Just Booked my first Norwegian
Sep 28, 2017, 4:33 am
#46
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: YUL
Posts: 1,001
My favourite plane to fly is an E190. Two by two seating and a small cabin. I do not really see how a 737 can be much different, except the 3x3 seating. In economy you are not getting an amazing experience no matter what the plane is, you are getting from A to B.
I have had lots of cruddy flying experiences in big planes. Size does not really matter when it comes down to it. Ha!
I agree that most legacy airlines are behaving like LCC these days, pay for everything including food and baggage. For me I am capable of traveling light, and not freaking about my bags maybe being too heavy. I can bring food, I can buy food, it is all easy. I do not need a seat next to my beloved on a 7 hour flight when we are going to spend two weeks together 24/7. I would rather not have a middle seat, but heck I can live with that crap. A plane is a bus, a train, a boat. It is not fancy or fun. Just a means to and end.
Norwegian's seat pitch is much better than many legacy carriers, I agree that pitch is a big factor for me. I can easily fit in a 17" wide seat, but loathe people reclining in to my face. I will pay for extra leg room seats if need be to aovid that horror.
I have had lots of cruddy flying experiences in big planes. Size does not really matter when it comes down to it. Ha!
I agree that most legacy airlines are behaving like LCC these days, pay for everything including food and baggage. For me I am capable of traveling light, and not freaking about my bags maybe being too heavy. I can bring food, I can buy food, it is all easy. I do not need a seat next to my beloved on a 7 hour flight when we are going to spend two weeks together 24/7. I would rather not have a middle seat, but heck I can live with that crap. A plane is a bus, a train, a boat. It is not fancy or fun. Just a means to and end.
Norwegian's seat pitch is much better than many legacy carriers, I agree that pitch is a big factor for me. I can easily fit in a 17" wide seat, but loathe people reclining in to my face. I will pay for extra leg room seats if need be to aovid that horror.
Sep 28, 2017, 5:19 am
#47
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 246
Yeah, I don't get people who fret about not getting to sit with their friend, family member, significant other, or fiancé for a flight when they will be on top of each other for the rest of the trip. I mean, there are advantages to sitting with my girlfriend on a plane, but sometimes it is also nice to just get a bit of time apart as well. One of the things I like about flying is being able to just disconnect from the ground, and having a few hours of book/movie time with nothing else to do nobody to district me.
I live in China, and often times on domestic flights you can buy a first class ticket for an extra 100-150 USD round trip. I just had to make a trip to the US Consulate in Chengdu, and flew KMG-CTU and back. I was able to upgrade for about $100 USD, which I found worth my while, as flying with the masses here can be a bit stressful.
But, at the same time, when I am flying over oceans, I can't afford the few thousand extra dollars for the premium cabin, so I just assume get the cheapest ticket at the most optimal schedule. Yeah, Asiana is a bit better than the Chinese and American carriers, and Aeroflot has provided me with some truely odd experiences going to Europe "Ladies and Gentlemant this is your Captain, the weather in Moscow, it 'tis good, it is -10 degree and it 'tis snowing", but really the main cabin experience weather it be Lao Air, Aeroflot, Asiana, China Eastern, Cambodian Angkor Air, or Delta is not really all that different.
I have a Lao Skyways flight Saturday on the Xi'an MA60 death trap, we'll see if that stands out.
I live in China, and often times on domestic flights you can buy a first class ticket for an extra 100-150 USD round trip. I just had to make a trip to the US Consulate in Chengdu, and flew KMG-CTU and back. I was able to upgrade for about $100 USD, which I found worth my while, as flying with the masses here can be a bit stressful.
But, at the same time, when I am flying over oceans, I can't afford the few thousand extra dollars for the premium cabin, so I just assume get the cheapest ticket at the most optimal schedule. Yeah, Asiana is a bit better than the Chinese and American carriers, and Aeroflot has provided me with some truely odd experiences going to Europe "Ladies and Gentlemant this is your Captain, the weather in Moscow, it 'tis good, it is -10 degree and it 'tis snowing", but really the main cabin experience weather it be Lao Air, Aeroflot, Asiana, China Eastern, Cambodian Angkor Air, or Delta is not really all that different.
I have a Lao Skyways flight Saturday on the Xi'an MA60 death trap, we'll see if that stands out.
Oct 14, 2017, 2:40 am
#49
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 335
That is how I feel as well. I am taking a year off of work, some of it hanging out with my girlfriend and some of it traveling, and I booked a flight on Wow from ORD to DUB for $150. All I'm traveling with is a backpack that meets their size requirements, and I will be in Europe for a month or so, so even worst case scenario, I lose a day or two up front due to some crazy delay and poor ability to recover, it is annoying, but worth the gamble to save $500.
Now, if I were working and had just 10 days in Europe, I'd probably pay more for a more reliable legacy.
But even with that said, last December I booked a flight on DL that was supposed to be PEK-DTW-CVG to spent two weeks at home with my family for Christmas. DL flies an A330 between DTW and PEK (On a similar length flight from YYZ to PEK AC flies a 777, UA flys a 777 from ORD to PEK, AA flies a 787 from ORD, and Hainan flies a 787 from ORD). The inbound aircraft was delayed by more than 3 hours because it had to stop for fuel in SEA, all the other airlines with their larger planes made it to PEK without a tech stop, that day. The delay meant that I would likely miss the last flight from DTW to CVG and Delta rebooked me to fly the next morning on a route through SEA and LAX. I recieved no compensation because it was considered a "weather" issue.
Today, even legacies have operational issues because they try to make gains around the margins, leaving the passenger holding the bag when things fall through.
Now, if I were working and had just 10 days in Europe, I'd probably pay more for a more reliable legacy.
But even with that said, last December I booked a flight on DL that was supposed to be PEK-DTW-CVG to spent two weeks at home with my family for Christmas. DL flies an A330 between DTW and PEK (On a similar length flight from YYZ to PEK AC flies a 777, UA flys a 777 from ORD to PEK, AA flies a 787 from ORD, and Hainan flies a 787 from ORD). The inbound aircraft was delayed by more than 3 hours because it had to stop for fuel in SEA, all the other airlines with their larger planes made it to PEK without a tech stop, that day. The delay meant that I would likely miss the last flight from DTW to CVG and Delta rebooked me to fly the next morning on a route through SEA and LAX. I recieved no compensation because it was considered a "weather" issue.
Today, even legacies have operational issues because they try to make gains around the margins, leaving the passenger holding the bag when things fall through.
I have very similar circumstances - will be taking some time off work and my plan to spend my allocated budget on experiences, rather than the final flight. I believe the stopovers on the planned route for me are relatively large (5 hours give or take), which is acceptable as I'll just go an relax in a lounge for a few hours, and explore for the other 2.
Obviously missing a flight would be a considerable inconvenience, but I'll be relatively relaxed with a couple of hours delay (happens in Asia all the time on the ground, anyway!!
)In short, agree it is worth the gamble. If I'm flying economy, I take it the experience won't be incredible - and, frankly, flying on the "best" airline isn't going to make it so.