I would but there is nowhere to go...

"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
06/03/2020 at 16:15 • Filed to: None

For the first time in 8 years I have not flown anywhere for work or pleasure for a 3 month stint . It was March 5 when I steeped off of an E175 at Glacier Park Airport. Little did I know that would be my last trip for a while.

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DISCUSSION (36)

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:20

I’m planning on it good sir.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
06/03/2020 at 16:23

I am hoping I can do a California trip this fall. My employer still has us working from home for the moment and is doing a transition back to the office very slowly.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:25

Er, TOILET PAPER— by which you mean returning to an era of being treated like a fecal smear, even as the whole customer experience goes down the drain? Because, after 4 million miles, that is what dealing with the airlines is to me.

In fairness, I’m breaking my 4 month “separation” (“it’s not me, it’s you. We need time apart, United and American...”) next week to fly to DC for a silly work errand, but I’m not really looking forward to it.

I’m planning to wear a mask, elbow length welding gloves and full face shield. TSA apparently doesn’t mind.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:27

Yes how much spare money do you think all these people who have been minimally/not working for three months have?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
06/03/2020 at 16:28

Darth Vader helmet for me.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
06/03/2020 at 16:29

I could be wrong but I think my buddy with SWA is still getting paid for minimum hours even if he doesn’t fly per the union contract.

PowderHound > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:31

I haven’t flown for vacation in a very long time. I had two trips planned this year that were cancelled so I will not be buying plane tickets but I do have vouchers

Brickman > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:32

Nope, im not riding in a tin sausage tube with jet engines filled with dirty nasty coughing folks. :)

MonkeePuzzle > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:33

no thanks.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:34

That's good for him. Not everyone is as lucky.

HammerheadFistpunch > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:36

It’s a nice thought...but no.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Brickman
06/03/2020 at 16:42

They claim the air is clean and such but one sick person is going to ruin it all for the entire cabin.

The Ghost of Oppo > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:44

Yeah cause those two things are remotely close in price.

facw > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:47

I hear Sicily is going to be subsidizing tourists. Tempting...

I’m not sure I have enough validity left on my passport to go anywhere though (expires in September), need to get on renewing that.

arl > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:51

God bless ya’ man.

I hate flying and the airport experience with every fiber of my being. Once I retire I hope to never board another airplane again (unless it’s for w eddings or f unerals - and even then it has to be for immediate family or someone I really, really like ).

jminer > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:53

I’m with you on the reduction in travel not for quite as long a stint as you. The first week of march I was in Cleveland but since then has been my longest time not traveling for work in 5 years, it’s strange.

I do think that the airlines should get some serious help from the fed government as they are something we take serious advantage of and are a major part of how business is conducted. They’re not quite as critical as the federally managed interstate system but close. At the same time there should be improvements and targets attached to it for things like efficiency and pollution to push us all into a cleaner world. Something like the France plan of bailing out airlines but getting them to fly less for routes that are easily replaced by trains.

Ultimately we need a large scale plan to manage infrastructure and transportation but the odds of us seeing that is unlikely unless we have a total collapse of the economy requiring something like a new deal scale of planning and public works.

Michael > Brickman
06/03/2020 at 16:54

Regardless I always leave the overhead air on full blast, aimed just to the other-passenger side of my head, to act as an air curtain. People are gross. I didn’t need their germs before all this mess.

Aremmes > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 16:58

I’d buy airline tickets like I bought toilet paper if airline tickets cost as much as toilet paper. Given there's nowhere to go, I'd also use airline tickets like I use toilet paper.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > jminer
06/03/2020 at 17:01

Yeah this is so weird . I’m not used to having so much time at home.

ttyymmnn > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 17:04

Trump suggests purchasing a planeload of cheap tickets to aid the airlines

Maybe that headline should be edited to read “buttload”

jminer > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 17:07

I usually travel 1-2 times a month for 2-3 days at a time. It felt to me like just enough time to break the monotony of it all and see some new interesting places and eat some unusual food.

My job mostly took me to major cities like NY, Philly, Boston and SF but with occasional diversions to places like Helena MT or Denver. We also used to have a pretty permissive travel policy that let you do things like easily extend a trip for personal time and only pay the extra nights in the hotel and difference in airfare but they changed it last year requiring advance approval from management and accounting making it a pain to mix work trips with personal.

fintail > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 17:13

Indeed. I s houldn’t be frivolous these days, but the idea of getting away for a bit is attractive. Sadly, not many places I can go where I’d really want to go, and even once I got there, it might be awkward.

I had a weird dream not long ago - Trump unveiled some kind of bailout/subsidy for the travel industry, and part of it was everyone was entitled to a $198 roundtrip to anywhere in the US or Europe (for some reason) to encourage people to travel . My thought was “I’m going back to Prague!”. Then I woke up.

