Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with travel and airplane

Bait-and-Switch or ineptitude?... WTF Travelocity!?

blueberry — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:27:45 -0800

Buying a ticket to Bangkok—is there a dependable online ticket-searching service that is all about getting the truly cheapest fare? Skinflint-In-Coach.com? Argh!, I spent over an hour today working on the Travelocity site, trying to find a low-priced ticket from Portland to Bangkok. After noodling around with my Portland/Bangkok departure dates I finally found a reasonably priced ticket that I could afford. However when I clicked to order it Travelocity said Sorry, that ticket's not available, please go pick another one—all of the other tickets being at least $500 more. (And annoyingly, when I went back to look at the other tickets, that cheaper un-buyable ticket was still listed as being available)

So, I tried Kayak.com and found that while it searches across four different ticket sites, each site finds fares that differ from each other by thousands of dollars. That is, each site is saying "This is the absolute cheapest flight out there" but actually the ticket prices vary from $1900 to $4000. To my mind, there should be only one "cheapest flight"—you know, hence the "-est" suffix.

So tell me hive mind, is there one ticket-finding site that
A: doesn't advertise tickets that it doesn't have (Travelocity), and
B: searches all flights all through one interface—so you don't have to dig through several different sites and windows wasting time with their laughable ideas of what they call "the cheapest flight"?

[For reference, I'm looking to leave PDX on Dec 9th, and leave BKK on any of the days between Dec 31 and Jan 3]

What do I expect when traveling by airplane?

fuq — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:34:45 -0800

I am an air-travel virgin and I'm flying out of JFK (NYC) to Charlotte this Saturday and I'd like to know what to expect. What is aircraft etiquette that I'm not familiar with due to not having flown in a plane before? What should I know before I roll into the airport regarding packing and carry-on stuff. How is the security at JFK? Should I expect to be detained due to my beard and unkempt appearance?

What are things that you have done in the past that resulted in a more enjoyable flight experience? My flight is two and a half hours on US airlines

Cheapest way from Tokyo to Kumamoto?

0bvious — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:09:56 -0800

Last minute Japan travel: after making an error with timing I need to arrange one-way travel from Tokyo to Kumamoto quite quickly. What are the cheapest options? I have looked into flights and trains (for the 17th of August) and both seem expensive (about £200-£250 a ticket). I am in the UK at the moment. Would it be worth waiting until we arrive in Japan? Perhaps trying to get last minute flights at the airport? Information on this site suggests cheap train travel, but has no links to buy: frommers.com

Air travel is looking pricey: farecompare.com or skyscanner.net

Is it possible to book overnight traisn from the UK? what re the other cheap-cheap train options?

Any help or advice you have would be much appreciated

How can I find out historical data on the price of plane tickets?

Mr. Justice — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:18:25 -0800

How can I find out historical data on the price of plane tickets? I am trying to answer several questions that are along the lines of "How much did it cost to fly from airport A to airport B during time C"?

Any online videos to teach a kid about air travel?

Overzealous — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:41:43 -0800

Are there any movies/online videos to show a toddler what to expect from air travel? We're heading out on our first airplane ride (about 2 hours) with our 2-and-a-half year old and want to give him some idea of what to expect on the flight before we head out.

I found this "I'm a Good Little Traveler!" DVD but was looking for something...well...free. Any good links out there? Or DVDs that are recommended to purchase?

I'm always serious. And don't call me Shirley

Jon_Evil — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:29:05 -0800

Can I book a round-trip flight with different passengers on the initial and return flights? Five of us are going to Ohio, but live in New York. One wants to fly out with us, but stay longer and drive back to New York later. Another will already be in Ohio, but needs to fly back to New York with us. Am I allowed to only buy four tickets and have the two people share a round trip flight? If I'm not allowed, is there a way to do it anyway?

Airplane hallucinations?

Rinku — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:15:37 -0800

While descending in a plane, I saw strange swimming lights. What's the deal? I had a window seat, right near the front of the plane. I began to see the lights when we were descending, specifically when we were between two layers of cloud. It was in the early afternoon today, and even though we were below one layer of cloud it was still very bright, and the ground was completely snowed over so there was a lot of light from below as well. I could still look out the window without squinting, but everything was either white or gray and my eyes didn't know where to focus.

