How do you like to fly?

[Gainsbarre]

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As far as flying goes, after probably 600+ flights (563 tracked: OpenFlights ), I definitely have my idiosyncrasies.

I might be catching up to you, especially since 2017 OpenFlights

My habits are nearly identical, except that I always choose an aisle seat (I consume a lot of liquids and like to get up when I can), I load up by iPad with TV shows (I fall asleep fairly easily on airplanes, so I find it preferable to start watching shorter videos than movies), and I like downloading the airline apps, especially for Delta and United to see if I have a free upgrade waiting for me at the gate after check-in. I had one of those neck pillows years ago, but found it to be a major inconvenience after a few flights. The bendable headrests on most flights do the trick for me.

I used the pouch that came with my noise cancelling headphones as my flight kit, but I did forget the pouch on a flight one day (fortunately that's all that I left behind), so I just use a small plastic grocery bag for this purpose and I usually get a few trips out of it.

Flight attendants in premium cabins seem to supply you with a lot of liquor. I happened to score a rare free upgrade in October on a flight to another continent (Chicago to Sao Paulo) and the flight attendant kept giving me full 12 ounce glasses of bourbon upon request.

I always walk quickly to get to customs at YYC and pretty much any other airport, although things are much faster now at YYC with the automated kiosks. Nearly every international flight I've taken has had the main bottle neck at passport control, so I always either use the washroom on the plane when landing or wait until after passport control to use the washroom - I don't think I've ever been in an airport that didn't have a washroom close to the baggage carousels after passport control.

[davidI]

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^ Namibia

Definitely need a quick back story - and worth a quick thread derail. I would have never guess it would be an "A" place to visit! (usually the ones you never hear, are)

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+1
Yeah we gona need a back story and details of the food there please...

Namibia was a bit of a surprise to me and I'm not exactly sure why I enjoyed it so much. The people were definitely part of it. They remind me a bit of Kiwis... always up for good spirited banter and a laugh. I remember walking barefoot everywhere (even in towns), taking after our Namibian driver, which was also good fun. They're heavily influenced by the Germans so decent beer, good bread, and loads of jaggermeister everywhere.

There isn't as much wildlife or beaches like in other African countries but there is a ton of stunning nature - the sand dunes, deadvlei, fish canyon, etc. Seeing/meeting the Himbas was also very cool but I do have concerns about them being exploited for tourism.

As far as food goes, we were camping so mostly preparing our own stuff. That said, Joe's Bierhaus in Windhoek put on an amazing barbecue and they had lots of unique game meat available (ostrich, kudu, etc.) I recall having a 2kg game knuckle and eating it viking style (wrapping my hand around the bone and pulling off flesh and meat with my teeth) and washing it all down with glass after glass of Jagger.

As with any trip, it's about the people you meet and your own personal experiences but I'm keen to return to Namibia sooner rather than later.

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I might be catching up to you, especially since 2017 OpenFlights

Nice work!! Are you afraid of the Indian Ocean or flying over India/Pakistan for some reason??

You'll probably catch up to me as I'm really trying to reduce my flying given the environmental impact. I'll hopefully be keeping it to <10 flights/year going forward but we'll see what life brings.

[Gainsbarre]

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Nice work!! Are you afraid of the Indian Ocean or flying over India/Pakistan for some reason??

You'll probably catch up to me as I'm really trying to reduce my flying given the environmental impact. I'll hopefully be keeping it to <10 flights/year going forward but we'll see what life brings.

No travel fears whatsoever, and I've been on flights turbulent enough to cause panic among passengers with items popping out of the overhead bins. I even watch episodes of Mayday ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday...ian_TV_series) ) while flying and have seen every episode from season 9 onwards this way on my iPad. Indian and Subsaharan Africa are very high on my list - I just need to find the vacation time (and maybe a flight deal, although those are becoming less important to me as of late). Very cool to hear about your travel stories in Africa. I tried a bunch of exotic meats for the first time (including crocodile and kangaroo) at a Christmas market in Belfast, Northern Ireland of all places back in December 2016. No kudu yet though...

