Call me stupid, naive....whatever....but

[logcabincreations]

with the airlines having problems, and me never having been on a plane, I just don't understand something. WHERE THE HECK IS EVERYONE GOING IN THE FIRST PLACE? I can understand a vacation that is difficult to drive a car to, but....what about everyone else? Are trains not an option within the USA? I see the news and I think it is senseless seeing everyone stranded at airports. I wouldn't have the patience for this AT ALL.

To answer your question....I know you're probably thinking it.......

YES....I AM A COUNTRY BUMPKIN...lol. However, I've been from east coast to west coast (USA) but only in a vehicle. I guess I live a pretty sheltered life.

[Artyfarty]

Jan I too have never flown or gone far ...holidays usually tend to be hubby driving but that causes major headaches...I am petrified of motorways and get tensed up and nervous. As to everyone else lol well if anything like the UK then our trains are so unreliable you may as well stay in bed!!!!

[iloveflipflops]

I am thinking it is still spring break in some parts of the US so I bet alot of people are taking trips for that reason. If it were me stuck in an airplane, I would hop in a rental car and get to my destination. I would not want to sit DAYS in an airport.

[logcabincreations]

I feel so bad for all the tired and cranky children who have no choice but to do whatever their parents decide. I think it's terrible to put small children through that.

[MidwestStamper]

I think the main reason people opt to fly is because of the speed--I can get from Minnesota to Seattle in 3 hours by plane, or in 30 hours (or more!) by Amtrak. I've done both and the train is enjoyable but takes up so much time if you've only got a week of vacation. Then of course if you're flying for your job, you want to take the quickest way there and back.

[IMBlessed5]

I've never been on a plane either. (And actually the longest card ride I have ever taken was almost 10 hours. Yeah, I don't get out much, LOL!)

But I can not even imagine being STUCK in an airport for days!!!!!

[graciez]

Trains are not a very good means of transportation in the US....around the holidays there are a lot of families taking the plane to visit relatives, spring is spring breakers but I think planes are mostly used by business people going to visit clients, meetings, whatever. My son is on a business trip every week (by plane) and before retirement, my husband was gone every week, too. They were both in the computer business...MJ/g

[directmailscrapper]

I will be on a plane TWICE in May -- to Detroit for Shackapaloosa and to Boston for business. Neither trip would happen if I had to drive. I am hoping and praying that all of this delay business is over by then!

[TiikkiStars]

When I go from Northern California to Southern California, I almost always fly. I have a really bad back and to make the drive (6-8 hours, depending on how far south I'm going), usually means at best, a lot of pain and at worst, my back goes out. I've taken Amtrak, but it takes so long and I hear train whistles in my sleep for about a week. And trains cost almost the same as flying these days!

We flew for our honeymoon to Seattle and home from Vancouver because DH had only so much time he could take off from work and I refused to spend four days of our honeymoon traveling. When I fly across country, I fly for the same reason. I want to spend my time at my destination, not traveling.

I also figure a lot of people are in the same boat I would be in if their flights are cancelled...........they spent the money on the tickets and if they leave and find other means of travel, they could be out the money for those tickets plus the money to get home by those other means.

As to where they are going.....I figure, like Sherry, there probably are a lot of Spring Breakers still traveling, plus those traveling for vacations or pleasure, traveling to get to special events (weddings, funerals, visiting colleges, etc.), and daily business travelers.

That's my two cents.......

:> Karen

[logcabincreations]

Thanks for enlightening me girls. My dh and I never take vacation during spring break. We do local outings. We both work and don't take that week off. Mainly because we need the income and don't have extra to spend on another vacation. We go once a summer somewhere...usually to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or somewhere else kind of close by. We drive everywhere. We also like to go camping at our Virginia State Parks. To me, I guess flying is a luxury I can't afford, and I am blessed to have most all of my family in Virginia so I don't have to travel great distances to visit them. But I do have one of those "bucket lists" and there are a few countries I'd like to visit...someday.

[logcabincreations]

I think the main reason people opt to fly is because of the speed--I can get from Minnesota to Seattle in 3 hours by plane, or in 30 hours (or more!) by Amtrak. I've done both and the train is enjoyable but takes up so much time if you've only got a week of vacation. Then of course if you're flying for your job, you want to take the quickest way there and back.

Lidia, do you vacation in Seattle?? Just curious. When my dh was a "long haul" truck driver, he went to Washington State and said it is very pretty. There and Montana were his favorite.

[logcabincreations]

Oh, and another thing....I saw something on t.v. not too long ago about people who have a lot of frequent flyer miles who just get on planes and fly from place to place for the heck of it with really NO purpose or good reason except it's free.

I don't understand this unnecessary flying. If people would stop and think a minute about how much fuel is used in these planes and reason out whether or not the trip is really important, maybe there wouldn't be so many crowded airports and long lines.

