The airline experience has become miserable

[TradeTheBeal!]

15 hours ago, mammajamma said:

its a true disgrace to the american transportation system. one of the busiest airports out there, but they cant afford to update the D gate (and STILL use those shuttle things that were out of date decades ago)..

 

everyone that works there always act completely miserable, and i don't blame them one bit

Oh yeah, they do still use those 1980s jumper busses.  That’s pretty pathetic.

[Spaceman Spiff]

28 minutes ago, TryTheBeal! said:

Oh yeah, they do still use those 1980s jumper busses.  That’s pretty pathetic.

 

These things? 

 

 

They look like a Star Wars Storm Trooper transportation system that got scrapped.  They're ****ing terrible.  

[CobraCommander]

40 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

These things? 

 

 

They look like a Star Wars Storm Trooper transportation system that got scrapped.  They're ****ing terrible.  

Excuse all of you, but as a kid this was the highlight of going to dulles for me. Like you alluded to they felt straight out of a sci-fi movie and fascinated my young booger-eating self. 

[Jabbyrwock]

17 hours ago, purbeast said:

Dulles is the worst ****ing airport in existence.

 

Oh Dulles is bad.  But LAX and Newark...

 

I remember getting bumped off a flight out of Newark, had to standby on a second flight and when they found me a seat it was in the back of the plane next to the toilet.  And I honestly thought, as soon as I sat down, "yep, being here in the back of the plane next to the toilet is an improvement" compared to being in Newark's airport.

[Skinsfan1311]

4 minutes ago, Jabbyrwock said:

 

Oh Dulles is bad.  But LAX and Newark...

 

I remember getting bumped off a flight out of Newark, had to standby on a second flight and when they found me a seat it was in the back of the plane next to the toilet.  And I honestly thought, as soon as I sat down, "yep, being here in the back of the plane next to the toilet is an improvement" compared to being in Newark's airport.

LAX is sooooooooo bad!    

 

[mammajamma]

i actually don't mind LAX 🤷‍♂️. its not my favorite, but its definitely an improvement over Dulles. maybe ive just gotten lucky with the terminals ive been in..

 

the only one ive been in thats been close to Dulles was DFW, and thats because it was basically just a giant trailer park

[No Excuses]

Dulles isn’t that bad, and once the silver line goes to it will be quite good.

 

Legit one of the best airports in the country is Reagan National. You can be in DC within 30-40 minutes of landing. 
 

But flying is ****ing ass cheeks and getting worse every year. I’ve taken one flight since starting this thread. If I can, I will drive to a destination as long as it’s doable in a one day span. 

[goskins10]

18 hours ago, purbeast said:

Dulles is the worst ****ing airport in existence.

 

That's not been my experience. Dulles is a pretty easy airport compared to some. 

 

Newark is a **** hole - hard to find your way around and some of the nastiest people in the world. Kennedy can be a real disaster. O'Hare can be a problem finding your way around although the people have always been very kind. I had a security guard walk me to my gate - no, not in cuffs for those smart asses out there 🙂  Houston can be a bit of treat trying to find the right gate but they have always been nice also. Charles De Gaulle may be the worst airport. Multiple levels and you have to take a bus halfway around the icty it seems to get from international to domestic. And most - not all - but most of the people working there are not interested in helping you. Missed a connection to Italy once due to Air France issues and had 3 windows close when we told them out issue - and i promise you were we very polite. Both a very experienced flyers and you don't get what you want by yelling - ever.

 

Mumbai is also bad - an hour to get through customs in the morning then a 35 min ride from international to domestic. Got stuck in an airport below Shanghai for 5 hrs becasue the military was doing exercises - they said it was mechanical difficulties but could here the jets taking off and landing. They were typically only open a few hours a day so no food, very little drink and no place to really relax until we wormed our way into 1st class lounge - and i use that term loosely. Two of us had 1st class tickets but two of our colleagues did not). 

 

There are others but Dulles would not even make my top 15 worst. I have flown in and out of Dulles multiple times and I have never had any issues. 

 

In fairness thought I like some of the airports that others do not like. I love Atlanta. I have zero problem with LAX either. Boston is nice also. Not a fan of Orlando but Tampa is nice. I even like SEATAC. BWI, National (**** reagan) - like both of those airports. 

 

Also, I love the Air and Space Museum next to Dulles. 

[purbeast]

Just now, goskins10 said:

 

That's not been my experience. Dulles is a pretty easy airport compared to some. 

 

There are others but Dulles would not even make my top 15 worst. I have flown in and out of Dulles multiple times and I have never had any issues. 

That's because you are used to the ****tiness and it's "normal" for you.

