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Your screenshot says your ticket is United Economy, but the text you quoted says Basic Economy. Chances are those are different. But yes you should call and confirm it.
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Nov 30, 2023 01:53
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mobby_6kl posted:Hey, I have this flight coming up and I was checking the cabin luggage situation. K is a discounted economy fare on United, not Basic Economy (which is N) so you can bring a normal carry on for all segments. No need to call.
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Nov 30, 2023 03:23
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That layover sucks though, you'll have to pay for a hotel but won't have enough time to do anything in Chicago. Any reason why you didn't just go for the direct from Frankfurt with Lufthansa?
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Nov 30, 2023 07:00
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Your screenshot says your ticket is United Economy, but the text you quoted says Basic Economy.  Beef Of Ages posted:K is a discounted economy fare on United, not Basic Economy (which is N) so you can bring a normal carry on for all segments. No need to call. Konstantin posted:That layover sucks though, you'll have to pay for a hotel but won't have enough time to do anything in Chicago. Any reason why you didn't just go for the direct from Frankfurt with Lufthansa?  Dunno if it's different now but too late to change anything anyway. I was kind of looking forward to the layover as I've never been to Chicago before but yeah not ideal especially in the winter when it's going to be cold and dark early. Also if the immigration takes forever. Oh well. E: They make it clear on the check-in page but basically everywhere else it says BASIC ECONOMY so better safe than sorry. Thanks all. 
mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 13:47 on Nov 30, 2023 |
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Nov 30, 2023 10:31
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mobby_6kl posted:I was kind of looking forward to the layover as I've never been to Chicago before but yeah not ideal especially in the winter when it's going to be cold and dark early. Also if the immigration takes forever. Oh well. Book a room at the hideously lovely Hilton ORD (ask for an allergen free room as they're slightly less lovely) and then take the Blue Line into town, go get dinner and beers (I can recommend several places), then take the Blue Line back out and sleep before your flight the next morning. If you're having to deal with the poo poo sandwich that is transiting the US, at least you can treat yo self.
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Nov 30, 2023 17:13
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Beef Of Ages posted:Book a room at the hideously lovely Hilton ORD (ask for an allergen free room as they're slightly less lovely) and then take the Blue Line into town, go get dinner and beers (I can recommend several places), then take the Blue Line back out and sleep before your flight the next morning. If you're having to deal with the poo poo sandwich that is transiting the US, at least you can treat yo self. I’m not sure what nationality you are Mobby (Ukraine + something more internationally usable?) but if you or anyone else reading this thread transit in the US more often than every five years, you can get global entry, which makes transiting in the US honestly easier than how flying was pre 9/11. It also lets you go to through the "wave you through in two seconds" special security line at most airports. It’s kind of a weird grab bag of eligible countries and looks like it hasn’t been added to much in the last 5+ years, just Bahrain Croatia NZ and Taiwan are new: U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, citizens of Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Bahrain, Argentina, India, Colombia, Panama, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, Mexican, Croatian, and Taiwanese nationals Weird that the UK is eligible but not the rest of the five eyes. I think Canadian citizens have some equivalent system they can join? Super odd that Aussies can’t join but Swiss and Argentina can. Anyway, we love it and it makes transiting in the US zero stress since both we both joined. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Nov 30, 2023 |
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Nov 30, 2023 18:02
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Saladman posted:I’m not sure what nationality you are Mobby (Ukraine + something more internationally usable?) but if you or anyone else reading this thread transit in the US more often than every five years, you can get global entry, which makes transiting in the US honestly easier than how flying was pre 9/11. It also lets you go to through the "wave you through in two seconds" special security line at most airports. Solid advice. Global Entry is the truth.
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Nov 30, 2023 18:19
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I have a EU passport now so I'm just glad I can do ESTA instead of the usua visa interrogations. I'd certainly get once it's available, going through the automated EU passport control is a breeze. Like I'm in/out of the airport in 15 minutes.
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Nov 30, 2023 23:05
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Saladman posted:Weird that the UK is eligible but not the rest of the five eyes. I think Canadian citizens have some equivalent system they can join? Canadians can (and should) get NEXUS, which includes PRE and Global Entry. All for $50 every 5 years.
