Your last plane journey

[audigex]

5th July: East Midlands - Venice Marco Polo with RyanAir. We were there way before and the gate wasn't announced until the last minute, so we did our own research before boarding, found out which gate it was going on and dived on first for the emergency exit seats (loads of legroom).

10th July: Venice Marco Polo with BMIbaby. Got even luckier with seats as the people who had paid more for the loads-of-legroom seats at the front had some friends on the flight who were sat next to us, so we swapped.

Legroom is pretty much my only consideration on short-haul flights: I can block out the sound of babies crying with my headphones, I don't buy any of the food (pro tip, there's a Greggs in East Midlands ARRIVALS) or other crap.

[orudge]

5th July: East Midlands - Venice Marco Polo with RyanAir. We were there way before and the gate wasn't announced until the last minute, so we did our own research before boarding, found out which gate it was going on and dived on first for the emergency exit seats (loads of legroom).

Ah, the joys of traditional airlines where you can pick your seat in advance (with help from seatguru.com).

10th July: Venice Marco Polo with BMIbaby. Got even luckier with seats as the people who had paid more for the loads-of-legroom seats at the front had some friends on the flight who were sat next to us, so we swapped.

Wait, so they paid for extra legroom, then went and sat in the rubbish seats? How very strange, even if they did have friends on the flight!

Legroom is pretty much my only consideration on short-haul flights: I can block out the sound of babies crying with my headphones, I don't buy any of the food (pro tip, there's a Greggs in East Midlands ARRIVALS) or other crap.

Hmm, on shorthaul flights, I'm not too fussed about leg room (although I would prefer at the very least a standard seat - I would avoid seats that actually have restricted legroom). Are you particularly tall, perhaps? On long-haul flights, the more leg room the better - and ideally a nice flat bed business class seat, but alas that is just a very occasional luxury for me!

[EXTspotter]

I'm sorry Owen, but some of us mere mortals never get this luxury and have to make do with scum class.

Personally I care more about getting a window seat than what the seat itself is really like. It works out well as if I travel with my family, my dad sits in the aisle seat because he can strech out his bad leg, my mum sits inbetween because she is claustrophobic and somehow sitting between two severely obese people abates this and I get the window so that my parents having to go to the toilet every 30 minutes would not continually have me getting up to let them past.

[buckethead]

I'm usually the guy you see attached to the wing with a rope.

[Pilot]

My Last one was on May 7th of this Year.
From: Doncaster Robin Hood Airport
To: Doncaster Robin Hood Airport
Aircraft: Cessna 150
Seat: Captains
Take-Off: 10:21am
Landing: 10:47am
Reason: First Flying Lesson with DSFS. I really recommened having flying lessons. I Flew the Aircraft for about 15 Minutes of the Flight. And I'm only 13.

[orudge]

I'm sorry Owen, but some of us mere mortals never get this luxury and have to make do with scum class.

Eh, realistically, as I've said before, even "mere mortals" can fly business class without a huge outlay of expense if they try hard enough. It's just most people either a) don't know how to or b) can't be bothered. I wish I'd realised earlier, when I started doing long-haul trips in my student days, what I could have made out of it had I been aware of it! Even if you've never stepped on a plane before (and hence earned no miles), you could go out right now (well, it might take a few weeks for everything to be processed) and get, say, a return business class flight to the US for less than the price of a return economy flight.

(Also, having just watched this weekend's Top Gear, "scum class" amuses me quite considerably. )

Personally I care more about getting a window seat than what the seat itself is really like.

For a short haul flight, I prefer a window seat. Long-haul, I prefer an aisle seat, so I can stretch my legs a bit more and get up and go to the toilet without having to bother people.

[Ameecher]

When I flew Heathrow - Dubai last year I had the 4 centre seats on a 777 all to myself, that was rather nice. Fully flat bed in economy?

[buckethead]

When I flew Heathrow - Dubai last year I had the 4 centre seats on a 777 all to myself, that was rather nice. Fully flat bed in economy?

Happened to me on Bologna-New York. Felt like celebrating my happiness with the bourgeois business class passengers.

[73790]

I been on a plane bout 50 times in my life im 14 years old, so you figure my family travels A LOT thats true.
So ill share my favorite flights or ones i rember, enjoy!

Trip:Philly-Heathrow
Airline:British Airways
Flight No:BA74
Date:4-8-11
Aircraft:777-200
Seat: IDC
Love this one my birthdays on the 11 of april so i got a speical present.

