AOPA Truth Squad

Still think that VFR ticket is only for fun though, or for people who
travel for pleasure and have very flexible schedules. Can't rely on the
VFR only ticket to make business meetings.

Depends where you live. Certainly true in the Northeast (and in winter
IFR is dicey). Arizona is a different story - do they even =have=
flight instruments out there?

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Andrew Gideon wrote:
Yes, delays occur. But they're more painful on commercial flights.

you also forgot to mention airline 'features' that are missing
from GA flights:

- lost / damaged / stolen luggages;
- overbooking;
- being treated like a criminal by 'security' personnel;
- increasing odds of being shot by trigger happy yet
unaccountable 'air marshals';
- etc.

--Sylvain

Andrew Gideon wrote:

Another factor is uncertainty.

True. If weather had gone down for my flight, I would have had to cancel. Since
I would've known this several hours before the flight (if not a day or two
before), there would've been no inconvenience; we just would've missed the party.

If the weather at Newark were a problem, my Delta flight would probably have
been waiting in the departure line for about an hour (that's usually what
happens for a morning flight when they have to increase spacing). Bad weather in
Atlanta might even delay landing enough for me to miss the connection to
Knoxville, and there aren't many flights between ATL and TYS every day. Weather
rarely gets bad enough to keep Delta from landing at K-town, though.

In any case, IME, passengers never get told about problems until it's too late
for them to do anything but suffer through them (which I believe was your point).

I even had one case in which high headwinds caused United to cancel the last
return flight from Knoxville. They ran the aircraft back & forth between TYS and
Dulles as a shuttle at that time, and each flight got a little later. A late
departure would've been tolerable. Instead, United kept us all waiting,
periodically pushing the departure time out, until about 45 minutes *after* the
plane was supposed to have left. *Then* they announced the flight was canceled.
That is (and will probably remain) the last time I flew United. Fortunately,
they made that announcement 5 minutes *before* the last Delta flight out, so I
didn't have to call my mother to come pick us back up.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

"Skylune" wrote

I have had several flights cancelled due to "mechanical
problems:" airline speak for underbooked flight so they can put you on
the next one.


You are a parinoid little twit aren't you?

by "Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net Jan 12, 2006 at 08:31 AM


"Skylune" wrote

I have had several flights cancelled due to "mechanical
problems:" airline speak for underbooked flight so they can put you on
the next one.


You are a parinoid little twit aren't you?

Wow. You could be questioning Judge Alito with a rhetorical question like
that. I'll ask you a question, please answer yes or no: Will you begin
flying responsibly?

"Skylune" wrote in message
lkaboutaviation.com...
by "Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net Jan 12, 2006 at 08:31 AM


"Skylune" wrote

I have had several flights cancelled due to "mechanical
problems:" airline speak for underbooked flight so they can put you on
the next one.


You are a parinoid little twit aren't you?

Wow. You could be questioning Judge Alito with a rhetorical question like
that. I'll ask you a question, please answer yes or no: Will you begin
flying responsibly?




Don't have to start always have.

"Skylune" wrote in message
lkaboutaviation.com...
by Andrew Gideon ag7337@[EMAIL PROTECTED] Jan 11, 2006 at 12:56 PM


George Patterson wrote:

Since there were two of us, it was much cheaper to fly the Maule down
than
pay Delta.


Another factor is uncertainty. If a GA flight is delayed, there's no
hiding
of the expected delay. The delay itself may be uncertain (ie. due to
weather), but it's an uncertainty built around known conditions and
requirements. No secrets.

Commercial air does a lousy job of letting the cargo know what's going on
and when.

Similarly, if a GA flight is delayed, the crew and passengers aren't
stuck
in a tin can waiting for some unknown period of time in a parking area
somewhere on the airport.

Yes, delays occur. But they're more painful on commercial flights.

- Andrew

Yeah. Being in control is definitely a plus. Once those airlines
gotcha..... I have had several flights cancelled due to "mechanical
problems:" airline speak for underbooked flight so they can put you on
the next one.

Still think that VFR ticket is only for fun though, or for people who
travel for pleasure and have very flexible schedules. Can't rely on the
VFR only ticket to make business meetings.

Nor can you rely on the airlines to get you to a business meeting. They
have more excuses then Carter has liver pills and seemingly have no desire
to tell the cattle the truth. Boy do I have stories.

I have had several flights cancelled due to "mechanical
problems:" airline speak for underbooked flight so they can put you on
the next one.


You are a parinoid little twit aren't you?

PLEASE don't tell me that you are just *now* starting to realize that! g
--
Jim in NC

"Dave Stadt" wrote

Nor can you rely on the airlines to get you to a business meeting. They
have more excuses then Carter has liver pills and seemingly have no desire
to tell the cattle the truth. Boy do I have stories.

The odds of being held up with a VFR ticket *have* to be greatly different
based on the time of the year, and the area of the country, right?
--
Jim in NC

"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"Dave Stadt" wrote

Nor can you rely on the airlines to get you to a business meeting. They
have more excuses then Carter has liver pills and seemingly have no
desire to tell the cattle the truth. Boy do I have stories.

The odds of being held up with a VFR ticket *have* to be greatly different
based on the time of the year, and the area of the country, right?
--
Jim in NC

Way too many variables. In my experience flying VFR has about the same
chance of getting through as flying United.