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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsThings that will get me off a plane very quickly...
I enjoy flying and I'm not particularly nervous about it like some people. But here's what I can't stand:
1. De-icing the wings. Get me off NOW!
2. Mechanical failure of any kind (WHY DO THEY TELL US THIS??!!)
3. A nun or priest AND a pregnant lady on a plane at the same time (old superstition, probably movie related)
Yours?
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neeksgeek
(1,240 posts)Best experience was Alaska Air. Flown American quite a few times, more or less by accident, but in spite of some horror stories I'd heard, all those flights were fine. US Air was another story... flight attendants were less than polite at all times.
But the one thing that makes me want to get off a flight NOW is standing on the tarmac, waiting to taxi.... hate it!
Phentex
(16,684 posts)didn't they pass new rules about how long they are allowed to wait? It always gets very hot when we sit and I hate it.
Now, circling overhead doesn't bother me as much but I do wonder how much fuel they have left...
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,720 posts)On some planes it gets hot and others not. Planes have an auxiliary power unit which runs on regular fuel. The APU will power the plane when the engines are off to save fuel and prevent a plane from having to return to gate for fueling if it has to wait a bit. They also may use the APU during deicing.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)De-icing the aircraft shouldn't bother you at all.
What you MIGHT get worried about is if, after de-icing, the aircraft is 25th for take off!!
LOL !
icing at all = no flying if you ask me 
pangaia
(24,324 posts)
PoindexterOglethorpe
(28,405 posts)some huge percentage of flights would be cancelled during the winter. De-icing is good. Trust me.
I can only think of one crash that happened after de-icing, which was Air Florida flight 90 on January 13, 1982, and that happened because the airplane was not de-iced correctly.
So, if you think icing at all = no flying then you won't be flying a lot. Or, more to the point, hardly anyone will be flying during crappy weather.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(128,813 posts)There's a thing called hold-over time, which is the amount of time an airplane can wait on the ground before it has to be de-iced again. When the plane is de-iced the crew will note the hold-over time, so they will know how long they have to take off.
3catwoman3
(28,478 posts)...of what was still the Soviet Union at that time. it was a tour for nurse practitioners, to compare nursing roles in the different countries and see if there was anything comparable to advanced practice nursing there (there wasn't).
On one of the flights between two of the republics, it was pretty damn scary. As we walked across the tarmac to the airplane, I could see that the tires were quite bald. The carpet on the aisle was not glued down very well, and was all wavy and lumpy. My seat belt was missing the slide in part of the buckle - maybe I was supposed to tie it in a knot? The one flight attendant was shouting at everyone, and stomping up and down the aisle, physically shoving people into their seats if they hadn't say down quickly enough to suit her.
No safety briefing. No drop down oxygen masks. I had a window seat. Once we reached cruising altitude, it got so cold in the aircraft that frost formed on the inside wall of the fuselage around the window.
I was really happy when we landed safely.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)I had a mildly similar experience in 1985.. Helsinki to Leningrad.
( Of course now there is the ALLEGRO train.)
And then Moscow to Helsinki a couple weeks later..
3catwoman3
(28,478 posts)The flights from Dulles to Moscow and Kiev back to the US were fairly normal by US standards, except for the blatant catering to the first few rows of passengers. There was no identified first class cabin, not even a dividing curtain, but the folks in those first few rows were obviously more important than the rest of us further back.
Before the plane even began to taxi, the flight attendants were waiting on these passengers hand and foot - cognac and wine in real glasses, assorted cheeses and fresh fruit on real China, and cloth napkins. This pampering continued until at least a couple of hours into the flight, in full view of those who were getting no service of any kind.
Eventually, we peons in the rest of the plane got a small box with a sandwich, a paper napkin, and a brown paper cup of water that wasn't even waxed to be waterproof.
What was very interesting to me was how quickly I began to feel resentful of the passengers getting the special treatment. It was quite a lesson, in the tiniest of doses, of what the effect of a lifetime of discrimination must cause.
So much for the alleged "classless" society. The people up front were obvious regarded as being in a different class than the rest of us, and had no hesitation to flaunt it. Obviously, there are first class cabins in US airlines, but we have the sensitivity to shield it from the view of those not able to partake of it.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(28,405 posts)from Leningrad to Moscow and then back to Leningrad, in 1976, and that was a pretty interesting experience. The best part was an extremely large and luxurious toilet, which had a full couch inside. Honest. However, I don't recall a meal service on either flight.