I kept looking, though, and I started to see rapidly moving, swimming flecks. They were black and white not colored, and they were constantly in motion. It was a little like looking at a cloud of flies, but they moved faster, and never really seemed to stop. It reminded me of a sped up biology film, of bacteria or something similar squiggling around a petri dish.

I talked to a friend about it and she said that it could have been the floaty particles in my eyes, but they were moving much much too quickly, and at one point, as I was watching them go, I saw one of the usual back-of-the-eye detached blood vessels float past my field of vision, and it seemed to be "behind" of the specks, as in, the thread was in my eye as usual and the specks were storming in front of me. I also noticed that the specks were three dimensional, as in, I could focus my eyes in or out, and change what part of this particle field I was looking at. I could look further, and the specks closer would go out of focus and vice-versa.

While I was watching them, I tried closing my eyes several times, or looking inside the plane. They vanished when I was looking anywhere besides outside.

After I was watching these specks or particles or sparks or whatever they were, I began too see something else too, black shapes coming and going right around where I focused my vision. It was if I was going backwards rapidly through a tunnel.

We descended through the lower layer of cloud and they started to fade rapidly, first the black backwards tunnel part, then the specks. It might be worth noting that as we came through the cloud layer, there was still snow throwing up light from below, and at that point I could still see them faintly, but when we flew over houses and roads they left completely.

The specks, and the black tunnel bit, were in black and white, and I could focus my eyes on them. It was very different from, say, pressing on your eyes and seeing bluish-purplish-reddish blotches. I've had minor migraines, where you see a floating patch of black-white-rainbow-flashes and it's hard to focus on anything. It was different from that as well.

At the time of this strange visitation, I was a little drowsy from leaving early to get to the airport but still completely awake. I was suffering from a sinus-pressure kind of headache, but it wasn't very bad, and I've had those without hallucinating many a time. I wear glasses, I'm near-sighted, and had them on at the time of the "vision." I had not taken any medication that morning or the day before.

Any guesses, metafilter? Is there a name for this kind of thing? Has anyone experienced anything similar?

and will either give me free Guinness?!

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:32:12 -0800

Should I book a flight with Aer Lingus or American Airlines? The price is the same (~$380). The flight is one way, transatlantic Dublin-Chicago. Probably no checked baggage (though a very slight possibility).

I don't have any experience with Aer Lingus and haven't flow on AA in a loooong time so I don't know which one would be better as far as comfort/food/etc.

What kind of lighters are allowed on an airplane?

phyrewerx — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:50:29 -0800

What's the difference between a torch lighter, and a butane lighter, and what is allowed for a Canadian domestic flight? I have a lighter that I would like to take carry with me while I fly between two Canadian cities. Transport Canada says that Zippo lighters are ok; but what does that mean? Does it have to be that brand? The bottom of this lighter has a screw top, and a tiny nozzel underneath, if that is of any help.

There's m-----f-----' Willamette Valley Pinot Noir on the m-----f-----' plane!

Ignatius J. Reilly — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:33:31 -0800

Can I take an unopened bottle of wine in my carry-on luggage? I am flying on American Airlines from O'Hare to LaGuardia this weekend, and I would like to bring a nice bottle of wine to show my gratitude to friends who will be putting me up in NY. My carry-on luggage is the legal size.

Please note: I do not consider checking baggage to be an option that is preferable to simply leaving the wine at home.

Futhermore, I am not concerned with logistical difficulties, only with whether or not the airline is going to yoink my booze.

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.

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?

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.

[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???

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.

Renting DVD players for long flights

sandor — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:34:01 -0800

My wife and I are travelling from O'Hare to Tokyo to Bangkok next week. We don't have the ability to bring our laptop, but I was wondering if there's a way to rent a DVD player for the trip -- either a service that operates out of O'Hare and NRT or BKK, or something where I could rent it for the trip, lock it up in a BKK locker, and retrieve it for the plane rides home. I've looked up previous threads and researched my plane on SeatGuru. It seems we may have individual screens, but I'm not clear on what our selection of movies will be like. Advice on how AirShow works would be welcome as well. It's been years since I've been on an overseas flight. Thanks.

What should I bring on my trip to Brazil to make a little extra spending cash?

weiler63 — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:08:08 -0800

What should I bring on my trip to Brazil to make a little extra spending cash? After a friend and I had booked our flights to Rio, another buddy said that he had heard ipods, laptops and other electronics were way more expensive than in the US.

