2020 airline pax travel with morons

Here's a link to the latest DOT data on mishandled bags. The report also includes on-time, cancellation, and complaint statistics. The mishandled baggage data begins on page 35.

https://www.transportation.gov/indi...otection/july-2020-air-travel-consumer-report

A mishandled bag is a bag that was reported as lost, damaged, delayed, or pilfered. The data is reported both in raw numbers as well as a rate per 1,000 bags enplaned. The latest data is for May 2020 and reports a mishandled bag ratio of 2.79. That is 0.279% of checked bags being mishandled. That figure is down, due to the reduced flight and travel volume. Last May the rate was 6.26 or 0.626%.
 
In several million miles of airline travel, never a lost bag and delayed maybe 5 times.

Cheers.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Best chance of baggage being at claim before you get there is to have a seat in the last row of a 737-900.
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And for Southwest at BWI stop and have a couple beers.... and a pizza, before you show up at baggage claim.

This is likely to be my first year in more than 35 that I have not gotten on a commercial airline.
 
When I came back from Germany once, I had my wife and Mother In Law with me, so that was not fun.

The airline made the experience even more not fun by sending my biggest bag to GFK instead of GRK. Yep, the German who wrote in curly script on the tag makes his Rs look like Fs.

It took three days to figure out my bag was in North Dakota
 
OP here,
Oh, i forgot! They keep making the seats smaller at the same time that easy cheap food has created an obesity epidemic in the US that is deadlier than Covid 19 by several orders of magnitude. Living in sofla rail travel is just not practical as one has to go through DC to get almost anywhere west of the mississippi. Lived in europe x 6 years and loved rail travel. My dad was an airline pilot, my brother was an airline pilot, my 1st cousin is an airline pilot i flew right seat on part 135 carriers for years. The flying experience was never like this. Not crying in my beer but facts are facts. Sorry if it came out as a rant. Flying my AC 112 TCA from KPMP to KSAC or KABQ once per month considering fuel, time, workload, weather, meals and lodging with precise arrival-departure constraints is not good headwork. Every single point in my op i have experienced 1st hand, many repeatedly. Sadly i don’t see it getting better. My work requires long distance travel frequently and i cannot afford 1st class. I just need to retire. Enjoyed all the great insight and perspective. Thanks!
 
Three days from Colorado to New York by small airplane, I'd do that over flying commercial. Of course I would bump that to a couple 7 hour days of flying and make it in 2. Not sure what you guys find so tiring about flying general aviation, you should try driving that trip once. No days I try to drive or fly GA. I looked at AMTRAK tickets for an upcoming trip ($2000) versus commercial ($1000). No thanks to either. Not for an identical experience, if I'm lucky, as the OP.

Last flight during COVID was to New Orleans, it took 9.5 hours from when I left my house. The airport was stupid, no hot food open because of pandemic. First airline didn't serve snacks, but at least only had two people in a row. Return trip, TSA line was miles long due to spacing and you had people that wouldn't move forward due to fear of being too close to others and only one person of family allowed past the ID check at a time. I have to show up two hours early to make sure I don't miss a domestic flight. Also love that I have to hand TSA my ID, then take my mask down, put it up, then grab my ID (cross contamination). Return flights, I can't remember if they served a snack (I think it was no), but the flight was packed full. At 6'4" I already do not have leg room and the tiny kid in front of me reclined their seat, also not a track star so I didn't have any shoulder room sitting next to someone I assume was a linebacker. Only thing going for me, I purchased a sandwich, share size bag of M&Ms, and a half gallon of water. Took the entire flight to finish it. Of course now I would end up being assaulted and kicked of the plane after I defended myself for such an act.

5.5 hour trip if I went GA including driving to and from the airport, maybe 6 if I include flight planning and preflight.

I have another commercial trip that is even worse than the above story were the trip took almost 16 hours and GA would have taken me 3 hours.

