Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with airplane

How can I maximize my chances at an upgrade due to pregnancy?

k8t — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:12:53 -0800

How can I maximize my chances for a free airline upgrade due to pregnancy? I'll be flying at 29 weeks pregnant and I'd love to get an upgrade into a better class.

The first leg of the trip is Yerevan, Armenia - London (~5 hours) on British Med and the flight should be full this time of year. I figure on this end they'll either offer or be jerks about it.

Then I have a 20 hour layover in London and my SO will be joining me for the next leg of the flight. I figure I will ask the Yerevan desk to NOT ASSIGN ME a seat, because I want SO to sit with me. (Unless they can upgrade us both without him being there?) But I do want them to check my luggage through to Los Angeles (Can they do that without assigning me a seat?).

Then the next flight is London - Los Angeles (~11 hours) on United. Our plan is to go to the airport relatively early, ask the people at the United desk to please upgrade us. (And I do have some air miles, but not enough for both of us.)

So, my questions are:
- how can I maximize my efforts at the London United desk? I will wear a shirt that makes me look as obviously pregnant as possible. Should I bring documentation of how pregnant I am?
- can I have the Yerevan desk check my luggage through without assigning me a seat for London-LAX?

Real-Time Airplane Travel Problem

lockedroomguy — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:15:26 -0800

Help my wife! She's stuck in Philadelphia airport. Can't get her connecting flight until 1:00 at the earliest. Will US Airways let her ditch the connection and ship her bags home? This is happening to my wife right now. She just called from the airport. She started in New Bern, NC, and flew to Philadelphia as the first leg of her trip to New York's LaGuardia. They cancelled her original flight to New York, and rebooked her on the 1:00 EST flight. Rain is forecast all day in both cities.

I've recommended she try to get her bags back, and get on the train to NYC. Will US Airways let her do that? What are her options for getting her bags shipped to her? Today we are immediately leaving by car for a vacation, so we can't go somewhere to pick the bags up this week, but there are places (not our home address) where we could safely have them delivered.

At this time she doesn't know where her bags are, but it seems likely they're in the airport's baggage system, and not in the plane, since the flight isn't scheduled until 1:00. She's going to ask US Airways all this of course, but I thought I would check for any tips, tricks, or strategies.

She's calling me back in 30 minutes for advice.

Buy an airplane slide?

Marky — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:34:01 -0800

Where can I buy an airplane evacuation slide? I'd love to get one of these for my treehouse. I probably couldn't afford a new one, but surplus would be fine. I know they part out old aircraft, someone must sell these, but I don't know where to look. None on Ebay...

Boy, that plane sure looks close...

googly — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:26:18 -0800

Where can I find information on a recent runway incursion involving a flight that I was on? Earlier this week, I was on board a plane that was taking off from National Airport in Washington, DC. As we were turning on to the runway to line up for takeoff, I noticed that a plane approaching the runway to land seemed very close. We started the takeoff, but about 5 seconds after throttling up the plane cut power and sharply turned off the runway, immediately after which we could see another plane landing on the runway we had just exited. We then taxied around and then took off a few seconds later. None of the flight crew made any comment about it for the duration of the flight.

Is there anything publicly available on the web that might give me more information on this incident (I believe it is called a "runway incursion")? I looked here (which I found through this question), but it doesn't seem to include my flight. I'm not looking to complain or file a report, I just would be interested in learning a bit more about what actually happened.

Flying a dog cross country?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:08:19 -0800

Flying a dog cross country? I need to get my dog from California to North Carolina in the beginning of July. I'm personally flying AirTran. It looks like they only allow dogs to be brought as carry-on items but I don't think that my dog (25 lbs) will fit under the seat.

Is it worth shipping him as cargo on a different airline? Times don't matter that much, I just want to get him safely there (and eventually safely back!)

Has anyone found a reasonably priced, safe way to ship a dog across the country like this?

