Infrequent Travelers (VBIT) taking over flights
 

I guess it's that time of year. More and more VBITs. In fact, it would not be a stretch to say VBITs have essentially taken over my IAD to DEN route.

The good news ... they check in all their bags, every single one. So the overhead bins are nearly empty

The bad news, I don't really like having my seat knocked repeatedly throughout the flight. And I don't really enjoy the incredibly loud conversations and yelling back and forth throughout the entire flight. In fact, call me selfish, but I would even prefer to even have an empty middle seat next to me up in old E+.

Unfortunately, more and more VBITs appear to be taking advantage of the 'upgrade' to E+. This is causing a devaluation in 1 of 2 UAL benefits that I actually care about ... and the other one (Star Alliance awards) is virtually gone.

Roger

VBITs?

Very Bitchy Inconsiderate Traveler?

Vacation Bound Infrequent Traveler

how do you tell a VBIT apart?

When you peek at their BP and there's no MP info (at all, not to say status) below the name?

This is good news...
 

The competition for upgrades should be less if these are all non-elite flyers.

Not really that hard to spot.

Take the woman on my UAX flight from IAD-ABE last week. Dressed stylishly in a bare midriff top that revealed a "chain" tattoo circumferencing her (at least 36") midsection.

Dragged a huge - I mean huge - plastic bag filled with stuff onboard. Proceeded to empty the contents of the bag into various overhead bins and under various seats (except her own, of course!).

Once her "stuff" was stowed, she reclined her seat and began talking loudly on her cell phone and did not end the call until we were on the runway awaiting takeoff. Her seat remained reclined for the duration of the flight.

Seated in the exit row, she slept from the time we went wheels up until we arrived at the gate at ABE, and snored loudly the whole time.

Are you sure she wasn't a very clever FAM?

I can spot a VBIT by noticing those passengers with boarding passes that automatically check in with the gate agent upon arrival at the gate.

A few tell tale signs:
-- Have boarding pass, but ask GA if they need to check in again; seem skeptical when GA says they're all set
-- Insist on trying to board with Seating Area 1, with a 3 or 4 pass
-- Sit in E+, but board last
-- If sitting in E+ exit row, call their friends before take off to boast about the new E+ seats
-- If sitting in normal E+, ask FA if there isn't some mistake as they paid for upgraded seats with extra leg room
-- Mention they paid $40 for the upgrade to E+
-- Seem very surprised to hear I did not pay for my E+ seat
-- No carry ons
-- Get confused when the FA asks them if they can handle the responsibility of sitting in the exit row
-- Dress in t-shirts with racing cars, baseball caps, jeans, and sneakers
-- Read guide books
-- Try to hold a conversation with me in spite of fact I have my Bose on and am looking straight ahead
-- Yell back and forth up and down rows to displaced family members
-- Ask how to plug in headphones
-- Ask FA several times what the time change is from Washington, D.C. to Denver ...
-- ... and seem to struggle with setting their watches accordingly
-- Spend 5 minutes quizzing the FAs on the snack box ingredients
-- Continually bang into the back of the seat in front of them
-- Seat reclined entire flight
-- Make numerous trips up and down the aisles to visit friends and family members traveling with, but not sitting with, them
-- Etc.
-- Etc.

Anyway, thanks to UAL's latest revenue generating idea, this is the new face of E+.

They start looking for seat numbers while still in FC cabin (which I see on those rare occations when I'm up there).

EmailKid

How about:

On a widebody, they look at the seat number on their boarding pass, then pick the WRONG aisle to walk down. ;)

Hmmm, but that would ALSO describe a lot of frequent travelers! @:-)

Major :td: to this. I just cannot understand why people think they should be allowed to board when it isn't their turn...

Also a major :td: to GAs who allow this--I 'reminded' a GA about boarding protocol yesterday at LAX who decided to make their own rule and allow anyone to board anytime, from the getgo. :td:

I agree with you. However, in fairness to some GAs in some situations, they may be under pressure to get the flight boarded for an "on-time" departure. Policing "naughty" pax trying to board "before their turn" can be time consuming, and may create a logjam at the BP reader as the GA asks them to "step aside" - further slowing the boarding process. It could be slowed down even further if the "naughty" pax elevate the situation into a confrontation.

Mind you, I'm not saying it's correct. I just wonder what I would do if I were the GA, and I was earning the big bucks UA pays them. Somehow, the old expression, "They don't pay me enough to take this s***." comes to mind.

This actually mimics the BackCycler(TM) on UA's international C :D

(Bolding mine.)

I've actually SEEN such confrontations -- at least twice that I can remember -- and 1) it ain't pretty; 2) it DOES considerably slow down the boarding process as the GA now has to deal with an irate, recalcitrant passenger who decided ON THEIR OWN that they had priority to board first! :eek:

So TBIT = Tourist-trap Bound Infrequent Traveller?