Add to this in GA:
I don't have to worry about checking firearms and what might happen to them if I decide to take any.
I don't have to check a bag and pay extra just to check a bag so I can have a pocket knife or multi-tool at my destination.
I don't have to explain what shooting socks are to TSA and why they are in my carry on or why they might trigger the explosive swab along with my cloths or anything else I wasn't able to wash on the return trip. (I realize this doesn't apply to most)
I dont' have to worry about baggage weight or size, to an extent. If I want to bring golf clubs, its not going to cost extra.
My dad has had his baggage lost so much that he actually ships everything before a flight. He says its cheaper too. I plan on using this if I want to fly long distances with wife and kids.
 
I can recall twice when my checked luggage came on a different flight than I did. Once was when my first flight was delayed an hour +, I had to change to another plane across the airport and was the last to board. I knew there was no way my bag made the connection, and it didn't. The other time was when we had a last second gate change for mx reasons, and most, or all, of the checked luggage came on the next flight.

Amtrak is "fun" for those of use in flyover country. A lot of small towns still rely on that. Sometimes it's even on time. There was that trip last year when the train was 12-ish hrs late. It was the LA - Chicago train (Southwest Chief #4), coming through western KS where my wife got on and then through KC where I was going to pick her up. It left LA on time, got out of town and had engine problems. They were stopped for about 6 hrs waiting on an engine, couldn't get one, and put on a BNSF engine instead. Great. The problem with the freight engines is they have a lower top speed than the pax engines so it lost time every mile and when it hit KC it was 12 hrs overdue.
 
The last time I came back from JNB, my bag made the transfer at ATL before me, and got on an earlier flight. Luckily I knew that from Delta’s app that tracks luggage, otherwise I would have been searching on the carousel. It was waiting in the area for unclaimed luggage from previous flights.
 
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Tantalum said:
Didn't Denver at some point have some state of the art baggage conveyor belt system that was ultimately not used?

PS - I always appreciate a good rant

gratuitous Lycoming/Continental suck..oh and high wings suck too.
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Dubai has the most complicated system IIRC. Lots of conveyors and robots and a rapid response team that has a time limit of just minutes to get any clogs cleared out.
 
Back when I traveled a lot this happened to me only one time.

I got off the plane, walked to the baggage pickup area, found the carousel where I should expect my bag to come out, and the very first bag to come out was mine.!!!
 
You guys have better luck with checked bags than I do. I don't fly commercial that much, but have had delayed bags on at least 4 flights. Never totally lost, just delayed. Fortunately it's mostly on the home trip and other than once they got to me within 24 hours.

That's one reason I like carry-on bags. The other was to teach my kids to pack light. Otherwise they'd be happy to bring 2 weeks of clothes on a weekend trip. o_O Yes, girls. ;)
 
"Captain roger victor" posted this this morning... handed to an AA FA:
FB_IMG_1599242752030.jpg people are the worst.
 
jaymark6655 said:
Three days from Colorado to New York by small airplane, I'd do that over flying commercial. Of course I would bump that to a couple 7 hour days of flying and make it in 2. Not sure what you guys find so tiring about flying general aviation, you should try driving that trip once. No days I try to drive or fly GA. I looked at AMTRAK tickets for an upcoming trip ($2000) versus commercial ($1000). No thanks to either. Not for an identical experience, if I'm lucky, as the OP.
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I'd bump that up to a faster plane and do it in one day. :D

SR22 would do it in under a 7 hour day going east with today's winds. Although going west you still might want to break it up with an overnight. The same could be said for many Mooney/Beech/other faster traveling planes.
 
I've got over 1.4 million miles on UA, and then there are the other airlines. If our planned trip to Mexico in October gets cancelled this will be the first year since 1994 that I haven't travelled internationally. Cancelled 3 planned trips to Europe this year, and one to Mexico in May. Not to mention one to Hawaii and a drive from the PNW to Reno for a symposium that wound up being help on-line. That said...

I have only had bags delayed 3 times that I can remember.

The first was back in 1979 when we flew as a family from Denver to Pullman, WA for Christmas. 3 bags. 1 made it, 2 were delayed. Naturally, the one that made it was the one with gifts, not clothes.

