Travel Thread

[Craig]

Ive never flown overseas but my plan is always to go first class when i do. Seems worth iy

[shmenguin]

Ive never flown overseas but my plan is always to go first class when i do. Seems worth iy

with most airlines, coach seating for international flights is pretty cushy. you get a lot more leg room, and a private TV thing (though i guess that doesn't matter anymore with ipads and whatnot). it's bad value to fly first class, imo. and international flights are no exception.

[Craig]

Im pretty cheap about things but not my comfort. Ill be spending that money if im on a flight for 8 plus hours.

[LITT]

Can I make it from a flight landing at midway at 1445 to ohare for a flight departing 1810 for Barcelona?

[llipgh2]

Can I make it from a flight landing at midway at 1445 to ohare for a flight departing 1810 for Barcelona?

The airports are about 40 minutes apart, on opposite sides of town.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

I was able to upgrade to 1st class using miles on the way home from Rome on Wednesday. It is absolutely worth it and I never want to fly coach again. 1st class on an international flight is so much nicer than 1st class for a domestic flight. You can actually lay your seat down completely flat. Since I have a hard time sleeping on a plane, that was a huge bonus for me. I don't think I would pay full price for a 1st class seat though.

[The U]

Heading to Japan in October. Never considered doing anything Sumo related. Hmmmm....

Flights were $1400-$1700 the entire 2 week period I was looking. AA and a few others suddenly announced a sale right while I was researching and tix dropped to like $700. A great deal but I decided to go the mileage route instead so I could sit in first. 50k miles round trip from DC to Tokyo in Economy. 110k for first class. I figured the length of the flight justified me using miles rather than just paying $700 or 50k for economy.

110k round trip for 1st class? I expected that to be the one-way hit.

I was real surprised. I've seen domestic flights for 40k, 50k in economy before. Japan Airlines is having an "off peak" special or something. They are part of the OneWorld Alliance so my miles are with American Airlines but transferred over to JAL. Economy was 50k round trip to Tokyo, biz was 80k, and first class was 110k. I think in terms of dollars that ticket is worth $14,000-$17,000. A good deal indeed.

Even when I fly domestically and internationally for work and the tickets are paid for, we are only allowed to book business class....so going 1st will be a rare treat for me. Only done it twice before, both times unplanned or by accident.

One time was on a flight from Greece back to the US. I was flying alone as a 14 year old kid and the crew wanted to be able to watch out for me or help me get to my connecting flight or something. For some reason they wanted me under their watch. About 30 minutes into the flight they asked me to move up to first class and sat me down in a seat; got to enjoy that for the next 10+ hours. I was then escorted by an airline employee through the terminal to my next flight and put on a another plane. I don't think I fully appreciated 1st class back then and there were certainly no lie-flat beds or personal compartment/rooms like they have now.

The other time, a bit more recently, I was coming home on a flight from Amsterdam to DC. Had bought economy tix with a buddy of mine. At the check-in counter our bags were tagged for extra security screening. This was during the "have your bags in in your possession the entire time", "how much do your bags weigh", and "let me see your passports" portion of the check-in. During this back and forth with the lady checking us in, we were suddenly pulled to the side or flagged. So some big Dutch guy comes over and grabs our bags and rummages through them. He gives us the all-clear. We then go back up to the check-in lady to finish. She gets busy or distracted and walks away for a minute and another lady comes to finished checking us in. She says that our bags have been flagged and we need to have security look through our luggage AGAIN. We were like "again?" Process starts all over, security guy comes over to grab our bags. As the 2nd check was just about to get going, the original check-in lady comes back around to her area and notices that our bags were being looked at a second time. She immediately came flying out from behind her desk where they weigh bags, etc..and told the security guy to stop. She said these bags had already been checked and didn't need to be looked at again. She apologized to us way more than was necessary. It probably inconvenienced us for about 5 minutes tops. She said in order to apologize for this she was going to upgrade us to 1st class. This was KLM. Probably wouldn't have happened on a US airline. Amazing gesture that wasn't at all necessary, but we were thrilled.

