[Travel] Airports and flying

[chickens]

Thank you all for the top tips, even those who (probably entirely correctly) have noted I’m being an absolute snowflake about this.

I’m still very much with @beorhthelm and @goldstone on the subjects of airports being really badly designed, and manual bag searches really shouldn’t be a thing here in 2023.

However, I know to avoid Stansted, get there early, and to try and book a lounge for my upcoming trip, all advice which will hopefully make things more pleasant.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Let’s be fair, flying cattle class is shit. Short haul no problem, just do what you need to do to get where you are going, by short haul I mean internal continental distances.

Long haul is much tougher, do use a lounge, if you can afford to upgrade then do so (even to Premium Economy helps), arrive in plenty of time, use taxis to and fro instead of rail or buses, prep your security screening by removing belts/watches etc. When on the plane have a couple of drinks at least ( a dose of Nightnurse can help too ) and then use eye pads, ear plugs, music to get some sleep.

Oh, and work the crew to provide the comfort you need and want. You are being charged for it.

 

[jcdenton08]

I take an extra propanalol, have two large glasses of red wine and settle into a Football Manager session. Even on 8 hour plus flights, Football Manager is the ultimate way to “lose time” quickly!

 

[juliant]

Have not been on a plane since before covid. Personally cannot wait for all that hassle in September if it means I get 10 much needed days away with the family

 

[happypig]

Parents who are confined to flying within school holidays can only dream of such an experience.

Five years and counting...

Five years until you are stuck behind dithering pensioners who haven't got a clue how to work check in machines or forget to remove watches/glasses/liquids as required; then when they get on the plane they clog up the aisle while they try to load their oversized suitcase into the overhead locker which is already full of other old gits' suitcases.

Of course you may get in front of me..

 

[SteveU]

Regularly fly out of Gatwick to our house in Spain, easier than its ever been.

Don’t find it inhuman at all. As someone else said it’s as stressful as you make it.

 

[Icy Gull]

I’m with the OP, the experience is one to be endured rather than enjoyed.

 

[tronnogull]

Flying used to be much less unpleasant before bad people started doing bad things.

Just 30 years ago there was none of the security scanning and delay. Arriving at the airport an hour before your flight was loads of time. And you could walk to the gate to meet visitors as they disembarked from their plane.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Only ever flown from Manchester and probably like many never enough staff at case drop/search i/e ten lanes but only three open. Flying Loganair to Io,Man in September and turbo prop short low altitude flight much better than 39K feet in a glorified toothpaste tube. Flown Doha to Auckland just under 18hrs what a slog that was but internal Air New Zealand flights are so straight forward. Online check in and bag drop where your boarding pass is printed and away you go.

 

[Giraffe]

Just been to Florida for 3 weeks. No airport issues at all, breezed through airport security on both sides. Orlando has a new terminal which BA fly to and this was a much improved experience on previous visits. Large, spacious, and not overly busy. A delight.

*note Bozza's comments regarding being out of school time which undoubedtly makes a massive difference in all things.

 

[Weststander]

London City airport is less overwhelming, albeit with far fewer destinations.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

Speaking for myself, the one delight of the covid lockdown was that there was no risk of having to go to an airport and fly anywhere.

I’m not a nervous flyer, but I absolutely loathe the entire airport process, being herded about like cattle and then moved from one waiting area to another. Queuing and then queuing again. I find it unbelievable that airports haven’t found better, less intrusive ways of managing security and keeping people moving than the current systems.

I’ve deliberately avoided flying post-Covid, and haven’t missed it at all, but now my partner informs me that a trip that requires flying (to visit family) is on the horizon. Has anything changed?

Am I being a precious snowflake by being so annoyed by the whole airport circus, or do others find it equally inhuman and frustrating?

Are some airports better than others?

And yes, this is absolutely an idle off-season post to pass the long weeks until we’re back in action.

I think you are being a bit if both, I do understand your reasons for hating it. But I absolutely love the whole experience, the excitement, 4am pints, the foight itself and holiday.

I have to say, Gatwick Airports organisation has improved immensely and it is now much more enjoyable, probably the smoothest I have seen it. Plus there is always stuf to do there whilst waiting for your flight.

Probably saying this with tinted specs as I live and breath the industry for work and learning to fly.

 

[Happy Exile]

I fly a bit with work, 6 flights this year, every single one delayed by an hour or more. This is short haul, budget airlines so I guess it depends a bit on where you're going and who with but I'll happily never fly EasyJet ever again if I have a choice. It's not so much the delay but the lack of any kind of communication about the fact it's happening, or why, or about gate changes, or apologies.