Yes, I do miss those blocked middles in E+. I'll be missing them today on my way to DEN since the flight is completely sold out (no upgrade chance either :().

I'm sure a lot of the newbies in E+ didn't actually pay for it. They're simply E- pax that didn't get seat assignments and got a lucky free "upgrade" to E+ at the gate. Its not great for those of us that love blocked middles, but it is a sign that UA is filling lots of seats with paying customers so there is a long term upside for us...

I've often wished that boarding could be simpler:

For starters - "Those who GENUINELY need assistance."

Then Group 1 is announced - "Everyone that has boarded an aircraft more than ten times in the last two years, truly knows what they are doing as they board an aircraft, can take care of themselves, is considerate, and understands the impact of their actions on others during the boarding process."

Group 2 is announced only after all of group 1 is onboard - "All the rest of you and I'll be warming up the cattle prod now..." :D

Sorry Roger, not sure what you are saying.

*A awards not a problem for me.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the classic VBIT move... blocking the aisle for a ridiculously long amount of time while they try to find somewhere to stow their luggage.

Welcome to my world. I have the dubious pleasure of living in a vacation hot spot, and summer is a nightmare of amateur travellers. Often my favourite gate agent is beating them back with a stick during preboarding time :rolleyes: Quite often I feel like the only business traveller on a flight of partiers, or the only one under 40 on a senior's home outing (sorry, but it's true - my 90 year old and 84 year old grandparents travel the world each year and they are seasoned, professional travellers. No excuse for some of the things I see amateur travellers try and do)

Thankfully, I am spending much of the summer travelling around Europe and Asia for work, so LH and a few others are my carrier of the moment. (of course, with LH there is no GA to beat them back with a stick, so it's everyone for themselves :D )

Other suspicious signs:
- holding the bp (blue, neither gold nor OLCI paper) in their hand rather in the pocket of their shirt.
- the number of gaze changes between bp and seat number plate while approaching the seat. Characteristically, the bp stub will be held in a somewhat stiff manner during this procedure.
- daddy holding all family blue bps in his hand

sub-species: the infrequent C/F flyer (remembering my own evolution :D):
- thorough studies of all seat functions
- a certain subtle clumsiness or undecisiveness concerning the most comfortable setup of the seat and arrangement of personal items
- repeating the whole menu (also the non-choice items or those you could choose directly upon presentation) when being asked for food choice. slightly OT: the seasoned LH F flyer only mentions the salad dressing and "caviar, with(out) onions" :D.

This VBIT is up front on an F fare, so no worries about me poaching the E+ seat next to you. :)

But I do recommend you order your Bailey's early before I clear First out and start raiding the Economy stocks. :D


See above :)

Heck, I always do that, but usually going from a widebody to a narrowbody. I keep thinking D is C...

From Jeff Foxworthy -

If your airline luggage is Piggly Wiggly bags, you might be a redneck.

[QUOTE=Roger Lococco;7952894Anyway, thanks to UAL's latest revenue generating idea, this is the new face of E+.[/QUOTE]

Let's home that they don't emulate Spirit - flew them for the first time last week. They charge $$ to check luggage (per bag: $5 if you do it over the internet, $10 if at check in). Then the flight attendent announces on my O/B flight: Effective today (this was Wednesday), the only complimentary beverage is water. All other soft drinks, hot beverages, snacks, and alcoholic drinks may be purchased. Credit cards only.


Turns out the asking price was two dollars for a coffee.

BJFly

now that you mention it, I have noticed, when sitting in Y in a single aisle, how long it takes certain people to stow their bags, all the while not moving out of the way or seeing/comprehending/doing that simple rate limiting step that would let the whole process continue around them. I find myself actually a bit stressed out when I have to watch idiocy this near my seat, and need to distract myself by napping or reading something. I know it's silly to let it affect me, but I guess it's the process-optimization in me that gets annoyed.

Also, I've seen that the inclusion of 3P, 2P in group 1 can greatly clog up the boarding. One or two inexperienced "elite" people at the front of a boarding batch can delay things incredibly.

One thought, if you hold an aisle seat, do you thing about delaying your boarding out of altruism so that you don't cause people to wait while you clear the way to their window/middle seat, and also for self-convenience, so you don't have to get up so many times?

I started wondering how many of these "RULES" I violate
 

Found this topic interesting and saw the list of rules. Then I started thinking about now many of these this 3+ million mile BIS (Butt in seat) frequent flyer violates.

-- Have boarding pass, but ask GA if they need to check in again; seem skeptical when GA says they're all set
No, I do not like bother the agent unless they can do something for me.