I did see this http://ask.metafilter.com/75945/Hoggle-needs-your-help but the carry-on isn't an option

Anonymous because I'm trying to surprise someone :-)

How/where can I sell an airline/airplane/flight ticket?

harwons — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:58:20 -0800

I bought a plane ticket, I subsequently had to cancel the flight, and now I'm stuck with a Delta voucher. I want to sell it and buy a ticket on another airline, which happens to have a much better flight to my destination. But where can I sell my ticket? I tried eBay and Points.com already.

Toys to keep the screeching to a minimum

Joh — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:34:44 -0800

Toys for very long airplane trip with a 13 month old? I will be flying LA to London and back next month, with my boyfriend and our 13-month old son. It's 11 hours each way, so I need suggestions for toys to keep him occupied for the trip. With luck, he will sleep for some or most of the outbound trip (overnight), but the return is one very long daytime flight. I have been reading up on suggestions, and I know to bring lots of finger foods for him. We will have a seat-back TV with a children's channel so he can watch some of that too. I will hide a few favorite toys this week, so they can be re-introduced on the flight, but I want to buy a few new toys and keep them hidden until they are needed. But what to get?

13 month old boy - so coloring books etc are no good, he's too small to use a pen/crayon and will just try to eat it/color his head.
It shouldn't be very noisy - for the sake of other passengers' sanity.
It will get dropped a lot since he isn't very dexterous yet, so balls, cars or other things that will roll down the aisle are no good.
He will be traveling as a lap infant, so we can have some items that are mom or dad supervised too.

Help?

MetaHelp: I need your google-fu!

myodometer — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:55:00 -0800

Does Ricky Gervais have an opening act when he does his stand-up sets? My girlfriend was awesome enough to have bought me tickets to see Ricky Gervais on one of the two nights that he's going to be doing his new stand-up set in Los Angeles this summer. Unfortunately, we had already booked a flight to the east coast for that same night, scheduled to leave at 11:55PM.

His show is listed as starting at 7:30, and I'm assuming that the fun likely won't be starting until at least 8 - but does anyone know if he has an opening act before he comes on? I've been scouring Google and can't seem to find an answer.

Worst case, I'll just rebook my flight for the next morning.

A week's worth of cat questions

any portmanteau in a storm — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:07:06 -0800

We've had our cats for a year-and-a-half now. Things have been great. Things have also been very stable for the cats and that is about to change majorly in a couple of months. With that in mind help answer some of my (many) cat questions. OK, we're moving back home with our 2 2-year-old cats. First off, this requires us being in an airplane for 2-3 hours. Are the cats better off going in soft carriers in the cabin or a hard carrier in the hold? Some recommendations for specific carriers would be great.

I'd imagine that having to live in a new house will be stressful for them. What behaviours can I expect and what can I do to make them more comfortable with their new surroundings?

Hair is going to be a bigger issue at home. I've read about the furminator (not least on askme) but my wife is skeptical. Does it do the job and is it worth the money?

Can we train our cats to use the toilet? If so, any tips? This might just be wishful thinking on our part.

Otherwise they have been fine with a shared litterbox (just a standard plastic litterbox) using clumping litter but there is dust and litter tracked around the area (even with a tracking pad). Are we better off changing to crystals/corn/sawdust/etc and getting a fancy litterbox?

Up to now they've lived in an apartment, only going out when we've taken them to the vet. At home there'll be a backyard. I'd like to let them experience the outside world, am I crazy for this? We live on a busy side-street. Should I let them outside at all? Only when supervised and on a harness? Give them free reign?

What else am I missing here?

What food to pack in a cooler for a looong plane flight?

NortonDC — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:34:33 -0800

Food to put in a cooler for a long plane flight. Difficulty: one omnivore, one vegetarian. Onlyconnect and I will be spending most of a day on a plane. The airline will be selling food, but we think that we should be able to do better than buying their fare. We have a carry-on sized soft-sided cooler and want to stock it with tasty food. Plotting what to bring gets complicated due to TSA rules banning containers of liquids bigger than 3 ounces (no hummus?), tray room and personal space on a crowded flight, consideration for our neighbors noses (we will be spending around 12 hours with these folks), and what will be a satisfying mix for both the lacto-ovo vegetarian and the omnivore. What belongs in our bag?

whee, paper plane

divabat — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:07:07 -0800

What fun things can I do with paper planes? I'm thinking of holding a Paper Plane Party and need ideas on what one can do with or surrounding paper planes.

