[M_Six]

My biggest gripe with American is their crappy gate management. If your plane lands ahead of schedule, they're almost guaranteed to not have a gate available, so you sit in the plane on the tarmac and waste all the time you may have saved by arriving early.

Or if your plane is late, same thing. We once sat in the plane for 30 minutes waiting for a gate to open up and watched our connecting flight pull away and take off. We would have easily made that flight if they'd had a gate available or even let us deplane outside.

[zx10guy]

I wonder at what point this constant effort to pack more and more people into these planes will run up against a situation where it becomes either physically impossible for bigger people to fit or it results in creating a health issue (embolisms).

I lament with all those who are tall as I'm 6'5". I can't change how tall I am by dieting or exercising. It's ridiculous that my seat choices are either limited or I have to pay extra just to travel without being in physical pain.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I wonder at what point this constant effort to pack more and more people into these planes will run up against a situation where it becomes either physically impossible for bigger people to fit or it results in creating a health issue (embolisms).

I lament with all those who are tall as I'm 6'5". I can't change how tall I am by dieting or exercising. It's ridiculous that my seat choices are either limited or I have to pay extra just to travel without being in physical pain.

Fwiw... the last 2 times I flew with someone so fat next to me they should have had 2 seats... who's at fault here and what's the resolution? IMHO, the flight attendant should have something to say about this but our dumb laws and sensitivity prevent this.

[///M4ster Yoda]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Fwiw... the last 2 times I flew with someone so fat next to me they should have had 2 seats... who's at fault here and what's the resolution? IMHO, the flight attendant should have something to say about this but our dumb laws and sensitivity prevent this.

I believe there is a weight/size limit on most airlines that require a larger individual to buy two seats

[Angry Ketchup]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Fwiw... the last 2 times I flew with someone so fat next to me they should have had 2 seats... who's at fault here and what's the resolution? IMHO, the flight attendant should have something to say about this but our dumb laws and sensitivity prevent this.

I only fly Biz & First because I won't sit next to the sort of people that fly economy. Plebs... x


For real though... It's just called being responsible and not cheap. We fly A LOT. Few times a month around Europe or to the States, longer trips to Asia every 2-3 months these days, used to be more frequent.

I'm overweight and was a big-guy to begin with before I packed on the fat. 6'2" and was healthy at 255lbs, 56" chest when I was fit, and just a big thick guy. Now that I've added a thick layer of fat over that, there's no option except Biz and First. I can afford it, so why not. Also, I use SeatGuru.com to ensure I'm getting solo seats (if smaller aircraft on connecting flights or some of the BA shite configs).

Same applies to our kids. Pop a 2yr old in their a carefully chosen Biz Class seat facing rearward at the window at the back of the cabin and give em an iPad full of Paw Patrol and a bag of pretzels and you can make it most of the 14hrs from LHR to PVG with minimal 'parenting'. lol

So it's just common manners for me. If I was still in my sports-days fitness, I wouldn't see one empty seat on the Tube and think, I'm going to insert myself in between those poor fools. Nowadays, I certainly wouldn't... (I don't take the Tube anymore! LOL). Similarly, I wouldn't put my kids in somebody's way either. We aren't introverts by any means, but I generally don't see anything wrong with being classy and dignified in travelling or regular public dealings of any sort. Point being, though air lines are certainly squeezing certain classes, the customer still has options and can vote with their wallet.


-=-=-
OP, can't help you. I don't fly Cattle Class or 'Cattle Class-Plus'. Good luck.

[MKSixer]

Thanks Mark!

I've gone from flying 40-60 times per year to about a dozen times per year as of 2017 and I'm a complete free agent now. Unless it's a complete emergency I only fly First and just work the airlines so I can get the best route at the best price. The freedom is amazing and for domestic travel, with the exception of coast to coast direct flight, it doesn't cost that much more than a standard ticket.

The same for international flights. And speaking of such, has anyone tried LeCompagnie airline? They fly an all first class fleet with service between NYC and the Paris area. I'm thinking of using them for an upcoming trip. Any information appreciated!!

Sorry about the thread jack!!


Cheers-mk

[///M4ster Yoda]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Thanks Mark!

I've gone from flying 40-60 times per year to about a dozen times per year as of 2017 and I'm a complete free agent now. Unless it's a complete emergency I only fly First and just work the airlines so I can get the best route at the best price. The freedom is amazing and for domestic travel, with the exception of coast to coast direct flight, it doesn't cost that much more than a standard ticket.

