...being a GA Private Pilot and flying yourself there: Priceless

It's all about themselves. People only worry about their own needs,no longer are people courteous ,or polite. It's all about them. What about all the other pax that where aboard?
 
It's too bad the woman chose to continue the fight when provoked which lost her the high ground. Using one of those knee defenders is a total d-bag move, even more so in economy plus where you actually have pretty decent leg room already. Refusing to remove the device when instructed by a flight attendant is even worse and the guy might have actually faced some repercussions had not the other party ruined it by throwing water on him. Made it too easy for the cops and airline just to kick them both off rather than dealing with the "look how important I am" guy.
 
I would have done the same thing. By FAR you have the right to obey a legitimate command by a member of the flight crew.
 
I will fly my little Cessna for hours and hours before I will pay for two hours on Cattle-Air.

It's more expensive to fly your own plane, but it's worth it.
 
I'd have smiled politely, pulled out my phone, turned on the video camera, and asked the attendant to ask the guy to remove the device again.

If he complies, no problem - seat goes and stays back the rest of the flight.

If he doesn't - I enjoy his arrest once we land, and happily provide the video to the authorities.
 
Maybe, but if up to me airline seats would not be able to recline. Second the cattle-air comment. Sadly, flying commercial is a Greyhound bus with wings. Long ago, i told the boss do not send me on any travel that I cannot drive to.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Sadly, flying commercial is a Greyhound bus with wings.
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I disagree. Greyhound had more legroom, was quiet enough to allow sleep, didn't charge extra for a carry-on, and at least you knew going in that the guy in the next seat might be crazy.
 
My first experience with airline travel was 747, ATL to DFW. Half the seats were empty, they served a full meal enroute, and was quite the pleasurable experience. (This was "coach class") The return trip was same, but with several more full seats.
My last experience was DEN to ATL, With a 4 hour stop at CHI. Packed in like sardines in an Embraer, and a sody pop, I hadda buy the JD to wash it down with.
It was very cramped for my 6'2" frame, and the fat lady next to me was too large to allow me to get up, and go to the john. I suffered through it, and swore "Never Again"
Had I flown myself, I'd have gotten home in time for a late lunch, or early supper. As it stood, I got home about 1:00 am. And the cost would have been Darn well worth it.
I did actually manage to combine the two, (GA, and Commercial) once, and came out cheaper, and faster.
 
Well, this certainly begs the question - Did the guy who insisted on using the "knee defender" recline his own seat?
 
PW_Plack said:
I disagree. Greyhound had more legroom, was quiet enough to allow sleep...
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Which you'll need since it's gonna take you three days to get where you're going.

People love to complain about it but you can board an airliner and be virtually anywhere in the world in half a day and I think they have completely lost the concept of what actually just happened. The world has shrunk in their minds but in reality it hasn't at all, it's still enormous.
 
Silvaire said:
Which you'll need since it's gonna take you three days to get where you're going.

People love to complain about it but you can board an airliner and be virtually anywhere in the world in half a day and I think they have completely lost the concept of what actually just happened. The world has shrunk in their minds but in reality it hasn't at all, it's still enormous.
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:yes: Nailed it.
 
onwards said:
I'd have smiled politely, pulled out my phone, turned on the video camera, and asked the attendant to ask the guy to remove the device again.

If he complies, no problem - seat goes and stays back the rest of the flight.

If he doesn't - I enjoy his arrest once we land, and happily provide the video to the authorities.
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Of course in this case the women set herself up for charges by throwing water on the guy. I am surprised that the guy did not press charges when they landed.
 
One way to look at it is the woman took one for the team and maybe got a miscreant's attention when it comes to disobeying the directions of a flight attendant. Too bad the other pax had to suffer.

It would have been better if the flight attendant had instructed the miscreant that he would be detained by the feds in Denver if he did not comply with FA request. The woman could have been offered a refund or a nice voucher for her trouble if the miscreant did not capitulate. Pax arrive on time, miscreant gets to "enjoy" his flight and deplane first with the authorities if he persists.

I would be annoyed, too, if my rear neighbor squished me into the seat in front of me with no recourse. I'm tall, too, but that's no excuse for incivility.
 
Or maybe the man and woman were working together so they could get off at the diverted to airport because no other airline went there?

You think paying to ride on an airline is bad, try being a company non-rev. I was getting tossed off a flight one time after engine start and push back. It was due to overweight condition. The airplane, not me. The FA lowered the rear stairs, told me sorry but have to do it. I understand. As I walked back all the passengers were staring at me, wondering what I did. As I passed by, I said "This is what happens when you don't put your seat back in the upright position." Everyone quickly checked their seat.
 
