Any of you hate early AM flights as much as I do?

[Guest]

While I'm not a fan of early morning flights I'll take that over a red-eye anytime.

 

I'm sorry, but any flight that leaves before 8 AM is a red-eye. Unless you can sleep on the plane, it means landing at the destination in a groggy state.

 

 

Not that I'm a fan of red-eyes either. But at least with those, I can medicate the hell out of myself when I get on the plane, and do OK when the plane lands.

[Rod Hagen]

I prefer the early flights. Leave LAX at 6:30am, arrive NYC 2:30p and you have the whole afternoon ahead of you. Leave LA at 7:30 and arrive Hawaii, what, like 11am or something. Awesome. Leave LAX 6:30 am and on the slopes in Colorado or Utah before noon! International Northern Hemisphere flights on the other hand have to depart b/w 7 pm and midnight, otherwise my first day is ruined.

[Rod Hagen]

Unless you can sleep on the plane, it means landing at the destination in a groggy state.

 

Caffeine and momentum will keep you going. (I'm a bit of a spazz. I'll get in the car 3:30 am, arrive at Mammoth when the lifts open, board all day, eat out that night, down a capful of benadryl that night, sleep deep, do it again.)

[tedbear]

The only direct flight from Nashville to LA leaves at 6:30 am. I'm a two-hour drive from Nashville, so I go down the night before and hire an escort there to start my vacation early. Then at least I'm happy when I have to get up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to make my flight.

[rvwnsd]

The only thing I dislike more than early morning flights are evening flights that turn into red-eye flights plus a bus trip because Hooterville-By-The-Sea International Airport closes at 12:30.

[samandtham]

I always take the first flight out when I'm going to my destination, and the last one when I'm returning to regularly scheduled programming.

 

Very simple reasoning for both: I'd like to be able to do something on my first day, and not just waste it decompressing or getting into vacation mode.

 

Conversely, I almost always end up doing something memorable on my last night (big dinner, crazy party, whatever) that if my flight home the next day occurs in the morning, I would most likely miss it. So to be safe, I take a later flight so I can give myself time to recover.

[+ Charlie]

One of the problems with living in Palm Springs is that there are no direct flights to the east coast, so in order to arrive there at a reasonable hour, one must leave here no later than 7am, and change flights somewhere in between. For example, last week, in order to get to Pittsburgh for dinner, we had to leave here on a 6:59am flight. It's not too bad in the summer, when it gets light here between 5 and 5:30, but I hate getting up in the dark in the winter to go to the airport.

[+ stevenkesslar]

I am a total morning person. If you expect me to be coherent you had better contact me before 9:00 p.m. With that said I ALWAYS seek out early morning flights if possible. I fly United to Puerto Vallarta, twice a year, because they have an early flight leaving LAX at 7:55 a.m. With a flight out of LAX at that time I have to get up at 5:00 a.m. to get to the airport. I love this flight because even with the time difference, two hours, I arrive by 1:00 p.m. That allows me time to get to the condo and then go to the grocery store and liquor store and stock the place. I hate arriving at my destination in the late afternoon or evening as I feel I have wasted a day.

 

How gracious of you not to point out that your frequent flying partner is NOT a morning person and hates the idea of dealing with airports, or anything, or anyone, at 7 am.

 

All of this is mitigated by being a perfect mileage whore. Case in point: this morning, despite a 6:30 am flight we (my traveling companion is also a United mileage whore) got to go through the fast track lanes in Budapest and Brussels, got to use the VIP lounge in Brussels (good for coffee and orange juice suffused with vodka), got upgraded to Business class to Chicago (free movies, wine, food that was actually edible, and sleep), and despite having to fly cattle car Chicago to LAX at least I get to hang out at the United lounge and drink their shitty free margaritas before I finally get home at midnight and crash.

 

Proving that if you have to fly at 7 am, it is always better to do so with an experienced whore, even if you do have to drag his ass out of bed.

[+ stevenkesslar]

One of the problems with living in Palm Springs is that there are no direct flights to the east coast, so in order to arrive there at a reasonable hour, one must leave here no later than 7am, and change flights somewhere in between. For example, last week, in order to get to Pittsburgh for dinner, we had to leave here on a 6:59am flight. It's not too bad in the summer, when it gets light here between 5 and 5:30, but I hate getting up in the dark in the winter to go to the airport.

 

Which leads me to another piece of advice.

 

I spent my 20s living and working in Chicago during which I traveled for work on planes a lot, often weekly. Try that at O'Hare at 7 am in the Winter during a snow storm.

 

I'd say if you are going to do it right, move to Palm Springs. I can leave my house in a t shirt, even in the Winter, drive a mile or so to the airport, where there is rarely a line, and the only thing I really have to worry about is what the weather is like where I am going. And if I do that right I'm in Mexico or Florida when I arrive. Sorry, Charlie, but if this is suffering, please - torture me all you want.

