The Best Part of Flying

[Adelaide]

My very favourite part of flying is when we are high above the clouds and you can see the sun shining on them. The best part is as the sun is coming up or going down. It feels like I can just step out on the clouds and walk across them. Of course, this is a bit difficult with the doors sealed shut

 

[casanovawa]

I'm thinking/hoping i will find a few new 'best bits' when i take my first business class trip next year... But yeah i love looking out the window and the expectation of where i am going... If there is a half decent meal i feel i have scored a bit as well, and the free drinks...

 

[nlagalle]

My very favourite part of flying is when we are high above the clouds and you can see the sun shining on them. The best part is as the sun is coming up or going down. It feels like I can just step out on the clouds and walk across them. Of course, this is a bit difficult with the doors sealed shut

Trust me, even with the door open you still feel like you can, right up til you step out of the plane!! :mrgreen:

 

[Adelaide]

For long haul flights, it's that shower and short sleep in the transfer airport that is the difference between getting home sanely or with rumpled hair and gritty eyes.

 

[Aussie Dingbat]

I love the feeling as the plane is speeding up to take off and the force pushing against you during the initial climb, the landing is also good but no where near as fun as take off.

 

[thewinchester]

1. The lounge
2. My own personal space (specially with the over-the-head earphones)
3. The imagery. I love flying over deep country, night landing over well-lit cities and sunrise through the clouds.

 

[Vinny]

Landing safely.

 

[ema]

The excitement as we're about to land and I can see the city I'm landing in. And just flying... the whole experience of not having to be anywhere or be doing anything.

 

[TonyHancock]

Getting home!

 

[Limewood]

Getting home!

Yep thats the one, even with Julia and others at the helm!.

I like flying into cities at night, one of the best in Las Vegas, a glow in the desert.

 

[ozmille]

The peace and quiet knowing that you can't get any calls or emails, stretching out



watching out of the window watching the sun go down



with a bit of food and (possibly too much) wine



And usually when I'm flying long haul I am also going to see family and friends

 

[harvyk]

Two parts, during \ just after push back when the engines roar into life, I absolutely love the sound.
part two is just after lining up on the runway and holding for a minute, hearing the engines spool up (first to about 50-60% and then again up to take off power), again absolutely love the sound of. (Probably because the sound of engines spooling up reminds me of my first OS trip as a kid... )

I also quite like it when after dinner has been served and they turn the lights off in the cabin and it's all pretty much dark (apart from the one or two reading lights). I guess it's because every time that's happened I've been on something longer than a short CBR-MEL hop...

 

[Maca44]

Up until about 5 years ago I was doing between 5 and 6 trips a year to the US for work, and now only go every year or so for pleasure. I have known others to do the same trip a couple of times per month, so with that much flying it is just like a bus irrespective of the class of travel. You are still stuck in a pressurized tube for 14 hours so the best part of flying for me is getting off the plane.

PS That shower at the end is very important to return you to normality

 

[markj23]

My first time sitting in 1A (only a 73H SYD-CNS) I was presented with this view



Sure it was visible to the rest down the back. But 1A made it special

 

[harvyk]

I have to agree with you markj23, I remember my first flight in 1A... Whilst I think there are better J seats on he 734 (the bulkhead on the D-E-F side seemed to have a cutout for feet which A-B-C was missing), but I wanted to have sat in 1A at least once in my life... That fact alone made the flight special.

 

[Flying Fox]

The op-up

I'm a nerd and I love flying and when comfortable, I enjoy just about most things. I like eating in the sky travelling at mach 0.85.

For some strange reason, eating ice cream whilst flying always brings a smile to my face (so I'm probably a big kid too).

 

[JohnK]

For me it is the destination but getting there can also be fun especially with some of views on offer.

Overall I love flying, it feels exotic in a different kind of way, but occasionally the whole experience can become boring.

 

[Jleno]

Not sure if this is a separate issue, but the title of this thread got me thinking about this:

Aside from those lucky / wealthy enough to regularly fly Business or First, one of the pleasures of flying for many cattle class passengers is the lottery of the free upgrade. So I'm wondering for these passengers, what would they do if they got their free upgrade. Enjoy the ability to sleep through the whole journey on a flat bed, or be so excited about the experience that they want to stay awake for the entire trip to maximise the experience? I'd say I would fall into the latter category (at least until I got bored or too tired).

 

[Tortuga]

To be honest the best part for me is getting off... I don't enjoy the luxury of flying business, I am quite tall and find it extremely difficult to get comfortable in whY, let alone sleep. When I was young and going on family holidays it was an amazing rush checking in, looking at the plane (I always wanted to get on the 747 but never got the chance when I was young - those damn Airbuses). Economy treats you to crying babies, farts and a sweaty backside after 12 hours in the same cramped seat - if you're lucky you will get a theme park ride that throws you around in your seat while you contemplate dropping out of the sky at 40,000 ft (even though it wouldn't actually happen like that in real life). Then you get the delays, arguments and all the other interesting parts of flying. I am a generally a positive person I promise

Back to the thread title - receiving an email from my company stating there were no more economy seats and I would be flying first class from LA to Houston. My first real experience of luxury!! I saw a rapper with his entourage, the flight service was on a whole different level (I even got a cute stirring stick for my cranberry juice) - had a nice chat with the fellow next to me as well.

 

[harvyk]

Not sure if this is a separate issue, but the title of this thread got me thinking about this:

Aside from those lucky / wealthy enough to regularly fly Business or First, one of the pleasures of flying for many cattle class passengers is the lottery of the free upgrade. So I'm wondering for these passengers, what would they do if they got their free upgrade. Enjoy the ability to sleep through the whole journey on a flat bed, or be so excited about the experience that they want to stay awake for the entire trip to maximise the experience? I'd say I would fall into the latter category (at least until I got bored or too tired).

Whilst I'm excited by getting the upgrade, I treat the flight no different to had I been in Y. In otherwords I'd still watch movies until I felt tired and then get a few hours of shuteye, but at "normal times" and in normal amounts.

I wouldn't try to stay awake just because it was a nicer seat than normal, and I wouldn't just go to sleep because the seat can also be a bed.