^ Yep, just like the flight to Fhloston in The Fifth Element - all passengers are put to sleep during the flight as a matter of routine. That would be cool. 
I'm only half joking, BTW.
I'm only half joking, BTW.
Flight delays and other such problems.
- Thread starter Miss Chicken
- Start date
I think you could be arrested upon landing for disobeying a flight attendant under those circumstances today, right?
Burlington, VT to Newark, NJ to Gatwick, UK, via Continental, will live in infamy for me.
As a prologue, I'd started working for a new company 2 months before this happened. Said company was acquired 2 days before my trip, so I already had work-anxiety underlying everything else.
It's about a 90 minute flight from VT to NJ, which will be pertinent.
My flight from Burlington was leaving at 7 pm, with my NJ flight leaving at 10. Plenty of time, theoretically. In fact, I intended to work a half-day, as I figured I would still have hours to pack.
At around 10 am I get an automated call from Continental (only because I'd signed up for notifications) informing me that my 7 pm flight has been canceled. And suddenly I'm in Panic Mode. Called Continental from both my work and cellphones, and after 40 minutes on hold confirmed that while my first flight was canceled due to weather, my second was not. The best suggestion they could offer me was I take a 1:30 flight out of Burlington instead...which already only had Standby seating available.
Work is nice enough to let me out early, and a co-worker is nice enough to drive me home (I ordinarily take the bus). I find out the 1:30 flight has been delayed to 3, pack much more quickly than I intended, and actually stop by the mall to pick up some extra clothes since I suddenly have a surplus of time again. I also have a phonecall with my parents where we discuss the possibility of me driving to Newark, since theoretically I'd have the time to catch my flight that way.
So, at 3 my flight to Newark heads out and I'm finally relaxing. I figure I'll be at Newark by 5, no problem. And sure enough, at 5:30 we land. In Albany, NY. Which is not even remotely Newark, NJ. Yes, we got diverted. And Panic Mode kicks in again, though this time at least it's tempered with a great deal of Resignation. Spent over an hour on the plane doing absolutely nothing, but at least they did let us into the airport for the bulk of our unscheduled visit.
Ended up getting to Newark 30 minutes before my plan was supposed to leave, and the Continetal terminal at Newark is -huge-. The ever so helpful Continental person I talked to said that my best bet for getting on my plane was to get to the gate as soon as I could (clearly a better solution than calling ahead for me or such...(eye-roll)). But I did make it there after more running than I've ever done in my life.
The rest of the trip was good, though my luggage didn't make it when I did, and I almost got turned away at the border. They asked to see my return ticket, which I didn't have since I planned to print my return ticket the day before my flight...welcome to the internet era and all... They also apparently developed some concerns about a guy visiting a guy "friend" in England, and thank God I had my friend's cellphone number on hand, because they thought I might fall madly in love with him and not return when I was supposed to, or such. I shall never forget being utterly frazzled and stuck at Immigration enduring a lecture from a one-armed woman on how I should have been more honest and just said I was hoping for a relationship (I wasn't) because England is far more gay-tolerant than the United States. I also get asked why I -wouldn't- want to stay, especially given I just started a new job, so naturally have absolutely no real attachments to the United States (eye-roll). At least they let me in.
To rub salt in that last particular wound, my last day in England my friend and I are threatened by a homophobic drunkard. Iiiiiiirony!!!!
Anyway, the visit really was totally worth it, but that plane trip was no fun at all.
As a prologue, I'd started working for a new company 2 months before this happened. Said company was acquired 2 days before my trip, so I already had work-anxiety underlying everything else.
It's about a 90 minute flight from VT to NJ, which will be pertinent.
My flight from Burlington was leaving at 7 pm, with my NJ flight leaving at 10. Plenty of time, theoretically. In fact, I intended to work a half-day, as I figured I would still have hours to pack.
