Author Topic: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.  (Read 204973 times)

FindingFI

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1100 on: September 25, 2018, 09:56:11 AM »

If you stick to carry-on luggage that fits under the seat (my 30L backpack fits so it's not that small) you don't have this problem.

To continue on that; I don't get people who fill a full suitcase (23kg) for just a short trip to a sunny place.. I don't think I even have 23kg of clothes - let alone SUMMER clothing only. What do those people bring?!?! 27 books and 6 bottles of shampoo?

We haven't reached that level of packing skill yet, but maybe next trip. We've managed 2 weeks in a 55L packs, so it's possible.

Adam Zapple

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1101 on: September 25, 2018, 11:19:24 AM »
My coworkers make fun of my "ghetto" republic wireless phone service.  I try to explain that my phone does exactly the same thing theirs does for 1/3 the cost but their eyes glaze over.  I cannot get my mind around this phenomenon.

DS

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1102 on: September 25, 2018, 12:01:43 PM »
My coworkers make fun of my "ghetto" republic wireless phone service.  I try to explain that my phone does exactly the same thing theirs does for 1/3 the cost but their eyes glaze over.  I cannot get my mind around this phenomenon.

I never even try to tell people about Mint. Wouldn't even want to hear the reaction.

kanga1622

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1103 on: September 25, 2018, 01:25:08 PM »
Quote
Same here.  Also, for us, eating as a family is very important and the kids have always eaten the same food as us.  I don't get the people who cook two meals every night and feed their kids 'kid foods' like chicken nuggets and fish sticks. 

I get home from work at around 6.30 and we eat dinner at around 7.30.  6 year old is in bed at around 8.30 and 10 year old at around 9.30.  They are up at 7.45 to get to school by 8.30 (2 blocks from our house).  Our kids go to bed the earliest of anyone we know.  And Italian kids seem fine.

Your schedule sounds like it works great for you. We get home about 5:45 and the 5 year old HAS to be in bed with lights out by 7:30. The 8 year old must have lights out by 8:15. I wake the kids up at 6am so we have time to get ready and have breakfast. My kids have horrible behavior if they don't get enough sleep. Honestly, I think the little one should be in bed earlier but he takes a full hour to eat supper so we can't make it work. I still can't figure out how he manages to take that long to eat but it is very clear that he only eats a few bites of lunch as their 20 minute lunch break is not enough for him.

Sounds like you are morning people.  We're a family of night owls living in a culture of night owls.  The only thing that would get me out of bed before 7 would be having to catch an early plane.

My oldest is a morning person and I am okay. DH and the little one are NOT early birds. However, we are trying hard to convert the last two to early birds as that is the way life seems to be for schooling. We need to leave the house by 7:30 to make the bus. Between showers and breakfast, it takes us 1.5 hours to get out of the house. :)

mak1277

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1104 on: September 25, 2018, 02:04:49 PM »
While we're on the topic of boarding early, I don't get priority boarding for first/business class passengers.  You're in the front of the plane.  Your bins are reserved for you, as is your seat.  If you get on early, you just end up sitting there while all the cattle class bumps their way past you.

In a previous life, I did a fair bit of international flying, always business class.  I would wait until the very last minute to board that 14-hour flight.  There's plenty of time on the plane to do whatever you want, and the airport lounge is more comfortable anyway.

I find that it's more comfortable to sit in my first class seat than it is to sit or stand in the often crowded gate area.  That and free booze.

meatgrinder

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1105 on: September 25, 2018, 04:19:14 PM »
While we're on the topic of boarding early, I don't get priority boarding for first/business class passengers.  You're in the front of the plane.  Your bins are reserved for you, as is your seat.  If you get on early, you just end up sitting there while all the cattle class bumps their way past you.

In a previous life, I did a fair bit of international flying, always business class.  I would wait until the very last minute to board that 14-hour flight.  There's plenty of time on the plane to do whatever you want, and the airport lounge is more comfortable anyway.

I find that it's more comfortable to sit in my first class seat than it is to sit or stand in the often crowded gate area.  That and free booze.

If you're not rushing to get booze on the plane, I'm with others and that is best until the final final boarding call especially on international flights to minimize the amount of time on board.  I've gotten stern lectures by gate agents on procrastinating to the last second after they had to page me.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2018, 04:31:28 PM by meatgrinder »

meatgrinder

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1106 on: September 25, 2018, 04:30:43 PM »
SIAP:

1. Drivers who merge at the last minute, passing everyone and causing delays even through they got notices to merge 5 miles ago.  These people should be eliminated!
2. Organic, free range, non-GMO, msg free, gluten free
3. Car accessories that cost more than the car
4. People who pay for tea and coffee when its free at work
2. Bottled water (obvious)

somers515

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1107 on: September 25, 2018, 04:35:49 PM »
1. Drivers who merge at the last minute, passing everyone and causing delays even through they got notices to merge 5 miles ago.  These people should be eliminated!

Actually the zipper merge method is the most efficient.  https://auto.howstuffworks.com/traffic-lane-zipper-merge.htm

But I think I agree with you on your other points!

