How much would you pay to have flying be fun again?

We have an airline that is fairly fun to fly: Westjet.com and there is the added bonus that they are usually cheaper than other airlines.

I hate dressing up.
Cigarette smoke makes me want to yack.

Make it an airline with private compartments and I am interested. I don’t want be strapped in, forced to hear someones life story and be asked personal questions for hours. I want quiet and peace.

Since the movies are the best way to make time pass fast could the Captain’s announcements scroll across the bottom instead of taking out a chunk of the movie while we get to hear about what we are passing over?

Also I want to be able to actually watch the movie or what ever is on the tv till we land. It is the longest 20 minutes on the planet sitting there as we descend with nothing to do but wait. Will this airline please NOT turn off the tv?

I’m too cheap to pay extra for anything. I will gladly suffer in great pain in order to save just a few bucks.

You could not pay me to fly on an airline with showers and toothbrushes at the gate. Who gets to decide on whether one’s personal hygiene is OK?

Every time I have flown,it has been a good experience.I had a man give up his seat on a flight to me because I was late boarding.I’ve managed to meet some friendly, interesting,entertaining people on commercial flights.
The most interesting flight was on a small 4 seater last summer.The pilot shut the engine off mid-flight and faked a call into the tower reporting engine failure.He did that to mess with us.
That got my attention.;)
Vunessuh was also up there with me LOL!

I wouldn’t pay any extra for it to be “fun”. We’re already paying extra for it to become less functional.

I think the reason people don’t dress up and enjoy the flying experience is because of the airlines and the security. Why wear fancy shoes if you’re going to have to take them off and on repeatedly? Why wear a nice suit if they’re going to use a machine to see through it?

I say fuck it. Be comfortable and fuck the haters.

But please do wash yourself.

@marinelife If they couldn’t find anybody else, I would take the job-at a high salary.
@lucillelucillelucille He was hoping you would give him a ham sandwich. When you disappointed him, he decided to mess with your mind.

@josie-He is lucky I didn’t give him a knuckle sandwich. ;)

I still think flying is fun. I love to get a window seat and I just marvel that this is possible and wonder what my distant ancestors would have thought of it.

It’s only fun if you’re not flying for business. When you fly 10 flight segments in a single week, nothing can make it fun. Having the whole plane be like first class would make it bearable, but few employers would pay for that. Most people will put up with short term discomfort in order to save money.

Southwest Airlines is still pretty fun. I have had some lighthearted, fun, flight attendants on Spirit also.

I don’t want to pay more for fun. I think airline employees should be pleasant, helpful, and smile to begin with. The worst part about flying is the whole luggage situation in my opinion. Not being able to carry more than 3 oz bottle of liquid is torture for me. When I flew to Japan the airline allowed everyone who had larger liquids to put the items in a box, no guarantees on the other end, nothing tagged, but it went in with checked luggage, I thought that was much nicer than making people throw out a bottle of perfume or hairspray.

A couple of weeks ago, I was on a flight and one of the flight attendants actually said to her associate while serving drinks from the cart, “how can people not know how many sugars they want in their coffee?” And, thennnnnn…turned to a passenger as she gave him the coffee and asked, “is this the first time you are drinking coffee, how can you not know how many sugars you need?” Huh? I thought for sure she was talking about someone outside of earshot. Is that really about how much we pay for a ticket? Such a rude bitch. If I had been closer I would have said something to her.

Oh, and it is advised to wear comfortable, natural fiber clothing while flying. If there should be a fire, God forbid, those synthetics will set you ablaze in a second. And, if you need to run, or walk out on a wing, better not to be in high heals. I know the chances are slim to none, but still thought I would mention it. Not to forget if you get stuck waiting for a delayed connection, it’s nice to not be in a suit.

However, I am disgusted when the seats and trays are dirty. This is not just a comment on the airlines and how well they maintain and clean their airplanes, although, I am disusted by the constraints the clean up crew is put under, having to do their job in minutes. It is also a comment on how disgusting and self centered passengers are.

And, I do appreciate a little more leg room.

I would never pay anything to fly. In fact, I’d pay not to have to fly. I have a phobia about flying, coupled with a fear of heights and a fear of not being able to use the bathroom thrown in for good measure.

About $400.00 for any roundtrip non-stop destination in the USA that would include a meal, a seat 11/2 times the size and legroom of the current coach seats and designated areas for people traveling with kids/babies

Already pay too much and it has never been fun for me and since my experience flying on 9/11 I hate it even more. Even if it were free to fly or they paid me big coin to fly….I would still hate it! Well….maybe if I got to thumb wrestle @lucillelucillelucille the whole way, flying just might be palatable! ;)

I remember one flight my wife and I took in the 70s. This was before smoking was banned on aircraft. Each airplane seat had ash trays built into them at the arm rest. Our flight was taking us to Jamaica. As you have said, security at the airport was non-existence. The flight attendants were extremely nice. You had a choice of a free dinner onboard. There were two selections. After eating, you could have coffee, another round of free drinks and a smoke. It absolutely made the flight worthwhile and fun. Oh, and your baggage was free, no matter how many bags you had.