Trip: KJFK-EHAM
Airline: KLM-Royal Dutch
Flight No: I don't remeber
Date: 1-16-11
Aircraft: 747-400
Seat: IDC
Delayed: 3 Hours cause snowstorm

Trip: KPHL-Manchester-Ringway
Airline: US Airways
Flight No: US357
Date: 9-18-10
Aircraft: 757-200Winglets
Seat: IDC
Delayed: N/A

Trip: KPHL-KMDW
Airline: Southwest Airlines(My Favorite)
Flight No: SWA1754
Date: 8-20-10
Aircraft: 737-700 Winglets
Seat: IDC(Wing Seat)
Delayed: N/A

Trip: KPHL-KLAS
Airline: Southwest Airlines
Flight No: SAW362
Date: 7-21-10
Aircraft: 737-700WL
Seat: IDC
Delayed: N/A

Trip: KPHL-KPBI
Airline: Southwest Airlines
Flight No: SAW2738
Date: 4-30-10
Aircraft: 737-700WL
Seat: IDC
Delayed: N/A


I WILL POST More later, once i can find the tickets, and pics!

[audigex]

5th July: East Midlands - Venice Marco Polo with RyanAir. We were there way before and the gate wasn't announced until the last minute, so we did our own research before boarding, found out which gate it was going on and dived on first for the emergency exit seats (loads of legroom).

Ah, the joys of traditional airlines where you can pick your seat in advance (with help from seatguru.com).

10th July: Venice Marco Polo with BMIbaby. Got even luckier with seats as the people who had paid more for the loads-of-legroom seats at the front had some friends on the flight who were sat next to us, so we swapped.

Wait, so they paid for extra legroom, then went and sat in the rubbish seats? How very strange, even if they did have friends on the flight!

Legroom is pretty much my only consideration on short-haul flights: I can block out the sound of babies crying with my headphones, I don't buy any of the food (pro tip, there's a Greggs in East Midlands ARRIVALS) or other crap.

Hmm, on shorthaul flights, I'm not too fussed about leg room (although I would prefer at the very least a standard seat - I would avoid seats that actually have restricted legroom). Are you particularly tall, perhaps? On long-haul flights, the more leg room the better - and ideally a nice flat bed business class seat, but alas that is just a very occasional luxury for me!

I quite liked the choose-your-own-seats jobbie, because it meant that my normal plan-ahead style meant I got a good seat
I was as baffled as you are about the seats - but they wanted to sit with their friends and I wasn't exactly going to complain.
I'm tall but not unusually so - just above average at 5'10-11 ish, I just tend to sleep a lot when travelling, and I find it a lot easier to lean back and have a snooze when I have legroom. I quite like a window seat, because I've not travelled much and it's a bit of a novelty, but it's not that important to me.

[Nawdic]

This is my one and only Jet-oriented flight:

Date: Summer 2008
Easyjet LGW - Budapest Ferhiegy
Aircraft: Airbus A321
No: EZY2773/4
Length: 3 1/2 hours

My other flight would have been a quick 45 min round trip in a Cessna from Biggin Hill, (in '03) round the Dartford bridge and back again... I liked it, only i ended up barfing up every 5 minutes...

That's real "propeller-lag"!!!

[orudge]

Budapest was the first place I flew to "independently", at the ripe old age of 18 with my academic mum back in January 2006. EasyJet from Newcastle. Good times.

[Nawdic]

See, now that's what I want to do...

Cost, and the fact that I have a job hinders the fact, that I cannot go.

Lived in a flat with some friendly kittycats though!

[buckethead]

My first independent flight was when I was 12 or so, Bologna-Amsterdam.

I also remember quite well flying on my own in the States: Indianapolis-Baltimore(AirTran I think), Baltimore-Phoenix(Southwest).

[orudge]

My first trip to the US was the next flight I'd been on after Budapest, in June 2006 - EDI - ATL - SFO, all on Delta. My first time on a widebody, my first time travelling outside Europe, it was thoroughly exciting! Since then, I've been to north east Brazil, Rome, Boston, Toronto, New York, Amsterdam, Brazil again, Minneapolis, San Francisco/Reno again and Paris, all as a student, and then Brazil again, Minneapolis (several times, as I lived there), Amsterdam (for work), Vancouver, Paris (for work), and lately, of course, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Auckland and Hong Kong. I think that's all of them, anyway! Not too shabby for 5 years I suppose! My passport does now have a fairly significant number of stamps in.

[EXTspotter]

I'm well jealous of people with really interesting passports, if only they still got stamped within europe. Anyway I can't omplain I still have the Dominican Republic and the Maldives in my current one...

[John]

I believe across Europe (between non-schengen) you can request a stamp for the passport. Don't know if it is still the case though.

[JamieLei]

I have an odd one in my passport (British passport) when leaving London St Pancras for the Eurostar from the French authorities. No stamp coming the other way though...

[JamieLei]

I just paid to upgrade (using my hard-earned job earnings teaching English) to Emirates business class... - seeming as I probably won't have another chance to experience business class so easily in the next ten years since I don't do nearly as much flying as Owen and co.!

[orudge]

Ooh, nice. On the A380? I'm rather envious! Do provide a report!

Also, forgot to update this with my last flights - ABZ - LHR - BSL - LHR - ABZ on BD in business class a couple of weekends ago, to earn lots and lots of status miles due to a very generous Diamond Club promotion. And then ABZ - MAN - ABZ for the meet last weekend. All flights fine enough. I may post more details when I'm less busy, if anybody truly cares, and I suspect they probably don't.