Favourite planes

[catweazle]

To get back on topic...... on my trip to Cuba last year, I flew on  Dreamliner, and, thanks to loads of freebies as compensation for multiple cancellations, ended up turning left as I boarded ( first and only time so far).

It was........okay.   I liked the ambient lighting, and the electronic window dimmer. The seat wouldn't recline  properly, and the in-flight entertainment  was very limited.  Not really that special, sadly.

[threechilliman]

To get back on topic...... on my trip to Cuba last year, I flew on  Dreamliner, and, thanks to loads of freebies as compensation for multiple cancellations, ended up turning left as I boarded ( first and only time so far).

It was........okay.   I liked the ambient lighting, and the electronic window dimmer. The seat wouldn't recline  properly, and the in-flight entertainment  was very limited.  Not really that special, sadly.

Premium is a complete waste of money unless you value that feeling of superiority whilst waiting to board. Basically a bigger chair and a drink whilst you wait for cattle class to sort themselves out.

[timsussex]

Premium is a complete waste of money unless you value that feeling of superiority whilst waiting to board. Basically a bigger chair and a drink whilst you wait for cattle class to sort themselves out.

 
My biggest gripe with premium is it attracts the same extra tax as first class so its quite a jump n cost from economy
Flew to San Francisco before COViD out premium and back business overnight on BA 380  and that for me s the best cost/benefit ratio - the le flat bed is a waste in the daytime

[Colston36]

 
My biggest gripe with premium is it attracts the same extra tax as first class so its quite a jump n cost from economy
Flew to San Francisco before COViD out premium and back business overnight on BA 380  and that for me s the best cost/benefit ratio - the le flat bed is a waste in the daytime

Agree. I flew premium each way to LA in December. You pay a lot for a little extra.

[Colston36]

Ok 
to bring the subject back to rides we have been in my top flight was when i was in my late 20`s year old with my 1st wife (Big Titted Blonde Nightmare Bitch) .

A De Haviland Beaver float plane out of Cairnes in Queensland out over the Barrier reef when it was full of life a snorkel then back in time to watch fruit bats flying foxes flying out 40 years ago FFS!

The Reef is now bleached white and fish are few 
The poor Bats have suffered in the Aussie Heat and 1000`s are dead, 
The Big Titted Ex`s gut and the rest of her has evened out  :

after a BBC gave her a donation which he failed to surport ( I still occasially see my ex Mother in law she moans about her daughters choices I dont only time I am pleased to say she was justified in wanting a bigger cock  )

Extremely funny thank you . Made me smile through my hangover,

My best flight, looking back, was almost 35 years ago when I wa living high on the corporate hog, in a seaplane - I think based on the Spitfire - from Sydney Harbour to a restaurant on the Murray River for lunch.

The pilot was an old guy who'd fought in the Battle of Britain. I was with my third, final and most expensive wife and two of her kids plus the head of our Sydney office and his girl friend. We had an astounding meal then flew back. My wife, by then plastered, was allowed to take the controls at one point. They don't build pilots like that any more.

I look back and think my living has not been in vain. She was an amazing fuck but my finances will never recover from the divorce. We still talk - and I derive some pleasure from the fact that she done get fat whilst I'm still frolicking. Threesome on Monday and will review if it's interesting.

[webpunter]

You mentioned BofB
Me Ozzie RAF
We are on the same page

Good luck on the 3sum
& report back +ve or -ve, hopefully the former

Extremely funny thank you . Made me smile through my hangover,

My best flight, looking back, was almost 35 years ago when I wa living high on the corporate hog, in a seaplane - I think based on the Spitfire - from Sydney Harbour to a restaurant on the Murray River for lunch.

The pilot was an old guy who'd fought in the Battle of Britain. I was with my third, final and most expensive wife and two of her kids plus the head of our Sydney office and his girl friend. We had an astounding meal then flew back. My wife, by then plastered, was allowed to take the controls at one point. They don't build pilots like that any more.

I look back and think my living has not been in vain. She was an amazing fuck but my finances will never recover from the divorce. We still talk - and I derive some pleasure from the fact that she done get fat whilst I'm still frolicking. Threesome on Monday and will review if it's interesting.