And now you understand why airlines like to separate the classes of service at least with a curtain. Honestly, I loved the original 747s, where the first class cabin was entirely in front of the wonderful spiral staircase that led up to the first class lounge. I was an airline employee many years ago, and got to fly for free and almost always in first class. Sigh. Those were the days.
LeftInTX
(34,013 posts)They were in Georgia. They showed us their pictures.
Maybe you were on their trip.
3catwoman3
(28,478 posts)...the went to the capital cities of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.
The trip was initailly supposed to be limited to nurse practitioners, bu not ennough signed up so the organizeers opened to any an all nurses. There were several fairly elderly women who claimed to be doing private duty nursing tht sounded a lot like being a paid companion to people who didn't like to leave their homes. I think they were all LPNs, and they were all from The Palm Beaches in Florida. Most of them had never traveled out of the US before takng this trip, and they did not adapt well to the cultural challenges of the various republics we visited.
It was an interesting trip, but not the most fun I'd ever had. Most of the health care facilities we saw were fairly primitive, and I would not have wanted to be sick there, or needed surgery. We were there in late summer, so it was hot. The first hospital we visited was in Moscow. No air conditioning, so the windows were open. No screens, so there were flies everywhere - really gross.
DFW
(59,681 posts)He was part of an American press delegation following some president or other on a visit to the USSR. They had a meal service between Moscow and Leningrad, and served some kind of fish. All the American press people were trying to figure out just what kind of fish it was, and no one could.
Finally, one of them called over a flight attendant and asked what kind of fish it was. She gave the offending passenger a dirty look as if he had asked her to reveal state secrets, and simply said, "Russian fish."
To this day, probably 40 years later, whenever my wife and I get served something we can't identify, it is invariably classified as "Russian fish."
The Velveteen Ocelot
(128,813 posts)Any time it's below a certain temperature and there's visible moisture or precipitation, they have to de-ice, because the airplane won't fly properly with ice on the wings. If the plane has been de-iced it's good to go, except that taking off is prohibited altogether during freezing rain. There's also something called "hold-over time," which is the amount of time an airplane can wait after being de-iced before it has to go back and get de-iced again. De-icing is a good thing. Once the airplane is in flight it's OK because it has anti-icing equipment that prevents ice from forming on the wings at all.
(A bit of trivia: aircraft de-icing fluid contains propylene glycol, which is also an ingredient in some soft drinks. It's not the same as ethylene glycol, which is used in automotive anti-freeze and is toxic.)
Phentex
(16,684 posts)don't want to fly under those circumstances at all.
Major Nikon
(36,925 posts)The temperature gets colder the higher you go, so even on the hottest days it will be freezing at some altitude and if there's clouds up there the potential for icing conditions exist.
My personal plane isn't certified to fly in icing conditions, so while I can fly into visible moisture (rain, clouds), I can't fly into those conditions when it's below freezing. Since I'm only flying it for personal reasons, I can simply fly around those conditions or avoid them entirely by staying on the ground. Scheduled airline service doesn't have that luxury, but the aircraft are certified by the FAA to fly in those conditions.
DFW
(59,681 posts)The day my younger daughter was born, I got a call to make an emergency trip to Brussels. I hired a private plane, so that I could get back to my wife and newborn daughter (and 2 year old elder daughter) ASAP. Her parents were there, too, so I didn't have to take the elder one with me to Belgium. In the time I was working, an ice storm came through Brussels, and the pilot had to abort the take-off for the flight back to Germany, because he couldn't get the plane off the ground before the runway ended, and said we'd only crash underway even if he had managed to get airborne. They closed Brussels airport due to the storm, so the pilot left the plane there, and we had to rent a car. The pilot and I took 8 hours to get back to Düsseldorf on what was normally a 2½ hour drive. No cell phones in those days, and most of the public phones along the way were out of order or had half mile lines. My wife thought she was a widow when she didn't hear from me for almost 10 hours, and no one from Brussels called her because they didn't know either.
hibbing
(10,519 posts)Phentex
(16,684 posts)"m'am, don't be alarmed or scream at what I am about to tell you. We have reason to believe there is a large snake or snakes on this plane. Please calmly exit your seat and walk off this plane with us. Feel free to join us in the lounge for a cocktail."
Why didn't United try this first?
True Dough
(25,631 posts)I realize the experience can be quite frightening for them, but if they're sitting next to, directly in front of or directly behind me, my sympathy vaporizes in about 5 minutes, maximum. My wife and I are childless by choice, BTW, so that explains my level of patience for such things.