*side story....15 minutes after we finish check in we are heading towards the security line. We go through and all is normal. I get to the departure gate and get that sudden rush of terror through my body when I realize I had left my wallet in one of the dishes you put your wallet/keys/etc in before you walk through the screener. I freaking RACE back to security and ask one of the guys if he found a wallet a few minutes ago. Without even looking at me or making eye contact he casually asks me what color the wallet was. I tell him. He reaches into his pocket and hands me my wallet. What a Rollercoaster of emotions those 60 minutes were.

[tifosi77]

Ive never flown overseas but my plan is always to go first class when i do. Seems worth iy

with most airlines, coach seating for international flights is pretty cushy. you get a lot more leg room, and a private TV thing (though i guess that doesn't matter anymore with ipads and whatnot). it's bad value to fly first class, imo. and international flights are no exception.

There is no amount of leg room you can have in an economy cabin that can make up for having the ability to lay down on a 12-hour flight.

[tifosi77]

Can I make it from a flight landing at midway at 1445 to ohare for a flight departing 1810 for Barcelona?

The airports are about 40 minutes apart, on opposite sides of town.

That's going into the start of evening rush hour.

You'll probably make it but with less than the recommended 2-hour cushion for international flights.

The BCN airport is pretty cool; there's an FC Barcelona team store, and when we got there (on a Saturday afternoon) it felt like the only people in the airport were the airport employees and the people getting off our plane. It was really busy the day we left, so that made the lack of people on arrival all the more weird.

Are you staying in Barca, or it just a waypoint?

[eddy]

Ive never flown overseas but my plan is always to go first class when i do. Seems worth iy

with most airlines, coach seating for international flights is pretty cushy. you get a lot more leg room, and a private TV thing (though i guess that doesn't matter anymore with ipads and whatnot). it's bad value to fly first class, imo. and international flights are no exception.

There is no amount of leg room you can have in an economy cabin that can make up for having the ability to lay down on a 12-hour flight.

Yeah, but there are horse tranquilizers

[tifosi77]

I was real surprised. I've seen domestic flights for 40k, 50k in economy before. Japan Airlines is having an "off peak" special or something. They are part of the OneWorld Alliance so my miles are with American Airlines but transferred over to JAL. Economy was 50k round trip to Tokyo, biz was 80k, and first class was 110k. I think in terms of dollars that ticket is worth $14,000-$17,000. A good deal indeed.

Holy crap, that's outstanding.

I'm with United/Star Alliance, so if we do go to Japan next year I'd like to fly ANA. I worked for a Japanese company, and all the nihon-jin would fly ANA.

This was KLM.

KLM actually has a cool YouTube channel. Lots of cockpit videos showing just what goes on getting from A to B. One of the vids chronicles the daily flight from Amsterdam to Princess Juliana Airport in St Maarten.

[Shyster]

with most airlines, coach seating for international flights is pretty cushy. you get a lot more leg room, and a private TV thing (though i guess that doesn't matter anymore with ipads and whatnot).

Depends on the airline and what aircraft are being used. We decided to go with United because we're flying back from Osaka Kansai Airport and United is one of the few airlines that flies non-stop from there to the U.S. On the outbound flight to Japan we're going through Denver because United's flights from Denver to Tokyo use new Boeing 787s with power outlets and screens at all seats. But if you fly United from Chicago or San Francisco to Tokyo, for example, a lot of those flights are using 747s that are old and outdated by this point and don't have per-seat entertainment or power in economy (United has already ordered Airbus A350s as replacements). So you really have to pay attention to what aircraft is used on what flight.

[LITT]

Can I make it from a flight landing at midway at 1445 to ohare for a flight departing 1810 for Barcelona?

The airports are about 40 minutes apart, on opposite sides of town.

That's going into the start of evening rush hour.

You'll probably make it but with less than the recommended 2-hour cushion for international flights.

The BCN airport is pretty cool; there's an FC Barcelona team store, and when we got there (on a Saturday afternoon) it felt like the only people in the airport were the airport employees and the people getting off our plane. It was really busy the day we left, so that made the lack of people on arrival all the more weird.