OtherJen

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1108 on: September 25, 2018, 04:46:44 PM »
SIAP:

1. Drivers who merge at the last minute, passing everyone and causing delays even through they got notices to merge 5 miles ago.  These people should be eliminated!
2. Organic, free range, non-GMO, msg free, gluten free
3. Car accessories that cost more than the car
4. People who pay for tea and coffee when its free at work
2. Bottled water (obvious)

As someone with celiac disease, I appreciate gluten-free products. I do strongly dislike the fad dieters who make the general population assume that we’re all faking it.

ixtap

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1109 on: September 25, 2018, 04:50:51 PM »
SIAP:

1. Drivers who merge at the last minute, passing everyone and causing delays even through they got notices to merge 5 miles ago.  These people should be eliminated!
2. Organic, free range, non-GMO, msg free, gluten free
3. Car accessories that cost more than the car
4. People who pay for tea and coffee when its free at work
2. Bottled water (obvious)

As someone with celiac disease, I appreciate gluten-free products. I do strongly dislike the fad dieters who make the general population assume that we’re all faking it.

My husband went wheat free for six months. We bought zero gluten free products in that time. We just ate foods that naturally didn't have wheat in them. Now, to be fair, it was not a gluten intolerance, so we didn't have to worry about whether or not oats had any gluten in them, for example.

OtherJen

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1110 on: September 25, 2018, 04:59:36 PM »
SIAP:

1. Drivers who merge at the last minute, passing everyone and causing delays even through they got notices to merge 5 miles ago.  These people should be eliminated!
2. Organic, free range, non-GMO, msg free, gluten free
3. Car accessories that cost more than the car
4. People who pay for tea and coffee when its free at work
2. Bottled water (obvious)

As someone with celiac disease, I appreciate gluten-free products. I do strongly dislike the fad dieters who make the general population assume that we’re all faking it.

My husband went wheat free for six months. We bought zero gluten free products in that time. We just ate foods that naturally didn't have wheat in them. Now, to be fair, it was not a gluten intolerance, so we didn't have to worry about whether or not oats had any gluten in them, for example.

Yeah, mine’s actually celiac disease so I get to pay extra for certified gluten-free oats, but most of the time we stick with naturally gluten-free foods. Easier and healthier. Dinner tonight is roasted pork loin chops and root vegetables.

I really hate when companies switch recipes or processing methods. Last time I was reminded why gluten is not my friend, it was because I ate a quarter of a chocolate bar from a brand that I’d always been able to trust. About a half-hour later, the migraine and bloating kicked in. Checked the wrapper and sure enough, it had a “processed on lines used to manufacture wheat-containing products”. That was 3 days of hell.

mm1970

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1111 on: September 25, 2018, 05:01:21 PM »
I don't get airline passengers who queue up in long lines waiting to board their flight.  Flying on airlines that assign seats. 

They start lining up half an hour before boarding even starts.  In narrow terminals the crowd swells to the point that people trying to walk by have to weave through the cattle waiting for their gate to open.

People, it's not festival seating.  Read your boarding pass, YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT.  No one is going to take if from you.  Furthermore, our airline calls people to board by groups of rows.  Then, you have people actually called to board who have to say, "Excuse me, can I get though?" etc to get through the people who would rather stand there clogging everything.

You really feel the need to stand in a mob for 30+ minutes in order to get to your ASSIGNED SEAT before other people get to THEIR assigned seats? 

Yes, I don't get it.

On a full flight luggage space usually runs out before everyone boards. The people trying to get on ASAP don't want to check their carry-on.
My husband was recently last to board a flight, and they took his bag from him to check it because the bins were full.
Except they weren't - the one above him was completely empty.
And he had a super tight next connection.

mm1970

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1112 on: September 25, 2018, 05:07:31 PM »
Quote
Same here.  Also, for us, eating as a family is very important and the kids have always eaten the same food as us.  I don't get the people who cook two meals every night and feed their kids 'kid foods' like chicken nuggets and fish sticks. 

I get home from work at around 6.30 and we eat dinner at around 7.30.  6 year old is in bed at around 8.30 and 10 year old at around 9.30.  They are up at 7.45 to get to school by 8.30 (2 blocks from our house).  Our kids go to bed the earliest of anyone we know.  And Italian kids seem fine.

Your schedule sounds like it works great for you. We get home about 5:45 and the 5 year old HAS to be in bed with lights out by 7:30. The 8 year old must have lights out by 8:15. I wake the kids up at 6am so we have time to get ready and have breakfast. My kids have horrible behavior if they don't get enough sleep. Honestly, I think the little one should be in bed earlier but he takes a full hour to eat supper so we can't make it work. I still can't figure out how he manages to take that long to eat but it is very clear that he only eats a few bites of lunch as their 20 minute lunch break is not enough for him.

Sounds like you are morning people.  We're a family of night owls living in a culture of night owls.  The only thing that would get me out of bed before 7 would be having to catch an early plane.

A culture of night owls sounds heavenly! Husband and I are both night owls and have managed to design a life that is kinder to our circadian rhythms, but it’s been challenging to get others in my life to accept that I am not available for phone calls/texts/emails before 8 am.

There’s another “I don’t get it.” I accept that average people in the USA will not be available to respond to emails or texts after 10 pm and will not want to receive phone calls at those times. Why is it so hard for others to apply the same understanding to those of us who don’t want to deal with non-emergency communications before 8 am?
Ah ha ha !
I am in bed by 9.
6 yo by 8:45.  12 yo at 9 or 9:15.  Husband more like 11-11:30.
No I never get time alone with him.
Kids are up at 6 or 6:30.