[mammajamma]

33 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

Dulles isn’t that bad

says someone who hasnt been in the D terminal during a pandemic

 

aside from the nasty/dirty/outdated aesthetic, and aside from the previously mentioned shuttles from the 80's you have to take to get there, it has WAY too many people flying out of it at once. JAMMED packed full of people where its tough to even move, less than half wearing masks, everybody cutting everybody else off, workers constantly pissed about something (again, don't blame them)

 

im actually about to go get a covid test now, and im pretty sure if im positive, its from the D gate at Dulles Airport

[No Excuses]

2 minutes ago, mammajamma said:

says someone who hasnt been in the D terminal during a pandemic

 

Fair enough, I flew in/out of Dulles before the pandemic and never since.

 

I don't know, my metric for comparison is somewhere like the airport in Reykjavik where a lot of the gates are literally inside of a small round tube with barely any seating for the passengers. It's poverty ville compared to Dulles.

[SkinInsite]

Dulles always sucked

 

crappy shuttle

crappy lounge

poor flight selection

 

And that stupid silver line been in construction for over a decade now. 

[JCB]

Last time I flew was right before the pandemic. Let's not leave Laguardia out of the worst airport conversation.

[mammajamma]

1 hour ago, No Excuses said:

 

Fair enough, I flew in/out of Dulles before the pandemic and never since.

 

I don't know, my metric for comparison is somewhere like the airport in Reykjavik where a lot of the gates are literally inside of a small round tube with barely any seating for the passengers. It's poverty ville compared to Dulles.

ya, thats fair. sounds like you've been to a lot more international airports than me. ive just been to mostly US airports, but the international airports i have been to (Heathrow, Rome, Dublin, Vancouver, Calgary) have all been vastly superior to Dulles. European security lines are WAY more efficient than ours, and all of those I listed are wide open with lots of space vs. Dulles (term D) which is basically just a rundown hallway

[purbeast]

2 minutes ago, mammajamma said:

ya, thats fair. sounds like you've been to a lot more international airports than me. ive just been to mostly US airports, but the international airports i have been to (Heathrow, Rome, Dublin, Vancouver, Calgary) have all been vastly superior to Dulles. European security lines are WAY more efficient than ours, and all of those I listed are wide open with lots of space vs. Dulles (term D) which is basically just a rundown hallway

LOL.

 

When I landed in Barrcelona, there was no concept of a line when trying to get through customs.  That is another airport I hope to never fly to again in my life.  Don't really have any interest in going back to Spain anyways.

[mammajamma]

8 minutes ago, purbeast said:

LOL.

 

When I landed in Barrcelona, there was no concept of a line when trying to get through customs.  That is another airport I hope to never fly to again in my life.  Don't really have any interest in going back to Spain anyways.

haha yeah customs is a different story. i'll never forget trying to get through customs at SFO so I could get home to watch Game 5 of the stanley cup finals. i entered the line before the game started, and got to watch Ovi hoist the cup in my car after getting out of the airport haha

 

from my experience though, the security lines are a lot more high-tech and smoother. mightve gotten lucky though

[goskins10]

1 minute ago, mammajamma said:

haha yeah customs is a different story. i'll never forget trying to get through customs at SFO so I could get home to watch Game 5 of the stanley cup finals. i entered the line before the game started, and got to watch Ovi hoist the cup in my car after getting out of the airport haha

 

from my experience though, the security lines are a lot more high-tech and smoother. mightve gotten lucky though

 

 

You can help yourself in terms of international re-entry with a Global Entry card. It's only $100 for 5 yrs. It also gets you TSA Preclear. I have had mine long enough to get it renewed. It is pretty nice. 

[The Evil Genius]

I'm stunned how far you can get into National without going through TSA. But with no TSA line just now and precheck, it was a breeze getting through. Only had to run through again because they caught my belt this time (SFO has no problem with the metal..which is either 😬 or 😃).

 

Hope my return flight in a few hours is as good as the one coming here last week.  And I have the 4.5hr drive behind me today (and to not look forward too). Just an hour or so to home from SFO. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by The Evil Genius

[mammajamma]

Just now, goskins10 said:

 

 

You can help yourself in terms of international re-entry with a Global Entry card. It's only $100 for 5 yrs. It also gets you TSA Preclear. I have had mine long enough to get it renewed. It is pretty nice. 

yeah multiple people have told me to get that, and i was planning on doing it right before covid. i'll definitely do it once other countries want americans again

[The Evil Genius]

8 minutes ago, goskins10 said:

 

 

You can help yourself in terms of international re-entry with a Global Entry card. It's only $100 for 5 yrs. It also gets you TSA Preclear. I have had mine long enough to get it renewed. It is pretty nice. 

 

Global entry is ****ing awesome. Saved us an hour plus when we came back from Rome (time saved was in Chicago and we didn't miss our connection). Easy as using an ATM to scan your passport. 

