Originally Posted by
You want to go where?
Have you really 'saved' that much time? Did you do things during those entire 2000 hours that you could not have done in the lounge. Also, is the seat at the gate, that much more comfortable than the seat on the plane. How much time did you spend resolving being burnt? When you are flying to the destinations that I tend to go to, you would likely arrive at least two days late (if you could get a flight) and spent hours trying to rebook.
The seat at the gate is 5x more comfortable than the seat on the plane (it is summer here in south China HOT, and the seats in the gate area have infinite legroom).
But, 1/3 of the time, the choice isn't gate v. plane; rather it's gate v. standing in the bus that brings me to the plane. I greatly dislike the bus. As such, I always make sure that I am the very last person to board whenever remote stands are involved.
There are very few lounges that I enjoy. I do like the Cabin (HKG) when it isn't super crowded, but I still prefer eating in town.
Regarding my laptop, it isn't the slightest bit sexy, but my laptop bag is heavy even when it's empty. Furthermore, prompt baggage delivery is one area in which China is on top of its game.
Insofar as being "burned" is concerned, a colleague and I showed up at PEK at 8a for a 9a flight to XIY, and we immediately realized that we didn't have chance in hell of making it (the security situation was REALLY bad). We ended up tossing our tickets and buying F the next MU flight out, which was delayed for 5 hours. That experience sucked, but is acceptable in the grand scheme.