My family members are on the East Coast.  I am in California.  My niece and my sister LOVE to send group texts at 7 am.  Their time.  I am getting MUCH better at snoozing my phone (which is in the living room, but I end up sleeping there half the time) and turning off my watch so I don't get the notifications.

mm1970

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1113 on: September 25, 2018, 05:13:34 PM »
SIAP:

1. Drivers who merge at the last minute, passing everyone and causing delays even through they got notices to merge 5 miles ago.  These people should be eliminated!
2. Organic, free range, non-GMO, msg free, gluten free
3. Car accessories that cost more than the car
4. People who pay for tea and coffee when its free at work
2. Bottled water (obvious)
As was mentioned earlier - zipper merge is actually more efficient.  In fact, I was THRILLED last summer when traveling in my home state of PA.  They had signs about construction ahead, right lane closed and...work with me here... "PLEASE USE BOTH LANES UNTIL THE MERGE POINT".  Otherwise, you've got 5 miles of a single lane instead of 5 miles of 2 lanes (or 2 lanes vs 3, whatever). 

Funny story when my spouse was camping with friends.  They were driving through northern VA and there were signs about a lane closure ahead - for a few miles.  You know, the flashing lights, merge right, etc.  They stayed in the left lane.

The left lane was never closed.  They passed something like 2 or 3 miles of cars going nowhere - someone had forgotten to turn off the signs.

Gluten free is very good for people with celiac. I'm not celiac, but I have a reaction to wheat.  So the GF label is just super easy for me to avoid wheat. 

BTDretire

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1114 on: September 25, 2018, 05:18:00 PM »
My coworkers make fun of my "ghetto" republic wireless phone service.  I try to explain that my phone does exactly the same thing theirs does for 1/3 the cost but their eyes glaze over.  I cannot get my mind around this phenomenon.

 We put my wife's phone on Republic wireless, $23 a month. Not really happy, when I call her it takes to long to ring and some dropped calls, I'll be going back to Verizon, even though I hate their customer service.

meatgrinder

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1115 on: September 25, 2018, 05:29:03 PM »

[/quote]
As was mentioned earlier - zipper merge is actually more efficient.  In fact, I was THRILLED last summer when traveling in my home state of PA.  They had signs about construction ahead, right lane closed and...work with me here... "PLEASE USE BOTH LANES UNTIL THE MERGE POINT".  Otherwise, you've got 5 miles of a single lane instead of 5 miles of 2 lanes (or 2 lanes vs 3, whatever). 

Funny story when my spouse was camping with friends.  They were driving through northern VA and there were signs about a lane closure ahead - for a few miles.  You know, the flashing lights, merge right, etc.  They stayed in the left lane.

The left lane was never closed.  They passed something like 2 or 3 miles of cars going nowhere - someone had forgotten to turn off the signs.

Gluten free is very good for people with celiac. I'm not celiac, but I have a reaction to wheat.  So the GF label is just super easy for me to avoid wheat.
[/quote]

Ah!  You've changed my mind in theory...yes, I could see how zipper is most effective if the spacing between cars is there...but it never is!  Lived in Richmond, VA for several years and avoided 95 to DC at all costs.

I understand gluten free is useful for the 1% of the population that have celiac's (even fewer know they have it) but at what point do we start putting warnings for every food allergy that impacts a very small percentage of the population? It seems companies are latching on to the gluten free tag as a marketing slogan at this point with the assumption that its healthier which this is highly debatable.

magickelly

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1116 on: September 25, 2018, 05:33:36 PM »
I don't get airline passengers who queue up in long lines waiting to board their flight.  Flying on airlines that assign seats. 

They start lining up half an hour before boarding even starts.  In narrow terminals the crowd swells to the point that people trying to walk by have to weave through the cattle waiting for their gate to open.

People, it's not festival seating.  Read your boarding pass, YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT.  No one is going to take if from you.  Furthermore, our airline calls people to board by groups of rows.  Then, you have people actually called to board who have to say, "Excuse me, can I get though?" etc to get through the people who would rather stand there clogging everything.

You really feel the need to stand in a mob for 30+ minutes in order to get to your ASSIGNED SEAT before other people get to THEIR assigned seats? 

Yes, I don't get it.

On a full flight luggage space usually runs out before everyone boards. The people trying to get on ASAP don't want to check their carry-on.

This is exactly it for us.  It has nothing to do with our seats. We generally travel in carry-ons only for a number of reasons: avoiding the time suck that is baggage claim, protection of anything fragile that we might be traveling with, no risk of lost bags or theft, etc. And having the check our carry-ons because the bins are full is a bummer.

Same here, I only travel with a small wheel bag that fits perfectly in the overhead for every single one of those reasons. And I find it worth every penny to pay for early boarding for that guarantee, especially when just about everything I need for a 2 week international trip is in that one bag. The $30-50 extra is absolutely worth ensuring my bag won't be lost, I'll never have to wait at bag claim and a connection won't be missed, but other than this one essential luxury, I do travel uber-frugally compared to most.

Travis

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1117 on: September 25, 2018, 07:44:13 PM »
I don't get airline passengers who queue up in long lines waiting to board their flight.  Flying on airlines that assign seats. 

They start lining up half an hour before boarding even starts.  In narrow terminals the crowd swells to the point that people trying to walk by have to weave through the cattle waiting for their gate to open.

People, it's not festival seating.  Read your boarding pass, YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT.  No one is going to take if from you.  Furthermore, our airline calls people to board by groups of rows.  Then, you have people actually called to board who have to say, "Excuse me, can I get though?" etc to get through the people who would rather stand there clogging everything.

You really feel the need to stand in a mob for 30+ minutes in order to get to your ASSIGNED SEAT before other people get to THEIR assigned seats? 

Yes, I don't get it.

On a full flight luggage space usually runs out before everyone boards. The people trying to get on ASAP don't want to check their carry-on.