The second was about 15 years ago when I traveled to Penang to teach some in-house classes at Intel. I had a re-route due to mechanical issues that should have left plenty of time at SEA to find my bag and re-tag it. I was re-routed to SFO where I was to pick up my bag, check it in with Singapore Airlines and then continue. No bag in SFO, and Singapore gave me a funny look when I checked in with them. I told them what had happened and that Alaska had managed to lose the back on the first leg. When I finally got into Penang I checked with the person at baggage claim. He checked his computer and said that the bag would be there the next day on the originally scheduled flight (a day late). I told him where I would be staying and the bag was delivered to me the next day. I taught the first day in the clothes I travelled in. I don't know who was happier the second day of classes, my students or me.

The third time was 5 years ago. We flew from SEA to SFO to FRA to DRS. Arrived 8 days prior to a week long symposium in Dresden. My wife's bag arrived, mine did not. I checked with LH to find out where the bag was. They claimed it was in Paris (why, I don't know). I gave them the hotels we would be staying in in Prague, Budapest and Vienna before returning to Dresden. Had the hotels check with them, no bag. Stopped at a couple stores in Prague and Budapest to get some clothes to tide me over. Came time to return home 15 days later, still no bag. During the flight from FRA to SFO a text was sent to me that I got after we landed where LH had found that UA hadn't loaded it on the original flight on the trip and would I like it delivered to my home. 15 days because UA didn't load it and it sat at SEA for the whole time. At least unpacking was easy, everything was clean and folded. LH only provided the legs from FRA to DRS and DRS to FRA, but as the last airline that was supposed to carry the bag they wound up paying for the clothes we bought in Europe. Not fair, but rules are rules.

All in all I can't really complain. Nothing permanently lost, just delayed.

Antarctica is the only continent I haven't been to over the decades. Over 50 countries so far. Oh well...
 
The farts are just a health test. If you can't smell 'em you must have Covid and therefore aren't allowed to fly.

:D

I've got more than 3 million airline miles, probably over 4, and this kind of stuff is commonplace. Haven't flown this year, though, just not worth it. These days, my preferred method of travel is Amtrak - it beats the airlines between DC and NY or NY and Boston, and isn't subject to the same ATC delays (On a return flight from Barcelona 2 years ago, AA canceled my connection to DC at PHL - and put me on a flight the next day, via LGA. After mutter "that's stupid", I booked Amtrak from Philly to DC, canceled that last AA segment, and was on the train to DC before my original flight from PHL was supposed to leave. Made it home for dinner.). The Amtrak sleepers are decent, though a bit more pricy.
 
Ghery said:
I've got over 1.4 million miles on UA, and then there are the other airlines. If our planned trip to Mexico in October gets cancelled this will be the first year since 1994 that I haven't travelled internationally.
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If you're talking about the airline cancelling the flight then you're probably okay.

Mexico travel has been relatively strong. No tight government restrictions like Europe or Hawaii and lots of folks are taking advantage of that to get in a vacation. UA is increases October schedules, as compared to September, too. I think the October schedules have been updated. If not, they will be in a day or two.

Where in Mexico are you planning to go?
 
Larry in TN said:
If you're talking about the airline cancelling the flight then you're probably okay.

Mexico travel has been relatively strong. No tight government restrictions like Europe or Hawaii and lots of folks are taking advantage of that to get in a vacation. UA is increases October schedules, as compared to September, too. I think the October schedules have been updated. If not, they will be in a day or two.

Where in Mexico are you planning to go?
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I've been keeping track of UA flights, not to Mexico, but they have been updating the available flights one month out from departure date. Anything farther than that and they have a much more extensive schedule online.
 
First - The use of the word Moron is inappropriate.

Second - paragraph one:
n2230b said:
The poor single mother with three toddlers occupies the wrong seats
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You checked out the financial status of this person. Or did you mean the "the single mother with toddlers who wanted them seated nearby so she could assist correctly" Why "poor"?

