Good/Bad Airline or Airport Experiences - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

dawsongirl · 10-05-2008, 01:44 AM

You know, for as much as they gouge you, they sometimes forget to soften the blow by being friendly and accomodating.

to US Airways to charging $2 for a can of Coke and for hiring the bitchiest women on the planet.

On the plus side, I got lucky at security. I had a tiny bottle of perfume in my purse that I didn't even remember was in there. I put it through not in a plastic bag (oh the horror!!!), and the TSA guy saw it. But, he didn't take it from me; he just kinda scolded me and told me to make sure it's in a plastic bag.

Anyone have anything they'd like to share?

phoebe7165 · 10-05-2008, 10:20 AM

The only bad experience I really had was I bought a cork screw in France, packed it in my carry-on because I thought they had to check things that you bought. They saw I had the cork screw and I had to surrender it to them. This was 2003. I was so pissed because I spent $8 for that!!

Other than that, I haven't really had a problem getting through security or anything like that. I get thru there pretty quick. The only thing that bugs me is still having to take your shoes off when you're wearing flip-flops! I mean come on!!

And I don't understand the whole deal with putting your 3 oz.liquids and it has to be in a big ziploc bag. Seriously how does that deter somebody from making a bomb? You can still get into the bag during your flight!! I just pack all my liquids in my checked bag, and now I'm more conscious what I pack in my carry-on.

I don't know if anybody else has noticed this but in movie & TV scenes, when they're doing a scene in an airport, the person is always waiting at the gate for the other person to arrive. Orlando Inter.doesn't even allow that anymore, ever since 9/11. If you're picking somebody up from the airport, you have to wait in the main concourse. You can't go past the security area unless you have a boarding pass.

dawsongirl · 10-06-2008, 12:59 AM

And the bag has to be a zip top, not the kind you pinch shut. O_O What's the difference??

dawsongirl · 10-06-2008, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoebe7165

I don't know if anybody else has noticed this but in movie & TV scenes, when they're doing a scene in an airport, the person is always waiting at the gate for the other person to arrive. Orlando Inter.doesn't even allow that anymore, ever since 9/11. If you're picking somebody up from the airport, you have to wait in the main concourse. You can't go past the security area unless you have a boarding pass.

As far as I know, they're all like that. Maui, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, Omaha, Kansas City, Des Moines, Denver...I've been in all those lately and none of them were the kind you could get to a gate without a ticket.

I miss being able to see people off at the gate, and then standing there and watching the plane leave.

Schmoopie · 10-06-2008, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

As far as I know, they're all like that. Maui, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, Omaha, Kansas City, Des Moines, Denver...I've been in all those lately and none of them were the kind you could get to a gate without a ticket.

I miss being able to see people off at the gate, and then standing there and watching the plane leave.

I miss this too! Seattle/Tacoma is like this as well!

The only "bad" experience I had was several years ago on a flight to Nashville and then to Dallas. We got to the airport really early and my husband and I shared a bagel. I was just assuming that we would get breakfast or something but the plane went straight to Dallas (a 3 1/2 hour flight) without any sort of meal. All we got was a cookie thing but they would give you all the soft drinks you wanted. I think I had like 6 of those little Diet Coke cups.
Then we got onto a small plane and went to Nashville. By the time we arrived at the Nashville airport, I was feeling a little nauseated, so I took some Tums. Bad mistake. When we got to the hotel, we ate dinner, but I was majorly sick the rest of the time. I don't want to gross anyone out, but it was the kind of sickness where "nothing happens", but you want it to. Okay, here's a hint....

Actually this was the last time I was able to drink Diet Coke (after having drank it for years), because the next morning I opted for Sprite to settle my stomach. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch the next day and I actually ordered chicken soup (it was really good!), because I was afraid I might get sick!

So then on the way home, we stopped in Atlanta, and then they told us that there was no way we were going to make our original flight. We ended up taking a non-stop from Atalanta to Seattle, but it went right back OVER Nashville on the way!

Andrea

Karen* · 10-06-2008, 04:11 AM

Yeah, I have one heck of a story to tell.

This past July, I went to an American Idol concert with a friend in Rochester, NY, and the only flight I could get back home took place the day afterwards with a 7:30AM departure, so I ended up staying up ALL night the night before cuz we came back to her house (Where I stayed) a little past midnight and I knew no way in HELL that I was gonna wake up on time.

So we left the house at 5AM and got there on time for bag check-in and going through security, but when I got there the flight was delayed for about a half-hour.

We all boarded the plane at that time and we were just sitting there for maybe about an entire hour, for reals.