And more often than not, that thing they're dragging on board is not a carry-on.

ilsy

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1118 on: September 25, 2018, 08:22:26 PM »
I don’t get people spending money on a gym and also paying for services to showel their driveway and maw their lawn. Not only you save money by doing everything yourself, but you can exercise while inhailing fresh air. What could be better?

alienbogey

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1119 on: September 25, 2018, 10:39:09 PM »
I don't get airline passengers who queue up in long lines waiting to board their flight.  Flying on airlines that assign seats. 

They start lining up half an hour before boarding even starts.  In narrow terminals the crowd swells to the point that people trying to walk by have to weave through the cattle waiting for their gate to open.

People, it's not festival seating.  Read your boarding pass, YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT.  No one is going to take if from you.  Furthermore, our airline calls people to board by groups of rows.  Then, you have people actually called to board who have to say, "Excuse me, can I get though?" etc to get through the people who would rather stand there clogging everything.

You really feel the need to stand in a mob for 30+ minutes in order to get to your ASSIGNED SEAT before other people get to THEIR assigned seats? 

Yes, I don't get it.

On a full flight luggage space usually runs out before everyone boards. The people trying to get on ASAP don't want to check their carry-on.

Yes, and I understand that if you're traveling with a guitar, or something breakable, or have bulky required medicines or something you want your bag to be accessible.  But not every one of the 180 people that get on our flights have such special requirements.

Furthermore, when the airline boards by zones only the people in the last zone boarded need to worry about bins being full, which is nothing to worry about without any special needs such as those noted above.

On our airline if the bins are full they give you an orange tag, take your bag, and put it in the belly last.  When you walk off the airplane your bag will be waiting for you three steps from the aircraft door.  No charge.  Also, no hassles dragging your bag through the aisles trying to avoid clunking people, herniating yourself to lift it into the overhead, trying to avoid dropping it on peoples heads when you take it out, etc. 

My wife and I just remain seated while the herd gathers, wait until the last boarding call, walk up to the agent with no line, and walk aboard the flight.  Not only are our seats still waiting for us, but we're actually hoping that the bins are all full so we won't have the above hassle of dealing with our carry ons.  The nice people will take the for us and have them waiting when we walk off the airplane.

Yeah, standing in a pointless line with hundreds of other people - still don't get it.

Freedomin5

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1120 on: September 26, 2018, 05:00:50 AM »
In China, if someone is using the luggage compartment above my seat, I just take out their luggage and leave it in the middle of the aisle. I then place my own carry on in the slot above my seat. If you are too far to see someone else take your luggage out, then you’ve placed your luggage too far from your seat. If you see me take your luggage out and you yell at me, then I tell you that you should put your own luggage in the compartment above your own seat. If you have too many carry ons because you also bought a buttload of duty free stuff, that’s your problem, not mine. If you say you can’t put anything in the seat in front of you because you need leg room, then you should have upgraded to a better seat. It’s common practice to just move other people’s stuff out of the way, and it’s up to you to keep an eye on your belongings.

I don’t like having my carry on stowed even if it’s waiting for me by the plane door upon landing because I keep medications, wallet, computer, phone, keys, etc. in there and don’t want it out of my sight. Also, I sometimes need my medications while I’m in flight.

Dicey

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1121 on: September 26, 2018, 07:28:05 AM »
I don't get airline passengers who queue up in long lines waiting to board their flight.  Flying on airlines that assign seats. 

They start lining up half an hour before boarding even starts.  In narrow terminals the crowd swells to the point that people trying to walk by have to weave through the cattle waiting for their gate to open.

People, it's not festival seating.  Read your boarding pass, YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT.  No one is going to take if from you.  Furthermore, our airline calls people to board by groups of rows.  Then, you have people actually called to board who have to say, "Excuse me, can I get though?" etc to get through the people who would rather stand there clogging everything.

You really feel the need to stand in a mob for 30+ minutes in order to get to your ASSIGNED SEAT before other people get to THEIR assigned seats? 

Yes, I don't get it.

On a full flight luggage space usually runs out before everyone boards. The people trying to get on ASAP don't want to check their carry-on.

Yes, and I understand that if you're traveling with a guitar, or something breakable, or have bulky required medicines or something you want your bag to be accessible.  But not every one of the 180 people that get on our flights have such special requirements.

Furthermore, when the airline boards by zones only the people in the last zone boarded need to worry about bins being full, which is nothing to worry about without any special needs such as those noted above.

On our airline if the bins are full they give you an orange tag, take your bag, and put it in the belly last.  When you walk off the airplane your bag will be waiting for you three steps from the aircraft door.  No charge.  Also, no hassles dragging your bag through the aisles trying to avoid clunking people, herniating yourself to lift it into the overhead, trying to avoid dropping it on peoples heads when you take it out, etc. 

My wife and I just remain seated while the herd gathers, wait until the last boarding call, walk up to the agent with no line, and walk aboard the flight.  Not only are our seats still waiting for us, but we're actually hoping that the bins are all full so we won't have the above hassle of dealing with our carry ons.  The nice people will take the for us and have them waiting when we walk off the airplane.

Yeah, standing in a pointless line with hundreds of other people - still don't get it.
Clearly you don't work for Southwest. Once they take your bag, it's going to be a trip to baggage claim.

carolina822

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1122 on: September 26, 2018, 07:33:31 AM »
Quote
Same here.  Also, for us, eating as a family is very important and the kids have always eaten the same food as us.  I don't get the people who cook two meals every night and feed their kids 'kid foods' like chicken nuggets and fish sticks. 