I travelled a bit as a toddler, then didn't set foot on an airplane from 1991 until 2005. Started off very slowly again (essentially one flight per year for a few years) before flying out of town essentially every time there's a long weekend or I have at least 3 days off these past few years. It's often either a red eye flight on a Thursday/Friday after a full day of work (or a 6 am flight on Saturday), then a late arrival back in Calgary either late Sunday or Monday and off to work <6 hours after arriving back home. I might be slowing down a bit again as I took a new job that offers less vacation time this year, but who knows.

[davidI]

I was just kidding about being afraid - seems you've been everywhere minus the gap over India!

[CompletelyNumb]

101 segments
297227 km
17 days 11:04

I'm a peasant compared to you folks!

My travel style these days: runners, jeans, hoodie. Cell phone with 2 sets of ear buds, one wireless for music, one wired for plane movies if provided.

On short trips, carry-on only. Get into boarding group 1 or 2 so I can actually store my carry-on. Window seat. On longer trips with checked bags (I wont carry-on in this case), I simply board dead last and sit wherever I want. #imthatasshole Premium Economy seats don't generally have a headcount like business or first class, and are often empty.

[rage2]

181 segments
628568 km
36 days 6:35

I’m missing a ton of flights, just populated what I have on record still. Probably closer to 40 days would be my best guess as the missing ones are all shorter flights.

[ercchry]

Ended up having my flight canceled and am now stuck at yyz for a few extra hours... lounges, all I have to add... even without passes it’s cheaper than food and a couple drinks with the pleabs... and I’m taking advantage of the bar for sure

[Gainsbarre]

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Ended up having my flight canceled and am now stuck at yyz for a few extra hours... lounges, all I have to add... even without passes it’s cheaper than food and a couple drinks with the pleabs... and I’m taking advantage of the bar for sure

I assume you went to a Maple Leaf Lounge? They're pretty decent, with hot cooked food, free alcohol and signs at the bar to say that staff don't expect tips. I've had quite a few Bulleit borbons at Maple Leaf Lounges. Contrast this with a United Club where the only free alcohol is bottled Miller Lite or Budweiser and everything else is $5 USD and up. Don't ever pay or use a pass (if you have a limited number of them) to enter a United Club.

[Misterman]

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Ended up having my flight canceled and am now stuck at yyz for a few extra hours... lounges, all I have to add... even without passes it’s cheaper than food and a couple drinks with the pleabs... and I’m taking advantage of the bar for sure

I have to roll through almost once a week with a 2 hour lay over. I generally just grab breakfast at that little pub sort of place in the Air Canada section. What is the cost on the lounge? Maybe I'll just try that out next time.

[ercchry]

$32usd... so like $40?

[MalibuStacy]

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I prefer to fly after a well rested sleep so my arms don't tire as quickly.

Clever very clever

[Misterman]

One way I like to fly, is upgraded to plus seating, and not on an Air Canada flight if I can help it. I'm just about to hit Silver status with WestJet. Interested to see if that brings any upgrade offers my way, but guessing I'll need gold status to see much of anything. Do you have to actually take the flight before you get the tier credits for it? Like you don't get the credits just for purchasing the flight?

[ExtraSlow]

You need to take the flight to get the rewards.

[Misterman]

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You need to take the flight to get the rewards.

Thanks. Should have my status upgrade already then with my booked flights.

[Kobe]

Edit: Deleting cause I don't remember full details haha

[tonytiger55]

Are lounges worth it..?

I have a five hour layover in Minneapolis on Thursday..

[killramos]

How much can you Eat and drink for the 27 USD entry fee (or whatever it is).

Being away from the riff raff though, that’s priceless.

I consider a lounge to be largely an alternative to a restaurant, same same.

[ExtraSlow]

Five fucking hours? That's a travel planning fail, but for that length of time, the lounge is probably decent value.

I like my tight connections, 90 minutes is my normal target for USA airports.

[tonytiger55]

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Five fucking hours? That's a travel planning fail, but for that length of time, the lounge is probably decent value.

I like my tight connections, 90 minutes is my normal target for USA airports.

Ya its long. It was that or pay a extra $400 for the ticket, sit in shitty narrow seats and fly Air Canada. I purposely looked for non Air Canada.

The lounge is $45 USD. I just wonder about the food.

[revelations]

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Ya its long. It was that or pay a extra $400 for the ticket, sit in shitty narrow seats and fly Air Canada. I purposely looked for non Air Canada.

The lounge is $45 USD. I just wonder about the food.

Lounge by what carrier/alliance?