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Lime Tonics
Nov 7, 2015

by FactsAreUseless
So, United is terrible,

United Airlines controversies: From revoking toddler’s seat to David Dao’s removal

http://www.news.com.au/travel/world...4eb10cbf9072a25

But wait, there is more!

United Airlines sends rapper's dog to wrong city

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/15/us/schoolboy-q-united-dog-trnd/index.html

Delta is trying it's best to keep up, from losing luggage, and catering to Ann Coulter,

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/403...-lost-his-suit/

http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/17/news/companies/delta-ann-coulter-response/index.html

I made this thread because it seems every week, sometimes daily, the airlines screw up. So now it has it's own thread. Post your favorite or worse stories about air travel in any way. For me, the worst airport is Baltimore. I just hate that airport. Next time I fly though, I have to use Southwest. They are alright, but I hate that stupid seating thing where it is first come first serve, or you are stuck in the back of the plane next to the engines.

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ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


I have elite status on American, so I really only fly American unless I have no choice. Also I have a crush on their safety video lady.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXb28mVZiJo

e: Plus their retro liveries are pretty cool and they have the better hubs for a lot of the cities I travel to. And better international partners. Basically AA best US airline.

ReidRansom has a new favorite as of 00:07 on Jul 18, 2017

Riatsala
Nov 20, 2013

All Princesses are Tyrants

Despite being the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta is actually well laid out and fairly easy to navigate. It's huge as hell, but the rail transit between the terminals is fast and there are moving walkways all over the place, so making a connection is (usually) not a hassle. What I don't recommend is starting or ending your trip in Atlanta; getting in or out of the city is a nightmare at the best of times.

The signage at London Heathrow is absolute rear end. I've been there three times and I've gotten lost all three times.

Riatsala
Nov 20, 2013

All Princesses are Tyrants

Also RE: LaGuardia

the airport is a joke and disgrace and aviation is an outdated piece of poo poo.

for my job i have to go to baltimore to avoid getting shouted at by someone who knows where i live. now and then i fly into this death trap of a sad disaster. i can truly say that lga is the shittiest nastiest dump of food and stagnant air traffic that there ever has been.

i was delayed for 2 hours because i had endless money and they were pissed off that they didn’t. i couldn’t wait for luggage to arrive in my life and i was so surprised when the pilot informs us there is always a horrendous taxi in the concourse and we would have to make sure we didn’t speak to the car because it was so stupid and ignorant.

we were waiting for bags and it was taking too long. we were hungry for food and then finally we were hungry for people. we had no idea how to get some. the lady in front of me was crying because i was having an affair on jfk’s plane.

i thought oh well at least i haven’t yet experienced what i don’t know about.

my family members forgot to take me to my luggage which is one reason why i hate both of my family members. i think about how awful my family is. by comparison the airport is a complete idiot. the food court is subpar not enough bathrooms and disgusting shithole. i know how to use a restroom and it doesn’t look like what some people in this airport like to do.

this airport was the most depressing place to eat anything but pepsi products yuck. i would rather go straight to the nearest subway station and dirty the floor with my bags of smelly garbage.

if you’re unfortunate enough to be a nightmare i have a nice alternative for you. go to laguardia and have a beer and then have some sedatives and then finally just sit back and wait for the airport to be demolished. if you can avoid it please do not look at my family.

ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


Would rather LaGuardia than Newark, if only just. Also LaGuardia getting a big overhaul, I understand.

Adeline Weishaupt
Oct 16, 2013

by Lowtax
Its that one of those predictive text yelp reviews?

Riatsala
Nov 20, 2013

All Princesses are Tyrants

umalt posted:

Its that one of those predictive text yelp reviews?

Yep!

Egbert Souse
Nov 6, 2008

I have to fly a lot for work and Hartsfield/ATL is amazing. Even at peak times, I've never been in the security line for more than 15 minutes. If I have enough time, I usually walk between concourses since the walkways between T and C gates have neat stuff. One has a lot of African art, another has this colorful rainforest art installation, another has Atlanta history stuff (including a big portrait of General Sherman :lol: )

I try to fly with Southwest whenever possible, but my next choice is Delta, then American. Prices don't really matter since my company pays for it all, but I like Southwest's no-nonsense policies. They load quickly because they don't do assigned seat bullshit and people don't bring a ton of luggage on board because they allow two free checked bags. Also, Southwest's planes are way quieter than Delta's. I've had to wear ear plugs on in-ear phones because of the in-cabin noise. I think I've only had to fly on America and United once each, but I usually get the best flight times with Southwest.