[+ Charlie]

I am spoiled, because I lived most of my adult life on the east coast, where I could saunter to the airport as late as noon, and still be in San Francisco for the opera, or go out to the airport after dinner, and be in Europe for breakfast.

[+ Charlie]

I am spoiled, because I lived most of my adult life on the east coast, where I could saunter to the airport as late as noon, and still be in San Francisco for the opera, or go out to the airport after dinner, and be in Europe for breakfast.

[+ stevenkesslar]

I am spoiled, because I lived most of my adult life on the east coast, where I could saunter to the airport as late as noon, and still be in San Francisco for the opera, or go out to the airport after dinner, and be in Europe for breakfast.

 

Don't worry, Charlie. You're not alone.

 

I guess I'm spoiled, too.

 

All my adult gay life, I could do what was already mentioned above: stay up all night at a gay sauna or sex club in San Francisco, or New York, or Chicago, or New Orleans, or somewhere, and then leave at dawn and catch a morning flight and sleep, or possibly instead find some guy at the sauna to go home with and be in his ass for breakfast.

 

I guess that means that a 7 am flight is no worse than a 7 am fuck, huh?

[samandtham]

I am spoiled, because I lived most of my adult life on the east coast, where I could saunter to the airport as late as noon, and still be in San Francisco for the opera, or go out to the airport after dinner, and be in Europe for breakfast.

 

Well said! I, too, am an east-coaster. I never thought of things that way, though, especially that part about leaving JFK at 8PM and being in France for breakfast.

 

The opposite holds true, as well. I can leave CDG at 6PM, and I'll be at the Big Apple in time for (slightly late) dinner.

[+ Gar1eth]

... got to use the VIP lounge in Brussels (good for coffee and orange juice suffused with vodka), got upgraded to Business class to Chicago (free movies, wine, food that was actually edible, and sleep), and despite having to fly cattle car Chicago to LAX at least I get to hang out at the United lounge and drink their shitty free margaritas before I finally get home at midnight and crash.

 

What!!! No Bloody Marys in either Europe or Chicago -how ghastly!!!

 

All my adult gay life...

 

Did you ever have a non gay adult life? Do tell inquiring minds want to know!!!

 

 

Gman

[Epigonos]

In order to accommodate Mr. Kesslar’s aversion to early morning flights I have just canceled his portion of the flight arrangements I had made for our Puerto Vallarta excursion scheduled for November. I have instead purchased a bus ticket for him which departs from the downtown Los Angeles Greyhound Depot at three in the afternoon for the forty-four hour trip to P.V. This arrangement will allow him to get all his beauty sleep and not require him to rise and shine early for the lousy flight out of LAX

[+ Gar1eth]

In order to accommodate Mr. Kesslar’s aversion to early morning flights I have just canceled his portion of the flight arrangements I have made for our Puerto Vallarta excursion scheduled for November. I have instead purchased a bus ticket for him which departs from the downtown Los Angeles Greyhound Depot at three in the afternoon for the forty-four hour trip to P.V. This arrangement will allow him to get all his beauty sleep and not require him to rise and shine early for the lousy flight out of LAX

 

 

What a great client. Here you are thinking of Steve's comfort rather than him thinking of yours.

 

Gman

[mike carey]

Having done the bus trip from Los Mochis to Mazatlan and on to Guadalajara, I am sure this is the best arrangement for his trip to Puerto Vadjarta.

 

(The deliberate misspelling of the last word was for the benefit of latbear4blk, I may well have misspoken!)

[Guest]

In order to accommodate Mr. Kesslar’s aversion to early morning flights I have just canceled his portion of the flight arrangements I had made for our Puerto Vallarta excursion scheduled for November. I have instead purchased a bus ticket for him which departs from the downtown Los Angeles Greyhound Depot at three in the afternoon for the forty-four hour trip to P.V. This arrangement will allow him to get all his beauty sleep and not require him to rise and shine early for the lousy flight out of LAX

 

If you want to pay him his daily rate to be on a bus, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Factor in the first day, and that's nearly 3 days' pay for being on a bus. I can't speak for Greyhound, but Mexican long-distance luxury bus services are VERY comfortable. The bus fares aren't expensive either, though you will have to pay for his meals. Of course, I do realize you're talking tongue-in-cheek. What you really mean to say is "You know, Mr. Kesslar, how I hired you from November 12th to the 18th? Well, guess what. The 12th will start at 3 AM for you, so that you can gt up in time to catch that 6:20 AM flight I've arranged." It's exactly the same rationale used by those bastards who employ my friend, when they have him take a 6:20 AM flight: "Hey, we're paying him by the day, so why should we care about his comfort? If we have him take that flight, he can make the late afternoon meeting on the east coast! That flight's $100 cheaper, too! Hurray!".

Now when I do long-term hires, I never treat my escort like that. I never do long-term hires without a short-term hire first, so the escort can meet me, and get an idea of what he's getting into. As a result, I pay substantially less than the fees the escorts usually quote. I let the escort know that I want the trip to be enjoyable for both of us, and then I carry through with my word. Therefore, the escorts very much look forward to the next hire, and the rates stay quite reasonable.

