Real world pax: What maddens you ?

[Guest bonjourmoi44]

Ok, nothing really maddens me as I know I am going to fly! Nothing like going to the airport, even with all the hoops we now have to jump through. However, there is a very special requirement to not being maddened by the hoops of air travel. I must have a window seat, otherwise my flight is ruined. On most occasions I will have a widow seat reserved at least by departure day. There are those times, though, when it is not possible to obtain the window. I then become very sad and hope for a window on the way back. I will fight for the window seat till the end!!!! (except with my fianc

[Guest Matt Johnson]

I can't say I've had anything which makes me mad about other pax, but I've certainly had a couple of notable flights.Probably the worst flight I ever had was a redeye NW KIAD-EHAM a few years ago. The flight was to be onward to Mumbai after I left in in EHAM, the EQP was something pretty elderly (a DC-10 or an MD-92 I think, but my memory is hazy), and it was full to bursting with crying kids. Not a pleasant experience.In the interesting category... BA from KDEN-EGKK last year (yes, my return flight from the Conference!). To start with, we had a false start due to somebody screwing up the weight calculations for the cargo -- the aircraft got out to the penalty box and got called back to the gate because the dispatcher realized that the cargo loading configuration was crap. Cue a 90 minute delay.Then, as the flight progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that the pax sitting to the left of me is not entirely coherent. Now, given that one is in Coach on a long flight this is not necessarily unexpected :-) -- but this was *way* beyond the norm. It transpired later on that she was a very nervous flyer and had taken some beta blockers before the flight. Ordinarily this would be reasonable, but then she unwisely decided to consume a small amount of alcohol afterwards; not enough to inebriate by any means, but plenty enough to interact with the medicine. Oops. Completely in la-la land. Certainly didn't cause any problems, but, well, not necessarily an experience I'd want again...--M

[Guest]

Must have been a DC-10, that's all NWA takes on to Mumbay from Amsterdam (maybe 330s now as well, but not then).Screaming kids are indeed pretty bad. I've had a similar experience on a NWA DC-10 AMS-BOS once. Must have been a dozen or more toddlers on board, once one of them gets going they all start and this will continue until after landing.#### unless you have noise cancelling headphones (which I didn't have), and especially at night.

[Guest]

I prefer aisle seats because you can actually get up and walk around without having to squeeze past people (who will often be irrate about the intrusion...).On a short hop I don't mind, but if it's over 2 hours or so I just have to walk around or my knees (bad knees...) start to hurt and lock up. Not enough to prevent me walking, but why go through the agony?And as I spend most time in the air reading or sleeping anyway, I don't miss the window.

[Guest ThrottleUp]

------------------------------------------------------------------------I must have a window seat, otherwise my flight is ruined. On most occasions I will have a widow seat reserved at least by departure day. There are those times, though, when it is not possible to obtain the window. I then become very sad and hope for a window on the way back.------------------------------------------------------------------------Hahahaha! You are just like me! I get *really* depressed when Im in an aisle seat!

[cat 2]

It amuses me. Most passengers want to be near to the frontof the plane as possible.This suits me because on the 747-400 the real back seats arethe best! Nobody wants them. They are twos, so you can swap with your partner to get the window or the aisle, there is more room, you can get out real easy, on the 12 hour flight and best of all, you get the best effects from turbulence!!!! Way to go!!!!Peter Sydney Australia

[chumley 0]

HmmmAs I only travel for work purposes and when I do I fly business class as the flights are all greater than 4 hours both Domestic and International.I guess the result of this is that I find it difficult to find anything to complain about.Suffer!!Andy b

[chumley 0]

back seats are safer - when was the last time an aircraft reversed into a mountain.Andy b

[svenks 4]