The pilot kept on apologizing saying that they had a mechanical problem. Then once an hour passed, he announced that they finally idenitified the problem and they needed a certain part to fix it, but it had to be flown in from Chicago, so we all had to leave the plane.

Then I went back to the United Airlines kiosk to try to get a new flight for the same day and oh my gosh the line was soooooo FREAKING long. I seriously just stood there for about two hours, I swear ... so I had to go to security again and wait for about another three hours to board. It happened to be the exact same plane I had boarded hours earlier but when the time came to board, it was announced that THAT flight was also CANCELLED because the part hadn't come in yet.

So ... I had to go back to the kiosk a THIRD time and get a new flight, and go through security again. I was able to get on that flight on time, thank God, but it was only a layover from Rochester to Washington DC and from there, I'd go back home to San Francisco.

Landing in DC, I found out that my flight to SF got delayed by about a half-hour, which was fine ... till it got delayed by ANOTHER hour.

Even worse, we all had to move to a different boarding area cuz we had to use a different aircraft.

By then ... I was pretty much DEAD. I had no sleep at all, my phone was going dead since I stupidly packed my charger in my checked bag, and I was hungry and it was like 11:30PM so no food places were open.

In sum ... I was supposed to arrive in San Francisco that afternoon at 12:30PM.

Instead, I arrived there at 3:30AM the NEXT morning.

It still makes me mad just thinking about it.

phoebe7165 · 10-06-2008, 12:13 PM

Wow Karen, the least UA could've done was give you a voucher for all your trouble. I would've said something!! I'm flying with UA for my return trip from CA in Jan. I hope I don't have to go through all that BS on my trip!!

For some reason, that reminded me of another incident. My brother, sister, & I were flying out of Newport News, VA with a connection in Charlotte, NC. When we got to the airport, we were told nobody was flying into the Charlotte because there were bad storms going through. I don't remember if they cancelled the flight or if it was just postponed. In any case, we would've missed our connection. They told us the next flight out wasn't until early the next morning. So instead of spending the money to stay in a hotel for only a few hours, plus like Karen said, we were afraid we would oversleep, too. So we ended up spending the night in the airport. We slept in shifts to make sure nobody stole any of our stuff. I also had to call work to tell them I wasn't going to be able to make it into work the next day, and the boss I talked to starting yelling at me asking "Why didn't you call sooner??!!! Now I have to find somebody to work for you?!!

Like it was my Freakin' fault! I called them as soon as I found out we were going to be delayed. Does she think I like having to spend the night in an airport?!!

dawsongirl · 10-06-2008, 08:17 PM

Ugh! I'd be one hell of a bitch after that day you had, Karen.

Big C · 10-06-2008, 08:41 PM

I have been to some nice airports and some duds:

Bad- London/Heathrow Airport. It has good places to shop and get candy/snacks, but trying to get a good meal is impossible.

Good- O'Hare International Airport. Great places to shop and eat, and it's cool to see the planes at night.

dawsongirl · 10-07-2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FSU

Bad- London/Heathrow Airport. It has good places to shop and get candy/snacks, but trying to get a good meal is impossible.

You'd think that place would be crawling with restaurants.

10-05-2008, 01:44 AM	#1
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	Good/Bad Airline or Airport Experiences You know, for as much as they gouge you, they sometimes forget to soften the blow by being friendly and accomodating. to US Airways to charging $2 for a can of Coke and for hiring the bitchiest women on the planet. On the plus side, I got lucky at security. I had a tiny bottle of perfume in my purse that I didn't even remember was in there. I put it through not in a plastic bag (oh the horror!!!), and the TSA guy saw it. But, he didn't take it from me; he just kinda scolded me and told me to make sure it's in a plastic bag. Anyone have anything they'd like to share?

10-05-2008, 10:20 AM	#2
phoebe7165 Pop Culture Goddess Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 15, 2003 Location: US of A - the country of "really bad music" lovers Posts: 11,600	The only bad experience I really had was I bought a cork screw in France, packed it in my carry-on because I thought they had to check things that you bought. They saw I had the cork screw and I had to surrender it to them. This was 2003. I was so pissed because I spent $8 for that!! Other than that, I haven't really had a problem getting through security or anything like that. I get thru there pretty quick. The only thing that bugs me is still having to take your shoes off when you're wearing flip-flops! I mean come on!! And I don't understand the whole deal with putting your 3 oz.liquids and it has to be in a big ziploc bag. Seriously how does that deter somebody from making a bomb? You can still get into the bag during your flight!! I just pack all my liquids in my checked bag, and now I'm more conscious what I pack in my carry-on. I don't know if anybody else has noticed this but in movie & TV scenes, when they're doing a scene in an airport, the person is always waiting at the gate for the other person to arrive. Orlando Inter.doesn't even allow that anymore, ever since 9/11. If you're picking somebody up from the airport, you have to wait in the main concourse. You can't go past the security area unless you have a boarding pass.
	__________________ Rest in Peace to my Penny-pie. You really were a GREAT dog. I'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge. Penny 9/1/97-12/9/09 Rescued animals make the best pets. Opt to Adopt!!