At around 10 am I get an automated call from Continental (only because I'd signed up for notifications) informing me that my 7 pm flight has been canceled. And suddenly I'm in Panic Mode. Called Continental from both my work and cellphones, and after 40 minutes on hold confirmed that while my first flight was canceled due to weather, my second was not. The best suggestion they could offer me was I take a 1:30 flight out of Burlington instead...which already only had Standby seating available.
Work is nice enough to let me out early, and a co-worker is nice enough to drive me home (I ordinarily take the bus). I find out the 1:30 flight has been delayed to 3, pack much more quickly than I intended, and actually stop by the mall to pick up some extra clothes since I suddenly have a surplus of time again. I also have a phonecall with my parents where we discuss the possibility of me driving to Newark, since theoretically I'd have the time to catch my flight that way.
So, at 3 my flight to Newark heads out and I'm finally relaxing. I figure I'll be at Newark by 5, no problem. And sure enough, at 5:30 we land. In Albany, NY. Which is not even remotely Newark, NJ. Yes, we got diverted. And Panic Mode kicks in again, though this time at least it's tempered with a great deal of Resignation. Spent over an hour on the plane doing absolutely nothing, but at least they did let us into the airport for the bulk of our unscheduled visit.
Ended up getting to Newark 30 minutes before my plan was supposed to leave, and the Continetal terminal at Newark is -huge-. The ever so helpful Continental person I talked to said that my best bet for getting on my plane was to get to the gate as soon as I could (clearly a better solution than calling ahead for me or such...(eye-roll)). But I did make it there after more running than I've ever done in my life.
The rest of the trip was good, though my luggage didn't make it when I did, and I almost got turned away at the border. They asked to see my return ticket, which I didn't have since I planned to print my return ticket the day before my flight...welcome to the internet era and all... They also apparently developed some concerns about a guy visiting a guy "friend" in England, and thank God I had my friend's cellphone number on hand, because they thought I might fall madly in love with him and not return when I was supposed to, or such. I shall never forget being utterly frazzled and stuck at Immigration enduring a lecture from a one-armed woman on how I should have been more honest and just said I was hoping for a relationship (I wasn't) because England is far more gay-tolerant than the United States. I also get asked why I -wouldn't- want to stay, especially given I just started a new job, so naturally have absolutely no real attachments to the United States (eye-roll). At least they let me in.
To rub salt in that last particular wound, my last day in England my friend and I are threatened by a homophobic drunkard. Iiiiiiirony!!!!
Anyway, the visit really was totally worth it, but that plane trip was no fun at all.
That reminds me of my first (and hopefully only) trip through Newark airport on the return journey from Chicago. Flight delayed due to weather in Chicago (snow) and we were concerned about missing our connecting flight to Glasgow. Incredibly they held the plane for us.
The best part about Newark is having to take a little train from the domestic to the International terminal and go through security - always a joy in America the past few years; especially if you have a 2-year old and a giant stroller/car seat with you.
I ran ahead down the walkway and the woman had just shut the door and was about to move the walkway away from the plane. After being told it was cool from the woman at the gate I had the woman with the little joystick telling me to "stand behind the line sir" repeatedly whilst I was trying to get her to open the door again. The people on the flight were sooooooo happy to see the family with the baby who delayed the flight by over an hour I can tell you!
I've had some doozie flight delays. Back at the end of last year I was marooned in Scotland for a week due to snow. Spent most of it in Edinburgh airport. Oh, joy! Before that I had thought the 8 hour delay I had from Manchester to Kos was bad. Compared to Scotland it was a mere bagatelle. 
Yeah, after the near miss of the connecting flight and the scary landing in Dublin I'm leery of any travel in winter full-stop.
There are two schools of thought for handling crosswind landings. They differ mainly in when you kick out the crab angle.
First, you can crab it most of the way in (nose pointing into the wind). Sometimes passengers don't like this because it feels like the plane is "blowing sideways", but it's actually following the course the pilot wants. The rudder is used on short final to "kick" the nose around to point straight down the runway.
