People's expectations when flying.....

[jefmcg]

And would it have made things go any quicker if they had? No it bloody well wouldn't.

Knowledge is power. If you know what is happening, then you can alter your plans to suit. A whole day in Glasgow/Edinburgh? There are few people who couldn't make use of that, if they know they have it. If they think they might be taking off in an hour, then they have no choice but to sit around waiting. And the sooner they can tell people in Toronto that they are not going to be around on Tuesday, the sooner people can make arrangements to work around that.

This whole thing is a Douglas Adams horror.

``Yes,'' said the voice again, ``there has been a delay. Passengers are to be kept temporarily in suspended animation, for their comfort and convenience. Coffee and biscuits are being served every year, after which passengers are returned to suspended animation for their continued comfort and convenience. Departure will take place when the flight stores are complete. We apologize for the delay.''

 

[perplexed]

Knowledge is power. If you know what is happening, then you can alter your plans to suit. A whole day in Glasgow/Edinburgh? There are few people who couldn't make use of that, if they know they have it. If they think they might be taking off in an hour, then they have no choice but to sit around waiting. And the sooner they can tell people in Toronto that they are not going to be around on Tuesday, the sooner people can make arrangements to work around that.

This whole thing is a Douglas Adams horror.

I liked the line about waiting for take off due to the late arrival of lemon-soaked wipes in that book...

 

[jefmcg]

I liked the line about waiting for take off due to the late arrival of lemon-soaked wipes in that book...

Yes, I found the passage I quoted by googling "lemon soaked paper napkins". That phrase stuck in my head

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I've been on an Air Transat flight and trust me, those passengers on the cancelled service had a lucky escape !

I didn't think they were still flying those A300s either.

 

[Andy_R]

If they are American, they get 10 days holiday (oops, vacation) a year, so losing a day of it is a lot. Also in many states you can be fired for no reason, so being a day late back at work could be terrifying.

If I was in the situation I'd spend the day exploring Glasgow or Edinburgh, if I knew what was happening. I'd be very sad to have missed that adventure and spend the night in a depressing airport hotel because no one told me I wouldn't be flying today.

Why do I see this as post Brexit Britain with the tories in power......

 

[Levo-Lon]

I find the whole thing very stressful, the drive, the parking, the security and then the flight..
i had 7 double vodkas in the departure lounge to settle me on a flight to spain once..the couple we went with thought i was sober..i get very het up ...
ive not flown for about 8yr ...bloody stressed typing about flying ..

 

[snorri]

I'm going against the flow here, but I have sympathy for these passengers having to spend another day in that part of Scotland that is close to the Brandane residence. You might ask why, and I'll tell you why.
It's a well known fact that any location Brandane happens to be occupying at the time will have considerably more rain than anywhere else in Scotland.

 

[martint235]

I find the whole thing very stressful, the drive, the parking, the security and then the flight..
i had 7 double vodkas in the departure lounge to settle me on a flight to spain once..the couple we went with thought i was sober..i get very het up ...
ive not flown for about 8yr ...bloody stressed typing about flying ..

I love flying. I absolutely loathe airports. It took years of various self medications (alcohol which came with its own worries of being barred from the flight) and coping strategies to get me past the huge panic attacks an airport brings on. Seatbelt on I can't be happier

 

[Brandane]

It's a well known fact that any location Brandane happens to be occupying at the time will have considerably more rain than anywhere else in Scotland.

*cough* . I believe it was raining in Shetland yesterday.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I love flying. I absolutely loathe airports. It took years of various self medications (alcohol which came with its own worries of being barred from the flight) and coping strategies to get me past the huge panic attacks an airport brings on. Seatbelt on I can't be happier

i was better when younger once the plane levels off..but im sorry to say its got the better of me. Ive flown about 8..9 times so 18 /20 flights its just got worse each time..all i do is worry about going home!!
my Dad has moved to Spain and keeps asking when are you poping over ? Popping over !! ,like i did when he lived 2 mile away..
im not sure i will be able to ... i said to my wife when he left that i might not see him again..that really bothers me but i just wont go to the Airport..
I used to tear around on motorcycles with no fear..its irrational and uncontrolled and has taken over my rational thought..

 

[nickyboy]

I fly a bit for business. Things go wrong with planes, weather, ground ops etc etc on occasions. I find the most effective solution to these problems are:

1) Try to choose an airline that is part of an alliance that has other airlines flying to the same or similar destinations. Once I was flying to Beijing via Amsterdam. Amsterdam was snowbound so my flight there was cancelled. Paris was open and KLM/Air France are part of the same alliance. They put me on the Paris flight and then on the Paris to Beijing flight. I was a few hours late getting there but no big drama

2) Try to get delay/cancellation information as soon as possible. Always fly with a Plan B ready to implement in the event your flight is cancelled. Don't get angry with ground staff, they can help with information if you are nice to them

 

[nickyboy]

I love flying. I absolutely loathe airports. It took years of various self medications (alcohol which came with its own worries of being barred from the flight) and coping strategies to get me past the huge panic attacks an airport brings on. Seatbelt on I can't be happier

I see folk getting stressed out in airports all the time. It's usually down to one of two things; something going wrong with their plans (like a cancellation) and no Plan B...or...not giving themselves enough time to process through check in/security

Sometimes there can be no Plan B, you just have to suck it up but to be honest, flight cancellations are a pretty rare occurrence (I've probably taken a hundred flights in the past 10 years and I think maybe 2 cancellations). I find arriving in plenty of time, getting through the procedures at the airport is stress-free. But if I'm running late it's a nightmare. Have you considered getting to the airport super early?

 

[Levo-Lon]

Tried the train?

As long as you don't buy using a UK-based web-site (I'd recommend SNCF, SNCB or Renfe) you can get some really good deals on trains from London to Spain or via Hoek van Holland and Rotterdam.

that will be the most likely ..
Half sister and her hubby drove a van to take the bikes and other stuff from the uk to spain..
20 odd hr with 3 drivers and a blow out..

ive retired from motorbikes @User76 but im not a long distance driver or rider..im bored with driving after leaving the driveway these days..lol hate it..

i could fly and may have too but ill see ...Dad may decide its not for him in a yr or so..42°C atm

 

[GilesM]

I see folk getting stressed out in airports all the time. It's usually down to one of two things; something going wrong with their plans (like a cancellation) and no Plan B...or...not giving themselves enough time to process through check in/security

Sometimes there can be no Plan B, you just have to suck it up but to be honest, flight cancellations are a pretty rare occurrence (I've probably taken a hundred flights in the past 10 years and I think maybe 2 cancellations). I find arriving in plenty of time, getting through the procedures at the airport is stress-free. But if I'm running late it's a nightmare. Have you considered getting to the airport super early?

Best way to improve your airport experience is Fastrack Security, much cheaper than people think, and at certain times, it can be a real bonus, another option is fly on a Tuesday, airports always seem much quieter, especially Tuesday afternoon, or Saturday morning if you are flying out of Tel Aviv.

 

[GilesM]

At Stansted last Friday morning, the FastTrack queue was longer and moving more slowly than the normal queue... and there's no such provision at many airports (e.g. at Bilbao it's the same queue for everyone - but the staff are friendlier).

Nothing is always perfect, and Stansted will need to fix that, it's not good for business, and I know it's not available in all airports, but in general it works well, it's excellent at Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, and Dublin.