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Anyone like flying just for fun?

Anyone like flying just for fun?

Old Nov 23, 2012, 12:45 am
  #31  
 
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I love flying in premium classes without paying anywhere near what the fare was worth, if anything at all ;-)

But alas I'm resigned to flying on a Fokker 100 to and from work every week so half of my flights for the year are always less exciting!

At least flying round Australia is far less strenuous though, security is simple and we can still get on flights without ID :-D
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 12:51 am
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by jozdemir
At least flying round Australia is far less strenuous though, security is simple and we can still get on flights without ID :-D
How? I'm pretty sure domestics always check for ID...
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 1:06 am
  #33  
 
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Originally Posted by belfordrocks
How? I'm pretty sure domestics always check for ID...
Nope not at all, even when I go up to a counter I'm never asked for ID with any of Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar or Tiger. I've only ever had to provide ID in Australia on domestic charter flights and some smaller regional airlines. Along with International flights as well

EDIT: I do generally have either a mobile boarding pass or a printed boarding pass in my hand though. But with carry on luggage only, or even the Qantas self check you can go all the way to your destination and never have ID checked by a physical person.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 1:12 am
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by jozdemir
Nope not at all, even when I go up to a counter I'm never asked for ID with any of Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar or Tiger. I've only ever had to provide ID in Australia on domestic charter flights and some smaller regional airlines. Along with International flights as well

EDIT: I do generally have either a mobile boarding pass or a printed boarding pass in my hand though. But with carry on luggage only, or even the Qantas self check you can go all the way to your destination and never have ID checked by a physical person.
Oh wow... admittedly I don't fly domestically much/at all but I'm sure Rex definitely asks for ID. So that would make sense- but thanks for clarifying.

Internationals are a whole different story of course.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 1:16 am
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by belfordrocks
Oh wow... admittedly I don't fly domestically much/at all but I'm sure Rex definitely asks for ID. So that would make sense- but thanks for clarifying.

Internationals are a whole different story of course.
Yeah Rex were one of the few that did - when I had a super exciting flight from SYD to OAG ;-)

It's surprising though considering what security is like in the US, it does seem comparatively lax in Australia, but I'm not complaining at all.

But back to the thread topic - taking out some of the more heinous aspects definitely enhances the experience for someone who loves flying!
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 11:36 am
  #36  
 
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I don't fly for the fun of it. If I look forward to an upcoming flight, it is because I am excited about the destination. Even if TSA disappeared and U.S. carriers were to return to the days where seating was more spacious, there was a decent chance you could get an empty seat next to you, and upgrades were easier to get (for me), I doubt I would ever book a flight somewhere just because I thought it would be fun to spend some time on a plane. Being on a plane is just too confining overall.

That said, I sometimes enjoy the flight once I'm on the plane. If I have an empty seat next to me, the odds of enjoying the flight are good.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 2:01 pm
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by milepig
Originally Posted by UnitedFlyGuy
Recently, non stop ORD-IAH were all booked so I opted for ORD-LHR-IAH.

Love flying for the hell of it.
Can't tell if your tongue is in your cheek or not, but during one of the many periods when UA was in .bomb mode I was offered a flight from ORD-IAD with a change of plane in BRU. The price, however, was prohibitive.
I was serious. Never mind flying plus two segs in BF is always fun.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 4:16 pm
  #38  
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Originally Posted by IamHungry
I wonder if anyone here like to just to be on the plane? I know if you use award travel with united then you can do some weird long routing before you reach your destination.

Please share your experience and your routing!
Oh yes that is me. Weird long routings are good. That IMO is one of the strengths of WN - can get some good routings. In 2001 I did MCI-OAK-PDX-ABQ-MCI. Loved it. These days I still fly WN occasionally. However, I prefer DL. I love being on a plane and flying for the sake of.
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 2:12 pm
  #39  
 
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I chose this itinerary to attend a three-day business meeting in Sydney:

EWR-HNL-MAJ-KWA-KSA-PNI-TKK-GUM-CNS-SYD

'nuff said...
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 6:33 pm
  #40  
 
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I love flying, and never tire of looking out the window. Traveling in E+ or CPU'd into first makes the travel easy.

T
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 8:40 pm
  #41  
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I also love flying to and from asia. If there are. Multiple stops as long as i get a shower i usually enjoy. I get a slight level of excitement before boarding to see if i'll get lucky and upgraded. Delays? I don't care as they will more likely look after me. If they over book the plane i will delay my trip at a price
. So yeah i enjoy it. I prefer spending money on flying than wasting on booze. Plus i can get drunk in the first class lounges if i wanted. I. Wish i found a job which has lots of flying. Anyone who's looking for a civil engineer with the pain of having to travel often I would jump at moments notice to have that.

Last edited by tris06; Nov 25, 2012 at 6:32 am Reason: typo's
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Old Nov 25, 2012, 6:48 am
  #42  
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Add me to the list. I average close to 200,000 BIS miles every year and still enjoy flying just for the sake of flying... as long as its in the pointy end of the plane. Having elite FF status, GE/NEXUS/PreCheck and CLEAR makes travel pretty easy. Recently completed 72 hours of mostly airplanes/airports just to take advantage of a mistake fare and fly an airline I hadn't flown before.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...take-fare.html
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Old Nov 25, 2012, 6:26 pm
  #43  
 
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Originally Posted by coachrowsey
Guilty as charged
I am definitely guilty as charged! I fly for the fun of it, and mostly to rack up the miles. I have not flown on business for many years, and when I did, it was not very much to get elite status. I have two jobs to keep me in my flying/travel hobby.

A couple of weird routes for me, even though it is not as good as some of the others on here, was:

MCI-CLT-MCO-MSY to get to Mobile, Alabama.
MSY-ATL-MCO-CLT-MCI on the way back. This involved two different airlines; DL and US.

MCI-MEM-STL-DTW-LAX-SYD
SYD-LAX-SLC-STL-MEM-MCI
All of that was on one airline; DL. Half of the segments were in first.

MCI-CLE-MCO-LAX involving CO and DL
LAX-MSP-MCO-IAH-MCI. All of the segments were in first on upgrades.
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Old Nov 25, 2012, 7:32 pm
  #44  
 
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Originally Posted by ft101
Not everybody flies in America or in Economy Class.
I haven't flown coach in over 3 years (excluding regional jets). Fly overseas quite a bit. My comment still stands.
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Old Nov 25, 2012, 9:13 pm
  #45  
 
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Count me in on all counts.

I loved flying before I could walk.

I prefer to fly myself and have been doing so since I was 18. As others have mentioned it is quite costly, even in a shared ownership situation. Unfortunately with children my funds often get "diverted." The major difference for me is the sense of pride when flying a difficult approach in low weather.

My fun and enjoyment of commercial travel waxes and wanes. Periods of heavy business travel mixed with bad weather and delays can test my love of flying. Although at the same time, I have profound respect for the job the folks up front do. I guess knowing how the sausage is made also allows one appreciate good sausage.

I still have the boyish thrill of looking out the window and watching the world pass by or watch earth slip away and return.
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