Hi all,Well, I have a few :(Of course, the first one is the seat-in-your-face type in front of you. Even if a meal is being served, they just recline the seat as far as it will go - FAST. This I consider VERY rude, and I have from time to time had to let the other pax know. The most disturbing part is, they don't seem to think about it.Second, there are some people that just can't sit still! They're constantly twisting and turning. They are a nuisance whether beside, behind (knees in your back), or in front of you (throwing their arms over their head to grab their headrest). Somehow they seem to always get the seat near my wife...LAX-IAD can be very long, and that guy even put his bare(!) feet on the armrest. Maybe he hoped that the stewardess would hit his ugly feet with the cart (which she did), so that he could sue...OK, just one more: Long trip NBO-LGW. FULL plane! I had the middle seat, and this HUGE lady gets the aile seat (in front of me and the missus, we had a seat-in-your-face couple). Of course, there goes the armrest, but much worse: The speaker controls were on the upper side of the armrest and she kept TURNING UP THE MUSIC with her elbow...Finally, after the meal, she placed her tray sticking halfway out in the aile, the steward didn't see it, hit it with the cart, turning it so it knocked over my (excellent!) red wine...all over me...Now, there's a flight, I wont forget!BRGDSSven Sorensen, EKCH

[Guest Tim W]

>An hour of touch and go's and low approaches on the E-3. >Heavies were never meant to do this much transition!>Are you sure you are replying to the correct thread Jeff?CheersTimhttp://members.chello.nl/t.westnutt/realair1.gif

[Misha_K 0]

Cameron, I'm with you on the window seat thing. The best thing about flying is the view. Might as well take a submarine otherwise. I usually reserve a window seat whenever I can or get to the gate early so I can make sure I get one. But recently I flew with LTU for the first time in decades: DUS-YVR. I was really looking forward to this one as there would be spectacular views of Iceland, Greenland and the Rockies. Little did I know that for LTU in Germany you can check in the night before (which all the overeager tourists had done). So despite having arrived early by international standards, every last window seat was already taken when I got to the check in. 10 hr flight, center section, baby! At least I got the window on the way back (no early check in at YVR, suckers!). Though, I'd have to say, my absolute pet peeve is idiots playing with the tray table behind me when I'm trying to get some sleep.

[Guest Madtrapper]

Hi All:Don`t get me wrong ,I like a nice cold beer now and again.But I just hate being next to someone who has had way to much to drink and figures he or she is the entertainment for the flight!

[greggerm 312]

* Those pax who are in a rush to go NOwhere - sit your rear-ends down in the terminal waiting area until your group, row, or section is called. Ugh. You are not going to be left behind. * As mentioned by many above, the reclining-seat abusers. For someone with a 6'3" frame, it's tight enough as it is. * Also, as mentioned above, the passenger who insists the bag will fit in the overhead bin, but we we all know that it's going out the front door with a special little tag attached.* While hardly their fault, I don't like the folks who get airsick. Just a layer of unpleasantness that I don't need to see. * DRUNKMAN! (Or a collection of drunkmen!) The worst I saw was a gaggle of guys heading to Vegas for a party. Annoyed the living heck out of everyone within 10 rows. * Lastly, AGAIN, those pax who are in a rush to go NOwhere! Sit your rear-ends down until the people in front of you have gotten out of their seats and are exiting the plane. Nothing bothers me more than the schmucks who all collectively stand up to get off the plane, somehow not realizing that there is only ONE exit. Probably the same dorks who blitz the boarding line to get onboard first. >sigh<-Germ

[Guest Derek D]

I can relate to the frustration with the window-seat passenger wasting their window. But the thing I've noticed on the many flights I've been on is that the people who enjoy looking out the window are a rare species indeed. It almost makes me feel like I'm diseased because I'm infatuated with the window whenever I'm on a plane.Has anyone ever looked at the passengers during take-off? I swear about 90% look like they have been injected with elephant tranquilizers because they are either falling asleep or reading something (10 seconds into the flight!). Meanwhile, I'm absorbing the excitement by watching the ground grow smaller out the window.A pet peeve I have concerns flight procedures rather than the passengers. I hate how during late night flights the flight attendant comes around and orders everyone to shut the blinds on their windows. Why do I have to shut my blinds, it is pitch black outside? I could at least see the stars or whatnot if I press up against window :-lol.

[Guest]

It's so people can sleep and won't get a rude awakening from a rising sun blasting through a window into their face.