As I came up to the Fullerton El stop, I grabbed a RedEye, as always. The cover story? "Five-Star Flying." Basically, there are travelers out there who actively avoid certain airlines due to lack of service or certain airports because of their bad on-time flight percentage. People will pay extra for a seating option that gurantees they won't be sitting in that middle seat or for flights with no layovers. Bottom line, depite the recession and airlines' offers for cheaper tickets, people are still picky about how they travel.
For the ones who can afford it, being choosey about travel can be an advantage. While some would say they are snobbish, others would claim they are geniuses. The article talks about veteran travelers who know what kind of planes are used at specific times for specific destinations, and therefore opt for the ones that use a larger plane. It mentions people who avoid certain discount airlines because their options are a la carte and they don't want to pay a fee for a coke. Some people will buy two seats on a cheap airline like JetBlue rather than a first class ticket on another because there is 3
more inches of leg room and a personal tv at every seat. What people will do for comfort.
Some travelers--and I personally think this is really smart--avoid connecting flights through cold cities during winter months so as to avoid any weather delays. While it may cost more, or force a longer flight, at least the person is on the way to their destination rather than sitting on the floor in a crowded airport munching on trail mix and getting bored with their trashy travel novel.
I honestly cannot afford to spend extra to avoid those small inconveniences. But as a student I have learned to deal with sitting in the middle seat, or having my stomach grumble for three hours because I didn't want to spend $3 for a bag of pretzels, or long layovers. But I can totally understand those people who prefer to travel with a little bit more comfort; feet propped, drink in hand, gold rolex indicating an on-time arrival, all from the comfort of their prearranged aisle seat.
For the ones who can afford it, being choosey about travel can be an advantage. While some would say they are snobbish, others would claim they are geniuses. The article talks about veteran travelers who know what kind of planes are used at specific times for specific destinations, and therefore opt for the ones that use a larger plane. It mentions people who avoid certain discount airlines because their options are a la carte and they don't want to pay a fee for a coke. Some people will buy two seats on a cheap airline like JetBlue rather than a first class ticket on another because there is 3
more inches of leg room and a personal tv at every seat. What people will do for comfort.Some travelers--and I personally think this is really smart--avoid connecting flights through cold cities during winter months so as to avoid any weather delays. While it may cost more, or force a longer flight, at least the person is on the way to their destination rather than sitting on the floor in a crowded airport munching on trail mix and getting bored with their trashy travel novel.
I honestly cannot afford to spend extra to avoid those small inconveniences. But as a student I have learned to deal with sitting in the middle seat, or having my stomach grumble for three hours because I didn't want to spend $3 for a bag of pretzels, or long layovers. But I can totally understand those people who prefer to travel with a little bit more comfort; feet propped, drink in hand, gold rolex indicating an on-time arrival, all from the comfort of their prearranged aisle seat.
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