You know you are a frequent flyer when ...

When you get a long haul cancellation email whilst at the airport and instead of panicking you pull out the laptop and start checking EF loads and availability with eagerness for better alternative carriers and routes.
 
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You notice the check-in agent has had a haircut.

You have a favourite bathroom basin, in a lounge or airport hundreds or thousands of km away from home.

The FA stumbles on the description of meals, you're tempted to (or do) fill it in for them.

You have so many napkins from lounges and onboard in your bag you've stopped buying tissues.

Some flight numbers (VA868, QF448) have become a way of life.
 
It gets better. I’m so used to travelling HLO, and in my haste to pack for Bali at the last minute, threw all my snorkelling gear in and checked the bag through.

Woke up this morning feeling something was missing. I’ve left the bag on the carousel in DPS. Thank goodness for AirTags.


Oh! ….and Nestor waves aside my attempt to show him my boarding pass.
 
When... in the space of a few weeks you're experiencing your 2nd late flight cancellation. At least I get to try QRs new J caviar service and compare it to the one I had flying over in F thanks to my op up.
 
That's impressive.

What tool/s have you used to keep track of both of these stats?

You're almost at Ryan Bingham levels now.
Firstly, I had my flight history recorded due to "old habits" from my first job. Two salesmen had a scam where they booked domestic flights to visit potential customers, pay on their own CC, cancel, and then get the refund, but claim the visit. Problem was the two were out playing golf when they should have been interstate, but their boss (who had the afternoon off) was playing the hole behind them! Company made many changes including keeping your boarding passes to prove you took the flights. Started logging on Lotus Symphony > 123 > finally Xcel. I still keep to this practice today. I dragged them into Openflights and when it was stopped here, took the database across to Myflightradar 24.
 
Firstly, I had my flight history recorded due to "old habits" from my first job. Two salesmen had a scam where they booked domestic flights to visit potential customers, pay on their own CC, cancel, and then get the refund, but claim the visit. Problem was the two were out playing golf when they should have been interstate, but their boss (who had the afternoon off) was playing the hole behind them!
Reminds me of an episode when I led a team of on the road auditors in the late 1990s - the deathknell had already been announced because of the golf balls and sand found in the corporate car fleet

One of 3 of them inadvertently told me about “golf last Wednesday” when one of them had called in on “sick partner leave”…

Well that was an explosive conversation including a “F Orf” walked out the door and I never saw him again !

But seemed to me from stories relayed even 25 years later that work was optional and lots of beach, lounging around hotel pools, antique shops, g-gs 🐎 x-rated activities featured instead of doing the paid work

Now how about those regular govt FF Flyers ? Seems no one could poke a stick at the endless FIFO Merry go round of travel and many went on trips (actually did the flying) but were hardly seen “in the office”
 
A workmate used to charge his mileage for his long country trips (that he actually took), but didn't drive. Instead he used the trips to keep his flying hours up.
 
Reminds me of an episode when I led a team of on the road auditors in the late 1990s - the deathknell had already been announced because of the golf balls and sand found in the corporate car fleet

One of 3 of them inadvertently told me about “golf last Wednesday” when one of them had called in on “sick partner leave”…

Well that was an explosive conversation including a “F Orf” walked out the door and I never saw him again !

But seemed to me from stories relayed even 25 years later that work was optional and lots of beach, lounging around hotel pools, antique shops, g-gs 🐎 x-rated activities featured instead of doing the paid work

Now how about those regular govt FF Flyers ? Seems no one could poke a stick at the endless FIFO Merry go round of travel and many went on trips (actually did the flying) but were hardly seen “in the office”
Well, proves fiction is not required. It's actually real.
 
...when you have no idea how the departure works for those travelling infrequently.

Today I've been advising a family member who is nervous about their upcoming trip. They are travelling in VA economy with two cabin bags (6 kg trolley + 4 kg backpack) and sporting equipment which uses their 1 bag checked bag allowance.

Two things have popped up: they are fretting about getting their hand luggage weighted at the gate and being in trouble because it's >7 kg, and how to get a BP and check in their equipment.

I've lost the concept of hand luggage weight limits after having been over so many times without any questions ever (9-11 kg trolley in Y is usual for me). I'm well within the size, though. Someone asking if they'll be trouble felt rather alien to even think about.
Domestically, the QF or VA BP I've always had in the mobile app and have used that (and the membership card as a backup at the gate). I had no idea whether VA is using kiosks or how does someone get their BP without the airline app.

This encounter goes to show how nicely you can streamline your departure experience, if you want to. The "unstreamlined" feels clunky in comparison now that I've had to think about it.
 

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