Delta used to have some hilarious safety videos, but they replaced them with serious ones lately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMUCSHWgquM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa2brpTUKNQ


I haven't had any bad experiences that were from neglect, though. Worst was a flight delayed five hours at Hartsfield to Reagan Intl. Ended up getting there after 1 AM after my flight was originally slated for 7 PM. But it was worth it since the rest of my trip went perfectly and I got a chance to explore the Capitol for a day and a half.

Egbert Souse has a new favorite as of 02:54 on Jul 18, 2017

walrusman
Aug 4, 2006

I have been flying mostly Delta lately, because until very recently it was the only airline flying direct to Europe from Portland (Condor goes to Frankfurt seasonally, and I heard BA was bringing a Heathrow route soon). The polar route, PDX-AMS, shaves 2+ hours just of air time, as compared to transferring in Chicago, Dulles, JFK, etc. Factor in the layover and you can easily save five hours. The return is great because PDX receives about five inbound international flights per day, so there's never more than a ten-minute wait at customs. Now that I have Global Entry, maybe the difference will be reduced.

For gripes: I'm pretty bummed that the relentless march of the free market means all 777s will probably be a 3-4-3 configuration by 2020. They used to be 3-3-3, at least outside Asian budget airlines, and they were comfy. I flew from San Francisco to Auckland in a middle seat on AirNZ a couple years ago, 3-4-3, and I was miserably uncomfortable for the entire bazillion-hour flight. Now that United has added the extra seat, the writing is on the wall. The long leg of my upcoming honeymoon, YVR-HKG, is on a 3-4-3 Air Canada 777 - but at least I have an outboard aisle seat for this one, and will be sitting next to someone I know. I just have really broad shoulders. :(

edit: And for general recommendations: if you're an American with a clean criminal record, and you travel more than once a year, you are an absolute fool not to have Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. I can explain why if you are curious, but it should be self-evident.

walrusman has a new favorite as of 02:59 on Jul 18, 2017

ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


walrusman posted:


edit: And for general recommendations: if you're an American with a clean criminal record, and you travel more than once a year, you are an absolute fool not to have Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. I can explain why if you are curious, but it should be self-evident.

I have a DUI and a PI (both 5+ years ago) and am afraid to apply and then get denied. I can expense the application fee, but maybe only if I'm actually approved, and I've read mixed things about my chances.

Sponge Baathist
Jan 30, 2010

by FactsAreUseless
on 4/20 of this year united killed the world's largest rabbit overnight just in case you think beating the poo poo out of doctors was where they would stop.

Thomamelas
Mar 11, 2009

ReidRansom posted:

I have a DUI and a PI (both 5+ years ago) and am afraid to apply and then get denied. I can expense the application fee, but maybe only if I'm actually approved, and I've read mixed things about my chances.

There are lots of reports of people with DUIs newer than five years that have gotten Pre-check.

Helith
Nov 5, 2009

Basket of Adorables


Skytrax is the site to check out reviews for world wide Airlines and Airports and their rankings.

Generally airlines from America tend to rank low. The best placed US airline is Delta at 32nd place out of 100, American Airlines at 74 and United at 78.

Looking at the top 20 for 2017 I've flown with 9 of those airlines in the past 10 years or so, mainly long haul, but short haul with Qantas, Virgin Australia and Air NZ. Good experiences with all of them.
I totally agree with Qatar and Singapore airlines being the top 2, they are great even in economy and Changi Airport is amazing with beautiful facilities such as a butterfly garden, indoor rainforest, great bars and restaurants, comfortable seating, free wifi etc.

I would say to any Americans out there, if you are flying out of the US and can use a non US airline, do it. The difference is pretty stark. No airline is perfect and different people have different expectations, but having flown through a couple of US airports (Newark and Miami) I wouldn't rush to repeat the experience.