Second, you can bring the nose around when you're further out so it's pointing down the runway. In this method, you maintain the proper course by holding in some bank angle towards the wind, but use the rudder to prevent the plane from actually turning.
The first is, to my mind, safer because you are not cross-controlling the plane for as long (ailerons one way and rudder the other). But the second is often more comfortable for passengers.
As for holding extra airspeed on landing, this is sometimes done in gusty conditions. The slower the plane, the more a sudden gust is capable of pushing it around more than the pilot wants. So long as there's not a runway length problem it's safe.
This was 1978 - 80. I don't know if there even were handhalds at that time, at least within my budget.
I really does take all sorts to make the world go round; I read this with a sense of horror at that much time in airports/planes!
It all feels so... time-consuming. The turning up early, the hanging around, the flight itself, customs, baggage reclaim, transit times, etc, etc. Can't stand all this nonsense.
Why, oh why won't they invent transporter technology?
Yikes!
I think Heathrow operates what is colloquially called "the Heathrow minute" which is a one minute gap between take-offs. Don't know whether that's still accurate or not. I think the two minute gap refers to the minimum distance between planes when in the air, but I'm no expert on these things.
I have had some *good* experiences on planes, actually. When I was looking at colleges back in '87, I flew to Chicago so I could go out and see Northwestern. There were only like 5 people on the whole flight, so they put us all in first class with no extra charge. And the flight attendant was joking around with everyone, although I could have done without snarky remarks like "In case the plane takes a nosedive into the lake, put your head between your knees and kiss your ass goodbye". 
Plus, back before I swore off flying Midwest altogether (because of my aforementioned experience in Milwaukee, although that was more the airport's fault than the airline's), I do remember the chocolate chip cookies.
Plus, back before I swore off flying Midwest altogether (because of my aforementioned experience in Milwaukee, although that was more the airport's fault than the airline's), I do remember the chocolate chip cookies.
Yeah, I can believe that; even if just for the fact that you're actually doing something instead of just sitting there.
There is a small local airport about 20-30 minutes down the road from me. I'm too lazy to learn though. But they do a fair amount of private charter business. If I ever have genuinely large amounts of money to burn, I'd definitely prefer to pay to fly that way to nearby international destinations than waste my time in the big airports.
That's pretty much why I started taking the train to London for training courses instead of flying. The actual flying time wasn't that bad, but by the time I factored in driving to and from the airport, check-in and baggage reclaim I realised it would take about the same amount of time as taking the train only I'd be doing something more interesting than sitting around waiting for the majority of the time.
I hardly ever travel to Scotland but my father has to go to Edinburgh a few times a year. He usually flies but has taken the train once or twice. He reckoned the train journey was about 1-2hrs longer overall, hence his continued flying, but of course it depends on your starting location. Plus, he's a far more patient man than I, so gets less bored in airports...
Off-topic, I like the seasonal update to your avatar. Proper BBQ shirt that is; you'll never see the grease marks against that pattern!
Off-topic, I like the seasonal update to your avatar. Proper BBQ shirt that is; you'll never see the grease marks against that pattern!
Cheers. That's pretty tame for my wardrobe and I wear Hawaiian's year-round. I like to think that I'm internalising summer which keeps me in a perpetually good mood!
No one has stories of being stranded when the volcano erupted in Iceland last year? My dad was supposed to fly back from Mumbai to Chicago with a refueling stopover in Munich when they started shutting down European air space. He went to the airport to catch his original flight from Mumbai, but after delaying it for 4 hours, Air India finally canceled it because they wouldn't have been able to land in Munich. They had no idea when they would be able to fly out, and they only put him up in a hotel when he complained. He said the hotel was pretty fancy but they made him share a room with another passenger.
It took 3 days before he was able to get a flight back to the U.S. The airline managed to re-route to land in Cairo instead of Munich. However, when they landed in Cairo, the local airport staff refused to give him any fuel. The 30-minute stop lasted nearly 4 hours with passengers unable to exit the aircraft.
