I hate flying

[Sicy]

I like trains. When we were little we used to take the train from California to Nebraska to visit our family. It was fun. My brother and I would play hide and seek or hang out in the lounge car and play games or watch TV.

 

[BonosBaby12]

I took the auto train from FL to VA that was pretty fun. Got to see a VA sunrise in the country which was beautiful

 

[beegee]

So, you are more likely to die from a SNAKE ON A PLANE than the plane going down!

And more people die from bee stings each year than from being swallowed by man-eating sharks but that doesn't make me want to dive into the pacific ocean any time soon.

People fear things sometimes, irrational or not.

That's just the way life is.

 

[nozomi]

Gosh, I'd give almost anything to fly.

 

[zonelistener]

Gosh, I'd give almost anything to fly.

Why give "anything" when you can fly Minneapolis to Chicago-Midway on AirTran for less than $125.

It's is cheaper than driving.

 

[tiny dancer]

I don't mind flying, if everything is going alright. meaning no delays or canceled flights. Oh, and I will never fly on the day after Christmas. What I miss are the free meals. Ah, those were the days.

 

[randhail]

Made it through the trip with one moderate hitch in the plans. I connected in Chicago and had my flight canceled due to mechanical issues and had the wonderful people at United let me scramble to make other plans. Wound up making it to the wedding rehearsal about 30 minutes late, but no big deal there.

I was nervous during the first take-off but then was ok from then on. I think that it helped that all of my flights were during the day, for whatever reason night time flights, especially red-eyes really screw with my head. I don't think I'm ready to fly on a weekly basis, but maybe can handle the every once in a while flight.

 

[TranceEnding]

95% of aircraft crashes happen within the first 2 minutes after take off.

I've never, ever had any trouble flying in all my years of travelling .. up until recently I don't know what the heck has happened lately, but taking off especially terrifies me now! On a recent trip up to Cairns (in northern Queensland) I was so overwrought, my palms were sweating and I actually felt like I was going to have a full blown panic attack It's such a horrible feeling! I'm absolutely fine once the plane levels out and it's just cruising along ... it's just the taking off and descent & landing that scares the crap out of me!

I no like it anymore!!!

 

[last unicorn]

It's strange because everyone in my family is getting nervous on planes, my father's girlfriend hates flying, she's panicking and has to take all kind of medication when boarding a plane, and I LOVE it so much. I came to flying very late in life, because my family NEVER travelled when we were young, so I took my first flight with 19 when my class went to Turkey after graduation. In fact, I love all sorts of travel, ship and train, I like to have nothing to do but read a book, I don't care about waiting on airports and I'm usually really fascinated with all the logistics involved. I never get nervous on a plane, I like to have a window seat and look out, night flights are not so exciting. I'm much more concerned about jet lags, that's tough for me. I also must say that I don't drive a car and I'm usually terrified in traffic, because I always think about how many people get involved in car crashes and how many of them are dying on the streets, so I'm not a big fan of cars. Usually, I don't like driving in a car with someone who I don't know and trust very well, so that makes me nervous, but flying, no.

 

[corianderstem]

My boss used to work for an airline, and she told us about what happens on the airline's end when a plane goes down. It was really interesting.

One of the things I found touching, which hadn't even occurred to me, was how the airline would receive flowers and such, expressing sympathy - even the other airlines would send them.

But anyway, it was interesting hearing about the procedures that take place on the corporate end and what they do for the families of the victims.

 

[anitram]

Why give "anything" when you can fly Minneapolis to Chicago-Midway on AirTran for less than $125.

It's is cheaper than driving.

Considering I paid 14 pounds to fly from London to Amsterdam, this still seems outrageous.

 

[zoney!]

Considering I paid 14 pounds to fly from London to Amsterdam, this still seems outrageous.

A nice promotional fare (14 pounds), but it hardly pays for the fuel that it will take to taxi a few hundred yards.

We'll leave simple economics out of this thread though.

 

[zoney!]

But anyway, it was interesting hearing about the procedures that take place on the corporate end and what they do for the families of the victims.

The airlines are required (Federal law) to have a program for victims/survivors.

My position with the airline I work for requires me to go through the training for the response. It is an absolute gut-wrenching training. It is one of those trainings that is required, but you hope you never have to use.

 

[anitram]

A nice promotional fare (14 pounds), but it hardly pays for the fuel that it will take to taxi a few hundred yards.

We'll leave simple economics out of this thread though.

That may be true, but these promotional fares are available essentially 365 days a year on some airline in Europe so that the days of paying a couple of hundred dollars for such a flight are long gone.

