for vacation - I think it’s all in your expectations and preparedness.

 

[seanmclean]

Agree with everything Kwik said for the most part. I don't find flying any worse than it was ten years ago, really. I do like Southwest though (don't understand the nickel/dime comment, they literally don't charge for anything except WiFi and booze), but only if following the other 'rules'. Pack light, check in early, and its the same as every other flight. Cattlecar boarding only sucks when you're at the end, and when flying personal for less than 3 hours - I like to go cheap. Spirit/Frontier are on a very different level of shit, and I wouldn't catch a ride on those for free.

 

[suke]

I'm 6'4" and I don't think I've hit a radius where I wouldn't prefer driving.....unless it's over an ocean. LOL! Planes flat out suck for me. Anything over 2 hours or so in a plane is flat out brutal. I traveled A LOT in my previous job and much of that was 10, 15, 17 hour plane rides. I absolutely loathe flying and this was pre-pandemic when it sucked slightly less. I found my local airport everyone had pre-check so the non pre-check line was generally shorter. LOL! Not sure if that has changed. I had global entry due to traveling a lot internationally. I'm good if I never fly again. I traveled/flew enough I had status and even with upgrades it wasn't worth it. I had JUST enough status I could get like premium economy but not enough to get first/business class. And somehow due to the ticket type my company purchased they were "non-upgradeable". So I'd have to do it when I got to the airport. I also can't sleep on planes so after 17+ hours of actual flight time I am absolutely fried. I took my current job due to the fact there's minimal to no traveling. Except now my boss is grinding on me to get out and visit my team, which is/are scattered across the globe. So far I've been able to excuse my way out of it.

 

[BigN8]

I'm 6'4" and I don't think I've hit a radius where I wouldn't prefer driving.....unless it's over an ocean. LOL! Planes flat out suck for me. Anything over 2 hours or so in a plane is flat out brutal. I traveled A LOT in my previous job and much of that was 10, 15, 17 hour plane rides. I absolutely loathe flying and this was pre-pandemic when it sucked slightly less. I found my local airport everyone had pre-check so the non pre-check line was generally shorter. LOL! Not sure if that has changed. I had global entry due to traveling a lot internationally. I'm good if I never fly again. I traveled/flew enough I had status and even with upgrades it wasn't worth it. I had JUST enough status I could get like premium economy but not enough to get first/business class. And somehow due to the ticket type my company purchased they were "non-upgradeable". So I'd have to do it when I got to the airport. I also can't sleep on planes so after 17+ hours of actual flight time I am absolutely fried. I took my current job due to the fact there's minimal to no traveling. Except now my boss is grinding on me to get out and visit my team, which is/are scattered across the globe. So far I've been able to excuse my way out of it.

I hear ya! I’m 6’5”. I’ve turned down promotions because I’m not willing to agree to the travel based on the lateral to barely advanced income.

 

[Ohio]

If you fly Southwest, you might get the opportunity to witness the "miracle of flight" where by a person arrives at the gate in a wheel chair, but once at their destination they get up and walk off the plane and are quickly on their way.

 

[I_squared_r]

I'm a snowbird and I travel with a lot of checked luggage between US and South America. I take advantage of the credit cards. I will sign up for $250 statement credits and they usually include 1 checked bag with the credit card. I've always seen its cheaper to pay for the luggage separately vs upgrading. But I'm 5'7" so I don't need the upgraded seats - I fit in any seat. Next month I'm going to Colombia with 1 bicycle + 2 checked bags + backpack + carry on. It will cost me $420 through jetblue and their credit card. I'm definitely going to start flying with apple airtags because I travel with an expensive bike and workstation.

 

[msavold]

I'll throw my two cents here:
1) if you fly anywhere international, GET Global Entry! Last I checked, on top of the customs bonuses, it also got you TSA Pre, for the same price.
Returning from Canada to Dulles, the line through passport control was about 500-600 people (think about it, all that takes these days is one or two planes!).
There was a small sign near the "trusted traveler" exit that said that GOES "registration on arrival" (or words to that effect) was open! I asked the ICE officer and he said yup, we give you an interview right here and now and you're good to go. No appointment necessary. Even if the interview took some time, it would still certainly take less than the 500 person line, no matter how many agents were there!!!
(I have Nexus which works for Canada/US travel AND gets you Pre - I know that - but it's a bit more complicated to get since you need to be interviewed by a US ICE agent and a Canadian one, one after the other. *Really* worth the bother for cross-border travelers. If I remember correctly Sentri is the US-Mexico equivalent.
2) Echoing @I_squared_r get AirTags! We've done a few trips with them lately and (especially with tight connections or when on the Camino de Santiago where we changed hotels every night and a service would bring our bags to the next hotel) it's been SO reassuring that the bags were with us or near us!