Zeldman said:
You think paying to ride on an airline is bad, try being a company non-rev. I was getting tossed off a flight one time after engine start and push back. It was due to overweight condition. The airplane, not me. The FA lowered the rear stairs, told me sorry but have to do it. I understand. As I walked back all the passengers were staring at me, wondering what I did. As I passed by, I said "This is what happens when you don't put your seat back in the upright position." Everyone quickly checked their seat.
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:rofl:. I've seen non revs get to their seats, bags put away, then told to get off the plane for paying passengers
 
Many years ago the plane was down for maintenance so I decided to take the airlines from IAD to PVM with a change of planes in PHL. I get to IAD and notice my first leg is delayed. Ask the dweeb at the ticket counter if this is going to be a problem with my connections, no.
Get to the gate, ask the agent there. Yes it is a problem. Try several other reroutes. Finally gives me a cab voucher to go catch a 1PM flight at DCA. Drive to DCA. Get caught in the horrendous mess that is US Air checkin (mind you I have a United ticket and none of the automated options works). Finally that plane departs 2PM to meat my next connection.

About 45 minutes into the slightly over an hour flight, the captain makes a cabin announcement: our position is now over the Appleton VOR. Crap says I, the Appleton VOR is over in the middle of Ohio what the hell are we doing there. Arrive late. Fortunately don't miss our connection. Sitting on the connecting flight, we're held on the ground way past our departure time.

Another Captain announcement....seems the little door they open to service the lavatories won't latch so they're taking it off ... after a slight pause he qualifies that as being an approved repair. Hour late departure. Arrive PVM just before midnight. Was supposed to have been there at 2PM. Have missed the rehersal dinner. Could have driven it faster. Weather is beautiful, would have been a nice 3 hour flight in the Navion...ARG....

Fortunately my mom snagged some lobsters from the rehersal dinner and we end up sitting in the condo at 1:30AM eating reheated lobsters.
 
I like what the guy at the end of the video said, "You're sitting in a chair in the sky."

My family likes our four chairs in the sky. It is usually cheaper for the four of us and a whole bunch more fun. Newark to Denver is about 10 hrs of flying, 1 or 2 stops depending on winds and $600 in fuel.
 
I liked what the old lady said "People pay for their seats and they want to push it backward or forward, that's their God given right." First, God given right?! I hate when ignorant people use catchphrases. Second, And yet I paid for my seat also and I don't want to have to contort myself so you can fool yourself into believing that you're somehow more comfortable.

I'm 6'4" and have never leaned my seat back except to see what it was like. There is no difference, except that you pi$$ off the person behind you. It's amazing that people get so worked up over the ability to "recline" their seats a measly 2 or 3 inches. It doesn't bother me when people in front of me recline unless I'm caught off guard and they crush my knee with the metal seat frame. Well, it does bother me. Sometimes it really hurts.

If I'm in an isle seat, my legs are forced into the isle and people have to dodge around them. I don't cram them in unless the FA asks me to, then I mention how I have to put them there because the seat in front is reclined. And if you're in a window seat, your a$$ is that much closer to the poor sap you have to climb over to get to the bathroom. I think that they should just disable the recline altogether.
 
txflyer said:
I will fly my little Cessna for hours and hours before I will pay for two hours on Cattle-Air.

It's more expensive to fly your own plane, but it's worth it.
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That's where I'm at too, haven't rode a commercial airliner since 1999. Read an item in the paper just recently where some of the cattle (oops, I mean passengers) were denied boarding passes because they tried to check in less than two hours prior for a flight of a duration of just over one hour :rolleyes: .....no wonder the general public has gotten such a sour opinion of "airports" :mad:
 
peerlesscowboy said:
That's where I'm at too, haven't rode a commercial airliner since 1999. Read an item in the paper just recently where some of the cattle (oops, I mean passengers) were denied boarding passes because they tried to check in less than two hours prior for a flight of a duration of just over one hour :rolleyes: .....no wonder the general public has gotten such a sour opinion of "airports" :mad:
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I still get a chuckle over seeing videos of people in the 40s, 50s, and 60s dressing up to fly because back then it was something special.

LOL. How things change.

The company I work for now is the only one I've been at (3.5 years now) where I haven't had to do any business trips at all. I hate commercial air travel, so any way to get out of it by ducking business trips is fine by me.