I'm also looking forward to checking out Qantas' new route between Perth and Heathrow next time I go back to the UK. It'll be a 5hr flight to Perth from Sydney, then 17 hrs to London, so around the same total time for flying as going the other routes but the Dreamliners look pretty good. Link

Helith has a new favorite as of 04:58 on Jul 18, 2017

ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


Helith posted:


I totally agree with Qatar and Singapore airlines being the top 2, they are great even in economy and Changi Airport is amazing with beautiful facilities such as a butterfly garden, indoor rainforest, great bars and restaurants, comfortable seating, free wifi etc.


Agree on both. I did Colombo->Doha->Dallas on Qatar and it was very nice. I haven't flown Singapore yet, but i did fly in to Changi once on JAL and yeah it's a solid airport. But then almost all of Singapore is quite nice, really.


Thomamelas posted:

There are lots of reports of people with DUIs newer than five years that have gotten Pre-check.

I'd really like Global Entry, but even just pre-check would be great. I always fly out of my local regional airport and that poo poo owns because a long line is like 5 people, but going through TSA at Dallas when i return is always a pain in the rear end.

I'll may give it a go after all. Thanks

walrusman
Aug 4, 2006

Helith posted:


I'm also looking forward to checking out Qantas' new route between Perth and Heathrow next time I go back to the UK. It'll be a 5hr flight to Perth from Sydney, then 17 hrs to London, so around the same total time for flying as going the other routes but the Dreamliners look pretty good. Link

For my honeymoon we were going to have Dreamliners from Vancouver to Taipei and back, but the outbound got cancelled so now I have to take that cramped-rear end 777 and only get the 787 on the return. Not happy.

I used to really love Lufthansa (like 10-15 years ago), but my parents have had two terrible experiences in the last few years. I don't think I could trust an airline that keeps getting itself 100% ground to a loving halt by labor disputes, cancels flights and just shrugs at you when you ask for a refund. They lost quite a bit of money on nonrefundable hotels and such, too.


edit:

ReidRansom posted:

Agree on both. I did Colombo->Doha->Dallas on Qatar and it was very nice. I haven't flown Singapore yet, but i did fly in to Changi once on JAL and yeah it's a solid airport. But then almost all of Singapore is quite nice, really.


I'd really like Global Entry, but even just pre-check would be great. I always fly out of my local regional airport and that poo poo owns because a long line is like 5 people, but going through TSA at Dallas when i return is always a pain in the rear end.

I'll may give it a go after all. Thanks

Some smaller airports don't have facilities for PreCheck, but that's usually not a big deal. If you apply for (and receive) Global Entry, you get PreCheck automatically.

With the DUI, what you won't be able to get is Nexus. I actually got that recently, because I had used my credit card's $100 offset in order to sign my fiancee up for GE. Nexus's application fee is only $50, and it gives you GE and PreCheck, plus special Canadian land border privileges and some other crap too. The only downside is that it takes for goddamn ever to get approved, and I had to drive to the border to do an interview (which sucked for different reasons). Canada is insanely hostile to people with DUIs, so I doubt you'd even get to the interview stage, sadly.

walrusman has a new favorite as of 05:54 on Jul 18, 2017

HerStuddMuffin
Aug 10, 2014

YOSPOS
Years ago, I won an iPhone in a contest. I didn't care for it, so my wife's aunt who was visiting took it, still in the original packaging, back to Europe with her for some relative. I told her not to put it in her checked luggage so the screeners wouldn't steal it. She put it in her carry on and still managed to have the TSA ex-con at the gate take her bag away and bring it back a few minutes later without the phone. He must have figured, rightly, that an old lady who spoke no English would be an easy target. She didn't notice until she was back home. I hope that guy got to enjoy the phone or the weed he traded it for. Newark is a poo poo airport but my ex wife's relatives are worse.

Platystemon
Feb 13, 2012

BREADS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g44YXk3PWNs&t=21s

Aesop Poprock
Oct 21, 2008


Grimey Drawer
Do train stories count

bewbies
Sep 23, 2003

Fun Shoe
One time I was flying out of El Paso, I was walking down the aisle to my seat when the plane kind of shuddered and then everything shut off. Some maintenance dude got sucked into the engine.

ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


I've experienced my share of "practice landings", but drat, that one just slammed the gently caress down.

SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL
Feb 21, 2006

Holy Moly! DARKSEID IS!

That is loving horrible and I hope it's fake :ohdear:

Okay, sell me on this PreCheck nonsense, because it seems to exist as a way for companies to make additional money to prove I'm not a garbage person who doesn't deserve to fly unharassed. My biggest flying anxieties are all linked to being scanned/beaten/treated like a criminal for some asinine reason misinterpreted by poorly-trained TSA or police. How much does this allow you to skip and how often? Can you be told "tough poo poo" and forced into the regular lines anyway?

I may have to go to Baltimore next April, any recommendations regarding flying in there?

ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL posted:

That is loving horrible and I hope it's fake :ohdear:

Okay, sell me on this PreCheck nonsense, because it seems to exist as a way for companies to make additional money to prove I'm not a garbage person who doesn't deserve to fly unharassed. My biggest flying anxieties are all linked to being scanned/beaten/treated like a criminal for some asinine reason misinterpreted by poorly-trained TSA or police. How much does this allow you to skip and how often? Can you be told "tough poo poo" and forced into the regular lines anyway?

I may have to go to Baltimore next April, any recommendations regarding flying in there?

Really only worth it if you fly a lot, but from what I see, it makes a big difference. You get an expedited line and get a pared down version of the usual security theatre. Don't have to remove belt or shoes, don't have to remove laptop from bag, and don't have to go through the full body scanner. At large airports it really does save quite a lot of time and hassle from what I can tell.

If you're only flying a couple of times a year though, may not be worth the trouble. There's a fee to apply, and then an inconveniently scheduled security interview with TSA goons.

walrusman
Aug 4, 2006

SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL posted:

That is loving horrible and I hope it's fake :ohdear:

Okay, sell me on this PreCheck nonsense, because it seems to exist as a way for companies to make additional money to prove I'm not a garbage person who doesn't deserve to fly unharassed. My biggest flying anxieties are all linked to being scanned/beaten/treated like a criminal for some asinine reason misinterpreted by poorly-trained TSA or police. How much does this allow you to skip and how often? Can you be told "tough poo poo" and forced into the regular lines anyway?

I may have to go to Baltimore next April, any recommendations regarding flying in there?

I would say the cutoff would be if you fly more than once a year. The application fee works out to $17 a year, and presumably each trip you take would result in two passes through security, so two trips a year would equate to $4 per trip through the line. I fly a lot more than that, but that's the point where I would consider it to be paying off; I loving hate waiting in line.

I've rarely seen more than five people in the PreCheck line at PDX, even during the peak morning rush when the standard line is overflowing the roped-off maze. In the main line, you have frazzled moms with strollers, people who've haven't flown since the 80s and have to have every rule explained to them, etc. The PreCheck line has a higher proportion of frequent travelers, experienced people who get about their business and get the hell out of the way. On average, it takes about three minutes, regardless of the state of the main line.

I decided to get PreCheck because I was traveling for work at peak times, but one nice unexpected perk is that my fiancee gets it when she flies with me.

The application process was pretty easy, IIRC. I filled out a form online, standard background check stuff, and waited a few days to be allowed to schedule an interview. The nearest office for that was an hour away, in a strip mall near the airport. I got fingerprinted, but it would be a stretch to call it an "interview." I mostly made small talk with a very informal youngish guy in what looked like a private security uniform, he rubber-stamped my paperwork, and I was out in five minutes. (Note: for Global Entry, the interviews are much more thorough, with fewer locations, longer wait times, and real-deal CBP agents with guns performing them.)

It's a little galling to have to pay and bend over for the privilege of flying like it's August 2001 again, but once you're part of The Machine you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Grem
Mar 29, 2004

It's how her species communicates

Pay homage to Bluecifer or die.

Eat This Glob
Jan 14, 2008

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. Who will wipe this blood off us? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent?