Are you staying in Barca, or it just a waypoint?

Staying for three nights. Barca, Madrid, Rome, Capri, positano

[tifosi77]

You're going to love Barcelona; it's my favorite place on earth.

[tifosi77]

with most airlines, coach seating for international flights is pretty cushy. you get a lot more leg room, and a private TV thing (though i guess that doesn't matter anymore with ipads and whatnot).

Depends on the airline and what aircraft are being used. We decided to go with United because we're flying back from Osaka Kansai Airport and United is one of the few airlines that flies non-stop from there to the U.S. On the outbound flight to Japan we're going through Denver because United's flights from Denver to Tokyo use new Boeing 787s with power outlets and screens at all seats. But if you fly United from Chicago or San Francisco to Tokyo, for example, a lot of those flights are using 747s that are old and outdated by this point and don't have per-seat entertainment or power in economy (United has already ordered Airbus A350s as replacements). So you really have to pay attention to what aircraft is used on what flight.

I think I read that United is also upgrading all their 744s on long haul international so that the economy cabins are all Economy Plus. We flew in a 748 to Europe last year, and I was impressed with the economy experience. But that was Lufthansa.

Also, I keep forgetting to ask: Have you verified that your accommodations in Japan will be 'American-sized'? My first boss at Konami arrived at the ANA InterContinental in Tokyo to find that his room (or the bed, at least) was more or less 3/4 scale, and had to have his room changed.

[Gaucho]

Make sure to visit the Faro de Moncloa in Madrid. Awesome vistas of the city and the sierra.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

Can I make it from a flight landing at midway at 1445 to ohare for a flight departing 1810 for Barcelona?

The airports are about 40 minutes apart, on opposite sides of town.

That's going into the start of evening rush hour.

You'll probably make it but with less than the recommended 2-hour cushion for international flights.

The BCN airport is pretty cool; there's an FC Barcelona team store, and when we got there (on a Saturday afternoon) it felt like the only people in the airport were the airport employees and the people getting off our plane. It was really busy the day we left, so that made the lack of people on arrival all the more weird.

Are you staying in Barca, or it just a waypoint?

Staying for three nights. Barca, Madrid, Rome, Capri, positano

I was just in Rome and Positano if you have any questions/recommendations.

[Shyster]

Also, I keep forgetting to ask: Have you verified that your accommodations in Japan will be 'American-sized'? My first boss at Konami arrived at the ANA InterContinental in Tokyo to find that his room (or the bed, at least) was more or less 3/4 scale, and had to have his room changed.

Good question. I honestly don't know. My sister-in-law made all of those reservations. I can say she is a very experienced international traveler and lived in Japan for more than five years, so I certainly trust her to make those decisions.

[tifosi77]

Where are you staying in Tokyo?

[Shyster]

Ginza Mercure.

[tifosi77]

Okay, that's a couple miles from where I stayed at the New Otani near Akasaka Palace. It looks like they cater to international business travelers, so you should be okay.

[Shyster]

Except for the traditional-style inn we'll be staying at after Tokyo, I believe my SIL made reservations at hotels near the main train station in each city. I recall she said those are usually the hotels most accustomed to dealing with international travelers, and consequently they're the most "western" in features.

[Reveutopique]

I hope one day I can participate in this conversation on your guys's level.


I need to start living my dream

[tifosi77]

Except for the traditional-style inn we'll be staying at after Tokyo, I believe my SIL made reservations at hotels near the main train station in each city. I recall she said those are usually the hotels most accustomed to dealing with international travelers, and consequently they're the most "western" in features.

You might face some shenanigans at the ryokan; just have a great kaiseki meal and try to forget the fact that the average Japanese dude is only 5'6" and a buck fifty.

[Shyster]

I hope one day I can participate in this conversation on your guys's level.
I need to start living my dream

This is my first overseas trip, and I'm in no way a seasoned traveler. I actually don't really even like to travel—my idea of a good vacation is sitting at home reading books and playing video games. This is not a trip I would have done by myself. But I think I would regret it if I didn't go, so going I am.