Textured Soy Protein > jminer
06/03/2020 at 17:14

I’d be ok bailing out the airlines if there were a bunch of strings attached that outlawed a bunch of their bullshit luggage/change/cancellation fees, and mandated a minimum seat width and pitch.

jminer > Textured Soy Protein
06/03/2020 at 17:21

That’s a solid point. I’m spoiled because I fly southwest 95% of the time and they’re pretty good on all of the above. I’ve never had a flight canceled, 2 bags are free, only weather related delays and even for my 6' 2" 210 # self the seats aren’t bad. Just so you don’t think I’m just lucky I fly round trip 15-18 times a year with them. They also board quickly and have very helpful and pleasant staff.

I’ve also adjusted my flying strategy - I always check a bag so my backpack can go above me leaving floor room in front of me and I always go aisle seat which gives me the opportunity to stretch my legs easier on longer flights.

Textured Soy Protein > jminer
06/03/2020 at 17:27

I try to stick with Southwest for the same reason, and I do the same with checked bag, although I keep my backpack under the seat in front of me so I can access my assorted tech and snacks and whatnot. Although I suppose on a longer flight I could remove what I need and keep it in the seatback pocket then stash the bag up above.

Most all of my flying is for personal travel so if I end up on another airline it’s because SWA doesn’t fly that route, or some other airline is way cheaper . Since I don’t have any kind of status with the other airlines it sucks paying baggage fees, stepping up from basic economy to regular economy just for the privilege of reserving a seat, and waiting until my boarding group “2 ” can finally board after all the other 37 un-numbered priority boarding groups for credit card or status holders, which is only made worse because so many other people are trying to stuff suitcases overhead to avoid baggage fees.

ranwhenparked > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 17:39

I’d love to, but where is there to go? International borders are closed, a lot of states are still discouraging/restricting domestic travel, and most of the stuff you’d want to visit/do is either closed, or under severe capacity restriction, and, of course, all events are cancelled. The most you can do is maybe sit in a hotel room and eat pizza, can’t even walk around downtown and see the sights, since most downtowns are burned out ruins right now.

Tentatively planning a trip to Florida in December, but not even booking flights until the last possible minute, when I know for sure its happening.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 17:44

Pretty much as soon as South Korea or Jap an lifts their mandatory quarantine I’ll be looking into buying tickets.

Vietnam would be another option - even though I went last year it really amazed me. Somehow they have zero reported COVID deaths (although that was as of last month).

One thing I’m not interested in is flying domestically, especially since I did round- trip Ottawa-> Vietnam then Singapore-> Ottawa for a little bit more than the cost of a Ottawa->Vancouver round-trip.

Nauraushaun > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 18:08

I feel like doing this would line the pockets of airlines and their employees which is sort of good, but also the huge amount of air travel in recent years is real bad for the planet and probably not sustainable.

Probably it’s best if we don’t buy that many tickets.

CompactLuxuryFan > gin-san - shitpost specialist
06/03/2020 at 18:27

Vietnam was very successful handling Covid and didn’t get very much credit it seems. They kept things going but had robust contact tracing and a very strict quarantine for anybody who may have been exposed. One of my friends who is a teacher there ended up living in a government quarantine camp for two weeks because she had been physically present in the same space as somebody who ended up testing positive.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > CompactLuxuryFan
06/03/2020 at 18:35

That’s what I had read, too. South Korea was frequently named for its response but Vietnam took it to another level.

Vietnam and Taiwan did a fantastic job. I thought Singapore had done a good job, but it’s strange since they had tens of thousands of confirmed cases but a very low number of deaths.

It is weird that they weren’t brought up much despite their successful handling of the situation.

ranwhenparked > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 21:34

Unfortunately, that may only last until the federal Paycheck Protection Program loans run out. A friend of mine works for Delta out of Miami, and they’ve all been told to expect mass layoffs in September if there isn’t a sign of significant rebound during the summer, as that’s when their cash runs out - they’re burning through something like $50 million a day right now.

Under_Score > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 22:03

I’d love to use low prices and the paranoia of others to fly somewhere for the first time. But you see, I’m doing this thing called work now, where I go to a place for multiple hours per day. I also have this thing called a car that will cost $710 per month with insurance, and that’s after my mom used a down payment to pay for half the car.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/03/2020 at 23:29

At the end of march when everyone was canceling plans, singapore had round trip tickets for 600 from the east coast. it was tempting.

Forrest > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/04/2020 at 01:53

I used to fly 50k miles a year. I am done. The pandemic helped me to realize that I can do pretty much everything I need to do without leaving the house, much less leaving the country. And, I think I will always be fairly germophobic now. I used to fly frequently, and I got colds and flu often, even through I got flu shots. I haven’t been sick in months.

tl;dr i won't horde plane tickets lol

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/04/2020 at 03:11

I know how you feel. Last month was the first time since I can’t remember when that I’ve paid retail for liquor - that’s what duty free is for.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
06/06/2020 at 13:14

Do they still sell those “use at anytime” for a flight tickets?