I was wondering how I could use this to my advantage in order to have a few $$ on our adventures in paradise. I also heard that Diesel jeans are way expensive down there as well.

I was wondering what to bring, and who to sell it to? (shop owners, middlemen, etc)

Any advice would be welcome.

--Adam

$900 Ticket

bd — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:06:14 -0800

I have $900 to spend on a flight. Where should I got? Basically, Northwest screwed me so I have to fly somewhere for $900.

It is Northwest money, so only places that you can find through here.

Also, it is ok if I don't spend the full amount. I will have credit (so I could essentially go two places).

Cheap airfare from here to anywhere?

anonymoose — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 01:34:40 -0800

What good websites are there that will let me type in my location and see where I can go for cheap? There are many websites for trying to find cheap itineraries from A to B, but seemingly far fewer that just tell you what your best options are for getting away from A.

Books for a two-year-old first-time flier

Songdog — Sat, 20 May 2006 18:48:59 -0800

Can anyone recommend good books to read to a two-year-old boy who's going to be taking his first airplane trip in ten days? My wife and I will be taking our son on a trip from New Jersey to California. I've talked about it with him, of course, but I thought incorporating the preparation into his evening storytime might help him to know what to expect. Can you traveling parents out there recommend any special books that helped your little fliers?

Is it a bad idea to check a bag on an airplane with a small form factor (SFF) computer in it?

D Wiz — Wed, 10 May 2006 13:22:13 -0800

Is it a bad idea to check a bag on an airplane with a small form factor (SFF) computer in it? My parents live on one coast and I dorm on the other. I would like to be able to bring my PC back and forth. I wanted to buy something like a Shuttle (except more do it yourself, I can put in my own motherboard and processor) and build my own SFF to bring back and forth. Yes, I know there is such a thing as a laptop and I happen to have one. In my experience though, everything goes slower on them. It burns DVDs slower, it processes slower etc. and they usually have smaller hard drives. I usually end up using my parents computer when I am home b/c I can't stand using my laptop. My laptop isn't even old. It has been slower than my desktop since the day I bought it. (I know this may have been unnecessay information but I am trying to quell the inevitable response, "Why don't you just get a laptop?") So my question is: Is it a bad idea to travel with a small form factor PC in my checked luggage. Obviously, I will put padding around it (clothing, bubble paper etc.). Is it likely to break? Or should it be ok?

(As a side note, if anyone has any suggestions as to SFF cases (I don't want anything with a mobo/processor inside, I just want a case) that are durable and cheap, suggestions would be appreciated.)

Flying cross country with perishables and meltables?

stuart_s — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 09:46:48 -0800

I'd like to transport frozen food (ice cream) and refrigerated food on an airplane from San Francisco. Is this possible? I think the optimal plan will involve dry ice for the ice cream. Where can I get it in San Francisco? I'm thinking one cooler for the ice cream. One cooler for the refrigerated stuff. Both packed in the same piece of luggage. But I don't really have a suitable piece of luggage. What can I pack this in? I can't duct tape closed a cardboard box, can I? TSA would rip it open, right?

Is dry ice going to freak out the TSA? Where can I get it? I'm leaving Sunday night. I can't really think that this will work out unless I can pick up the dry ice that evening. Is there a better way to manage the ice cream?

ID stolen. How do I get on my plane this Sunday?

sdis — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:22:41 -0800

I have a flight to NYC from Burbank, CA this Sunday, and my wallet has been stolen. What can I do to decrease my chances of having problems as I go through security with limited ID? Forms of ID I have:
-Certified Birth Certificate
-Temporary California Driver's License (No picture)
-College ID (has name, picture, student ID number)
-Xerox of my passport (I lost my passport, going to replace once I get my license)

I called Jetblue, and I now have a note in my file saying "Wallet was stolen. Providing a boarding pass is up to the discretion of the airport" (Useless :P).

I called TSA, and they told me that provided I get a boarding pass and get patted down, I should be fine.

take a home made stereo as carry-on?

hurting.the.feelings.of.thechinesepeople — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 20:01:29 -0800

I tore apart a bookshelf stereo system and put it in a strawberry crate, as seen here. I love it. I would like to take it with me when I move to hawaii. Can I carry it on? It's nothing more than electronics that work. but i'm afraid TSA might just take one look and toss me into the clink. I realize safety is the TSA's priority but I do want to take this if possible. I've carry'd on my record player before. what's the diff?