The friend of which I spoke at the beginning of this string is now working for his company for the 2nd time. He left them a couple of years ago just because they treat him like that, in order to work for a start-up company which treated him better. As it turned out, that start-up company went belly-up and consequently laid everyone off. It's a testament to my friend's good work that the company where he was previously working created a position for him (and was bugging him to come back all along). But treating an employee without regard to his feelings or well-being does not endear the employee to his employer, and it certainly doesn't instill loyalty.

I'm sure Mr. Kesslar will take that early AM flight if that's what you dictate. Will he be a lot happier, more eager, and less cranky, and less groggy if you have him take a 10 AM flight instead? Almost certainly.

[Guest]

Mexican luxury bus service:

http://transportespublico.blogspot.com/2012/01/etn-dos-pisos.html

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q46uk_b7myk/UOcpzN05kgI/AAAAAAAAIuc/xJOZREvOebk/s1600/Morelia_Michoacan_Mariposa_14.jpg

http://www.molaviajar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/autobuses-ADO-platino.jpg

 

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LR5gTv0Iatg/hqdefault.jpg

[gallahadesquire]

The only direct flight from Nashville to LA leaves at 6:30 am. I'm a two-hour drive from Nashville, so I go down the night before and hire an escort there to start my vacation early. Then at least I'm happy when I have to get up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to make my flight.

 

Locally (BOS and PVD airports), if you spend the night, you can leave your car at the motel for up to two weeks, free. Not necessarily the safest area, but cheaper than parking at the airport.

Unfortunately, due to ... bad personal experiences, I have a paranoid fear of Providence, RI.

[gallahadesquire]

Just a general comment ... I flew BOS to SEA for Thanksgiving quite a few years ago. I think I got up at 2:00 for a 6:15 am flight to Cincinnati, connection to SEA.

My Hosts said they went to bed at midnight PST, and almost called me, as they knew I would be getting up.

 

I have a 45-60 minute drive to the airport. I was amazed at how many people were there, when security opened at 5:15.

 

The Boston Airport Hilton (which allows free parking, I think ...) is a great place to stay at the Airport and get to the Church On Time.

[Epigonos]

Unicorn I NEVER pay escorts for time in transit to my location only for time spent with me once they arrive at my location. Thus since Mr Kesslar's time on the road to and from P.V. by bus will be approximately four day and his time with me will be three days I will happily pay him for those three days.

All kidding aside, although Kesslar spends a considerable amount of time whining about having to get up so early to get to LAX on time he is really a good sport about it. I, by the way, am such a sweetheart that I even stop on the trip to the airport to buy him a LARGE coffee and a doughnut so he can survive until we reach the United Lounge.

[+ Charlie]

Locally (BOS and PVD airports), if you spend the night, you can leave your car at the motel for up to two weeks, free. Not necessarily the safest area, but cheaper than parking at the airport.

Unfortunately, due to ... bad personal experiences, I have a paranoid fear of Providence, RI.

There are also hotels/motels near LAX which allow you to park for free if you stay for one night at the beginning or end of a trip. Since I am flying from LAX to London later this month, I have made a reservation at a nearby Courtyard by Marriott, so I don't have to drive back to Palm Springs when I get off the long return flight from London late at night, and I can leave my car at the hotel the whole time I am gone, at no charge.

[Epigonos]

Actually Charlie Kesslar and I so something similar. An early Saturday morning drive from my place to LAX takes only about 35+ minutes. Kesslar drives from Palm Springs to my condo the previous evening and leaves his car at my place. The next morning I drive to the airport where I pay about $100 for a week of valet parking at 105 Parking. Being a control freak I like the idea of having my car available to drive home upon our return.

[Guest]

Unicorn I NEVER pay escorts for time in transit to my location only for time spent with me once they arrive at my location. Thus since Mr Kesslar's time on the road to and from P.V. by bus will be approximately four day and his time with me will be three days I will happily pay him for those three days.

All kidding aside, although Kesslar spends a considerable amount of time whining about having to get up so early to get to LAX on time he is really a good sport about it. I, by the way, am such a sweetheart that I even stop on the trip to the airport to buy him a LARGE coffee and a doughnut so he can survive until we reach the United Lounge.

 

Well, I'm glad he's a good sport, but I can't imagine there are many escorts who would be willing to travel for four days and not be compensated for their time. I'm curious as to the responses of any escorts following this string. Would you be willing to travel and not get paid for it? I just don't see the point of torturing someone to make them wake up at 3 AM instead of 7 AM just so you can get an extra fours hours of his time. Why would you make him do something that you know he really hates? When I travel with escorts, I ask for their input, such as where they might want to eat. I've gotten thank you letters (well, e-mails--who gets an actual letter these day?) from escorts telling me how much they enjoyed our time together. You can afford to be a little kinder with your escort. I hope that maybe next time you will be.