Peter – Gatwick is luxury! I was amused by a recent FT article describing Stansted as “A Burger King with a prison attached”. Stansted is however luxury compared with Luton.
The airlines are very hard to beat on price. When collecting the Auster from its permit renewal on the bank holiday, it cost £39 to fly from Ronaldsway to Stansted on Flybe (and that was booked less than 12 hours in advance. I got the same price the other way too, and that was booked only 4 hours in advance).
However if you need to take stuff with you, GA can actually be cheaper. A while back I went to a vintage computing show in Huddersfield, and I had a bunch of kit I wanted to take. I was going to load up the car and take the ferry and drive, but even though it was off-peak season, the Steam Packet company wanted £250 return (plus there would be the cost of the fuel for the car) for an advance ticket. I realised I could get everything I needed in the Auster, so I decided to only go on the ferry if the weather was unsuitable. The weather was fine, so I flew to Crossland Moor and got a taxi to the nearby venue. It was cheaper, more fun, and saved at least 6 hours of travelling.
Alioth,
on distances up to say 1-30 flight time, they are beatable easy enough. For daytrips in particular, as airlines charge huge amounts for those. No cheapo tickets there… Trip btwn Zürich and Salzburg for instance costs up to 700 Euros for a day return ticket (if there is one) booked the day before. My aircraft can operate that route for roughly 500 Euros total expense. So that is even attractive for one guy, let alone two. I flew it recently with my wife, if we both would have had to pay an airline ticket each, we’d have shelled out about 1000-1400 Euros for this trip as we were late (apart from the fact that on weekends they don’t fly that often), like this it was about 550 Euros including all taxes and fees. And with 1-25 flight time each leg, considerably shorter than the whole procedure.
My point from post #1
not breathing the bacteria and viruses from 150 other people (post-flight illnesses are pretty common)
very much applies, having been in bed for a number of days! And this is common after airline flights.
Is it difficult to filter the air, with say UV?
AFAIK the air you get from the A/C in an airliner is already filtered, so that is not where the microbes are coming from.
The worst things are the things you touch, like tray tables, arm rests etc. and of course the people sitting in close proximity.
@Peter
Did you use the lavatory? Best place for bacteria in the world of flying. At least half of the people doesn’t wash their hands after their more or less small business. And on top they are walking through the galley, touch any wall and touch any secound backrest when they walking to their seat. But if you fly often than you get resistant. I’m only ill once per year and it takes 10-to 14 days. Thereafter you can use the lavatory with no brain.
I have a very strong reason: I enjoy flying just for the sheer pleasure of it!
There is no reasoning that can offset that ;-)
Peter wrote:
very much applies, having been in bed for a number of days! And this is common after airline flights.Is it difficult to filter the air, with say UV?
I am told this is one of those urban myths, and that the air is cleaner than in a typical workplace.
Replacement air is bled from the compressors so should be almost sterile.
I think most of the problems come from a prolonged period at 6,000 to 8,000 feet, cramped conditions, jet lag, and too much alcohol.
If your travel first, restrict yourself to a glass of wine, put your bed flat and have a shower to freshen up you dont suffer any where near as badly.
Door to door I can beat any commercial service any where in mainland Europe assuming arrival at the airport the recommended two hours before. I think whether it is more or less stressful depends only on the weather and having one engine or two if it involves any long distances over water over “hostile” terrain.
Speaking of places like Gatwick or Stansted, if you think about it, it is pretty sad when you see the people flying all over the place for 30€. It has nothing to do with flying. It’s only cheap. Pathetic.
My personal dream would be to drive into a hangar on one side and taxi out the plane on the other, never to face another “security check” at a public shopping prison (sorry I mean airport) again ;) – and I’m saying that while thinking that the low point of airline travel is yet to come.
Cannot really compare. It is now 1500+ hrs of GA flying since the last time I went anywhere near an airliner. It is good to read what I am missing, I almost forgot.