I know of paper plane races (distance, accuracy, time aloft), and you can always design the planes creatively. You could also use the paper planes as advertising/invites, or just toss them off a tall building and watch them float.

What other creative ideas have people done with paper planes?

Songs about Flying

Locative — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:45:55 -0800

What are some songs about flying, preferably in a plane of some kind? My friend is a pilot and I want to make a mixtape for him with some songs about flying. So far, all I've come up with is the following: AF607105 - Charlotte Gainsbourg (even if it does involve a crash, it's lovely) Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd Come Fly with Me - Frank Sinatra Anyone have any ideas? Thank you in advance!

Up, up and away!

Cat Pie Hurts — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:12:53 -0800

Well, I did it. Due to most unfortunate circumstances, I flew on an airplane for the first time in 8 years. As awful as the reasons were, the entire world has been opened up to me and I am now extremely excited by my renewed ability to travel the skies, and seek advice. Much length follows. 1. I used to use Instant Air to book all of my flights back in the day. It appears that they have been defunct since 2000. I see a billion different fare finder sites as well as a bunch of meta-fare finder sites. I'm sure poinions will vary widely, but I'm looking for recommendations for better ones to use.

2. I now know that JetBlue is (to me) the grand goddess of all airlines (they have video screens on airplanes now? With tv stations??? Amazing!). I'm a big guy and found the seats to be rather comfortable and roomy. The flight attendants were awesome (one, the most awesome woman in the skies, gave me wings!). What airlines might be comparable to JetBlue's awesomeness?

3. I am easily bored. The vid screens on the flight kept me mildly entertained, but I still reached a point of extreme boredom an hour in to the 3 hour flight. My return flight was on AirTran (who I spit upon most profusely...ptew!) and I had nothing to keep me occupied. I've never been able to read or sleep on planes. What are more interactive things that I could bring with me? I was thinking of some kind of portable gaming device, possibly.

4. To keep my fear of flying in check, I will need to fly fairly often (I'm thinking a minimum of 5-6 times/year). I'm not rich, so fairly inexpensive trips would be ideal. Recommendations for short hops (from the Boston area) would be greatly appreciated.

Any other random advice that would help my travels more comfortable and interesting (especially for when I decide to brave much longer flights) would be great as well.

Thanks!

Why does ginger ale get no respect?

tomwheeler — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:36:25 -0800

I was drinking a tasty ginger ale today and wondering why it's so uncommon. Although you can find it in virtually any store in the USA, it's seldom available in gas stations and almost never in restaurants. Yet it's very popular on airplanes. Why is that?

Good thing I'm not a pilot!

hazel — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:17:34 -0800

Why do I fall asleep when the airplane takes off? I am not a person who falls asleep easy, but everytime I fly on a large airplane I fall asleep during the taxi phase and wake up 30 minutes into the air. I fly about once every 2 weeks and I've found that even coffee doesn't stop this phenomena.

I never fall asleep in cars, but do get drowsy on some trains.

Do you think it has to do with the vibrations? The pressurization of the cabin?

I'm not complaining, but I'd like to understand it more.

What is the best medicine for an airplane sinus headache?

afx114 — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:43:37 -0800

What is the best medicine for an airplane sinus headache? I am flying to Japan in a couple days and am fearing the sinus headache of death that plagued me on prior lengthy flights to Europe. It is a pain on the bridge of my nose between my eyes, and it hurts the more I breathe in through my nose. It's not a congestion pain (able to breathe just fine), more of a pressure pain from the altitude and stale fake-ass air pumped through the plane. I know that hydration is key, but are there any suggestions for over-the-counter medicines to combat this pain? Is there any preparation I can do before takeoff to prevent it? Thanks!