[King Nuts]

To get back on topic...... on my trip to Cuba last year, I flew on  Dreamliner, and, thanks to loads of freebies as compensation for multiple cancellations, ended up turning left as I boarded ( first and only time so far).

It was........okay.   I liked the ambient lighting, and the electronic window dimmer. The seat wouldn't recline  properly, and the in-flight entertainment  was very limited.  Not really that special, sadly.

Which airline was this? Sounds a bit like Virgin.

As others have said, Premium Economy is a lot extra, for not THAT much more service or space. I've done it a handful of times when the extra cost has been reasonable, but when it's 2x or 3x regular Economy, I don't see the upside.

I've started to resume regular-ish flights to the US, and I've noticed that Economy cabins are still pretty sparsely occupied, with everyone in Premium, Business or First. All the more reason to fly Cattle Class.

[webpunter]

Back in the day went to Vegas for a couple of conventions - boring business stuff, not one of the porn extravaganzas, if only
There was Silverjet & Maxjet business only
Problem is that they went under & the fares sky rocketed
Business was like £7k WTF so went Premium
What i realised was that i was sooo fcuked after nearly a week in Vegas that sleeping was no issue on the way back
Out like a light

On holiday trips have been in planes when economy pretty empty
Fold the arms up on one of the middle rows & there is a flat bed of sorts
Lay down a blanket a couple of pillows & a blanket on top, ta-da
Not much of a difference to 1st & staggeringly cheaper
Plus you ain't bothered by male cabin attendants mincing around & constantly asking if you want anything 

The airlines used to run the flight crew stuff on seniority / long service basis
So women would be effectively penalised if they take a career break to have kids
IMO its business where there is the highest concentration of fit hosties

Cant remember when it was but you could sit at the back & smoke
Me & mates had so many beers the hosties gave up serving us & told us to fetch them ourselves
As with economy less than 50% full they knew they wouldn't run out
But they did mention that if we were wasted on arrival then we could be refused entry @ Passport Control & put on the next plane back

We'd have a bit of a chin wag with them doing some flirtin in the galley at the back
Knowing that a good few of them are utter filth
Not on the flights, but I've banged a couple of fittie 'Speedbirds' 

As others have said, Premium Economy is a lot extra, for not THAT much more service or space. I've done it a handful of times when the extra cost has been reasonable, but when it's 2x or 3x regular Economy, I don't see the upside.

I've started to resume regular-ish flights to the US, and I've noticed that Economy cabins are still pretty sparsely occupied, with everyone in Premium, Business or First. All the more reason to fly Cattle Class.

[Marmalade]

I’ve missed much of the thread thinking it had to devolved to techie stuff, but as it’s getting more inclusive may I raise one or two simple consumer concerns?

Mile high
Mostly of interest to Mile-high members (or would be members) but has anyone compiled a guide to the sizes of long haul economy loos?

I seem to remember that some are slightly roomier than others. One has to prepare for the worst  if the opportunity to comes up  but it’s still nice to have an idea of what the provisions are.

Planes believed to be dodgy / nice
Since the Ethiopia crash I think I’ve taken more interest in the perceived sense of reliability and no way I particularly want to go on a 737-Max or it’s variants. Airbus seem far preferable. I notice American Airlines have put them back in service but travelling with them would be scraping the barrel anyway.

Favourite long haul airlines
The choice is slightly narrowed by where one wants to go but Qatar, Quantas, Emirates, JAL and even BA are to my mind worth paying a bit to fly with. (BA is shit on short haul, but I still like them for long haul). As we go further down the list it becomes more of a toss-up over which sodding transit airports one has to tolerate. So KLM win over AirFrance. Short haul is just a grin-and-bear-it, though I’ve always found Thai Air surprisingly pleasant and the Brussels Airlines unforgivably abominable, like Ryanair but without saving you any money!

Any other thoughts? Favourites? NoNo’s?

[stampjones]

I’ve missed much of the thread thinking it had to devolved to techie stuff, but as it’s getting more inclusive may I raise one or two simple consumer concerns?

Mile high
Mostly of interest to Mile-high members (or would be members) but has anyone compiled a guide to the sizes of long haul economy loos?