EDIT: found this on DHS GOES site:
Can I participate in Enrolment on Arrival (EoA) if I haven't received my conditional approval yet?
No. Applicants must have already completed the application through Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) website. and received a Conditional Approval notification to complete the EoA.
So, somewhat contrary to what the guy told me, it's not quite a walk up to the counter thing -you just don't have to wait for the appointment date.

 

[I_squared_r]

I'll throw my two cents here:
1) if you fly anywhere international, GET Global Entry! Last I checked, on top of the customs bonuses, it also got you TSA Pre, for the same price.
Returning from Canada to Dulles, the line through passport control was about 500-600 people (think about it, all that takes these days is one or two planes!).
There was a small sign near the "trusted traveler" exit that said that GOES "registration on arrival" (or words to that effect) was open! I asked the ICE officer and he said yup, we give you an interview right here and now and you're good to go. No appointment necessary. Even if the interview took some time, it would still certainly take less than the 500 person line, no matter how many agents were there!!!
(I have Nexus which works for Canada/US travel AND gets you Pre - I know that - but it's a bit more complicated to get since you need to be interviewed by a US ICE agent and a Canadian one, one after the other. *Really* worth the bother for cross-border travelers. If I remember correctly Sentri is the US-Mexico equivalent.
2) Echoing @I_squared_r get AirTags! We've done a few trips with them lately and (especially with tight connections or when on the Camino de Santiago where we changed hotels every night and a service would bring our bags to the next hotel) it's been SO reassuring that the bags were with us or near us!

Doesn't look like all the airports have it. My preferred airport Laguardia NYC isn't on the list for Global Entry. And on another note, it seems like border control likes me. They always pull me aside for screening and interviews. I know they dig for information and look for inconsistencies, but it seems like they're always curious about my passport showing lengthy stays in Brazil and Colombia. The last time it seemed like the guy just wanted to chat with me about Colombia lol

 

[adrianp89]

+1 for Airtags, you can get a 4 pack on sale for ~$70-$80. I have heard stories of lost luggage and the owner just looks up the airtag and lets the airline know where it is, and they get it back promptly.

 

[msavold]

Doesn't look like all the airports have it. My preferred airport Laguardia NYC isn't on the list for Global Entry. And on another note, it seems like border control likes me. They always pull me aside for screening and interviews. I know they dig for information and look for inconsistencies, but it seems like they're always curious about my passport showing lengthy stays in Brazil and Colombia. The last time it seemed like the guy just wanted to chat with me about Colombia lol

Guessing LGA doesn't do "enough" international? JFK would surely have it though. If it's not available on entry at LGA it's probably worth still applying for!

Aside: my mom is Canadian and Italian. Years ago, she's flying to visit us in the US on her return from Italy so she uses her Italian passport as ID to here... and then her Canadian passport to go home. Which seemed logical to her. Except it put her on "a list" that no one would confirm or deny existed (way pre 9/11) and she got secondary screening EVERY time. Took a LOT of calls/letters/documentation to prove that she had in fact left the country and eventually we got the most priceless letter not confirming or denying anything put rather implying that the situation - IF there was one - was resolved.

 

[suke]

Doesn't look like all the airports have it. My preferred airport Laguardia NYC isn't on the list for Global Entry. And on another note, it seems like border control likes me. They always pull me aside for screening and interviews. I know they dig for information and look for inconsistencies, but it seems like they're always curious about my passport showing lengthy stays in Brazil and Colombia. The last time it seemed like the guy just wanted to chat with me about Colombia lol

Global entry got me off of whatever that list was. I was pulled coming back from India one time in NY. They tore apart my bags, questioned me for hours and wouldn't tell me what was going on. Finally at the end of the questioning, fingerprinting, etc they told me. I hadn't slept in 48 hours otherwise I likely would have pushed back on me being detained while not being formally charged with anything. Especially for not being forthright for why I was being detained. In any event a known criminal had the same last name and birth month as me. I was like WTF.....that's it?!!?!?!? Your false positive rate has to be absurd! In any event every time I came back in the country I went through a similar thing. Also happened while going IN to some countries. Canada was one of them. Their form of TSA is not Canadian friendly at all! In any event once I went through global entry ALL of that stopped. Breezed right on through. I haven't flown again since my global entry lapsed. If I do travel internationally again I'll make sure to get it again, just so I'm off the rapey list as I generally don't have hours to kill to make some of my connections while I put all my luggage back together. Fuckers!