200th flight
Thanks to the internet service Flight Memory i have an exact overview about the number of flights i´ve done in the last years. This was easy for me, as my first time (first flight, not the other first time ;) ) was in the age 26, was afraid of flying, had a few flights until 28 or so, got really afraid of flying (read: PAAANIC, to be more exact PAAAAAAAANIC !) and lost it at the age of 32. I was one of the person using the night train to Munich before.
So there wasn´t many flights to remember, when i started to enter my flights: So today i´ve done my 200th flight, 237.492 kilometers, 361:53 hours. As much as i like looking out of the window, i start to hate flying: It´s like driving bus (i assume, thats the reason for the name AirBUS) but with much more hassle to enter your bus. 179 of them were after the 1.1.2006 (between the first flight a.p. (after panic) and the next flight was over a half year.
The most preferred aircraft: A320
I really like the A320. The ride in a A320 is mostly much smoother than the one in the 737 (my personal experience). I´m sure that this will change at the first time i fly with a A380. I must admit, that i prefer the Airbus aircrafts in any case. The journey in a A340 is much more enjoyable than the one in a 747 as well and i try to schedule my flights to use aircrafts from Airbus.
The least liked aircraft: The Ryanair 737
The seating in them is an insult, when you don´t get an exit row seat. Dense pack. You could joke, that Ryanair has the quietest aeroplanes: Because yor knees cover your ears. I don´t like the 737 all together, but that was the the most anoying experience. But what can you expect, when you fly from Bremen to London-Stansted with 4 persons for just 32 Euro ;)
The most prefered airports: HAM and ZRH
Arriving - HAM … because you are at home soon. Departing - well … i really like the ZRH airport. Relative short distances there. One disadvantage: This Airport needs a Starbucks badly.Despite being twice at the airport of Zuerich, i still doesn´t have the Zuerich Starbucks mug.
The least liked airport: DRS and MUC
But not because of the airport. I virtually waited days on this airport. From HAM to DRS - either much to early or to late. From DRS to HAM - either to early for the normal duration of the meetings meeting or much later. So i have a very special relationship to this airport. I can´t see the cookies in the FTL lounge anymore …
My hate for MUC can be explained with a simple fact. It´s somewhere in nowhere. It´s not at the butt of the world, but you can see it from there. One hour from the Sun office to the airport is a joke and the connections at Leuchtenburg Ring are a joke (you have to wait at least 10 minutes at any time)
The most enjoyed experience
February 2001. Flight back from Boston to Amsterdam in a Northwestern 757 (think so … not sure). After sorting out (took the first half hour of the flight) that we were both from Germany, so we doesn´t need to speak english, i had a really interesting 6 hour flight with a young mother with her baby. She visited her parents in Germany with her newborn child (a few month or so) , but wasn´t able to do this with her husband (a M.D. as far as i remember). Had a really long and enjoyable discussion about immigration to the US, jobs, life and all the rest.
After a while the flight attendants thought, it were my wife and my baby. I didn´t corrected the error, because they found the baby extra-cute and so they were extra friendly to me and the mother of the baby. ;)
The ways divided at Amsterdam Schipol. Perhaps a good example for portioned friends as the unnamed narrator in Fight Club calls them. You meet someone by the infinite wisdom of the airline reservation computer, you share a part of way with this person, and then you never meet again.
The most annoying experiences
Okay … the Top Ten of aviation annoyances …
- Airport waiting areas. Normally it would place this in the Top 3 … but as i like to observe the interactions of people and the behaviour of people in such areas like airports or train stations) i observed several sad, funny or interesting situations. Sometimes that´s worth the waiting in the airport.
- People reading newspaper without a proper folding technique to stay in their own seat area. Especially when they read the BILD, the worst newspaper available in Germany.
- The low “Exit” sign in some regional aircraft. “The last thing before loosing his consciousness was the exit sign” ;)
- People entering the aircraft while “Just the rows 32-22” and taking place in row 10 and needing “hours” to seat.
- Incompetent ground personal … like this woman at McCarran Airport in 2007. Her plan for my schedule would have led to visiting the check-in counter at every leg of my journey back to Berlin)
- Airline meals (the United airline meals would justify the first rank on this list, the meals in Swiss Business class were really acceptable)
- The flight back from New York last year (will not tell reasons)
- Arrogant stewardesses. I know … they are important for flight safety, but their daytime job is to work as better educated waiters and waitresses. I don´t want to be handled as a life-unworthy existence. But: I don´t like passengers as well, who aren´t able to honour the service of the attendants and don´t behave with respect for them.
- The incapability of stewardesses not to bump with butt or trolley into my shoulder or knee.
- Economy Class Seating - hell on earth.