Holiday flights.......your nightmares and (maybe) positives.

[DaveReading]

There are many good ones, this one from America certainly kept the attention of her passengers.

A very camp steward who was making the safety announcement one time I flew EasyJet, assured passengers that the light and whistle on the lifejacket was to attract the attention of passing sailors ...

 

[mjr]

[QUOTE 4857426, member: 45"]I've only ever seen them ask for volunteers to have baggage put in the hold. Paying the extra guarantees that they won't even ask you.[/QUOTE]
No, paying has been no guarantee for almost two years: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/easyJet-puts-an-end-to-guaranteed-cabin-baggage-policy/ - maybe it's not widespread at regional airports like Bristol yet. I've boarded (at Gatwick, IIRC) behind "speedy boarders" who have had their max-size cabin bags (which did fit in the tester) put in the hold despite their objections. There's not enough space in the cabin on the busiest flights for a full set of max-size cabin bags - not more than half AIUI.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Flew Ryanair out of Gatwick this morning.....

 

[Fab Foodie]

No, paying has been no guarantee for almost two years: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/easyJet-puts-an-end-to-guaranteed-cabin-baggage-policy/ - maybe it's not widespread at regional airports like Bristol yet. I've boarded (at Gatwick, IIRC) behind "speedy boarders" who have had their max-size cabin bags (which did fit in the tester) put in the hold despite their objections. There's not enough space in the cabin on the busiest flights for a full set of max-size cabin bags - not more than half AIUI.

As a flying regular I think all bags other than handbags/computer bags should go in the hold. Most baggage systems are pretty fast these days and it would make boarding a whole lot faster and easier.

 

[Profpointy]

As a flying regular I think all bags other than handbags/computer bags should go in the hold. Most baggage systems are pretty fast these days and it would make boarding a whole lot faster and easier.

Well except that if your only going for a couple of days, especially with work, you'll just have a PC a shirt and pair of pants which means you only want hand luggage. It's a pain queing up for luggage in that circumstance

 

[AndyRM]

Worst flight I was on was out of Palm Springs for LA. It wasn't a big plane and as we took our seats the stewardess legged it down the aisle flinging bags of peanuts to everyone before strapping herself in. Odd I thought, thinking I might get a cup of tea later to wash them down. Then we took off. And from the minute we took off we were all over the place. I managed to brace my legs on the seats in front with one arm across the aisle holding the seat opposite whilst the pilot, who I could see, wrestled with an imaginary alligator in the cockpit. I never imagined that turbulence could be so bad. Mrs C was sick as was one of our friends. An airport lounge never looked so good after that.

At least it can't have lasted long, it's only just over 100 miles! Probably took longer to escape LAX at the other end!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Abandoned landing at Barcelona when we where a few metres from the ground.
BA Club Europe flight to Salzburg and the Captain announces "Passengers on the right hand side of the aircraft can see the aircraft that all our lunches are on. It has a fault and we don't want to wait."
Iberia flight; being quizzed by angry Spaniard as to how the heck my family and I could be in the pseudo-first class part of the plane, after he had already had a pop at me in the check-in queue.
Landing in Athens in a blizzard so heavily the aircraft couldn't get to the end of the runway and we had to deplane where it pulled up, closing the airport.
Nearly getting into a fight with a group of pished up lads en route to Malia when they kept dropping the C word and being vilely abusive to the female cabin crew.
Fairly sure there are more but I'm out of time.

 

[Crackle]

At least it can't have lasted long, it's only just over 100 miles! Probably took longer to escape LAX at the other end!

Yeah, the longest 20 minutes of my life and we languished in LAX for a few hours, which I needed to recover and was very glad to see the much larger plane back to home shores.

 

[swansonj]

...
BA Club Europe flight to Salzburg and the Captain announces "Passengers on the right hand side of the aircraft can see the aircraft that all our lunches are on. It has a fault and we don't want to wait."
....

I was on a flight to Belfast City that aborted the landing because the wind was too strong and landed at Aldegrove instead (wind was even stronger but runway alignment more favourable). The captain then announced that although we'd landed, the wind was too strong to unload the hold, so he'd be flying everyone's bags back to Gatwick.

Edit: I was cabin bags only and smug...

 

[gbb]

Iberia flight; being quizzed by angry Spaniard as to how the heck my family and I could be in the pseudo-first class part of the plane, after he had already had a pop at me in the check-in queue..

Iberian..only flew once (well twice, changeover at Madrid) with them...what a miserable bunch of beggars they were...I was in business class and struggled to get any service at all beyond what they HAD to do.
Ironically, as said in an earlier post, Cyprus Airways, couldn't do enough for you, marvelous crews. Shame the best went and Iberian get by with the surliest lot I ever met.

 

[swansonj]

At least it can't have lasted long, it's only just over 100 miles! Probably took longer to escape LAX at the other end!

Yeah, the longest 20 minutes of my life and we languished in LAX for a few hours, which I needed to recover and was very glad to see the much larger plane back to home shores.

Should have got a taxi! Many years ago (when the committees I belonged to hadn't heard of austerity and still met in exotic resorts) I turned up for a flight Palm Springs to LA. Plane was broken and flight cancelled. They put me on a taxi and I still made the connecting flight home.

 

[gbb]

Sometimes you know lucks not with you...
We left the hotel ...I think it was Tunisia, we climbed on the coach and a family with a circa 13 YO girl got on, the 13 YO was throwing a right hissy fit...screaming and bawling at her mum ALL the way to the airport.
We climbed off, thankful to get the hell away from this terrible teenager.
We wondered into the airport and blow me if they followed us to the check in. Oh FFS, they're on the same flight
Yep, she carried on on the plane...still having a right tantrum. Thankfully she calmed down, eventually.

 

[gbb]

And a funny one.
We got ourselves seated, me by the window, wife in the middle, a slightly older lady next to the aisle.
After a few minutes my wife asked...
'Mind if I sit at the window ?'
'Yeah, no problem'

We swapped round.....a few minutes later I thought......what's that smell ????

Oh Jesus , there was a wet patch in the seat when she got off the plane. (I'd long since figured it was the lady next to me that was creating the problem '

My wife still laughs about that one.

 

[perplexed]

From Lisbon, desperately hoping that the extremely smelly, massively obese couple would not sit anywhere near us. That took some nifty footwork I can tell you.

The obnoxious get on a flight (can't remember where) who said that no one, no f****r was going to stop him lighting a cigar in flight. Suffice to say he did not light up. He was warned of consequences, and not just by me.

Stuck in Figi airport after a long delay due to volcanic activity - the only food for hours on end were crisps that were so stale I could actually bend them.

 

[cd365]

I was on a plane that took off from Fort Lauderdale, hit a flock of turkey buzzards on the way up. Both engines were on fire, had to make an immediate emergency landing. The pilot couldn't use air braking when we landed so had to rely on the landing gear brakes to stop us, had a fleet of fire engines waiting to hose down the wheels due to the heat generated. Quite a few people were in tears!!