Change of Plane--Loss of Seat Assignment
 

Booking months in advance to get a prime seat only to re-confirm a couple of days before the trip to find out the aircraft has been changed and you no longer have the great seat assignment but, instead, have been "accomodated" in the middle seat in the row next to the lav. :mad:

I hate it when this happens as well especially when my initial 744 received a last minute equipment switch to the dreadful A340.

One commentator actually suggested that airports should have separate check-in desks and security machines, not for passengers in different travel classes but according to how quickly a passenger can go through check-in and security.

I mean, how long does it take to politely greet the check-in desk agent, handover ticket and passport, place luggage on scales, answer security questions, collect boarding pass and thank check-in agent?

Almost everytime I pass through LHR, I think to myself with a sense of embarassment "I can't believe the first thing international visitors to the UK see is this". Dark depressing public areas, little natural light, uncomfortable seating, ugly signage, shops, shops, shops, shops.

You can almost forgive pax who arrive late at the gate because they'd forgotten that the reason why they had come to LHR was to board a plane rather than visit a shopping mall.

LHR says nothing about travel, nothing about the fact it's the busiest international airport in the world, nothing about contemporary Britain (where culture in both London and other major cities is booming). BAA - you'd better be doing a good job of Terminal 5.

What gets me is that airports and airlines do so little to proactively deal with things like this. I've stood in security queues at LHR, with plenty of staff hanging round the the X-Ray machines, yet there is no-one monitoring the queue to make sure people are ready to go through the machine.

I also wish airlines would have the courage to say to pax in a tactful and friendly way "Look, there are 200+ of us who will be crammed in to this alumnium tube for the next 7+ hours, so here are a few things to bear in mind to ensure we all get along..."

I get this all the time on trains. Some people just cannot bear the idea of anybody younger than them travelling in a First class carriage/Business class cabin.

One addition for me are the 5 hour internal flights in the US and Canada which the airlines don't seem to class as long haul. I'll never forget a flight from EWR-SFO on Continental when the steward practically ran through the economy section of the cabin and literally chucked a meatloaf in a bun into my lap. I was told that the "What Is THIS?" expression on my face was a picture.

I must agree with some of the people here. The most annoying thing for me personally is:

People sneering at you when you're in a premium class because you're young and try and make you feel like you've intruded their personal space. Get over it!!

QFBoy :D

Seating issues
 

Why on earth can't airlines seat people according to where they're sitting i.e., window seats first, then center seats, then aisle people? That way, the person who's boarded first and has an aisle seat doesn't have to groan, roll their eyes and audibly sigh when their seatmates show up and they have to get up twice to let the others in.

Just another of my peeves - in addition to the ones already mentioned.

Oh yes, flatulence is a goodie on transcontinental flights.

"- Cell phones tuning up the moment the engines are turned off (or before), and everyone then yapping away on their sets, 'YES, THE PLANE LANDED...' "

Sorry, I don't agree with that one. With curbside security so tight at most airports, if I have a meeting to attend soon after landing then I *must* call my driver for pick-up as soon as cell phone use is permitted, or else I'll end up waiting and waiting and waiting at curbside.

Aloha,
--jt

Shouldn't it be the award for a biggest number of pet peeves? :)

my ones:

1) people who use bulkhead row as yet another corridor on two-aisle planes (e.g. if lav queue on their side is a tad longer).

2) being seated near lav. off topic observation - either there is a lot of people who is flying first time in their life or people just can't read. Otherwhise why there is disproportionate number of pax who have problems opening lav door provided it says "push" on it?

AX

Ok, I couldn't even WAIT to finish reading the thread to reply to this... why do you feel the need to single out AMERICANS? I've seen plenty of people of all nationalities "shout," so for you to single us out is an insult to our honor. You, sir, are the reason why Brits (I'm inferring from your post and location) are seen as snooty people in general, and though I know it's not true, blokes like yourself do not do your countrymen any favors. It gives me great pleasure to celebrate the 4th of July.

FYI - I'm betting you think Americans have a rudimentary understanding of the English language too... last time I checked, your sentence should have been, "Americans WHO shout."


ANYWAY, might as well put the rest of my comments here:

To those who think it's annoying to have the pax in front of you recline... didn't they pay for a seat to do that? Much like having heavy set pax sitting next to you and invading your real estate... part of your real estate is being able to recline. The pax in back has that same ability as well.... it's up to them to decide if they use it or not.

1) Along with this, PET PEEVE: pax behind me who take it upon themselves to stiff-arm me to keep from reclining. Now, I'm reasonable... I don't do it on a short flight, I wait a while, and I turn to check before I move back slowly. I had someone do that to me on an LAX>ORD flight. I turned around, eyed, him, did it again, and he stopped me again! At this point, I freakin' slammed my seat back, and of course his arm wasn't as strong as my back muscles. I made sure to keep my seat like that until the FA asked me to put my seat back.

2) Kids who sit behind you on a trans-pac flight, kicking your seat the whole trip even after you say something nice, then stern, to the parents.

1. 450LB pax who are told they need to purchase a second seat and then procede to cry and whine "This is discrimination! I am not fat. I dont give a **** if the person beside me gets squished".

What 450LB person is not fat? You certainly are not skinny or normal sized.

2. Pax who insist on making a gourmet feast for their family while travelling. [sentence deleted --richard, moderator]

3. People who think they can fly in their filthy work clothes. (ramp workers, farmers, mechanics)

I am neither British nor American which will possibly allow me to make "unbiased comment", but Americans do raise their voice above reasonable level more frequently than other nations. There is nothing bad in noting true facts, is it?

Oh please. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read on FT. I've flown to/from Mexico many times and I've never seen this. Give me a break. :rolleyes:
This is a borderline racist post and it should be deleted. :td:

Everyone is loud !!!
 

Cultural Awareness...
 

It's funny one mentions LOUD Americans...ever been on a flight with British Soccer fans? Or with a large contingent of Chines who talk loud and argue all the time...They are like the Italians of Asia...or perhaps a planeload of partying French..who love the free wine..even it's from CA...and after a few party all the way across the pond...blocking up the aisles...or better yet ...a planeload of Drunken Japanese.....in a tour group.
But yes Americans can talk loudly...but please and thank you are more a part of thier vocabulary than many cultures...the point is each culture has it's pros and cons and par of traveling to foriegn is to learn and some tolerance for those who are different from you...I should know I,ve fown as a purser for 28 years internationally.

Let's get back on topic here. Criticisms of various cultural stereotypes don't belong here and I will have to close the thread if we have to go there.

--richard, moderator

Personal grooming
 

Someone already mentioned nail polish. I also am annoyed by persons using nail clippers and combing/brushing their hair. It is too much when the sun is shining in such that you can see the loose hair, etc. floating in the air!