The same for international flights. And speaking of such, has anyone tried LeCompagnie airline? They fly an all first class fleet with service between NYC and the Paris area. I'm thinking of using them for an upcoming trip. Any information appreciated!!

Sorry about the thread jack!!


Cheers-mk

Hey MK. I haven't tried them but I turned my buddy on to them recently. He said it was obviously better then economy class but not quite up to the other Business classes out there. The seats aren't as good as one would expect from "regular" business class but the price is very good. We like business on Airfrance and I'm flying them this week for a 2 week driving trip throughout Italy. My little guy is only 6 months old so he doesn't need a seat yet but when he does I'm gonna give La Compagnie a shot.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by ///M4ster Yoda

Hey MK. I haven't tried them but I turned my buddy on to them recently. He said it was obviously better then economy class but not quite up to the other Business classes out there. The seats aren't as good as one would expect from "regular" business class but the price is very good. We like business on Airfrance and I'm flying them this week for a 2 week driving trip throughout Italy. My little guy is only 6 months old so he doesn't need a seat yet but when he does I'm gonna give La Compagnie a shot.

Hey! Master Yoda! Thanks for the info. I'm planning a trip to France for myself and a friend and saving $4K seems very attractive. I'm going to probably just use them from the experimental viewpoint.

How is AirFrance? I've never flown them. I'm typically a Lufthansa or British Air man going to Europe.

[BMW F22]

I only fly First wherever I go so can’t comment on the peasant classes unfortunately.

[///M4ster Yoda]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Hey! Master Yoda! Thanks for the info. I'm planning a trip to France for myself and a friend and saving $4K seems very attractive. I'm going to probably just use them from the experimental viewpoint.

How is AirFrance? I've never flown them. I'm typically a Lufthansa or British Air man going to Europe.

Hey. We like Air France. They have really nice business class cabin/seats. My wife loves France and French wine so this is her favorite

I like Lufthansa also but they changed around their route a few years ago in the NY area and the majority of their good flights to Germany (Munich) were out of Newark which is a PIA for us. We flew Delta business last summer back and forth to Prague. It was just ok. The cabin/seats were in need of a makeover as they were getting long in the tooth.

[M_Six]

We booked the flight today. $3200 r/t for the two of us in Premium Economy. I'll be sure to give a full report after the trip. It ended up being about $800 more than MCE, but that would have stuck us in the center of the plane with Wifey in the middle seat someone beside her. Now we're in a 2 seat row. Supposedly the food is better as well. We'll see.

[Alfisti]

I fly long haul a lot, as in over 15 hours at least one trip- per year (return).

Last flight home I took American Airlines PE, pretty good for a long haul if you can find it on sale, but with kids damn near useless, better off with a second economy seat so they can lay down.

[ScottyRyan2019]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Fwiw... the last 2 times I flew with someone so fat next to me they should have had 2 seats... who's at fault here and what's the resolution? IMHO, the flight attendant should have something to say about this but our dumb laws and sensitivity prevent this.

My wife was on one of those little RJ jets once (1-2 seat configurations). She is petite (5 6, 115 lbs) and the flight attendant asked HER to move her seat to help balance the plane. She looked at the flight attendant, looked at the large person in the single seat across from her, and told her that she is not the one who needs to move to balance the plane.

[M_Six]

Ok, review time. We got back yesterday from our London trip. I have to say, for me, being 6'3" and 205lbs, the extra room in Premium Economy was seriously appreciated. These are more like Business class seats anywhere else. The packet there contains a pillow and blanket, some decent headphones, and a small packet with towelettes and other crap. We didn't open the small packets on either leg. The restroom for our section was the 1st class restroom. Biggest restroom I've ever seen on a plane.

[M_Six]

The windows on the whole plane were electronically dimmable. No shades. On the flight over, we had control over the windows. On the flight back, the crew dimmed all the windows, so the majority of the flight the cabin was dark despite it being a day flight. This sort of sucked because the sky was clear over Greenland and I couldn't take any photos. The flight over was about half full with many PE seats open. The flight back was full in PE, but there were several open 1st class and a few open Economy class seats. Good movie selection. I watched two on the way over and one movie and some TV on the way back. Food was okay, but there was quite a bit of it. Free booze as well.

