I fly quite a bit(70k to 80k actual miles per year) and I hate every minute of it, even if I get upgraded to business... so I usually come up with way to take my mind off the flying part...

I frequently pretend I'm a first time flyer and it is amazing to see the kind of things people would do for you...

A couple of years ago I hinted to a check-in agent that I've
never seen the upper deck of a 747, beacause it was my
first time flying overseas... he upgraded me to business
class... (fortunately, I had never flown that airline, so he
couldn't see any records...)

Quite often the pax who cries until given the breast or bottle and the one who needs a diaper will be a first timer!

In my experience, these are the people who get all the way up to the first boarding-pass checker, are asked to produce the boarding pass and ID, look confused for a few seconds, then proceed to dig for these documents in purse/pockets/suitcase/whatever...I tend to think these are the same people who have their passports out and at the ready in the gate area to board a short domestic flight.

Some days, though, I have to admit, despite flying every week, I can come across as "asleep at the switch" myself, especially if I haven't had my coffee yet.

If she's not yours, she's mine!

I just tend to find that as soon as people enter airport terminals their brains become slightly pickled....so many clueless idiots I'm surprised many even make it to their destination!

Saw a bunch of first-time flyers yesterday (Sunday).

Several passengers seated in the rear aisles of a regional jet got up before we stopped and walked forward. They were dressed about as nice as I do to mow the yard.

here in kosova it is very easy to spot the first time flyers. they walk on the plane and they just sit where ever they want. many of them (especially the elderly men and women who are of to visit their children) don't speak a word of english or german. The OS FAs usually have their hands full

Past weekend, a few people around me on a USExpress turbo prop....
were scared and surprised to see this think take off..


two of em decided not to fly back in these.

I'm sorry but I had a good laugh after reading this.

The ones I pick out as first-time flyers are the ones in Boarding Group 5 or 6 (on AA) who get onto the plane expecting to find a place for their rollaboards in the overhead bins. Yeah, right.

A few years ago I was flying back from college spring break and the flight from CVG-DCA was on a RJ. I would bet 95% of the passengers on the plane were spring breakers and 80% had never been on a RJ before. As they boarded they let out comments like "is this a real plane", "oh my god, this is our plane", "is this thing safe to fly," etc. I tried to assure 2 girls near me that I fly all the time and this plane is safe. Well talk about irony, but 10 minutes after takeoff we leveled off and slowed down a bit early, I thought to myself it was unusual we leveled off and slowed down early, no more than 30 seconds after I thought something was unusual the captain notified us he had a master warning and there was a problem with the main door and we would be returning to CVG to make an emergency landing. A few of the girls around me started crying and a lot of the other passengers were scared and worried. We landed at CVG with rescue vehicles chasing us down the runway. It made for a memorable end to spring break!!