Arrival. Why do so many of the flights from the USA to Iceland arrive at ungodly hours in the early, early morning? I think it's some form of international hazing... Let's sleep deprive the plebes.
I don't know who actually booked my flights but my trip from Austin to Iceland started on my birthday and was not well planned. I got into JFK in NYC in the early afternoon and had a five hour gap until my flight to Reykjavik. I had a large case in tow and thought I'd be able to check it in and then be mobile for the stay. But back then you couldn't check in luggage until two hours before your flight. And if you can't check in your luggage you can't enter into the inner sanctum of the departure areas with all their delightful and inexpensive food products. Still silently and internally celebrating my birthday I crawled onto the plane aimed at my final destination and arrived there at something like 4:45 a.m.
Some things not even coffee can fix... a harsh truth to lay on you...
But, of course, we couldn't check into our hotel rooms until much later in the day. We spent it, instead, doing bad sightseeing and looking at bizarre things in odd museums...
It was a rarity for me to see the other side of dawn for anything other than an early morning swim practice and I'm of the mindset that nothing remotely interesting or photographic occurs before dawn or much after 10 in the evening. Now I mostly have proof.
My current idea of traveling to Iceland in luxury would be a flight that arrives at 1:00 pm which might put you at your hotel at 2:00 pm, just in time for early check-in. Which the client should feel delighted to pay for. A nap should be an "action item" on everyone's agenda.
Viking Boat Garage.
You can arrive anytime you want. Just get out the Amex black card and drop it on the NetJets counter.
ReplyDeleteI see Henry White is posting to TOP.
Henry is our ambassador at TOP. He's nicer than me.
ReplyDeleteCan I borrow your black card for a couple of days? Henry would approve!!!
P.S. Fiction rules.
ReplyDeleteReykjavik is the hub for Icelandair, and the early arrivals feed their early departures to Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. The Gulf carriers, like Emirates, are similar - connecting with them typically means wandering around the Dubai airport at 0200 or so, after a 14-hour flight.
ReplyDeleteDon't blame your travel agent. International long haul flights are pretty much all at night ... they don't have to feed you in economy. From where I live to Cape Town is 26 hours - 9hrs at night over the pole to London, arrive around noon London time, 6 hour stopover, then 11 hour night flight to Cape Town arriving at 8am. At least I could check my bags directly to Cape Town. Same thing to Singapore and Athens. Pain the the butt, but there it is; it's all about profit.
ReplyDeleteEveryone wanted deregulated airlines and cheap flights. We got lousy seating, lost luggage, Boeing airline failures, and we have to spent hours of our own time on web sites booking flights instead of calling an agent. And we fell for the corporate-babble propaganda that we live in a service economy but where we have to do everything ourselves. Flying used to be an adventure, now it's often the worst part of any trip. And many pilots have to take second jobs to make ends meet and modern day flight crews have to fend off some of the most obnoxious entitlted travellers ever.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm sure someone benefits from all of that.
Robert, I have no idea who the "everyone" you are referring to are. I do know that Airline travel is a choice, not a necessity. Travel agents are still available. In fact, three of my bigger clients have in house travel agents who arrange for airline tickets and hotel reservations. Not just for the C suite folks but even for everyday suppliers/vendors like me. You seem hellbent on painting all airline services with a broad brush. But, you can still make the choice to book a first class or business class ticket and you will receive the level of service you seem to want. But in a deregulated environment you have to pay for the increased comfort and attention. When I travel by myself I rarely mind an economy seat on journeys of less than 4 hours. Anything over that and I'm pretty much always determined to book business class. When I travel on vacations with my wife we generally book business class tickets where available. I also don't mind paying more for direct flights as opposed to multi-stop flights. It's always your choice to book what you want to get.
ReplyDeleteIn the blog post my full issue was just with the unusually early arrival. I didn't touch on anything else on your list of grievances. I remember flying first class back and forth to Europe, Turkey and Jordon with my parents as a youngster. On Pan Am. It was a nicer way to fly but far, far fewer people were actually flying intercontinental back on the late 1960s and early 1970s. And I remember my parents mentioning the expense of the tickets. But they were able and willing to pay the difference on the long hauls. Air travel is, based on inflation, etc. much, much cheaper than it was before deregulation. More people can afford to travel now than ever before. There are more route options than ever before. More access to more places. You live in the first world. You want better service? You can get it but you'll have to pay for it.
As to the idea that pilots are having to work multiple jobs to survive....I take issue with that because one guy I swim with is a trans-Pacific pilot for a major airline. He's pulling down well over $180,000 per year plus a bunch of travel perks and has a retirement plan I would kill for. If that's the idea of barely making it then I think we are all in trouble.
Again, air travel has always been and remains a choice. Not a right or a necessity of life. In a capitalist society company can set some of their own policies. The airlines still jump through many regulatory hoops. Who benefits? As always, the stock holders. And the poorer people who can now afford to fly now. Who loses? Elitists who want to travel first class for economy prices.
It was a great reminder for me, provided by JC, that if I really want to arrive somewhere on my own schedule I am fully capable of pulling out a credit card and booking a Net Jet or other Fly Share service. I can't afford to do it on every flight but... next time I fly into Santa Fe I might just book a small plane to take me straight there. No waiting for TSA. No unnecessary flight delays. Still affordable for someone financially comfortable. It's always a trade off.
Sad to find out that it was president Jimmy Carter who signed off on airline deregulation. But, actually, good for everyone who, before that, just could not afford to fly. Now they have choices.
A common taunt in some social circles, "Oh dear! You still fly commercial???"
Here is my first day schedule for when I travel to Iceland:
ReplyDeleteArrive at KEF 5:00
Board Flybus to Reykjavík 5:30
Arrive at BSÍ station 6:15
Walk to Vesturbæjarlaug (swimming pool) 6:30
Swim, soak in hot tubs, talk with locals till 9:00 (best cure for jet-lag)
Walk downtown, get breakfast, explore the city, get luggage, check in, etc.
Usually I try to stay awake until at least eight at night the first day, (check out the theatre or club scene) then sleep till 10 or so till the next day.
YMMV, of course.
An absolutely great plan for an early arrival. I know you will have a blast in Iceland. So much to see!!!
ReplyDeleteI've been to Iceland nine times, so that schedule is pretty much a routine now.
ReplyDeleteThe first few trips were a bit of a trial before I figured it out.
I don't disagree with what you wrote, but flying sucks these days and it's getting worse. I think we'd be better off if there were more competition from passenger railroads but we decided to throw a lot of that away.
ReplyDeleteMy comment about pilots working two jobs was based on an article I read several years ago and it probably concerned pilots working for regional air lines, not the big boys. The odds of me finding that article now are zero. I remember an example of a lady who had to tend bars on the days she wasn't flying to fill out her income.