I get home from work at around 6.30 and we eat dinner at around 7.30.  6 year old is in bed at around 8.30 and 10 year old at around 9.30.  They are up at 7.45 to get to school by 8.30 (2 blocks from our house).  Our kids go to bed the earliest of anyone we know.  And Italian kids seem fine.

Your schedule sounds like it works great for you. We get home about 5:45 and the 5 year old HAS to be in bed with lights out by 7:30. The 8 year old must have lights out by 8:15. I wake the kids up at 6am so we have time to get ready and have breakfast. My kids have horrible behavior if they don't get enough sleep. Honestly, I think the little one should be in bed earlier but he takes a full hour to eat supper so we can't make it work. I still can't figure out how he manages to take that long to eat but it is very clear that he only eats a few bites of lunch as their 20 minute lunch break is not enough for him.

Sounds like you are morning people.  We're a family of night owls living in a culture of night owls.  The only thing that would get me out of bed before 7 would be having to catch an early plane.

My oldest is a morning person and I am okay. DH and the little one are NOT early birds. However, we are trying hard to convert the last two to early birds as that is the way life seems to be for schooling. We need to leave the house by 7:30 to make the bus. Between showers and breakfast, it takes us 1.5 hours to get out of the house. :)
I can barely get myself out the door in the morning, so if I had kids, I think I'd just have to plan on the truant officer picking them up for school. ;)

I've been trying to convert to being a morning person for my whole life. I've never even come close, so I just roll into work around 9-9:30 (which is still mildly painful) and am thankful to have a job where I can do that. I firmly believe that circadian rhythms are more hardwired than we give them credit for and while many people can work around them, some of us would be a whole lot better at things if say noon to midnight was our "day".

Dancin'Dog

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1123 on: September 26, 2018, 07:54:00 AM »

I can barely get myself out the door in the morning, so if I had kids, I think I'd just have to plan on the truant officer picking them up for school. ;)

I've been trying to convert to being a morning person for my whole life. I've never even come close, so I just roll into work around 9-9:30 (which is still mildly painful) and am thankful to have a job where I can do that. I firmly believe that circadian rhythms are more hardwired than we give them credit for and while many people can work around them, some of us would be a whole lot better at things if say noon to midnight was our "day".





You probably just need a Smart alarm clock that turns on some music, starts the coffee, frys some bacon, and gives you a morning massage. 


Or you could get a dog that will pee on the floor at exactly 7 am if you don't let him out by then.  That seems to work pretty well for me.  ;)

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1124 on: September 26, 2018, 07:56:18 AM »
I don't get airline passengers who queue up in long lines waiting to board their flight.  Flying on airlines that assign seats. 

They start lining up half an hour before boarding even starts.  In narrow terminals the crowd swells to the point that people trying to walk by have to weave through the cattle waiting for their gate to open.

People, it's not festival seating.  Read your boarding pass, YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT.  No one is going to take if from you.  Furthermore, our airline calls people to board by groups of rows.  Then, you have people actually called to board who have to say, "Excuse me, can I get though?" etc to get through the people who would rather stand there clogging everything.

You really feel the need to stand in a mob for 30+ minutes in order to get to your ASSIGNED SEAT before other people get to THEIR assigned seats? 

Yes, I don't get it.

On a full flight luggage space usually runs out before everyone boards. The people trying to get on ASAP don't want to check their carry-on.

Yes, and I understand that if you're traveling with a guitar, or something breakable, or have bulky required medicines or something you want your bag to be accessible.  But not every one of the 180 people that get on our flights have such special requirements.

Furthermore, when the airline boards by zones only the people in the last zone boarded need to worry about bins being full, which is nothing to worry about without any special needs such as those noted above.

On our airline if the bins are full they give you an orange tag, take your bag, and put it in the belly last.  When you walk off the airplane your bag will be waiting for you three steps from the aircraft door.  No charge.  Also, no hassles dragging your bag through the aisles trying to avoid clunking people, herniating yourself to lift it into the overhead, trying to avoid dropping it on peoples heads when you take it out, etc. 

My wife and I just remain seated while the herd gathers, wait until the last boarding call, walk up to the agent with no line, and walk aboard the flight.  Not only are our seats still waiting for us, but we're actually hoping that the bins are all full so we won't have the above hassle of dealing with our carry ons.  The nice people will take the for us and have them waiting when we walk off the airplane.

Yeah, standing in a pointless line with hundreds of other people - still don't get it.
Clearly you don't work for Southwest. Once they take your bag, it's going to be a trip to baggage claim.

Yes, on the flights I am on most frequently if they take your bag because they ran out of room, they aren't 'valet' checking them -- they are hard checking them for pickup at baggage claim.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1125 on: September 26, 2018, 08:32:52 AM »
I don't get airline passengers who queue up in long lines waiting to board their flight.  Flying on airlines that assign seats. 

They start lining up half an hour before boarding even starts.  In narrow terminals the crowd swells to the point that people trying to walk by have to weave through the cattle waiting for their gate to open.

People, it's not festival seating.  Read your boarding pass, YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT.  No one is going to take if from you.  Furthermore, our airline calls people to board by groups of rows.  Then, you have people actually called to board who have to say, "Excuse me, can I get though?" etc to get through the people who would rather stand there clogging everything.

You really feel the need to stand in a mob for 30+ minutes in order to get to your ASSIGNED SEAT before other people get to THEIR assigned seats? 

Yes, I don't get it.

On a full flight luggage space usually runs out before everyone boards. The people trying to get on ASAP don't want to check their carry-on.