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Dec 1, 2023 03:07
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Whelp there was an hour delay due to lovely weather and now apparently they discovered that the spoiler on the left wing isn't responding correctly so we're taxiing back for maintenance to check it out. At this rate I'm not going to see poo poo in Chicago lol.
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Dec 1, 2023 12:46
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mobby_6kl posted:Whelp there was an hour delay due to lovely weather and now apparently they discovered that the spoiler on the left wing isn't responding correctly so we're taxiing back for maintenance to check it out. At this rate I'm not going to see poo poo in Chicago lol. Welcome to travel! 
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Dec 1, 2023 14:52
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Beef Of Ages posted:Welcome to travel! Not my first rodeo but I've never had more than 40-60 minute delay, somehow. We're almost 6 hours past the departure time and still parked in the maintenance area. Although the fix is supposedly done now so any minute... Well they'll still have to clear a shitload of snow that accumulated in the meantime and wait for a takeoff slot. I think I changed my mind, just take me home  E: lmao the crew exceeded the maximal allowed work hours as we were taxiing to the runway after deicing. So I might get my wish after all. mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Dec 1, 2023 |
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Dec 1, 2023 15:56
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mobby_6kl posted:Not my first rodeo but I've never had more than 40-60 minute delay, somehow. We're almost 6 hours past the departure time and still parked in the maintenance area. Although the fix is supposedly done now so any minute... That sucks man, I'm sorry. Get you some of that EU261 compensation.
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Dec 1, 2023 18:18
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Hey, offchance do any of you know what BA's deal is with their upgrade fare codes? I was looking on ExpertFlyer to see about my chances upgrading a PE to Business with an AA SWU, looking at U specifially, but it says all the upgrade fare classes (P, U, X, and Z) are unavailable. Not just for that flight, but like, in general. There are still ~13 seats available in business across all business fares, so I'm hoping some will be released to upgrade, but what's with the fare class thing?
ReidRansom fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Dec 1, 2023 |
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Dec 1, 2023 21:25
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ReidRansom posted:Hey, offchance do any of you know what BA's deal is with their upgrade fare codes? I was looking on ExpertFlyer to see about my chances upgrading a PE to Business with an AA SWU, looking at U specifially, but it says all the upgrade fare classes (P, U, X, and Z) are unavailable. Not just for that flight, but like, in general. There are still ~13 seats available in business across all business fares, so I'm hoping some will be released to upgrade, but what's with the fare class thing? Welcome to upgrading with instruments in TYOOL 2023. Upgrade space is regularly sparse so it's not surprising that you're not seeing any U space available when you search for things, even over consecutive days. They'd much rather sell those seats for revenue rather than give them away. Also keep in mind that using an AA SWU on BA means you need a mixture of both AA and BA segments on the PNR.
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Dec 1, 2023 22:03
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Beef Of Ages posted:Welcome to upgrading with instruments in TYOOL 2023. Upgrade space is regularly sparse so it's not surprising that you're not seeing any U space available when you search for things, even over consecutive days. They'd much rather sell those seats for revenue rather than give them away. Also keep in mind that using an AA SWU on BA means you need a mixture of both AA and BA segments on the PNR. Oh, yeah I do. It's all booked though our organizational travel coordinator as an AA PNR. And I'm BA outbound and AA (and I2) on the return. We're governmental so it's all through US airlines even if sometimes as codeshare. But like, I get that AA SWUs are hard to use; that's why I didn't take 3 more at whatever LP reward level that was and opted for miles instead, but BA seem to have disused all of their upgrade fare classes, and that's what I'm confused about. As for the actual chance of an upgrade, I figure I'm just going to call T-36 or so and hope for the best. I'm OW Emerald though I don't think that helps me, but maybe if inventory is released it may bump me ahead?
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Dec 1, 2023 22:52
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I read some engines are having trouble accessing certain fare codes with AA, try checking their own website and you might get luckier.