The worst I've had to deal with was an absurd delay at JFK airport back in 2000. I was coming back from Greece and getting a connecting flight through Chicago. The flight itself was barely 2 hours, but after boarding the aircraft, we were delayed on the tarmac for nearly 4 hours. I actually dozed off at some point while were in line for take-off and woke up when we were finally in mid-flight. At least I was able to sleep, though. I remember that the guy across the aisle from me had to be over 6'5" tall and his knees were up against the tray table. He asked, but they could not let him get up and stretch while the plane was stuck in traffic on the taxiway.
It took 3 days before he was able to get a flight back to the U.S. The airline managed to re-route to land in Cairo instead of Munich. However, when they landed in Cairo, the local airport staff refused to give him any fuel. The 30-minute stop lasted nearly 4 hours with passengers unable to exit the aircraft.
The worst I've had to deal with was an absurd delay at JFK airport back in 2000. I was coming back from Greece and getting a connecting flight through Chicago. The flight itself was barely 2 hours, but after boarding the aircraft, we were delayed on the tarmac for nearly 4 hours. I actually dozed off at some point while were in line for take-off and woke up when we were finally in mid-flight. At least I was able to sleep, though. I remember that the guy across the aisle from me had to be over 6'5" tall and his knees were up against the tray table. He asked, but they could not let him get up and stretch while the plane was stuck in traffic on the taxiway.
That happened to coincide with half-term week in the UK. I can't begin to tell you how many of my colleagues were stranded somewhere in Europe with their families that week.
Most of them were sensible enough to just consider it extra paid holiday time, and extended their hotel bookings by a week, but a few were dedicated (or neurotic) enough to attempt all sorts of convoluted overland journeys to try to get back to work.
In the end, those trips took them so long that they only made it back to Blighty about a day or so ahead of those who relaxed their way through the disruption. Pretty funny, really.
In the end, those trips took them so long that they only made it back to Blighty about a day or so ahead of those who relaxed their way through the disruption. Pretty funny, really.
That reminds me on an experiment that was done a few years ago. I forget what the precise conditions were, but basically Group A had to drive cross-country under stress, trying to cut corners off the journey, dice with the speed limit, and save every second they could.
Group B had to get to the same destination, but were to proceed at a relatively leisurely pace.
The average difference in journey times was negligible, something like 3 minutes saved per hour of journey. Some people in the stressed group also took longer than average as the gambles they took during the journey sometimes backfired.
In the end, those trips took them so long that they only made it back to Blighty about a day or so ahead of those who relaxed their way through the disruption. Pretty funny, really.
That reminds me on an experiment that was done a few years ago. I forget what the precise conditions were, but basically Group A had to drive cross-country under stress, trying to cut corners off the journey, dice with the speed limit, and save every second they could.
Group B had to get to the same destination, but were to proceed at a relatively leisurely pace.
The average difference in journey times was negligible, something like 3 minutes saved per hour of journey. Some people in the stressed group also took longer than average as the gambles they took during the journey sometimes backfired.
Completely off-topic, but is that Chock-A-Block in your av?!
I loved that programme! And Carol Leader. From what I can remember (it's a pretty vague memory now) it was one of a rotating series of programmes in that slot and I was always delighted when it was chock-a-block's turn!
I just googled her to find out what she looks like know... fun fact: she's now a psychotherapist! Wonder what she'd say about my childhood chock-a-block passion.
Don't forget Fred Harris
My memories of the programme are rather vague too, but something I saw earlier this week (an old lady with a yellow mobility scooter) reminded me of the truck the presenter drives in on at the beginning of the programme.
Since the programme focussed on a piece of fictional technology and it's user, it probably appealed mostly to intuits.
Fred and Carol came across as being both knowledgeable and playful, perhaps providing some sort of role model for those of us who see learning and play as being one in the same thing.