Yes, and I understand that if you're traveling with a guitar, or something breakable, or have bulky required medicines or something you want your bag to be accessible.  But not every one of the 180 people that get on our flights have such special requirements.

Furthermore, when the airline boards by zones only the people in the last zone boarded need to worry about bins being full, which is nothing to worry about without any special needs such as those noted above.

On our airline if the bins are full they give you an orange tag, take your bag, and put it in the belly last.  When you walk off the airplane your bag will be waiting for you three steps from the aircraft door.  No charge.  Also, no hassles dragging your bag through the aisles trying to avoid clunking people, herniating yourself to lift it into the overhead, trying to avoid dropping it on peoples heads when you take it out, etc. 

My wife and I just remain seated while the herd gathers, wait until the last boarding call, walk up to the agent with no line, and walk aboard the flight.  Not only are our seats still waiting for us, but we're actually hoping that the bins are all full so we won't have the above hassle of dealing with our carry ons.  The nice people will take the for us and have them waiting when we walk off the airplane.

Yeah, standing in a pointless line with hundreds of other people - still don't get it.
Clearly you don't work for Southwest. Once they take your bag, it's going to be a trip to baggage claim.

Yes, on the flights I am on most frequently if they take your bag because they ran out of room, they aren't 'valet' checking them -- they are hard checking them for pickup at baggage claim.

I also used to love to sit and board last.  But now with baggage restrictions and everyone talking as if you are crazy if you ever check a bag, even if you are going on a 3 month trip trekking to the north pole, then surfing in the South Pacific, it's like a death match to get a bag in the overhead bins. Last United flight I was on, they were suggesting people in boarding groups 4-6 (or is it 7?) might have to gate check their bag.  They are overboard of course.  I was in 4 and didn't have to, but they and other airlines I was flying all summer are actively trying to get people to gate check before even boarding, and I think one was offering some kind of small gift or prize?  If they really valet-gate checked, I wouldn't mind, but I haven't seen that in a *long* time.  So, all their extra fees on checking even one bag have created this monster where it takes so much longer to board every flight because people are carrying on all their worldly possessions.

I don't love waiting the extra time to get my checked bags, but esp if you are renting a car (depending on the layout of the airport) you can have on person getting luggage while the other is getting the car and no time wasted.  With Southwest's generous bag policy and easy baggage drop, I check as often as I like.  And the added bonus of not unpacking all my worldly possessions at "Security".  Just a small bag with valuables/flight needs means I get through "security" with the pain.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1126 on: September 26, 2018, 09:30:34 AM »
I always laugh at the folks struggling and jockeying to get their bags in the overhead bins.  At the end of the flight I usually saunter off the plane last and see no less than 50% of the passengers waiting in the jetway or on the mat for their gate checked bag.  I always check my bag (only one medium sized).  Depending on the airline and CC I used, sometimes this is free, sometimes I pay the $25 fee.  For $50 a trip or less I have everything I need for a happy stress free vacation - which includes dress clothes for classy events and a bubble wrap sleeve if I find a great bottle of wine-  may not be optimal money wise, but it allows me to get the best out of the rest of my vacation dollars.

And I'm a morning person.  You only know this by the hour I arrive at work and being early every place else because mood wise I'm always cranky.

I'm a red panda

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1127 on: September 26, 2018, 09:45:31 AM »
All these people who talk about waiting to be the last off a plane- do you not have connecting flights?

I usually book about an hour to a 2 hour connection, and often due to delays that gets cut to less than 20 minutes to get all the way across an airport. (Regional jets are never in terminals with the planes connecting to larger cities.)  The time it takes to get a gate checked bag can often be the difference between making a flight and missing one.  (I left a gate checked stroller in Dallas, when a 3-hour delay out of Austin made my super long connection into a 10 minute run with a baby.)

If I travel on business, I check a bag- but I have to carry on two bags too- one with the laptop I can't be separated from due to secure materials, and one with my breastpump I can't be separated from because I need to access it every 3 hours without fail.  Gate checking is something we always have to do from my regional airport, so I always pack bags that can go under my seat, but now that I travel  with a breastpump and a laptop bag, I need overhead space too. I can't risk that the flight gets delayed on the tarmac and that pump isn't available to me (and sometimes the flights are long enough I have to pump).  Checking my laptop would get me fired if someone found out.

Airlines created this issue. It was a non-issue when you could check one bag free.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1128 on: September 26, 2018, 10:17:52 AM »
All these people who talk about waiting to be the last off a plane- do you not have connecting flights?

The time it takes to get a gate checked bag can often be the difference between making a flight and missing one.

Amen.  I travel for work.  I frequently have connections between regional jets and large planes, and it happens at least once a month that I have to sprint to make a connection.  I usually make it, but not always.  The first time I missed a connection because I had to wait for my gate-checked bag I was converted.  Now I only carry on.  And yes -- I try to get on board as soon as I can.  I have a small underseat bag, but depending on the model of small regional jet, it doesn't always fit under the seat, so getting on early is important.

And no I will not check my bag.  For me, the checked baggage fee is not the issue so much as having to wait for it.  And the chance it will be lost.  Been there, done that.   

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1129 on: September 26, 2018, 10:52:44 AM »
In China, if someone is using the luggage compartment above my seat, I just take out their luggage and leave it in the middle of the aisle. I then place my own carry on in the slot above my seat. If you are too far to see someone else take your luggage out, then you’ve placed your luggage too far from your seat. If you see me take your luggage out and you yell at me, then I tell you that you should put your own luggage in the compartment above your own seat. If you have too many carry ons because you also bought a buttload of duty free stuff, that’s your problem, not mine. If you say you can’t put anything in the seat in front of you because you need leg room, then you should have upgraded to a better seat. It’s common practice to just move other people’s stuff out of the way, and it’s up to you to keep an eye on your belongings.