I've only done international flights twice in my life and both times it sucked loving rear end getting through customs. Not the paperwork, but a line that took at least 1.5 hours to get through. Once from China, once from Mexico. I'll have to look into Global Entry even if it's just a trip every year or every other year. That and PreCheck. My wife and I love to travel and now that she's done with school we can actually afford to go places again.

Thomamelas
Mar 11, 2009

SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL posted:

That is loving horrible and I hope it's fake :ohdear:

Okay, sell me on this PreCheck nonsense, because it seems to exist as a way for companies to make additional money to prove I'm not a garbage person who doesn't deserve to fly unharassed. My biggest flying anxieties are all linked to being scanned/beaten/treated like a criminal for some asinine reason misinterpreted by poorly-trained TSA or police. How much does this allow you to skip and how often? Can you be told "tough poo poo" and forced into the regular lines anyway?

I may have to go to Baltimore next April, any recommendations regarding flying in there?

You don't skip the line. Instead you go into a separate line that is generally shorter. In that line you don't need to remove liquids or your laptop from your bag. Nor do you remove your shoes or belt. You go through a metal detector rather than the millimeter wave scanner. Unless you set off the metal detector. And the fee you pay goes to the TSA rather than the airlines. The cost is inline with what a company would pay a PI for a background check, although the TSA one checks a number of databases that most PIs wouldn't. Like the CDC one about if they have forbidden you to travel.

Bamabalacha
Sep 18, 2006

Outta my way, ya dumb rah-rah!

SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL posted:

That is loving horrible and I hope it's fake :ohdear:

Okay, sell me on this PreCheck nonsense, because it seems to exist as a way for companies to make additional money to prove I'm not a garbage person who doesn't deserve to fly unharassed. My biggest flying anxieties are all linked to being scanned/beaten/treated like a criminal for some asinine reason misinterpreted by poorly-trained TSA or police. How much does this allow you to skip and how often? Can you be told "tough poo poo" and forced into the regular lines anyway?

I may have to go to Baltimore next April, any recommendations regarding flying in there?

My parents have Nexus (the Canadian precheck one), but my brother and I don't. We flew down to Florida as a family right around spring break this year, so the airport (Toronto Pearson) was a crowded hellscape, even though all the lines were actually moving at a decent clip.

My parents spent 15 minutes going through security (all they had to do was the retina/thumb print scans, quick check with a border person, then the ultra-paired down metal/carry on scan). My brother and I had to do the whooooole shebang and joined back up with them about 80 minutes after they'd gone through. They'd had a nice breakfast and browsed duty free, whereas me and my brother basically just got time to grab a granola bar.

I signed up for Nexus the day I got home.

mandatory lesbian
Dec 18, 2012
minneapolis airport is pretty good for tsa, i went in a few weeks ago and the tsa took me like, 10 minutes to get thru

it sucks cause ive ingrained getting to the airport super early but i guess i have a little money now to spend on 10 dollar drinks

ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


Has anyone here flown Jetstar? I know it's a budget airline of some sort, but I don't know what to expect. Can't be bad since it's Qantas-affiliated, right? I'm flying to Sydney (16:50 hrs yay) on Sunday and then on to Townsville, and that was the only OneWorld option that didn't require an extra stop in Brisbane.

Flaccid Trip
Apr 29, 2008

Riatsala posted:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta

Stopped there last year to change planes. Very nice airport, easy to navigate. Trains get you around quickly and easily.

Detroit-Wayne is giant, and you will always arrive someplace like C1, and your connecting flight leaves in 30 minutes from C60. Now RUNNNN

DFW is a portal to hell. I have never been not delayed leaving or arriving.

Austin-Bergstrom gas giant security lines for its size.

Chicago Midway - O'Hare's less-infuriating cousin

O'Hare - Portal to hell, Midwest edition

Helith
Nov 5, 2009

Basket of Adorables


ReidRansom posted:

Has anyone here flown Jetstar? I know it's a budget airline of some sort, but I don't know what to expect. Can't be bad since it's Qantas-affiliated, right? I'm flying to Sydney (16:50 hrs yay) on Sunday and then on to Townsville, and that was the only OneWorld option that didn't require an extra stop in Brisbane.

