Please god of shuttles and airlines: stop this~

[+ Tygerscent]

When we all have to sit sideways to accommodate… 🥴🤷‍♂️

Edited January 6, 2023 by Tygerscent

[MscleLovr]

I sympathize @Tygerscent I guess you were feeling frustrated, but was it the shuttle bus or the aircraft seating that upset you?
 

For years now, people have complained but they buy airline tickets primarily on price. The constant desire has been for lower prices. Luckily, in North America and Europe, safety standards have been maintained and are higher than ever. Otherwise, space for seating and the quality of catering have declined markedly. 
 

And during the pandemic, I warned friends to prepare themselves for much higher prices for flights. It seemed obvious to me that as pent-up demand for travel soared, airlines would seek to restore their profitability and rebuild their balance sheets. Capacity is limited. I’ve noticed already that for longhaul flights I’m paying 60-80% more than before the pandemic.

[+ Tygerscent]

Both~ 😂🤣😂 Both were ridiculously tight~ 

 United flights are a “tight” fit. Delta flights are comfy.

 I typically fly Econ + or  business but, opted for an earlier flight out of SFO and got stuck in Econ… even the Econ + was cramped and people were bitching about it… 

 The shuttle was tight because they added an additional row of seating leaving zero leg room~ I literally could not sit straight forward and had to turn my entire body sideways to fit in the seat. 

 Honestly, when your knees are touching the seat in front of you and the person next to you, I feel safty is compromised. 
 
 What’s really become stupid expensive, (but less provisional service wise and standards wise), are hotels… I try not to use them anymore… dirty, run down, cramped spaces but, more expensive…  
 Now I rent apartment spaces because they have kitchens, in-room laundry and offer a large space for myself and guests. aaaaaaaaaand, no resort/destination fee~ 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Tygerscent

[+ Pensant]

6 hours ago, MscleLovr said:

I’ve noticed already that for longhaul flights I’m paying 60-80% more than before the pandemic

Largely true, but I just booked biz class to Hamburg with return from Prague for less than I’ve paid in the past.

[MscleLovr]

More than ever, I think that this year it pays to be savvy - book well in advance, travel at less busy times on unpopular days of the week etc. 

I just booked using points 2x business class round trips East Coast-Europe in early Summer. And I’ve booked some flights within Europe for a little less than I paid in 2019 by choosing flights out of smaller airports and travelling midweek.

[+ Coolwave35]

How timely lol. I’m in the exact situation now agitated lol. 

[+ nycman]

5 hours ago, Coolwave35 said:

How timely lol. I’m in the exact situation now agitated lol.

Funny, you don’t look “agitated”….

Oh…..”agitated”..…”aroused”.….I get confused.

Never mind. 

[+ José Soplanucas]

I am in the poor wing of the forum. I cannot afford business or first class. I travel pretty comfortably in the Economy Plus section. United and American have this hybrid class that gives you extra legroom and better service, and usually boards with group 4 or 5.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

9 hours ago, José Soplanucas said:

I am in the poor wing of the forum. I cannot afford business or first class...

I learned years ago to replace the phrase "I cannot afford" with "That's not my priority".

I travel business class, because that is a priority to me.  But I drive a 14 year old automobile  and stay in the cheapest rooms in hotels and cruise ships.   A new automobile is not a priority to me.  A balcony or window on a cruise cabin is not a priority to me.  But the extra seat width and legroom and service on a flight is a priority to me, and I can't have that unless I give up something else that is less of a priority to me.  Hiring a goodlooking man for massage or escort is a also priority for me.

Edited April 7, 2023 by Vegas_nw1982

[jt30331]

I totally agree with this mindset: 

Quote

I learned years ago to replace the phrase "I cannot afford" with "That's not my priority".

 

[+ tassojunior]

Congress actually had an opportunity this summer to instruct the FAA that the super-tight seats in coach are a safety hazard (they are) and after most House members claiming they supported it, it failed. (the old say one thing, vote the opposite so everyone likes you).) Especially for big people. older people, and older people of age, those seats can not only be painful but deadly. The FAA/Dept of Transportation should be doing this on it's own.

Airlines have made most of their profits for years by baggage fees. But now that fewer people risk checking bags, they're gouging for slightly roomier seats. I just got a RT to LAS and LAX on American coach one way and Delta coach the other. Upgrading to Coach + on AA was $50. On Delta it will be $160 each. To be fair, when I called the Delta csr did give me two aisle seats that were not showing online for free.

Also just brought some friends over from Prague on KLM. Non-US airlines without massive credit card rewards cards are much easier to upgrade or buy coach + seats. From AMS to DC it was $100 to get a coach+ seat on a transAtlantic flight. Exit rows were free as standard seats, and Business was offered as an upgrade from coach for $700 at check-in.

When I fly DC to London I always use Virgin with super cheap coach awards and every time recently I get $200 upgrades to PE. US airlines are the worst ! 

There's also a site that does auctions for upgrades on many non-US airlines. Haven't tried it yet but i think it's googlable what upgrades often cost in auctions. Trick seems to bid a little over minimum since so many bid that. At the flight desk they may still be cheaper, IDK. 

Air France/ KLM has a 25% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards through May 15 and they also have many business flights to Europe for 56K , which works out to 42K Chase points. Really hard to beat. They also have plenty of coach awards from/to many cities in the US, like DC, for 12.7K miles or 10K Chase points. How I'm flying all my guy friends from Prague this summer. 

Partners | Plusgrade

WWW.PLUSGRADE.COM

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by tassojunior

[+ José Soplanucas]

On 1/7/2023 at 1:41 PM, Coolwave35 said:

How timely lol. I’m in the exact situation now agitated lol. 

As I shared before, I cannot afford business. Look at all the room I got in the United's extra legroom class. Even better, this was the first flight since the end of the lockdowns that was not full, and I had two seats for myself.

I do not know how tall you are (I am 1,76 m), but even in regular cabin class, Brazilian LATAM seems to give more room than whatever airline you flew in:

I just endured the flights and thought of the rewards waiting for me at Rio. First night:

Edited April 9, 2023 by José Soplanucas

[SirBillybob]

2 hours ago, José Soplanucas said:

I just endured the flights and thought of the rewards waiting for me at Rio. First night:

Like, praying for divine intervention will stop this~

Edited April 9, 2023 by SirBillybob

[+ tassojunior]

Just landed Vegas from DC on AA and exit row coach seats were just $51 additionzl each transcon.

[+ azdr0710]

On 4/9/2023 at 12:51 PM, tassojunior said:

Just landed Vegas from DC on AA and exit row coach seats were just $51 additionzl each transcon.

 

you both have your legs crossed at the ankles.....I think there was a recent thread about what that means! 😁

[Guest]

Yes, the legroom in American Airlines' Main Cabin Extra section often exceeds that of domestic First Class. I keep telling myself that when I don't get upgraded! 😃 Also, drinks included, but you just have to ask for extra bottles of the Tito's vodka with your bloody Mary mixer can, because they won't keep coming to you, unlike 1st class. 

[mike carey]

I agree with @Unicorn that AA MCE has quite adequate legroom. I'm not sure I'd say the white wine was anything more than adequate, but hey, it worked at the time! (Booking on AA's AU site - which I had to to use an AU CC - I had to buy it by sector not for the whole trip, so paid the $AUD50 for the three hour sector but not the MIA-MCO one.)