I don’t like having my carry on stowed even if it’s waiting for me by the plane door upon landing because I keep medications, wallet, computer, phone, keys, etc. in there and don’t want it out of my sight. Also, I sometimes need my medications while I’m in flight.

This is fair, but more direct and confrontational than I prefer to have to be.

I'm a red panda

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1130 on: September 26, 2018, 11:12:17 AM »
The Chinese norm of owning the space above your seat is also not how it works in the US. Space above your seat does not belong to the seat. Your bag must only be in your cabin.

You have zero right to take someone's bag down in the US.

So while that may work in China, it would not in the US.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1131 on: September 26, 2018, 12:31:12 PM »
re: gate checking.. on United commuter flights like the little embraer jets, if you gate check, you get your bag back on the jetway as soon as you leave the plane.  on regular size jets 737 etc, if you gate check, your bag goes to baggage claim.  not sure how other carriers handle this.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1132 on: September 26, 2018, 01:13:19 PM »
All these people who talk about waiting to be the last off a plane- do you not have connecting flights?

I usually book about an hour to a 2 hour connection, and often due to delays that gets cut to less than 20 minutes to get all the way across an airport. (Regional jets are never in terminals with the planes connecting to larger cities.)  The time it takes to get a gate checked bag can often be the difference between making a flight and missing one.  (I left a gate checked stroller in Dallas, when a 3-hour delay out of Austin made my super long connection into a 10 minute run with a baby.)

If I travel on business, I check a bag- but I have to carry on two bags too- one with the laptop I can't be separated from due to secure materials, and one with my breastpump I can't be separated from because I need to access it every 3 hours without fail.  Gate checking is something we always have to do from my regional airport, so I always pack bags that can go under my seat, but now that I travel  with a breastpump and a laptop bag, I need overhead space too. I can't risk that the flight gets delayed on the tarmac and that pump isn't available to me (and sometimes the flights are long enough I have to pump).  Checking my laptop would get me fired if someone found out.

Airlines created this issue. It was a non-issue when you could check one bag free.
Nope, my number one priority is a non stop flight.  Even internationally I try for a non stop, though not always possible.  The flight to my home town is a regional jet and I hear you about the smaller space.   The overhead bins are usually half empty on these flights because the space is so small and regular carry on bags won't fit, so they get gate checked. I only got caught the first time with a bag that wouldn't fit overhead.  Now I carry a tote I can squish and always fits (I can remove my purse from it if need be to make it squish).  The rest gets checked.

Imma

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1133 on: September 27, 2018, 01:39:42 AM »

I understand gluten free is useful for the 1% of the population that have celiac's (even fewer know they have it) but at what point do we start putting warnings for every food allergy that impacts a very small percentage of the population? It seems companies are latching on to the gluten free tag as a marketing slogan at this point with the assumption that its healthier which this is highly debatable.

I don't get why people are sorry bothered by someone else's diet. I have a non-celiac GF friend and I've seen her get very ill after eating gluten so I'm quite sure she's not making it up. She avoids eating the disgusting and expensive processed gluten free products though. When we're out somewhere and she asks for GF, she's often interrogated about whether or not she's celiac and when they find out she's not, her request is sometimes ignored.

I don't get why you would ignore someone's food choices on purpose. Even if someone is making it up because they read something online,  it's not my problem they're eating gluten free. And any type of allergen should always be labelled because some niche allergies can actually have very serious consequences.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1134 on: September 27, 2018, 01:55:23 AM »
Imma - somewhat related to that - my colleague has taken up running and has been on a special healthy diet given to her by a dietician.  Most people at my work don't know that she is a cancer survivor as she is a very private person - but this was her main motivation to change.  I'm very happy for her - not that it's any of my business.  She was never overweight but she has lost a few kilos on this diet and exercise regime and looks fit and healthy. 

However, some of the comments our female colleagues have made since this transformation are just ridiculous.  One colleague said to her "don't lose any more weight as being thin makes you look older".  Other colleagues have criticized her diet and exercise or said that she is 'too skinny'.  I wish that people would just keep their mouths shut about this kind of thing.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1135 on: September 27, 2018, 06:25:54 AM »
The Chinese norm of owning the space above your seat is also not how it works in the US. Space above your seat does not belong to the seat. Your bag must only be in your cabin.

You have zero right to take someone's bag down in the US.

So while that may work in China, it would not in the US.

Yeah, good luck trying to take someone's bag out of "your" compartment. I've been on Southwest flights where the compartments by our seats were already full by the time we boarded. If I see the compartment is already closed, our bags are going in the first available compartment as we shuffle down the aisle.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1136 on: September 27, 2018, 06:40:46 AM »
All these people who talk about waiting to be the last off a plane- do you not have connecting flights?

I usually book about an hour to a 2 hour connection, and often due to delays that gets cut to less than 20 minutes to get all the way across an airport. (Regional jets are never in terminals with the planes connecting to larger cities.)  The time it takes to get a gate checked bag can often be the difference between making a flight and missing one.  (I left a gate checked stroller in Dallas, when a 3-hour delay out of Austin made my super long connection into a 10 minute run with a baby.)