[M_Six]

All in all, the extra cash to fly PE was well worth it IMO. Early boarding, off the plane quickly, and just a way more comfortable seating arrangement like two seats instead of three in Main Cabin extra. Highly recommended.

[The Libertine]

Originally Posted by M_Six

All in all, the extra cash to fly PE was well worth it IMO. Early boarding, off the plane quickly, and just a way more comfortable seating arrangement like two seats instead of three in Main Cabin extra. Highly recommended.

Good review! Thanks for taking the time to post and for the pictures too.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by M_Six

All in all, the extra cash to fly PE was well worth it IMO. Early boarding, off the plane quickly, and just a way more comfortable seating arrangement like two seats instead of three in Main Cabin extra. Highly recommended.

You got as nice plane across the Atlantic. I have flown from PHL to Europe a few times and I always get the older airbus planes they still fly. I miss the time I flew on the Qatar Q suites. The Qatar Airways product is second to none.

[NEfan508]

I'm not loyal to any airline anymore, wiki your home airport, see what airlines use it as a hub, focus on them first or if it's neutral like my home airport is Boston just become a whore, get status with all of em, it's easy if you already fly a little.

If you don't have any status at all, here's what you need to do:
on eBay, various sellers are selling DL status match, for around $100-$150
You complete it.
Then you can match it to Alaska MVP Gold, with instant match.
And then match it to Turkish airlines (you have to fly 1 international segment) for one year of Elite status.
So you will have SkyTeam Elite Plus, Star Alliance Gold, and Alaska MVP Gold status.
You won't have OneWorld status, but instead you have Alaska (American, British, Qantas are friends), but with Alaska, you have partner benefits on Emirates..
If you register your Delta account with a fake European address, (don't judge me) then you get MQD vaiwer. (you can even add a hotel's address, where you frequently travel, so you could pick up your bragtags and platinum card there).
For as low as spending $500-$700, you can have all three of these statuses, from scratch. two USA/Euro returns are covering the 17.5 MQMs for DL platinum and also you will need one Turkish airlines international segment, which can be an Athens-Istanbul (IST cool new airport 4-2019 notta bad layover) and Alaska airlines will just give you status for free.

[Angry Ketchup]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Ok, review time. We got back yesterday from our London trip. I have to say, for me, being 6'3" and 205lbs, the extra room in Premium Economy was seriously appreciated. These are more like Business class seats anywhere else. The packet there contains a pillow and blanket, some decent headphones, and a small packet with towelettes and other crap. We didn't open the small packets on either leg. The restroom for our section was the 1st class restroom. Biggest restroom I've ever seen on a plane.

DAMN... One must pay extra for 'THAT' now??!

1st class toilets? Thought AA's Biz Class was top config on US-to-UK B787s??

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Angry Ketchup

DAMN... One must pay extra for 'THAT' now??!

1st class toilets? Thought AA's Biz Class was top config on US-to-UK B787s??

The flight crew kept referring to the section in front of us as First Class, but you're right, according to seatguru.com and AA's own website, this plane had Business, Premium Economy, Main Cabin Extra, and then regular economy. I stand corrected.

[NEfan508]

First class, business class or economy doesn't make a difference, they all smell like piss within the first hour

Not sure why guys can't hit the 12" diameter target but the floor is always sticky

To all, never eat Denny's before your flight just never eat @ Denny's

Some airlines would send me emails do's & dont's before your flight, limit caffeine and alcohol (not gunna happen) do not eat foods that cause gas example cabbage/broccoli etc. lol due to air pressure your likely to pass gas so don't be that guy eating weird food before your flight, Bose noise canceling headphones are great but not magic


Off topic sorry:

Don't argue or 2nd guess the flight attendant don't joke with her or anything just avoid conversation or keep to a minimum, I've been thrown off several flights (safety concerns) lol, trust me they all have boss complexes when the door is closed and will throw you off for something Mickey Mouse you say or do

1 example: flight crew was actually late getting on, passengers already boarding, I said (jokingly) I learned to fly on my phone just now from waiting so long, I'm available if needed?!?! Bad joke but guess what, they threw me off for safety lol, walking off thanks to the joke police I did whisper to her I have some Tylenol, your obviously on your period, to bad your on a long flight (poor thing) she locked her jaw grinding her teeth in rage, my 3 hour delay getting new flight was relaxed...