Last air travel I did was December when I fly across country to visit family in Florida.

I'm looking forward to getting back to Colorado and starting my training so hopefully down the road I never have to fly commercial again, unless I'm going international. I don't care how many hours, days, or fuel costs a trip in a GA plane might take me across the US, if/when I get my PPL and my own plane, I don't ever intend to fly commercial again.
 
LoneAspen said:
I still get a chuckle over seeing videos of people in the 40s, 50s, and 60s dressing up to fly because back then it was something special.

LOL. How things change.

The company I work for now is the only one I've been at (3.5 years now) where I haven't had to do any business trips at all. I hate commercial air travel, so any way to get out of it by ducking business trips is fine by me.

Last air travel I did was December when I fly across country to visit family in Florida.

I'm looking forward to getting back to Colorado and starting my training so hopefully down the road I never have to fly commercial again, unless I'm going international. I don't care how many hours, days, or fuel costs a trip in a GA plane might take me across the US, if/when I get my PPL and my own plane, I don't ever intend to fly commercial again.
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unless you become very proficient as an instrument pilot you probably will fly commercial again. If your not really proficient you'll probably kill yourself as many continue to do. Sitting at some half closed airport waiting for weather to clear is a real drag.
 
As for the "knee defender" I'm sorry. I don't care how long your legs are or how fat you a** is. I paid for this seat and you paid for that seat so keep your crap off of my seat. Also I would consider it completely illegal to attach any sort of device that would lock the tray table in the down position and possibly hinder center and window seat passengers from getting to the aisle.
 
QuiQuog said:
I liked what the old lady said "People pay for their seats and they want to push it backward or forward, that's their God given right." First, God given right?! I hate when ignorant people use catchphrases. Second, And yet I paid for my seat also and I don't want to have to contort myself so you can fool yourself into believing that you're somehow more comfortable.

I'm 6'4" and have never leaned my seat back except to see what it was like. There is no difference, except that you pi$$ off the person behind you. It's amazing that people get so worked up over the ability to "recline" their seats a measly 2 or 3 inches. It doesn't bother me when people in front of me recline unless I'm caught off guard and they crush my knee with the metal seat frame. Well, it does bother me. Sometimes it really hurts.

If I'm in an isle seat, my legs are forced into the isle and people have to dodge around them. I don't cram them in unless the FA asks me to, then I mention how I have to put them there because the seat in front is reclined. And if you're in a window seat, your a$$ is that much closer to the poor sap you have to climb over to get to the bathroom. I think that they should just disable the recline altogether.
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And I hate it when ignorant people condescend to others because of course, only their experience in life is relevant.

I carry a specific effect of an old back injury that makes it more or less impossible for me to sit in any chair - on the ground or in the air - that has a straight or close-to-straight seatback angle for more than a few minutes without developing excruciating and debilitating back pain. Because of that, if I am flying straight coach (which hasn't happened in many years due to this problem) I will recline my seat on the ground until we start moving, and there is absolutely no question of my seatback staying upright as soon as I am allowed to push it back. I also avoid booths at restaurants, and always pick the chair instead of the booth seat in tables that have both, because I can typically push the chair back and sort of slump down in it to create the necessary angle. In the office I will always have my seat reclined to 120-135 degrees and will rarely stay at my desk for more than 30 minutes straight; I stand up and walk around regularly.

Oh, I am also 6'4".

With that said, thankfully with economy plus type seating and the 38" pitch available in those, there is just enough legroom where I can typically handle the issue by stuffing three pillows or two and a blanket behind my back in such a way as to create the angle I need without reclining the seatback. I still recline in the air anyway, but takeoff and landing aren't an exercise in holding back the tears. These days I will simply not book a flight that does not have at least econ+, and will often find a way to book business class which solves the problem entirely.

One airline that lost my business is Southwest with their new plane configurations (with the new seats). While it is correct that the seat pitch is similar, their recline angle is smaller and just small enough now to cause me trouble. I used to be at Companion Pass level every year for four years straight; last year was my last one at A-list, and I have been burning my hundreds of thousands of accumulated points on plane tickets for friends and family. I will pretty much only fly with them these days when I can book "business" early enough on a non-continuation flight to know I'm going to get a front row seat so I have enough leg room to slump down to a manageable angle, like I do in restaurants.

Thankfully the Cessna has nice seats and I use a pillow to get the right angle - I've flown six hours straight in it and was more comfortable than I am in a typical domestic economy plus coach.
 
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