It was just a better world in the 70s.

Today, I would be willing to pay 50% more for just one flight that equaled that flight to Jamaica.

Between the steadily diminishing service and increasing security measures, flying will never be fun again. Certainly it will continue to be the fastest way to travel long distances, but
never again the most pleasant.

You have so struck a nerve with me @josie.. I’ve asked myself this question repeatedly, but then berated myself for being a snob or being spoiled.
Like you, I’m old enough that I remember people dressing up to be on a flight. The thought of wearing jeans on an airplane (back when I started flying) was absolutely unthinkable. I still don’t ever wear jeans when I fly.

Here’s the thing.. I travel very heavily for work. On average I take at least 15 flights per month. I’m Diamond Elite (highest bracket on my hub airline) – and I just switched from a job where I did long haul (mainly international travel) to more domestic travel.

I am absolutely appalled at the general flying public – specifically American travelers. Let me offer a short list of pet peeves:
-People who wear beachwear on-board (flip flops and a tank over a bikini top..sand still falling off their feet)
-People who carry on stinky fast food (knowing they won’t get a meal on board, so they bring a messy hot dog and spill half of it on me).
-People who obnoxiously quibble with gate agents or other airline personnel, including intentionally ignoring directions from flight attendants
(like the stubborn types who seem to think that they alone should be permitted to finish their cell phone call to their drinking buddies instead of shutting them off so the aircraft door can be shut and we can push back from the gate).

And..to be fair, it’s not just the passengers that need to clean up their act! I’m also appalled at how quickly aircraft are turned around (with NO clean up between flights. Woe be to you if the previous passenger wasn’t polite enough to carry out their trash—it’ll still be there in the seat pocket for you) and how airlines routinely overbook flights – and I’ve encountered some truly rude and unprofessional flight crews and gate agents.

As we’re now in Spring Break time period it’s another time of year (like November) where I routinely watch at least 10 people get bumped off every flight I take.

Why do I get a seat and the family coming back from Spring Break doesn’t? Well, I booked last minute at a much higher fare.
So, your $300/person tickets to Orlando that you booked 6 months ago? Good for you..but the airline is gonna inconvenience you before they bump me..because my employer wanted me at that meeting so badly they ate the $1,300 fare AND I’m Diamond status..so the airline will give me a seat and then apologetically re-schedule to a later flight someone who paid a lower fare – or someone who didn’t check-in as promptly. (I cannot stress how important it is to check-in online 24 hours in advance of your flight!)

So – back to the question. Would I pay extra to get on a plane without stinky fast food, crying babies and guaranteed snacks/meal service?
Uh, yes – and in fact, I’m already doing this with just about every flight.
But.. it isn’t making flying any more fun for me.

I’m already paying more each and every (last minute) flight I take.
I’m usually upgraded to 1st class—which means I’ll get a salad with a cold lump of chicken on it. (bleh)
But, I still get my luggage lost just as often (even though it’s “Priority” tagged. Ha! That means NOTHING), I still have hassle with TSA, still have to sit in dirty planes..still witness all the nonsense of people giving the flight attendants a hard time..and I’ve even sat next to some exceptionally snotty/rude people in First Class..I have stories that’d curl your hair!

There’s no hope.
Honestly. I’ve come to that point of view.

It’s too affordable for anyone to fly – - and there is no incentive for any airline to change that. Short of scheduling certain flights to be “business people only / no children” flights (which airlines would NEVER do) or enforcing some dress code (again, never gonna happen) ...I cannot imagine better behavior / atmosphere will ever be on airlines again.

Sorry for the bleak outlook..but, that’s the answer I’ve come to on musing on this question on many many flights recently.

I should say that if I still lived on the east coast I probably would pay more for a better flying experience. Here in Memphis, this hub is such a fucking rip off, we are the eleventh most expensive airport in the US last I read, sounds right to me. I have thought many times seriously about reporting some flights as gouging. Proof that free market only benefits the consumer when there is competition is blaring here.

I would pay extra for a fun flight, maybe even double. But then my idea of fun would be snap nosedives, steep climbs, and barrel rolls. I don’t want a dress code, but I would like to see fat people being more considerate.

It is a way to get from here to there. The process no longer lends itself to it being FUN. I have flown for many many years, and the only time it was fun was based on who you were able to spend time with on the plane.
That has nothing to to with the carrier or the mile-high club.