Phentex
(16,684 posts)I know they have to travel but I would avoid taking little ones if I could help it.
True Dough
(25,631 posts)that I never say anything. I quietly "suck it up" because the parents almost always give their best efforts to reassure their infant. That said, it makes for a very long 3 or 4 hour flight if the baby/toddler is awake for most of it and wails away for long periods.
cos dem
(938 posts)Had a crying child sitting one row in front of me. Cried almost all the way from DEN to LAX. Finally fell asleep (probably tired from all the crying).
Headphones didn't block out all the noise, but reduced it to the point of background distraction, not much more than the normal background noise.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)I don't understand why more people don't bring earplugs. I never fly without them.
Yonnie3
(19,177 posts)Last edited Fri Apr 14, 2017, 08:51 AM - Edit history (1)
I was the chosen one. The mother looked exhausted and worked hard to comfort the baby with no luck. After we were at altitude, I smiled at the mother and said "want a break?" reaching out offering to take the baby. When I held it in my arms it seemed curious about me and quietly studied me for a few minutes before falling asleep. Sometimes you've got to go with the flow.
duncang
(3,767 posts)For those who don't remember he was the one who was fired from dipshit donnie's campaign.
BTW he turned up at mar a lago when Japanese President Abe with a lanyard and WH seal on it.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2017/02/11/Man-fired-as-Trump-campaign-pilot-over-battery-charge-appears-at-Mar-a-Lago/stories/201702110161
that's the same as the snake I think.
Laffy Kat
(16,846 posts)We are not supposed to be up there. All of our reflexes and instincts are in direct opposition to flying. I love it, but it's nuts.
calikid
(701 posts)PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)Laffy Kat
(16,846 posts)It's one less thing that can go wrong.
Aristus
(71,536 posts)Flying home from Texas, Christmas, 1994. We had so much turbulence, people would have been shaken out of their seats if it weren't for their seatbelts. Once or twice, we had lurches so bad a number of people screamed. I was never so glad to get off a plane in my life.
Best: I was on terminal leave from the Army. I had a month left on my enlistment, and was spending the whole time on leave. I had sold another month's leave back to the Army, so my pocket was bulging with cash. I got on a Pan-Am flight (they're long gone now...) headed for the UK. The flight was only about one-quarter capacity, and I had a whole row to myself. I folded the armrests up, curled up in a blanket, and fell fast asleep. When I woke up, I was in London. That flight was almost like a dream...
irisblue
(36,677 posts)Emergencies. I loved & respected that man, but if a mammo Radiologist is on an airplane as the only DO/MD, and there is a caradic care RN, that RN is the go to expert for an acute emergency. For one flight, Dr L, was flying from Columbus to LA to Australia, and a passenger got acutely nauseated. The plane he was on, did an med emergency landing in Omaha, logically that was the right thing to do, but, everyone got to LA really late. I flat out told him if I saw him on a flight, I was getting off. I miss working for him.
cos dem
(938 posts)I could see an emergency stop in Honolulu, which is about the next stop, if it's not closer just to turn around and land LAX or SAN.
irisblue
(36,677 posts)We're in Columbus Ohio, he was flying from here to LA where he would board for Australia. The passenger fell ill somewhere between Ohio & Nebraska. The pilots made an emergency landing where there was a city of some size, knowing that there would be a medical center. He did say the landing angle seemed steep, but he was standing holding the IV bag, while the RN was was doing the vitals and talking to the passenger & wife.
GP6971
(37,553 posts)Was fling Pan Am from JFK to Saudi in 1979...nonstop. Hit severe turbulence over Italy...drink cups literally flew from the tray tables to the ceiling.
Also didn't like being escorted by 4 Syrian fighter jets over Syria. Not fun.
Major Nikon
(36,925 posts)is to check for bruises under the straps.
applegrove
(129,926 posts)All of a sudden I got this strange feeling. Boom. It hit me. My plane was filled with US college basketball teams and their parents on their way to a tournament in my university city. The average height in the departure lounge was about 6'5". I thought the plane might be a little on the heavy side but took the flight anyway. Those kids were skinny. I sat in between two of them. The flight was painful for them because their knees went right up against the seat in front of them. And this was in the late 1980s, before airlines started robbing seat space from their customers. I think I had been visiting my brother in Boston at the time.
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)But my worst experience was flying from Philly to Raleigh. I was seated next to an obese passenger who lifted the armrest before she sat down. She took up at least 50% of my seat and made it miserable for me.