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Dec 1, 2023 22:56
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I did call BA directly, but they weren't super helpful, aside from suggesting I call AA back like ~T-36 or so to see what is available. e: It's really all on me for just requesting just PE or better under my medical allowance instead of lie flat (government books you at the lowest fare or some poo poo unless medical needs dictate higher, which my doctor who is a real sis agreed to, though I'm not super sure how it actually works I guess). ReidRansom fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Dec 1, 2023 |
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Dec 1, 2023 23:15
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mobby_6kl posted:E: lmao the crew exceeded the maximal allowed work hours as we were taxiing to the runway after deicing. So I might get my wish after all. Classic, I've been hosed by that 2x. You'd think they could give a heads up a lot earlier but it seems they always wait until the last second to tell you.
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Dec 2, 2023 18:20
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mobby_6kl posted:Not my first rodeo but I've never had more than 40-60 minute delay, somehow. We're almost 6 hours past the departure time and still parked in the maintenance area. Although the fix is supposedly done now so any minute... The German strategy of making planes and driving even worse than DB, rather than making DB great again, seems to be paying off. Did you ever end up in Costa Rica, or are you still on the tarmac in Munich, waiting for Godot?
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Dec 2, 2023 18:25
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On my recent trip, I arrived and left through MUC. The passport check and security queues were non-existent, as opposed to leaving Vienna early this year which was an unorganized shitshow. There was a rail strike, so I had to spend an extra day in Bamberg. Oh, another day of rauchbier. The train from Salzburg to Munich was delayed due to police checking passports once the train entered Germany. There was an electrical issue when another train was between Bamberg and Munich, so we sat at Ingolstadt for 30 minutes before continuing. As far as DB has fallen, still not as bad as Trenitalia!
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Dec 2, 2023 19:16
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WaryWarren posted:On my recent trip, I arrived and left through MUC. The passport check and security queues were non-existent, as opposed to leaving Vienna early this year which was an unorganized shitshow. There was a rail strike, so I had to spend an extra day in Bamberg. Oh, another day of rauchbier. The train from Salzburg to Munich was delayed due to police checking passports once the train entered Germany. There was an electrical issue when another train was between Bamberg and Munich, so we sat at Ingolstadt for 30 minutes before continuing. As far as DB has fallen, still not as bad as Trenitalia!  they've been nothing but relaible for me so far.Other than the whole snow thing, MUC is pretty nice. The biometric passport check makes it very quick and security doesn't require that you take anything out of the bag so it goes pretty smoothly. goodness posted:Classic, I've been hosed by that 2x. You'd think they could give a heads up a lot earlier but it seems they always wait until the last second to tell you. Saladman posted:The German strategy of making planes and driving even worse than DB, rather than making DB great again, seems to be paying off.  So I'm back home now here's what happened:
Very annoying but better than spending another night in Munich and then probably another one wherever I would've certainly missed my connection. All the  should make up for it at least. Also I got a toothache on the way back so I'm going to get that checked out now which is better than if it happened there.
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Dec 3, 2023 11:54
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mobby_6kl posted:What's wront with Trenitalia Wow, that is... a lot of snow. Also in my pretty extensive experience of trains in Italy, Trenitalia is fantastic and almost always on time for major intercity lines (except during strike periods). Trenitalia is absolute dumpster fire bad for anything that is not on the two lines in the country that get more than 1 day/decade in maintenance (i.e. Palermo -> Milan or Torino -> Venice are good, everything else is horrific). E: Actually I don't know how trains are on the Adratic coast, except around Lecce where they are awful. Even trains in the north -- which is where I have the most experience -- that are not on the main line from Torino to Venice are awful. Trains in Sicily except between Palermo and Catania are also terrible. Palermo to Trapani is like a 5 hour train ride, or a 1 hour drive. Saladman fucked around with this message at 12:18 on Dec 3, 2023 |
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Dec 3, 2023 12:14
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Sorry, my Trenitalia experience is from living there and having Regionale or Regionale Veloce trains cancelled or being 20-30 minutes late. Usually, this happened on the weekend, so only my personal life was affected not my work life.