Third -
n2230b said:
The idiot directly in front of you rips ass, (blatantly farts outloud) a physically tangible acid cloud that envelops your entire being, (Oh Lord....my mouth was open and everything...).
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Wow... At what level of IQ and/or education does flatulence go away? I'm obviously not as smart as I think I am.

Going on is a waste of energy.

You're answer is to keep your non-poor, uber-intelligent and supposedly non obese and non-smelly ass at home where you're comfortable.

Problems solved.
 
Ravioli said:
First - The use of the word Moron is inappropriate.

Second - paragraph one:
You checked out the financial status of this person. Or did you mean the "the single mother with toddlers who wanted them seated nearby so she could assist correctly" Why "poor"?
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I don't know the intent of the OP, but 'poor' would be commonly used in situations like this to mean unfortunate, worthy of pity. And that is context dependent...she is no doubt blessed with three wonderful children--trust fund babies, all, perhaps--but when flying commercial and trying to keep three toddlers entertained and not screaming/kicking the seatback for a thousand miles, one might well look at her and think 'that poor mom...'.
 
While @GaryM can argue the context of that single sentence, the overall theme of the original post is that people of "lesser means" and "lesser intellect" are populating major (repeated in capital letters for emphasis) airlines.

Strange thesis.
 
Also a non-commercial flying year for me, first time in I don't know how many decades. But my luggage has never been lost BECAUSE I NEVER CHECK BAGS!! I learned a long time ago that short connections, canceled flights, etc. require me to take all my stuff with me and I travel light for that reason.
 
Larry in TN said:
Here's a link to the latest DOT data on mishandled bags. The report also includes on-time, cancellation, and complaint statistics. The mishandled baggage data begins on page 35.

https://www.transportation.gov/indi...otection/july-2020-air-travel-consumer-report
Click to expand...

I seem to recall that is was Geraldine Jones that made the comment at the baggage claim department, "If you can fly this plane six hundred miles an hour in the dark and find Los Angeles ... you can find my bag!"
 
In retrospect my use of the descriptive term moron was too kind. The behaviors noted in the OP are not only irresponsible and inconsiderate but are in many cases a detriment to good order and pose unacceptable risk to fellow paying passengers. Injury to unsupervised children, inability to evacuate a crippled aircraft, 40 lb carry-ons dropped on your head, misplaced luggage, missed crucial connections, etc.
Airline transportation is much more complex than pvt vehicle, rail or bus. It requires tighter orchestration and dispatch. As seen with ever greater frequency though, political correctness and expediency trumps logic at times. The result is unnecessary chaos. Some posters prefer to take an imagined high road and feel a need to misdirect context and honest critique. Lofty tones obscure and twist the message. In a mission centered scenario, which is the essence of modern airline travel, untoward behaviors are obstructions to safe and timely mission completion.
Better self governed Individual behavior is required. And what’s in your bank account doesn’t abrogate that. It seems those days are gone forever. Out of respect for the readership, I chose moron over numerous and infinitely more appropriate terms fit and unfit to post. Some posters seem very satisfied with the current state of the airline passenger experience. Some posters like their airline travel al dente.

noun
mo·ron
| \ ˈmȯr-ˌän \
Collegiate Definition
  • 1: a very stupid personThey were acting like a bunch of morons.
  • 2dated, now offensive : a person affected with mild intellectual disability.
 
Larry in TN said:
If you're talking about the airline cancelling the flight then you're probably okay.

Mexico travel has been relatively strong. No tight government restrictions like Europe or Hawaii and lots of folks are taking advantage of that to get in a vacation. UA is increases October schedules, as compared to September, too. I think the October schedules have been updated. If not, they will be in a day or two.