10-06-2008, 04:11 AM	#6
Karen* paradox. Forum Superstar Join Date: Jan 08, 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 28,365	Yeah, I have one heck of a story to tell. This past July, I went to an American Idol concert with a friend in Rochester, NY, and the only flight I could get back home took place the day afterwards with a 7:30AM departure, so I ended up staying up ALL night the night before cuz we came back to her house (Where I stayed) a little past midnight and I knew no way in HELL that I was gonna wake up on time. So we left the house at 5AM and got there on time for bag check-in and going through security, but when I got there the flight was delayed for about a half-hour. We all boarded the plane at that time and we were just sitting there for maybe about an entire hour, for reals. The pilot kept on apologizing saying that they had a mechanical problem. Then once an hour passed, he announced that they finally idenitified the problem and they needed a certain part to fix it, but it had to be flown in from Chicago, so we all had to leave the plane. Then I went back to the United Airlines kiosk to try to get a new flight for the same day and oh my gosh the line was soooooo FREAKING long. I seriously just stood there for about two hours, I swear ... so I had to go to security again and wait for about another three hours to board. It happened to be the exact same plane I had boarded hours earlier but when the time came to board, it was announced that THAT flight was also CANCELLED because the part hadn't come in yet. So ... I had to go back to the kiosk a THIRD time and get a new flight, and go through security again. I was able to get on that flight on time, thank God, but it was only a layover from Rochester to Washington DC and from there, I'd go back home to San Francisco. Landing in DC, I found out that my flight to SF got delayed by about a half-hour, which was fine ... till it got delayed by ANOTHER hour. Even worse, we all had to move to a different boarding area cuz we had to use a different aircraft. By then ... I was pretty much DEAD. I had no sleep at all, my phone was going dead since I stupidly packed my charger in my checked bag, and I was hungry and it was like 11:30PM so no food places were open. In sum ... I was supposed to arrive in San Francisco that afternoon at 12:30PM. Instead, I arrived there at 3:30AM the NEXT morning. It still makes me mad just thinking about it.
	__________________ karen on \| twitter \| tumblr

10-06-2008, 12:59 AM	#3
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	And the bag has to be a zip top, not the kind you pinch shut. O_O What's the difference??

10-06-2008, 12:13 PM	#7
phoebe7165 Pop Culture Goddess Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 15, 2003 Location: US of A - the country of "really bad music" lovers Posts: 11,600	Wow Karen, the least UA could've done was give you a voucher for all your trouble. I would've said something!! I'm flying with UA for my return trip from CA in Jan. I hope I don't have to go through all that BS on my trip!! For some reason, that reminded me of another incident. My brother, sister, & I were flying out of Newport News, VA with a connection in Charlotte, NC. When we got to the airport, we were told nobody was flying into the Charlotte because there were bad storms going through. I don't remember if they cancelled the flight or if it was just postponed. In any case, we would've missed our connection. They told us the next flight out wasn't until early the next morning. So instead of spending the money to stay in a hotel for only a few hours, plus like Karen said, we were afraid we would oversleep, too. So we ended up spending the night in the airport. We slept in shifts to make sure nobody stole any of our stuff. I also had to call work to tell them I wasn't going to be able to make it into work the next day, and the boss I talked to starting yelling at me asking "Why didn't you call sooner??!!! Now I have to find somebody to work for you?!! Like it was my Freakin' fault! I called them as soon as I found out we were going to be delayed. Does she think I like having to spend the night in an airport?!!

10-06-2008, 08:17 PM	#8
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	Ugh! I'd be one hell of a bitch after that day you had, Karen.

10-06-2008, 08:41 PM	#9
Big C I Heart Angie Watson Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 21, 2006 Posts: 3,531	I have been to some nice airports and some duds: Bad- London/Heathrow Airport. It has good places to shop and get candy/snacks, but trying to get a good meal is impossible. Good- O'Hare International Airport. Great places to shop and eat, and it's cool to see the planes at night.