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Dec 3, 2023 19:32
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United got back to me regarding EU261 after about a week which is pretty good all things considered. They're offering $1000 in a United certificate, 50,000 miles United MileagePlus miles or 600EUR in cold hard cash. Now 600EUR is only about $650 so $1000 is great and could get me a flight to LAX or even economy to Hawaii, it seems at least on some dates. But otherwise United isn't something I could use much from Europe. I've never flown enough with a single airline to collect enough miles to be worthwhile so doing some research it seems... crap?  https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/complete-guide-redeeming-united-mileageplus-miles If that chart is roughly accurate (United isn't showing the mile options for me) it seems like I'd use it up on the shortest transatlantic flight and have to pay cash on top of that. Supposedly it's better ROI on business but I'm not paying $6k for a flight. Saladman posted:Wow, that is... a lot of snow. WaryWarren posted:Sorry, my Trenitalia experience is from living there and having Regionale or Regionale Veloce trains cancelled or being 20-30 minutes late. Usually, this happened on the weekend, so only my personal life was affected not my work life. I'm only a tourist and never had a train be noticeably late in Sicily, Veneto, Puglia, Lombardia or Piemonte, but that was probably on the major routes so my sample pretty limited.
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Dec 12, 2023 15:30
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mobby_6kl posted:so doing some research it seems... crap? Welcome to United. Take the cash and run.
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Dec 12, 2023 16:27
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Beef Of Ages posted:Welcome to United. Take the cash and run.
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Dec 15, 2023 11:43
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United posted:Since our last communication, our auditors had re-examined the circumstances surrounding United Airlines Flight #952 on December 1, 2023 and have determined the flight does not meet the applicable criteria for the EU261 regulation as the original cause of the flight disruption was inclement weather conditions which were beyond United's control. However, as a one time exception we will honor the options that were offered and will fulfill your selection of EUR600. Lol, lmao. I mean at least they're going to give me my money so whatever, but there's no way the cause was weather - we sat for like 5 hours trying while they tried to fix the spoiler or whatever and then the crew exceeded the flight duty hours while we were taxiing. Unless they want to claim that everything was caused entirely by the 20 minuts it took to do the deicing 🤡
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Dec 29, 2023 17:03
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Okay so this is a good time to raise this question: one of my biggest worries is being stuck on the taxiway or gate whilst boarded on a plane for extended periods. It has only ever happened to me once in my life for any noticeable amount of time. I've had numerous delays other times but they've always only ever been for <30 minutes so no biggie. The delay I had was a recent business trip where we were kept at the gate for two hours whilst waiting for a shithead passenger who ultimately ended up not making the flight for whatever reason and having their baggage unloaded. This would have been an absolutely horrific experience if I were flying economy, but as it was, I was cushy in business and just sipped the lemon and mint drink whilst playing games on the Switch. What are our options as passengers if this happens and you're flying economy? Or is it a moot point considering the fact no one ever really knows how long a delay will last. But if I hit the two hour mark, I'd want to get off the plane and just go on a following flight or something because I absolutely cannot stand being cramped in economy whilst not even going anywhere and then having to deal with the 5+ hour flight afterwards. Or is this one of those situations where it's better to just suck it up and eat the mind-numbing experience of being stuck on a plane that isn't getting you any closer to your destination?
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Dec 29, 2023 17:20
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Just a guess but I’d think since the flight isn’t cancelled and you’ve got a seat on it, the airline isn’t going to refund your fare. If you demand to be let off I would imagine they’d have to oblige but at that point your transaction with the airline is most likely completed.
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Dec 29, 2023 19:19
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Qubee posted:What are our options as passengers if this happens and you're flying economy? Or is it a moot point considering the fact no one ever really knows how long a delay will last. But if I hit the two hour mark, I'd want to get off the plane and just go on a following flight or something because I absolutely cannot stand being cramped in economy whilst not even going anywhere and then having to deal with the 5+ hour flight afterwards. Or is this one of those situations where it's better to just suck it up and eat the mind-numbing experience of being stuck on a plane that isn't getting you any closer to your destination? Unless they go back to the gate, you have no options. This, I believe, is a big part of why people justifiably hate long tarmac delays and why the US outlawed them a few years back (though they do still happen occasionally). If they do go back to the gate, for me, it's very much a gametime decision based off the information I have. One immutable truth in travel is that advocating for and taking care of yourself is always going to net you a better outcome than expecting the airline (or hotel or car rental agency or really anyone else) to take care of you. If it's a mechanical issue then you're reliant upon what the crew tells you, but for weather issues and things like that, you have access to the same data the airlines use (for the most part) on your phone. Making the choice to give yourself more options is always the best plan in my experience.