1 ear still stuffy after flight. Is this bad?

mrgreyisyelling — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:32:53 -0800

Tell-me-I'm-not-going-deaf-filter: I was flying home from Chicago one night ago, happily listening to the new Cornelius album - drifting off into the soft relief that benedryl supplies when you have been rocking a head cold for 2 days (sore throat, leaky nose, watery eyes, headache) - when suddenly I'm wide awake with a severe pain in both my ears from the plane starting its decent. And it lasts. I swallow and swallow, but I'm reeling in pain, saying terribly mean things to my very confused and sleepy girlfriend - and it doesn't stop until well after I'm off the plane. The pain at least. My left ear though is still stuffy ( I can hear things but its ~weird~), and though I've loaded up decongestants they don't seem to be helping.

1. I just need someone to tell me this isn't super-strange. That people who have the darned luck of being sick before flight have the darned luck of being stuffy in the ear for a day or two after, and that my ear drum is very likely not irrevocably damaged. Consider this an internet hug. I need this.

2. I had a pair of those in the ear headphones in - could that have multiplied my problems?

Subfilter: I have no insurance, SoL.

3. I will go to Dr. if it doesn't get better in a day or two (I really enjoyed that Cornelius album), but is there some sort of signs I should be aware of that this is more urgent and would require me to wake my girlfriend (again) to rush me to the emergency room because my future of stereophonic enjoyment may be on the line? Right now its no worse then a bad cold on one side of my head. A little achy on the inside.

4. and if I stick my finder in there, I can hear a little tone (only if I stick my finger in there) - which I know from one or two concerts isn't good, but it isn't bad.... right?

(I know none of you are doctors, but still I need your highly dubious internet opinion to sleep at night)

Any trouble with bike equipment on board?

iguanapolitico — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:43:42 -0800

Am I going to have any trouble carrying my bike helmet on an airplane? I hate to waste a question on this, but it's been nagging at me and I haven't found anything via the google. Besides, I'll be on vacation for a week anyway, ha-ha!

The whole carry-on scenario can be tricky these days, and I'm just wondering if you've had any trouble, or heard of anybody having any trouble, carrying their bike helmet in their carry-on luggage. How about bike shoes with the clipless cleats? I won't bring my tool kit, as I know hex wrenches can be dangerous.

I just don't want them to think that my helmet is a super high tech explosive device. Please tell me I worry for naught.

What am I missing about aerodynamics?

OldReliable — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:36:24 -0800

How does a plane that generates less thrust than weight stay in the air? Assuming in level flight that thrust=drag and lift=weight, where is the lifting force coming from, if not from the drag on the wings? My understanding is that the lift genrated by the wings is a result of drag.

Shouldn't any lift come out as a drag force on the airplane equal to or greater than the lift?

If the force pushing up on the plane's wing is not coming from drag force, where is the exta force coming from?

I know I must be missing something, but I'm not sure where it is.

Engagement Smuggling

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:24:26 -0800

Life is wonderful! There's no doubt in my mind that we're both ready (to say yes, at least). We're traveling to Las Vegas for a week’s vacation at the end of July, staying at a fancy-pants hotel, and will be taking a day trip out to the Grand Canyon – where I plan to ask her a certain question. I’ve got the appropriate ring (I hope) picked out, and I’ll have it in my possession 4-5 days before we leave. We’re flying down to Vegas, which is exactly the trouble. We’ll both have a small carry-on bag for the flight, and we’ll be checking a total of one garment bag and one largish duffel bag. Though the flight is non-stop, the potential perils of lost luggage and sticky-fingered security folk have made me very reluctant to secret the ring away in the checked bags – but the security line (which we’ll be going through at the same time), forces me to either place it in the dish along with my wallet/keys/phone/change/etc or leave it in my carry-on bag. The carry-on bag seems problematic. Although I don’t think I look suspicious, something in my bag always does – for this trip I’ll have a laptop and a DSLR camera + lenses and a book in my carry-on. I really don’t want a security worker to hold up the box and open it.

Green-Answer-Machine: How do I get this ring to Vegas with me, without losing it in checked bags or having my surprise busted wide-open at the security point? The ring’s metallic component is white gold, if that makes a difference.