I've flown Jetstar once. They should be fine. They are actually owned by Qantas but are their no-frills budget line, so expect no-frills. Either take your own snacks on board if you think you'll want to eat on the flight or have some Aussie cash or your credit card ready to buy some food on board. You'll get free water. I honestly don't know if the flight will have entertainment. I'd lean towards no and it's a fairly short domestic flight from Sydney to Townsville 2-3 hrs right? So take a book, ipad, kindle or something to do.

You'll land at Sydney International but you'll need to transfer to the Domestic terminal which is in another building to get your Townsville flight. I've never actually done that as Sydney is my home airport. It looks like there's a bus you pay for(which is a bit poo poo as other Aussie airports have had free transfers) or if you are flying Qantas or Virgin they offer a shuttle service.
If you have a biometric Aussie, NZ, UK, Canadian, US and some other countries passport, you can go through the Smartgates for passport control which are a lot quicker than queuing up for border control, though you won't get a stamp in your passport. You'll also have filled in a landing card on your flight in which will ask you all sorts of quarantine and customs relevant questions, so you'll need to queue to hand those in but unless it's busy it's usually pretty quick.

Oh, and welcome to Straya mate!

chitoryu12
Apr 24, 2014

I've only flown commercial once since I was very young, up to New York this past May 31st. I can safely say that other than speed, I don't enjoy a single thing about flying compared to a road trip.

Driving is slow as balls, sure, but you can always share the responsibility with others. You're not restricted to your route so you can pull off for food, restroom breaks, or something interesting you randomly saw at any given time. You can use your phone without having to pay for wi-fi. You don't need to arrive 3 hours early to trundle through a crowded security line and get pulled for an extra pat-down because you left your boarding pass in your pocket on the scanner and they saw the paper in your pants. There's no chance that another driver will suddenly knock on your window as you get ready to leave the house and tell you that your seat has been revoked because the minivan was overbooked and bashing your face into the windshield if you don't cancel your trip.

The biggest thing, though, is luggage. Not only can I take more luggage than I can reasonably carry (plus stuff like a cooler full of drinks) thanks to pulling up directly to my hotel and grabbing a cart, I can buy as much as I want to take home; souvenirs, new clothes, regional foods and drinks (another good reason to bring a cooler!), etc. We always end up leaving with a van or SUV stuffed to the brim with goodies for home.

Basically, if I don't need to be in New York City in 2 hours, driving has so many advantages.

ReidRansom
Oct 25, 2004


Helith posted:

I've flown Jetstar once. They should be fine. They are actually owned by Qantas but are their no-frills budget line, so expect no-frills. Either take your own snacks on board if you think you'll want to eat on the flight or have some Aussie cash or your credit card ready to buy some food on board. You'll get free water. I honestly don't know if the flight will have entertainment. I'd lean towards no and it's a fairly short domestic flight from Sydney to Townsville 2-3 hrs right? So take a book, ipad, kindle or something to do.

You'll land at Sydney International but you'll need to transfer to the Domestic terminal which is in another building to get your Townsville flight. I've never actually done that as Sydney is my home airport. It looks like there's a bus you pay for(which is a bit poo poo as other Aussie airports have had free transfers) or if you are flying Qantas or Virgin they offer a shuttle service.
If you have a biometric Aussie, NZ, UK, Canadian, US and some other countries passport, you can go through the Smartgates for passport control which are a lot quicker than queuing up for border control, though you won't get a stamp in your passport. You'll also have filled in a landing card on your flight in which will ask you all sorts of quarantine and customs relevant questions, so you'll need to queue to hand those in but unless it's busy it's usually pretty quick.

Oh, and welcome to Straya mate!

AH cool I should be good then. I was worried I was in for a Ryanair-like experience. And I've done a terminal transfer there before last time I was down that way flying onward to Darwin. Don't recall paying for it, but I was on Qantas, so maybe that was it. Arriving on Qantas this time also though, so no worries I guess.