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Dec 29, 2023 20:19
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I don't know the real answer but while we were stuck there after a few hours they said that you can request to be let off the plane. But it'd be sooo complicated, involve removing your luggage, etc, so you should realllly think hard about it, because of the implication.
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Dec 29, 2023 20:19
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Just a guess but I’d think since the flight isn’t cancelled and you’ve got a seat on it, the airline isn’t going to refund your fare. If you demand to be let off I would imagine they’d have to oblige but at that point your transaction with the airline is most likely completed. Usually (and this is highly dependent on the gate agent or customer service agent you interact with) they'll rebook you on a later flight.
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Dec 29, 2023 20:20
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mobby_6kl posted:I don't know the real answer but while we were stuck there after a few hours they said that you can request to be let off the plane. But it'd be sooo complicated, involve removing your luggage, etc, so you should realllly think hard about it, because of the implication. This is true and also why I don't check bags unless absolutely necessary, especially for international trips. Again, I try to set myself up for success with maximum flexibility and options so checking bags is a big dent in that effort.
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Dec 29, 2023 20:21
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Yeah, Rick Steves and Wolters World (don't laugh) have beaten into my head to pack light, very light. So great to grab my bag under the seat in front of me, the roller bag above me and be on my way out of the airport.
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Dec 29, 2023 20:22
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Also helpful when your two hour connection between airlines at CDG, AMS, or wherever winds up being more like 50 minutes because of a deicing delay or whatever. Not having to claim and recheck can make the difference.
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Dec 29, 2023 20:28
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Beef Of Ages posted:This is true and also why I don't check bags unless absolutely necessary, especially for international trips. Again, I try to set myself up for success with maximum flexibility and options so checking bags is a big dent in that effort. Generally I find that I can easily pack what I need into the cabin luggage just fine. One small roller bag and "personal item" which can be a 20l backpack. Unless you need several suits or like diving or skiing gear or something.
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Dec 29, 2023 21:53
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Beef Of Ages posted:Unless they go back to the gate, you have no options. This, I believe, is a big part of why people justifiably hate long tarmac delays and why the US outlawed them a few years back (though they do still happen occasionally). If they do go back to the gate, for me, it's very much a gametime decision based off the information I have. One immutable truth in travel is that advocating for and taking care of yourself is always going to net you a better outcome than expecting the airline (or hotel or car rental agency or really anyone else) to take care of you. If it's a mechanical issue then you're reliant upon what the crew tells you, but for weather issues and things like that, you have access to the same data the airlines use (for the most part) on your phone. Making the choice to give yourself more options is always the best plan in my experience. It's my understanding that a lot of airlines don't give you the option. If you don't take off after a predetermined amount of time, you go back to the gate and the flight is cancelled.
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Dec 30, 2023 08:23
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Konstantin posted:It's my understanding that a lot of airlines don't give you the option. If you don't take off after a predetermined amount of time, you go back to the gate and the flight is cancelled. This is usually a function of slot controlled airports and ATC, less about the airline. The airline has numerous incentives to get the flight in the air (financial, operational, reputational, etc.) and will generally do what they can to make it happen. But there are some airports that have tight departure and arrival slot controls and if you miss your window, you're poo poo out of luck. The exception rather than the rule, though.
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Dec 30, 2023 18:41
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Out of curiosity, are there any/many widely used passenger aircraft that can’t use the roll-up stairways? I know we had to use one earlier this year when things went squirrelly on a A320. E: I suppose they’d need that capability for emergency purposes. WithoutTheFezOn fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Dec 30, 2023 |
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Dec 30, 2023 18:48
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