(And no, we aren’t likely at all to get married while we’re there, but thanks for asking!)

Strange spots when I look out an airplane window.

tdabbott — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:15:28 -0800

Each time I fly on an airplane and have the window seat, I notice that when I look out the window I seem to see strange, transparent "spots" floating around. This only seems to occur once we get above the clouds, once it gets sunny. The clear spots almost seem like they move. I assume this is physiological and has to do with some sort of fluid in the eyes. I have had this all my life and I see it every time. Any ideas? I promise no drugs or alcohol are involved.

[Acoustic] guitar gets run over by a [baggage] car

Tiresias — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:30:22 -0800

Am I a complete lunatic for flying with my guitar as checked baggage? I'm moving to Tokyo in less than a week, and basically need to bring my guitar with me as a way of keeping me sane during the month before I get Internet set up at my apartment (and presumably afterwards, for the rest of my life. If you play an instrument, you know.) I've always been nervous about flying with my guitar, which, as far as guitars go, isn't actually worth that much, but you know, the sentimental value is through the roof. After reading numerous articles about it, I'm suddenly terrified.

The problem with these articles is that they all invariably advise that I check the guitar (which given the fact that it's an acoustic guitar is almost certainly not a possibility), and were written well before all of these new-fangled airline regulations, so I mean, how likely is it that I could get an item that is very obviously not regulation-sized carry-on past security? Let's imagine, realistically, that I will become pants-wettingly terrified when confronted with this, will stammer and tremble and will not be able to smooth talk my way past even a well-intentioned child.

Every article I read said 'Do Not Check Your Guitar' and then said no more about the issue...but, I mean, could I check the guitar? A few facts: I just bought a fairly heavy-duty hard-shell by Taylor; it won't stop a bullet, but it's got a raised top and nothing rattles around inside and it seems pretty secure. The guitar is an acoustic, and while not huge, is definitely large-medium. If it seems even at all possible that I might get it into carry-on, there's a soft-shell case too, but...I mean, it would be horrible to show up with this flimsy fabric piece of crap protection and then be told that I have to check my flimsy, piece of crap (but beloved) guitar, and then spend 15 hours worrying about its inevitable demise.

Also, in terms of lost luggage: I have one stop-over (in Detroit) and no address for a week after my arrival date, and no phone number for, I don't know, a couple.

And the airline is Northwest Airlines.

So: can I check my guitar? Am I a fool and a dreamer for even thinking of doing so? Will they kill my best friend???

Flying with steel cap boots

barnacles — Sun, 20 May 2007 05:03:41 -0800

Are steel cap boots allowed on airplanes nowadays? I'm flying internationally from Australia tomorrow and just realized the boots I wear everywhere have steel toes. Should I wear thongs or sandals on the plane and pack the boots (I'd prefer not to, as it's winter here and since the boots will count a lot in my weight allowance)?

If it's just a matter of removing the boots at the security gate and taking a little more time at checkin, no worries, but if they might possibly be confiscated that's an entirely different matter.

And yes, on the other end I want to have them with me, for work safety reasons.

Looking for information on cheapest airline travel routes

nitsuj — Sun, 06 May 2007 17:21:45 -0800

If I wanted to fly from one mainland to another -- North America to Asia, for instance -- but I'm willing to fly out of any city in North America to any city in Asia, how can I find out the cheapest route? Is there a website that says, for instance, that LAX->HND (Tokyo) is the cheapest US-->Asia flight, and it is cheapest from April-June? Is there a chart somewhere? Help!

What is the best bag for traveling with a MacBookPro and DSLR camera/lens?

tarthur — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:44:51 -0800

What type of all-in-one bag would you use to fly (economy across the country) with Nikon D-80 + MacBook Pro 15" (or equivalent equipment) that is comfortable, easy to store for flight, and functional? I'm trying to find a bag (preferably messenger/over the shoulder type) to use for air travel. I need to be able to cary my D80 and 18-200 VR Lens as well as a MacBook Pro 15" and associated accessories. I've been directed to Crumpler...has anyone used these? Thank you.