 

[Vincent Vega]

That may be true, but these promotional fares are available essentially 365 days a year on some airline in Europe so that the days of paying a couple of hundred dollars for such a flight are long gone.

Well, yeah, that's the price for the one seat, and the guy sitting next to you may have paid 150 pounds.
You have to book the right flight at the right time with the right airline (low cost carrier), but should make sure what the charge you extra, i.e. food and beverages, entertainment, and more importantly, baggage. Some of these airlines charge you for every baggage you have, while with others 20kg are free.

 

[anitram]

Well, yeah, that's the price for the one seat, and the guy sitting next to you may have paid 150 pounds.
You have to book the right flight at the right time with the right airline (low cost carrier), but should make sure what the charge you extra, i.e. food and beverages, entertainment, and more importantly, baggage. Some of these airlines charge you for every baggage you have, while with others 20kg are free.

Yeah, I've never really gone on any airline that charged for baggage (all had the 20 kg). And since generally I used that to go away for a weekend or so, I didn't have huge luggage either.

But my point is that there are so many such airlines around now that even if you miss a promotion on one, you can almost always find one elsewhere.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Yes, those airlines have really mixed up the market here in Europe and been putting the traditional airlines on some pressure, though at least at the moment none of the large airlines is facing bankruptcy.
But on the other hand Air Berlin for example bought LTU, and Lufthansa got to buy Swiss Air.
And the Open Skies Agreement between the US and Europe will have some impact on transatlantic flights and flight prices.
I would still prefer one of the traditional airlines that provide me with some "all inclusive" package for such long trips.

On my trip to Australia, and back, I had less than fifteen kilograms, so twenty is really more than enough in my eyes.

 

[last unicorn]

I flew with Sky Europe for the first time when I was going to Milan last week, and I was shocked to find that I had to pay for a glass of water on the plane. Somehow it's understandable because the flight itself cost only one Euro (!) - of course without the taxes and stuff - , but this was the first time I actually paid for refreshments on a plane, and I fly a lot with different companies such as Air Berlin.

 

[zonelistener]

That may be true, but these promotional fares are available essentially 365 days a year on some airline in Europe so that the days of paying a couple of hundred dollars for such a flight are long gone.

For YOU maybe...but not for everyone. Many people rather pay for something more than bus transportation in the air. That's why you have business-class airlines out there.

That being said, people have an expectation of flights that do not match the cost. For some reason, people have a tough time understanding "you get what you pay for" in the airline world. They expect meals, but will select one flight over another because it is $5 less (and then blow $6 on a coffee at starbucks in the terminal).

 

[anitram]

For YOU maybe...but not for everyone. Many people rather pay for something more than bus transportation in the air. That's why you have business-class airlines out there.

Well obviously, but most people in business class aren't paying for the flight themselves anyway so they couldn't give a rats ass as to what the costs are. Just like when I go to dinner with the corporate tax group, I don't care that the bottle of wine is $96. They're tax write offs anyway.

That said, for commercial flights that are under 2-3 hrs in duration, and you're just a regular Joe Schmoe, I really, really wonder what proportion of people would rather pay an extra $200 just for wider seats, pre-assigned seating, and food that's crappy anyway. Frankly, nobody I know. For longhauls it's totally different. I've done 10 hrs on the cheap and it's not something I'd repeat if at all possible. But to hop over to Montreal for a 45 minute flight, you're not getting me to cough over $200 just so my ass can sit on Air Canada.

 

[ntalwar]

The cheap seats are cheap because of they are basically spare capacity left over from higher fare economy tickets, which can cost several times the discounted rate. It's the same concept as getting a great deal on hotwire for a 5-star hotel e.g. The cost of jet fuel is simply too high to allow mass discounting. Oil is $96 a barrel (up 50% this year), and the trend is upward. IMO we will see $200 or $300+ a barrel oil in our lifetime, and airline flight will probably go back to being a privilege for the economic elite.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

I'm also very afraid of flying. I took my first flight when I was 22, when I was in Florida for grad school and was going home to Pennsylvania for Christmas, and I was terrified. Over the next year, I flew a few more times, and I started to calm down about it. Then the following Christmas a plane I was on had to make an emergency landing. It was probably the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced. The plane blew a fuse during take-off and lost all but its very last generator. Even though it was a quick and relatively minor fix once we were on the ground, it still terrified me.

I actually don't mind taking trains. Yes, they're slower than flying, but I for some reason feel safer, and it's cheaper. I have to go to Chicago for a conference in December, and I'm almost definitely taking an overnight train. I really do want to work on my fear, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to overcome it. Just sitting here now thinking about being on a plane is making my heart beat faster.