 

6 minutes ago, mammajamma said:

yeah multiple people have told me to get that, and i was planning on doing it right before covid. i'll definitely do it once other countries want americans again

 

Just make sure your passport isn't expiring soon because the global entry is tied to the passport you take for the "interview". You can update it afterwards but it's a pain from what I've heard. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by The Evil Genius

[China]

18 minutes ago, mammajamma said:

yeah multiple people have told me to get that, and i was planning on doing it right before covid. i'll definitely do it once other countries want americans again

 

Which may be a while:

 

Bulgaria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden Tighten Travel Restrictions on US

 

Following the removal of the U.S. from the E.U.'s safe travel list, Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden tighten travel restrictions for U.S. travelers.

 

Italy was the first European country that introduced requirements for American tourists.

 

Denmark has reintroduced its travel ban on U.S. residents who are not fully vaccinated. The new rules came into force on September 4. 

 

As of September 6, the government of Sweden adopted amendments to the temporary ban on entry into Sweden. The entry ban means that a foreign citizen travelling to Sweden from a state other than an EEA State or Switzerland will be denied entry into Sweden and turned away. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[youngestson]

1 hour ago, purbeast said:

LOL.

 

When I landed in Barrcelona, there was no concept of a line when trying to get through customs.  That is another airport I hope to never fly to again in my life.  Don't really have any interest in going back to Spain anyways.

Love the city, but the airport is, or can be, a bit of a challenge. 

[goskins10]

1 hour ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

Global entry is ****ing awesome. Saved us an hour plus when we came back from Rome (time saved was in Chicago and we didn't miss our connection). Easy as using an ATM to scan your passport. 

 

Ok - have to tell this story - The first time I was able to use it they had just started offering Global Entry, like jsut 6 months before. We flew into Kennedy from Schipol (Amsterdam) at roughly the same time as 5 other international flights. They all filed into that huge immigration hall - about 2000 people. There was a center aisle with "Global Entry" above the entrance. I started to walk down the empty aisle and a TSA agent barked at me "What are doing?". I meekly - yes I can admit it, I do like getting arrested so I am always show deference to TSA - told him I had Global Entry. He pointed forward and turned around in a huff- lol.  By that time about 4 other people were coming down the same aisle. It was like parting the red sea of people. I was through immigration in minutes. Got my luggage about 10 mins after that (yes I beat my luggage through immigration!) and was eating before most of those people got through immigration. It was awesome!  

 

1 hour ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

 

Just make sure your passport isn't expiring soon because the global entry is tied to the passport you take for the "interview". You can update it afterwards but it's a pain from what I've heard. 

 

In addition to this - if you use it for a land entry like Canada or MX, make sure you have gone online and "activated" the card. They don't make that very clear and it's not needed for air entry since you use the kiosks. But if you have Global Entry at a land entry, you can use the fast lanes. We crossed from Reynosa to McAllen and one of the guys did not activate his card even though he had it with him. They for all intents and purposes put us in timeout for about an hour - Parked us a let us sit until they gave us our IDs back and let us go. You can guess who bought drinks that night - and every night we were in MCAllen - we crossed to Reynosa each day for the week we were there for safety reasons. The next day they let us straight through. LOL 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, mammajamma said:

yeah multiple people have told me to get that, and i was planning on doing it right before covid. i'll definitely do it once other countries want americans again

 

I would not wait. Do it now. Getting the interview can take some time. It's only $100 for the entire 5 yrs unless they raised it. At one point I know interviews were very hard to some by with some having to wait 6 months or more or go out of state to get to another airport. There will be a lot of people needing to renew in the next couple of years. So again, I would not wait but that's just me. But if you do, you could get caught in a stampede.

Edited September 8, 2021 by goskins10

[EmirOfShmo]

5 hours ago, mammajamma said:

says someone who hasnt been in the D terminal during a pandemic

 

aside from the nasty/dirty/outdated aesthetic, and aside from the previously mentioned shuttles from the 80's you have to take to get there, it has WAY too many people flying out of it at once. JAMMED packed full of people where its tough to even move, less than half wearing masks, everybody cutting everybody else off, workers constantly pissed about something (again, don't blame them)

 

im actually about to go get a covid test now, and im pretty sure if im positive, its from the D gate at Dulles Airport

Every commuter terminal at every airport sucks donkey balls. And I've been in most of them as those Embraer jets are used quite often in/out of Richmond. I can't think of one that isn't a ****hole - overcrowded, understaffed, no seating, with ****ty bars/restaurants that close at 830pm. 

[The Evil Genius]

Had the exit row in the flight back last night (no extra charge on Alaska at least for this flight) and hoooooo boy what a difference.

 

So much leg room. 

Edited September 9, 2021 by The Evil Genius