[ellie]

I think many people are flying for work-related reasons. I have a good friend that travels several times a month and always by plane. Actually, it seems like she is in the plane more than in the car! I have even found that it is cheaper to stay in a hotel on the weekend than it is during the week. The weekdays are taken up mostly by business people. That is just the norm in corporate America. I love to take the train but if you are in a hurry, it just can't compete with the arlines.

[Vintagegal]

I mainly fly because of the speed-factor. Vacation time is a luxury, and I only give ourselves one day to fly from Omaha to either California (where most of our family lives) or to Florida (where my brother lives). If we took the train, that would be a three or four day trip for us. I also fly for business. I fly from Omaha to Oakland, CA for company training and meetings.

I've flown American, Southwest, Continental, Delta, United, US Air.

If I could, I would fly Midwest, but it's more expensive than the other airlines. I will never fly United, US Air or American, if I can help it. Even when their fleet was in full-service, their service, overall, was the worst. Now, I'll fly either Delta or Southwest. Mostly Delta. They had never had a delay in the last eight trips I've taken. United had lost my luggage twice last year. Southwest is like being in a cattle-call, but at least they're more efficient than United or American. American is ALWAYS, ALWAYS delayed due to weather or some other thing (this time, it's their MD-80's).

If you're thinking of going to Asia, I want to recommend Cathay Airlines. This is an AWESOME airline. If you're going to Australia, from the US, fly Qantas. I don't know if Qantas goes from the US to Europe, but if they did, I would be on their airline. I love flying Qantas. We've never had a problem with them.

[threefriends91]

l have been on planes for business and for our holidays..l'm glad l never got stuck waiting..l used to go when l worked and it was the matter of time for them..
And my late hb and l drove to BC and took a plane home..and when we went to Flordia we did both once we drove and another time we took a plane...To fly i was only 3 hours and to drive it was 3 days..so lf we had 2 weeks or more off we drove there is lots to see and do..but if we only had a week well then its best to fly..

[maxiesmom]

Oh, and another thing....I saw something on t.v. not too long ago about people who have a lot of frequent flyer miles who just get on planes and fly from place to place for the heck of it with really NO purpose or good reason except it's free.

I don't understand this unnecessary flying. If people would stop and think a minute about how much fuel is used in these planes and reason out whether or not the trip is really important, maybe there wouldn't be so many crowded airports and long lines.

I have never heard of any of those kinds of people so there can't be that many of them! I think travel is one of the most wonderful things you can do. Planning my next vacation is my favorite thing to do. Even when money is tight, I always find a way to make a vacation happen. Helps to have a timeshare that we can trade into so at least we only have to worry about airfare and car rental.

[Vintagegal]

Oh, and another thing....I saw something on t.v. not too long ago about people who have a lot of frequent flyer miles who just get on planes and fly from place to place for the heck of it with really NO purpose or good reason except it's free.

I don't understand this unnecessary flying. If people would stop and think a minute about how much fuel is used in these planes and reason out whether or not the trip is really important, maybe there wouldn't be so many crowded airports and long lines.

If this is true, that is a ridiculous waste of time, don't you think?

Last summer, my brother and sister-in-law took a trip to Peru using purely frequent flyer miles. They did the same thing for their honeymoon, going to Costa Rica. They each have flown so much, it earned them enough miles for two international trips. They also have been where a lot of travelers are seeing themselves (long lines, lost luggage), so I think two free trips is a nice reward for their trouble.

[loobylou]

I love flying Qantas. We've never had a problem with them.

It's nice to see someone recommending Qantas. I use them for both domestic and international flights and have never had any troubles. I am not a frequent flyer, but it is nice to know that they are reliable if you do need them.

[shurlyjean]

We were lucky that we were not on American Airlines this week for our trip to Florida. The travel agent gave us two choices of flights, one being American. We chose Northwest due to the cost and timing of the flights.

Going down we had extra seats, but coming back our planes were full due to cancelled American flights. One family (3) had to sit in three different seats.

As for the travelers...Florida is touristy, so mostly tourists. But you do see many laptops in the airport. So there are a lot of business travelers. Here in Wisconsin business people fly to Minneapolis from Madison because it takes about 4 hours less to travel.

On our trip I saw tons of jobs I wouldn't want to do....for example; taking money in the highway toll boths, standing on the corner of a ride at a theme park just watching to make sure everything is OK, picking up trash from tourist, announcing the same movies over and over at EPCOT...........

Shirley

[logcabincreations]

On our trip I saw tons of jobs I wouldn't want to do....for example; taking money in the highway toll boths, standing on the corner of a ride at a theme park just watching to make sure everything is OK, picking up trash from tourist, announcing the same movies over and over at EPCOT...........Shirley


I don't think I could do these jobs either...then again....would depend on the salary....lol

Glad you and your family didn't experience any problems at the airports.

[flyingflower]

I've flown for both work & pleasure, mostly for time schedule reasons. Coast-to-coast for business would be out of the question w/o airtravel. We've driven as long a 2 days to go somewhere on vacation, but flown when the trip is longer than that.