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One trans-Atlantic red eye flight of nine hours seven hundred and sixty five dollars. A seven hour layover in Ney York, at JFK. Three hour flight to Atlanta Ga two hundred and eighteen dollars, another layover of three hours. Finally a one hour and forty-five minute flight to Myrtle Beach SC one hundred and seven dollars. A fifteen minute ride to the house. Home at last after two weeks overseas and being able to writ the next chapters of KOD and Embracing Justice Priceless. I should have the new chapters for both stories posted within the next few days. The Goddess willing I should be back to my once a week postings for both for the rest of the year. (So Long As Some Knuckheaded ACCOUNTANT doesn't open something they shouldn't.) With a little bit of luck I should be caught up with both by the end of the month.
Comments
Over water flights are never...
any fun. Had my fill of the Dubai to Atlanta run. Glad to know you're back on this side of the pond, and no longer hurtling through the skies in an aluminum cigar tube with 2 million nuts, bolts, rivets and other pieces flying in close formation around you.
Multi-layover ouch!
I flew from Houston, Texas to L.A., Califorioa then did a 2 hr layover till flying to Kahului, Hawaii that was the longest flight I have ever done. and My back punished me for it. I had Perscription Pain patches on for the allowed ammount of time for both trips. but alas they were not enough for the flights. if I fly again I am going to try and fly streight from Houston or the east coast because the airlines have the updated planes for those trips not the L.A. to hawaii hops. it would mean more time in the air but since my it was a business trip would be a expense there. I will say this I talked to people who flew on those updated airliners and they told how they were able to lay back almost completely horizontal, and had so much space. if that is 1st class on a flight my back would force me to sit in first class just to be able to change angles on it and releave pain.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Lay Flat Beds
Are not just in First Class. well that might be true with US based carriers but not in the rest of the world.
Even airlines like 'Jet Airways' has them in Business Class on their Long Haul flights out of India.
sure these cost a lot more $$$$$ than flying in cattle class but they are worth it.
I'm at an age now where when I fly for more than 3.5 hours for personal use I fly at the front of the plane. I'm flying on BA to Denver next month. Busness Class for me.
As someone who works in the Airline/Airport business I find it really strange the maschinations that US travellers go through to get anywhere in the US. It appears that most travellers just follow what their travel agent recommends. you have to remember that what they recommend is what earns them the most commission.
A little searching on the Internet can save hours and $$$ in your travel costs.
A Friend was flying to LA. His Travel Agent recommended route was via Chicago with a 9 hour stopover in ORD. I routed him via FRA. He got to LAX 6 hours earlier and $400 better off. By not flying on an Amercian based carrier but on Lufthansa he arrived better off both physically and financially.
Travel Agents
You can not paint all travel agents with the same brush. I was a travel agent for a couple of years and I, along with most of the agents I knew, took our customers' needs as #1. As I had done a considerable amount of traveling outside the U.S., I used my personal knowledge to get the best deals possible for my clients, not the ones that gave me the best commission. In spite of the fact that our airline reservation system was proprietary and biased to favor one airline the other airlines' flight info and prices were easily accessed. When given sufficient lead time I presented my customers with the best options available.
Looking for the cheapest way to get from A to B? Got that. Looking for the fastest way? Got that. Looking for the most comfortable ac? Got ya covered. Just traveling for an enjoyable holiday and want to have a fun trip? Yep, we could book that too.
Travel sales are commission sales, just like car or home purchases. And like buying homes or cars, selling travel is as much about the sales person as the commissions received. You get agents pushing the big packages to maximize their commissions, and that generally means the customer will go somewhere else the next time. OTOH, you can work to give the customer the best packages and prices possible. That generally means that customer will be back the next time, and will likely tell their friends about you also. You're going to make more in the long run from the happy, repeat customer. I had a fair number of repeat customers, and that made the agency owners happy.
Disclaimer: The above does not apply to corporate travel agents. All they are interested in is cheap, fast travel. Different rules apply.
I went outside once. The graphics weren' that great.
Long distance travel never fun
Had my fun in the past of doing the mid-atlantic to Seoul, Korea run which is of course a full day to accomplish but with only one layover. But in a cattle car seat. Thank Goddess I am skinny as I had to sit with some big ol' servicemen who basically leaned against the Window to the left of me. Luckily I had a young female (and thin) servicemember to the right of me. We smiled at each other both realizing instantaneously that a) I don't smell and b) we were both skinny women so we were actually relatively comfortable next to each other. Unspoken of course is that there is less likelihood of getting groped also 'accidentally'.
Oh and I would never ever fly to the Middle East.
Yay!
I missed your stories. Welcome back!
Welcome home!
Hi Jess
Glad to see you are back home!! I hated having to fly past where I wanted to go then backtrack to get home. But like they say in the south, when you die you will have to go through Atlanta to get where you are going.
Hugs and kisses Jeri
Jeri Elaine
Homonyms, synonyms, heterographs, contractions, slang, colloquialisms, clichés, spoonerisms, and plain old misspellings are the bane of writers, but the art and magic of the story is in the telling not in the spelling.