-- Insist on trying to board with Seating Area 1, with a 3 or 4 pass
Not a problem since I am always in the 1st area to board, (sometimes I wait until later) and sometimes I will tell someone I am traveling with to board with me. This has never been a problem since I tell the gate agent as they collect the pass that they are traveling with me.

-- Sit in E+, but board last
Yes, I will do this since it limits the amount of time I am on a plane.

-- If sitting in E+ exit row, call their friends before take off to boast about the new E+ seats
I never use a cell phone on a plane unless something comes up that requires it. It always amuses me to see (hear) the people who must be on a phone until the last possible second. And the addition must be satisfied at the earliest opportunity after landing. This seems especially true of the "Crack Berry" addicts.

-- If sitting in normal E+, ask FA if there isn't some mistake as they paid for upgraded seats with extra leg room
N/A

-- Mention they paid $40 for the upgrade to E+
N/A

-- Seem very surprised to hear I did not pay for my E+ seat
Yes, I see this often

-- No carry on
My only carry on is a briefcase most of the time does this count?

-- Get confused when the FA asks them if they can handle the responsibility of sitting in the exit row
Not confused since I have gone through the process of actually opening an emergency exit Door. But, this does seem to confuse the flight attendant when I tell them I am experienced.

-- Dress in t-shirts with racing cars, baseball caps, jeans, and sneakers
I miss the old days when people dressed to travel; I have seen entire planes that could go on the TV show "What not to Wear" (especially at your age)

-- Read guide books
I do this since I find them interesting.

-- Try to hold a conversation with me in spite of fact I have my Bose on and am looking straight ahead
I never do this but have had it done to me also, while wearing my headset plugged into an IPOD

-- Yell back and forth up and down rows to displaced family members
Never

-- Ask how to plug in headphones
No
-- Ask FA several times what the time change is from Washington, D.C. to Denver...
-- ... and seem to struggle with setting their watches accordingly
From time to time I need to tell the FA what the time difference is, they seem to get confused about Denver and Phoenix (understandable)

-- Spend 5 minutes quizzing the FAs on the snack box ingredients
No

-- Continually bang into the back of the seat in front of them
No

-- Seat reclined entire flight
NO, I rarely recline my seat

-- Make numerous trips up and down the aisles to visit friends and family members traveling with, but not sitting with, them
On a long flight I may walk back to see friend I am traveling with but not often
-- Etc.
-- Etc

Look's like I'm VBIT?? :D

Don't Forget About the SIFFs!!!
 

All this talk about VBITs makes me wonder if we forgot about the Self Important Frequent Flyers, or SIFFs for short...

You can spot these people with a few tell-tell signs:

* Usually sitting in front feeling they are better than the people in the back
* Getting mad and angry when warm nuts are not served to them
* Pacing at the gate, full of anxiety about their chances for an upgrade
* Knows every airport code in the world and never afraid to let others know that fact
* Has an opionion on every decision every airline company makes
* Can tell you the inside configuration of every commercial passenger plane but looks at you perplexed if you ask them the smae question about a gym
* Can remember multiple frequent flyer numbers, car rental codes and hotel rewards numbers but has trouble with anniversary dates and children's birthdates.
* Judges the performance of each flight attendent on board
* Thinks about the next big postiong on flyertalk.com, days in advance
* Will fume about the fact they have to fly on Ted
* Will spend more time complaining about the fact that a person who paid for an E- ticket is sitting in E+ than complaining about any number of social ills.

I could go on...but I feel content.

I keep trying to convince myself it's fun to fly TED...

It isn't working for me?? :confused:

Unless she was promoted or promoted herself, wouldn't an exit row seat imply at least 2P status, perhaps 1P?

I love this when I fly lower deck business on the 744, "Boy these seats sure are nice" followed by the look of horror when they finally realize that 58C is still another 175 feet away :D

You forgot one:

* Will spend time thinking about his next FT post proclaiming he really isn't a SIFF but to watch for a list of some tell-tale signs.

Um, not on a Colgan SF3.

Thank you! very funny.....

re SIFF...

1. I know of many elites who do #1, and I routinely do #3.
OTOH, I have rarely seen an infrequent traveler do #2. Usually I seem to see them with huge rollaboards that they put into the bins sideways rather than wheels first.

I think I passed the test :o ...

Let's add some more typical symptoms:

1. major vegetative symptoms:
* sweat and tremor when waiting in the non-red carpet line (the probability increases from GM>3P>2P>1P
* sweat and tremor when holding a F bp
* sweat and tremor when not holding a F bp
(differential diagnosis between the two conditions: dry mouth w/o F bp, salivation
w/ F bp)

2. psycho symptoms
* OC-daily check of mileage account
* RJ-phobia
* switcheroo grumble (AKA the 320/19 or 12/12 grumble)
* MSNB (mid seat not blocked) grumble

Two words: Fanny Packs.

:p ;)