Where in Mexico are you planning to go?
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Good to hear. We are looking forward to the trip next month. Playa del Carmen this time. Grand Riviera Princess. We've stayed there before. Very comfortable, all inclusive place.
 
n2230b said:
In retrospect my use of the descriptive term moron was too kind. The behaviors noted in the OP are not only irresponsible and inconsiderate but are in many cases a detriment to good order and pose unacceptable risk to fellow paying passengers. Injury to unsupervised children, inability to evacuate a crippled aircraft, 40 lb carry-ons dropped on your head, misplaced luggage, missed crucial connections, etc.
Airline transportation is much more complex than pvt vehicle, rail or bus. It requires tighter orchestration and dispatch. As seen with ever greater frequency though, political correctness and expediency trumps logic at times. The result is unnecessary chaos. Some posters prefer to take an imagined high road and feel a need to misdirect context and honest critique. Lofty tones obscure and twist the message. In a mission centered scenario, which is the essence of modern airline travel, untoward behaviors are obstructions to safe and timely mission completion.
Better self governed Individual behavior is required. And what’s in your bank account doesn’t abrogate that. It seems those days are gone forever. Out of respect for the readership, I chose moron over numerous and infinitely more appropriate terms fit and unfit to post. Some posters seem very satisfied with the current state of the airline passenger experience. Some posters like their airline travel al dente.

noun
mo·ron
| \ ˈmȯr-ˌän \
Collegiate Definition
  • 1: a very stupid personThey were acting like a bunch of morons.
  • 2dated, now offensive : a person affected with mild intellectual disability.
Click to expand...
Oh brother... Airline travel is just like any other mass body count encounter, whether it be DisneyWorld or a ballgame. You will get all kinds. To pin this specifically on airlines is a bit silly IMO.
 
Kritchlow said:
Oh brother... Airline travel is just like any other mass body count encounter, whether it be DisneyWorld or a ballgame. You will get all kinds. To pin this specifically on airlines is a bit silly IMO.
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Come on man, you are a pilot! Nobody travels on a ballgame or Disneyworld to work out of necessity. And they’re not moving at 600 mph at 35,000 ft. Disneyworld and ballgames are purely elective and discretionary. You choose whether or not to go. If your work takes you 3/4 of the way across the country flying is the only expedient way to get there and back. Not so long ago airline travel was much kinder and gentler and civil. But so was interstate driving. That’s all I’m saying.
 
the entire pricing structure is set by travelers that b...ch that their ticket from LA to NYC was 89 dollars, and don't say squat about paying 300 a month for cable tv.................................
 
I haven't flown commercial for years now, I avoid it as much as possible. I didn't get all this training and buy my own airplane to leave it at home and let someone else do the flying.

To the credit of the unwashed masses though, I can't recall ever having issues with another passenger. My issue is with the entire experience before and after boarding. You have to worry about how and what you can pack. I have to leave a good 3-4 hours before departure time due to a 2 hour drive. Then you have to figure out where you can park without getting ripped off or towed, then how the hell to get to the terminal from there. Then figure out where to get the boarding pass. Then the security checkpoints that make me feel ashamed of my country every time. Then you have to figure out how where in the world your gate is, trek all over the place. Hurry up and wait! Hungry? If you're lucky enough to have time that's great- the restaurants are never serving anything good when I'm waiting. Usually end up going hungry or paying $15 for a glorified gas station sandwich or something. Then the whole herp-da-derp experience of waiting for your boarding group and shuffling through.

Then you cram into your too small engineered discomfort seating... the takeoff and landing is kinda fun if you have a window seat. What little you get to see thoguh your mismatched porthole window.

Then we land, they all stand up and we herp-da-derp gather our bags and slowly shuffle out. Did I mention I often get back pain when standing still or nearly still for long periods? Grr.... then we navigate a new labyrinth to find the baggage carousel. Get that, go wait in a long line at the rental car counter.... walk to BFE to find the car... negotiate obnoxious airport traffic to get out.


Yeah you know what, no. I don't care if I get stranded in podunk, USA for a couple days for weather to pass I'm flying myself. That will be more fun and I won't hate all of humanity after the trip.

/rant
 
Holy cow! It can’t be that bad?! Say it ain’t so!
Turns out I’m the moron for flying commercial in the 1st place!
I got to get in my little Rockwell and rock.
....:rolleyes:i wish i had a personal PILATUS:p:happydance:
(Sung to the tune of oscar myer weiner).
 
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