Funny story I suppose, last time I was in Australia I arrived during one of the customs and immigration work slowdowns and though I got through pretty quick despite that because of the smartgates, I had also checked on my entry card that I was carrying weapons and anabolic steroids and thought I was going to at least get stopped there for a search, but they just waved me through anyway. It was just a couple of pocket knives and some DHEA, but still. And DHEA is prohibited for import without a license, which I didn't have. Though I did have a note from my doctor that they didn't bother asking for since they just waved me in. OK. Fine by me.

Obviously I'm white so YMMV if other.

ReidRansom has a new favorite as of 01:09 on Jul 19, 2017

Whooping Crabs
Apr 13, 2010

Sorry for the derail but I fuckin love me some racoons
If you hate flying like I do ask your Dr for a prescription for xanax. But only take it for flights, don't drink alcohol while on it, because you will develop a physical dependence with regular use. It's an awesome drug when used appropriately.

I hate United; aside from the newsworthy items I've had flights delayed for hours and hours because the pilot was late and the staff are angry. I usually fly Delta since I've got their credit card and they are pretty good. American airlines is middle of the road; I feel like they have the oldest planes though.

Don't fly any american airline when flying internationally if you can help it; they are all trash tier compared to other national airlines. I've flown Korean Air, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, and British airways and they were all a ton better than flying American or Delta.

Whooping Crabs has a new favorite as of 03:35 on Jul 19, 2017

Sk8ers4Christ
Mar 10, 2008

Lord, I ask you to watch over me as I pop an ollie off this 50-foot ramp. If I fail, I'll be seeing you.
This thread popped up just in time. Flying to Oregon with United next week.

Will report back when I inevitably get sent to the wrong city. :woop:

Aesop Poprock
Oct 21, 2008


Grimey Drawer
I went up to new hanpshire on a train about a month ago and I fell asleep curled up in a ball and when I woke up I realized my foot was on the lap of the hipster sitting next to me and my butt was pressed up against him. I apologized but he said he didn't care and didn't want to wake me cause he could tell I was exhausted so I guess I could count as a mass transit horror story

I was also not wearing shoes at the time I put them in my bag

coolusername
Aug 23, 2011

cooltitletext
I landed at LAX after a 14 hour flight and staggered out like a zombie.. straight into a gigantic queue, because the computers were down and they were doing everyone manually. It took over two hours to make it to the front of the queue, and I got out of customs well past the time when my connecting flight was meant to leave. Fortunately they'd held the plane because the entire flight's worth of passengers was also stuck in the same queue.

Then I flew another 8 loving hours to get to my actual destination.

walrusman
Aug 4, 2006

deathbot posted:

I landed at LAX after a 14 hour flight and staggered out like a zombie.. straight into a gigantic queue, because the computers were down and they were doing everyone manually. It took over two hours to make it to the front of the queue, and I got out of customs well past the time when my connecting flight was meant to leave. Fortunately they'd held the plane because the entire flight's worth of passengers was also stuck in the same queue.

Then I flew another 8 loving hours to get to my actual destination.

Jesus Christ, were you going to Tahiti from Europe?

Zamboni Rodeo
Jul 19, 2007

NEVER play "Lady of Spain" AGAIN!




Last time I went through LGA (back in June), I had troubles coming and going.

On my first layover, going to YUL, they changed my departure gate 4 times. Fortunately, I had an hour to kill between flights (and run back and forth between gates.)

On my return layover heading back home, apparently one of the runways was out of commission and there was a shitton of traffic. We actually deboarded my plane into LGA on the tarmac and had to take shuttle buses to the terminal. The flight that left the gate before mine got delayed by about an hour and a half, but they still expected my flight to board on time. But then I kept watching them move the boarding time further and further back. The gate agent told us that our connecting plane had arrived on time, but they were waiting for clearance to come to the gate. So we waited. And waited. And waited. My flight that was supposed to take off at 5:30 didn't end up boarding until almost 8:00. And once we were on the plane, we got to sit in line on the runway for about another hour waiting for our turn to take off.

So gently caress LGA, I guess is what I'm saying.

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coolusername
Aug 23, 2011

cooltitletext

walrusman posted:

Jesus Christ, were you going to Tahiti from Europe?

Sydney to New York with a pit stop at LAX.

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