I seem to remember that some are slightly roomier than others. One has to prepare for the worst  if the opportunity to comes up  but it’s still nice to have an idea of what the provisions are.

Planes believed to be dodgy / nice
Since the Ethiopia crash I think I’ve taken more interest in the perceived sense of reliability and no way I particularly want to go on a 737-Max or it’s variants. Airbus seem far preferable. I notice American Airlines have put them back in service but travelling with them would be scraping the barrel anyway.

Favourite long haul airlines
The choice is slightly narrowed by where one wants to go but Qatar, Quantas, Emirates, JAL and even BA are to my mind worth paying a bit to fly with. (BA is shit on short haul, but I still like them for long haul). As we go further down the list it becomes more of a toss-up over which sodding transit airports one has to tolerate. So KLM win over AirFrance. Short haul is just a grin-and-bear-it, though I’ve always found Thai Air surprisingly pleasant and the Brussels Airlines unforgivably abominable, like Ryanair but without saving you any money!

Any other thoughts? Favourites? NoNo’s?

My fave airline is singapore. Great service and top hostesses. Emirates is good too. I quite like american although when I flew with them I had a free upgrade to first which was nice. Worst was probably varag I think - Brazilian airline which was very uncomfortable and crap service.

[Thephoenix]

Trips from UK to Australia... favourite airline Cathay Pacific, favourite stewardesses...Thai Airways.
Least favourite were Royal Brunei...used smaller aircraft and flew via Brunei which added to the journey, and the cheapest airline was Garuda Indonesian, which was popular with the backpackers.

Having said that Quantas offered the best choice of stopovers including Bali.

I found the short hall Fokker Fellowships were nice little aircraft flying from Perth up to Port Hedland and other North West town in Western Australia.

[King Nuts]

Favourite long haul airlines
The choice is slightly narrowed by where one wants to go but Qatar, Quantas, Emirates, JAL and even BA are to my mind worth paying a bit to fly with. (BA is shit on short haul, but I still like them for long haul). As we go further down the list it becomes more of a toss-up over which sodding transit airports one has to tolerate. So KLM win over AirFrance. Short haul is just a grin-and-bear-it, though I’ve always found Thai Air surprisingly pleasant and the Brussels Airlines unforgivably abominable, like Ryanair but without saving you any money!

Any other thoughts? Favourites? NoNo’s?

I read quite a few airline and trip reviews, and it seems a great many people make their minds up as a result of one, often minor negative experience. I'm guilty of doing the same too, and occasional past incivility or outright rudeness from flight attendants and other airline employees have often put me right off an airline for some years. Anyway, over the last couple of years I've only flown domestically, on Easyjet (OK, mostly) and Eastern Airlines (not great and v expensive.)

I've done long haul on BA, American, United, Virgin, Qantas, South African Airlines, Japan Airlines and other now-extinct airlines like US Air, TWA, Laker and Pan Am. Never had an appalling experience on any of them, and frequently had an excellent experience. I'm not much bothered about the quality or quantity of food and drink, or inflight entertainment. Two things matter: I like space (as in leg room), and whatever interaction I have with flight attendants I want it to be civil and professional.

On that front, I took a trip to Budapest on BA a while back. Managed to upgrade with some air miles, and sat in the front row while everyone boarded. The senior flight attendant, a chap who looked to be late 50s and with a slightly regal air to him, was a stand-out. Kind, courteous, helpful, and patient with all the incoming, boarding passengers. After take off, he served the lunch and in an utmost professional but still friendly and easygoing manner. I flew back the next day and he was on the same flight. And he was the same. We chatted a bit and he said he'd worked for the airline for something like 25 years.

I know people like to moan about BA, but you'd never see a guy like that working the cabin on an easyJet or Ryanair plane. People like him are an asset to BA. I actually emailed BA the next day, gave them the dude's name, and said the airline should keep him on for as long as you can. HE is the asset you need. Spend money on people like that instead of a load of adverts that no-one ever takes any notice of.

I also like, or used to like, the FAs on American. They tended to be older too, and the women slightly mumsy with their cardigans and generously-cut trousers. They were far better at their job than some 19 yr old dolly in a tight skirt you'd see on Virgin.