Article Comment

[MLMarr]

[size=18]I just read James's "The art of switching airline seats" on MSN Travel. I don't fly that often, but when I do I have noticed something: because of my wheelchair, I am ALWAYS the first one on & last one off the plane. One of the major points in the article of getting a better seat was to be one of the last on. Anyone got any suggestions if I want closer to the front than the airline assigned?



Also, if I booked online & there was a place to mention my manual wheelchair & need for an aisle chair to get from the boarding gate to my seat, do I really need to call the airline to make sure they are aware of it beforehand?



Anything else I need to be aware of before I get there that I may not have thought of? :)

[Scot]

I too read this article and when I was done reading it, I was shocked that such useless information would be posted on MSNBC.com.



Much of what was written is common sense and the rest is nonsence. "When was the last time I boarded a nearly full plane to find 3 people stretched out across 3 seats slumbering?", you ask. How about NEVER? And, if I did, I suppose I'd wake their rude asses up and tell them to move over.



You actually suggested that waiting until the final boarding call to board a plane is a good way to get a better seat! What is more likely is that by waiting that long, your original assigned seat will be given away (or taken) to/by someone else and you'll wind up with a worse seat than you started with.



I'm sorry, but for someone with 15 years as a FA, you don't seem to have picked up any common sense along the way.

[James Wysong]

As far as the wheelchair question goes, it is always a good idea to call ahead with the airlines and then ask again at check in. Specify that you need an aisle chair and make them repeat it to you as this mistake happens quite frequently.



Regarding the article content, I have been flying for quite a while and would have to say one of the most occuring question I get is about switching seats. The biggest complaint? Seat location and comfort. So when you say "useless information" for you, maybe, but for the masses that don't travel as much as you do, maybe not. No empty flights? Sure there are, during the non-peak travel periods there are plenty of empty rows to enjoy. Non-peak is usually dependant on your destination, in the US it is Oct Nov Feb Mar and May.



As far as waiting until the final boarding call being a silly recomendation, mis-connects happen quite often, when they miss the flight, they miss their seat as well, it's usually a great time to seize the oppurtunity. Don't you think?

[jfrenaye]

CHICAGO — A report of suspicious material on a United Airlines flight from New York to San Francisco prompted the pilot to make an emergency landing today at O'Hare International Airport.



The material turned out to be an MP3 player, homeopathic medicines and wires, said Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Ann Davis. She didn't elaborate.



United spokesman Jeff Green and Chicago police would not say if anyone was taken into custody as the Chicago Police Bomb and Arson squad investigated the materials.



A passenger aboard the flight had told a flight attendant he saw another passenger with the suspicious material, Green said. He said the flight attendant and flight crew examined the material and recommended landing.



[b]All 66 passengers and eight crew members aboard United Flight 27



Flight 27 is a Boeing 757-200



And from the United:

[quote]United First/United Business/United Economy

Number of Seats 24/ N/A / 158



Looks like about a hundred plus open seats to me. So I guess there actually are empty planes out there--I would have thought an early morning flight from NYC to SFO would have been crowded on a Tuesday mornign but apparently not.



But, it is no wonder they lose $$$ I cannot imagine the cost to fly a plane that empty across the country--and then toss in an emergency landing because someone has an iPOD with --EGAG wires!