 

[Jim in the West]

I used to work in aviation, and still have a soft spot for the industry....but I find I'm enjoying flying less and less, and also becoming a lot more aware of the hellish future that climate change is creating. So I've just been to Bergen and back by train/ferry. Amazingly, pretty much everything (16 different trains and two ferries) went to plan. And the whole travelling experience was great - especially in Norway. The scenery was stunning. And the beauty of a train or ferry means you actually arrive in the centre of the city. Of course you still need to go through security and wait around a bit when leaving and returning to the UK (via Eurostar), but it's definitely less hassle than an airport. If you live anywhere near London then taking the train instead of a short-haul flight is worth considering. It won't be cheaper, and it won't be quicker, but it's a completely different, more pleasant experience. And better for the planet.

 

[Comrade Sam]

Whilst I have flown to around 50 countries, I have never been a fan. However, I see it like putting on a condom. Whilst you don't want to do it, you're only doing it because you're about to have a great time!

My family hate flying so much that this year we're doing a 6 city whistle stop tour of Europe by train.

 

[PeterT]

Speaking for myself, the one delight of the covid lockdown was that there was no risk of having to go to an airport and fly anywhere.

I’m not a nervous flyer, but I absolutely loathe the entire airport process, being herded about like cattle and then moved from one waiting area to another. Queuing and then queuing again. I find it unbelievable that airports haven’t found better, less intrusive ways of managing security and keeping people moving than the current systems.

I’ve deliberately avoided flying post-Covid, and haven’t missed it at all, but now my partner informs me that a trip that requires flying (to visit family) is on the horizon. Has anything changed?

Am I being a precious snowflake by being so annoyed by the whole airport circus, or do others find it equally inhuman and frustrating?

Are some airports better than others?

And yes, this is absolutely an idle off-season post to pass the long weeks until we’re back in action.

I did hear it said that instead of killing Bin Laden, they should have made him go through airport security on a perpetual cycle, enough punishment for anyone I would think!

 

[dsr-burnley]

I flew to America via Dublin last month, and security at Leeds took 9 minutes from joining the queue to fastening my shoelaces afterwards. It's a million miles better than Manchester.

As for Heathrow, I went through security twice (once at terminal 3, once at terminal 5) when misreading the timetable one time, and it was so-so.

As for Manchester, awful. Allow an hour for security and be thankful if you achieve it. One of the rules at job interviews for Manchester Airport security, is that if you smile, you don't get the job.

Once I'm through security, I read a series of books for 9 hours. Fortunately I can do that. I agree with the OP, flying is not an enjoyable experience, it's a very boring one (boring is what I hope for - whatever you want on a flight, it isn't excitement!!!).

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Have to admit to a weird sort of affection for Gatwick. On one level it's a humungous impersonal people processor. Yet on another level it's our Local Airport For Local People. Know so many friends and friends of friends who have worked there, mainly in security and immigration, and they almost all have/had great affection for the place. I guess in the end it's part of many of our life stories, and I for one feel really fortunate to have a really decent international airport on my doorstep. All that, and endless budget airline opportunities courtesy mainly of Easyjet also

 

[PeterT]

I actually really enjoy flying and the airport experience, once through security. Been to 90+ countries and plenty of them multiple times.

To enjoy it more I try to park within walking distance of the terminal, if possible and generally only if it’s a short haul flight, pre-book a seat wherever I can and avoid the busier travel times particularly around school holidays. I also try to avoid the real low level budget airlines, EasyJet I’d put in the category above that and normally ok for me.

I don’t read a lot but do find it helps on a flight, particularly one of a few hours.

If it’s a long haul flight, I’ll research the plane I’m travelling on and pick a recommended seat - sometimes you have to pay for that but it’s really worth it for several hours of comfort. It can change, but then you’re no worse off than if you hadn’t done anything. Knowing when airlines are open for bookings also helps, if you can plan that far ahead, and often flights come on sale at midnight ~350ish days in advance for the scheduled airlines so if you are organised enough to know the ones you want that far ahead then you can often get first pick of the best seat.

But ultimately it helps if you can just chill and go with the flow, and not get too stressed by it all. If you hate flying to start with that’s not going to help you much!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Regularly fly out of Gatwick to our house in Spain, easier than its ever been.

Don’t find it inhuman at all. As someone else said it’s as stressful as you make it.

True. But if you fly from an airport, or fly a route, very often it helps. You get to know how to navigate the airport efficiently, learn short cuts (eg know which gates your plane will go from, and you can cut your timings to the minute.