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Air travel!

I love planes. Always seems like magic to me - you get in a steel tube and end get out on the other side of the world. Unbeleivable. Love it.

Am I the only one who is amazed /confused that very often international flights are cheaper than UK train fares, how can that be right? I love trains too, even though they are usually more humdrum than magical.
 
friendofdorothy said:
I love planes. Always seems like magic to me - you get in a steel tube and end get out on the other side of the world. Unbeleivable. Love it.

Am I the only one who is amazed /confused that very often international flights are cheaper than UK train fares, how can that be right? I love trains too, even though they are usually more humdrum than magical.
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That’s UK trains for you. Apparently this is one of very few countries (or perhaps the only one) to have applied air travel-style fare calculations for train fares. As a result, walk-in fares for busy routes at peak times can attract prices of hundreds of Pounds one way. In fact, I remember reading about a year ago that a TOC had actually published a train journey fare of more than £1,000.

I can say with full confidence that if a TOC in the Continent published a 1000 Euro fare for a single journey, the company’s HQ would be torched by an angry mob as a matter of general principle. And fucking rightly so.

TBF plane tickets can cost a lot too. I paid £350 per head for a Christmas flight to Madrid this year. But I was flying on the busiest day of the year, and I only got to book my flight a couple of weeks beforehand. With the trains, you pay exorbitant amounts any weekday of the year during peak times.
 
Fuck that. I bet it costs a mint. Just transfer in the gulf like everyone else.
 
2hats said:
The 787’s they are using are, so I understand, flying with something like 20-25% less passengers to ensure they make it. Still, not as far as other currently scheduled flights (eg) QR920 Doha-Auckland (777-LR).
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DOH-AKL being 37 whole miles further than PER-LHR :)

Something quite magical about Oz to UK in one go though. Emirates do Oz to London during the one day, which also gets me excited for some reason...

SYD.JPG
 
SQ are going to do SIN-JFK in the A359 which is going to be blocked at 19 hours and has no economy class.
 
i went for the front seats where i could. i avoided seats over the wing cos that gets in the way of the view, no? frankly, fielding kid1 and her research into air travel fatalities i'm keen to maintain an "open mind" approach ;)
 
sas (we're worried they're going to push us into the sea and make us swim with our bags :()

arlanda express we can do the two-for-one or 30-day advance fares. given it'll be the end of a long day i figured quick and stress-free might well be worth it. i travel badly on roads :oops:
 
SAS to Kiruna, where are you Flying from? Regardless, do try to get the transfers sorted before you go, takes a lot of the stress away.
 
I knew a guy who didn't understand how planes fly. He was happy with them going down the runway, but never understood how they actually flew and stayed up. When quizzed about this he said that while he could understand the engines making the wheels go fast for take-off, he didn't understand what kept the plane going once the wheels were up.....errr...:facepalm:

He did mention that as a baby his parents kept him in drawer at times due to a lack of space.
 
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nuffsaid said:
I knew a guy who didn't understand how planes fly. He was happy with them going down the runway, but never understood how they actually flew and stayed up. When quizzed about this he said that while he could understand the engines making the wheels go fast for take-off, he didn't understand what kept the plane going once the wheels were up.....errr...:facepalm:
Click to expand...

What's it like being mates with a Hercules pilot?
 
I got to fly on the 787 this week for the first time. It's a nice enough plane, though I don' think the overall passenger experience is that much of a revolution but a slight improvement on older models. The turbulence-reducing technology is probably my favourite improvement. I was by the wing and it was cool seeing the flap (presumably) used for that purpose constantly moving at lightning speed to smooth out the flight.

Question about the electric dimmable windows (which imo are an unnecessary gimmick, other than perhaps for saving a bit of weight). We were on an 11 am flight that lasted five hours and the time difference at the destination was just two hours. So no pressing need to sleep, fully awake and rested passengers, and no prospect of any significant jet lag on such flight. Indeed, I would have thought falling sleep at midday might disturb one's sleep pattern that evening. Yet all the windows were forcibly dimmed by probably as much as 80% right after the meal, and it was not possible for any passenger to lighten up their window. On a beautiful day with clear skies we were left in near darkness for more than two hours. It pissed me right off.

I thought this was a fuck up or a bizarre company policy by Royal Jordanian, but my boss who is a frequent flier says this is common across airlines operating the 787. What's the logic in this? Trying to pacify passengers?
 
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Afaik it is so no bright sunlight streams through the cabin waking those who are dozing, but seems a bit authoritarian. Fwiw if you have them 100% dimmed they still let light through, so all round rubbish compared to the old blinds.

Going on an A350 next month, will report back on that.
 
I dunno, it kind of feels that with planes (like cars) most of the advances in technology these days are invisible. The experience for the passenger depends far more on the airline then the plane. Personally I prefer the a330 simply because of the seat configuration, just 2 seats at the window instead of 3. Means me and my g/f can sit by ourselves.

Supposedly you're supposed to feel better after a long haul flight on a Dreamliner. I've only flown short haul on it so far, I have an overnight coming up next year on a Dreamliner so I will report back then.
 
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