If I travel on business, I check a bag- but I have to carry on two bags too- one with the laptop I can't be separated from due to secure materials, and one with my breastpump I can't be separated from because I need to access it every 3 hours without fail.  Gate checking is something we always have to do from my regional airport, so I always pack bags that can go under my seat, but now that I travel  with a breastpump and a laptop bag, I need overhead space too. I can't risk that the flight gets delayed on the tarmac and that pump isn't available to me (and sometimes the flights are long enough I have to pump).  Checking my laptop would get me fired if someone found out.

Airlines created this issue. It was a non-issue when you could check one bag free.
Nope, my number one priority is a non stop flight.  Even internationally I try for a non stop, though not always possible.  The flight to my home town is a regional jet and I hear you about the smaller space.   The overhead bins are usually half empty on these flights because the space is so small and regular carry on bags won't fit, so they get gate checked. I only got caught the first time with a bag that wouldn't fit overhead.  Now I carry a tote I can squish and always fits (I can remove my purse from it if need be to make it squish).  The rest gets checked.

The closest airport with reasonable non-stop flights is 4 hours from me.  From the airport within 1 hour to me I can go non-stop to Chicago, Minnesota, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta and sometime days Detroit or Fort Meyers.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1137 on: September 27, 2018, 06:51:07 AM »
I don't get why people are sorry bothered by someone else's diet. I have a non-celiac GF friend and I've seen her get very ill after eating gluten so I'm quite sure she's not making it up. She avoids eating the disgusting and expensive processed gluten free products though. When we're out somewhere and she asks for GF, she's often interrogated about whether or not she's celiac and when they find out she's not, her request is sometimes ignored.

I get annoyed when it's expected that I pay more attention to someone's dietary restrictions than they do, and when they insist on their preferred version of accommodating their restrictions for purely optional reasons.

For example, I have a family member who has been diagnosed with celiac. She doesn't "feel" the impact of eating gluten in any GI symptoms; her diagnosis started from trying to identify a failure of mineral absorption. She will rationalize eating things with gluten as "trace amounts" when she wants to eat them, but will throw a fit if there's nothing she wants to eat when she chooses to follow a GF diet. For example, if I'm going to make something with oatmeal, I need to get the expensive certified GF stuff in case she's feeling like following her diet and asks me, but then I get to watch her eat casserole made with bread crumbs.

When we're hosting family meals, I accommodate the GF thing by cooking things that don't have any gluten: curries, stir fries, tacos. But she gets annoyed if there's naan but not GF naan with curries, and also if there's corn tortillas with tacos because she doesn't like corn tortillas, only GF flour tortillas. That is a *preference*, not a requirement for this meal to meet your needs. There are plenty of things family members make for family meals that are not what I like to eat; I just don't eat them and eat something else. As long as I've made sure there's at least meal's worth of food for each person within their diet, I feel like I've done my job as host.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1138 on: September 27, 2018, 06:55:00 AM »
I don't get why people are sorry bothered by someone else's diet. I have a non-celiac GF friend and I've seen her get very ill after eating gluten so I'm quite sure she's not making it up. She avoids eating the disgusting and expensive processed gluten free products though. When we're out somewhere and she asks for GF, she's often interrogated about whether or not she's celiac and when they find out she's not, her request is sometimes ignored.

I get annoyed when it's expected that I pay more attention to someone's dietary restrictions than they do, and when they insist on their preferred version of accommodating their restrictions for purely optional reasons.

For example, I have a family member who has been diagnosed with celiac. She doesn't "feel" the impact of eating gluten in any GI symptoms; her diagnosis started from trying to identify a failure of mineral absorption. She will rationalize eating things with gluten as "trace amounts" when she wants to eat them, but will throw a fit if there's nothing she wants to eat when she chooses to follow a GF diet. For example, if I'm going to make something with oatmeal, I need to get the expensive certified GF stuff in case she's feeling like following her diet and asks me, but then I get to watch her eat casserole made with bread crumbs.

When we're hosting family meals, I accommodate the GF thing by cooking things that don't have any gluten: curries, stir fries, tacos. But she gets annoyed if there's naan but not GF naan with curries, and also if there's corn tortillas with tacos because she doesn't like corn tortillas, only GF flour tortillas. That is a *preference*, not a requirement for this meal to meet your needs. There are plenty of things family members make for family meals that are not what I like to eat; I just don't eat them and eat something else. As long as I've made sure there's at least meal's worth of food for each person within their diet, I feel like I've done my job as host.

Oh, your family member sounds like such a brat! She can bring her own GF bread if it’s that important. It’s not going to kill her to eat taco meat on lettuce. Also, she’s slowly poisoning herself and is going to pay for that later.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1139 on: September 27, 2018, 07:38:18 AM »
All these people who talk about waiting to be the last off a plane- do you not have connecting flights?

I usually book about an hour to a 2 hour connection, and often due to delays that gets cut to less than 20 minutes to get all the way across an airport. (Regional jets are never in terminals with the planes connecting to larger cities.)  The time it takes to get a gate checked bag can often be the difference between making a flight and missing one.  (I left a gate checked stroller in Dallas, when a 3-hour delay out of Austin made my super long connection into a 10 minute run with a baby.)
Nope, my number one priority is a non stop flight.  Even internationally I try for a non stop, though not always possible.  The flight to my home town is a regional jet and I hear you about the smaller space.   The overhead bins are usually half empty on these flights because the space is so small and regular carry on bags won't fit, so they get gate checked. I only got caught the first time with a bag that wouldn't fit overhead.  Now I carry a tote I can squish and always fits (I can remove my purse from it if need be to make it squish).  The rest gets checked.
The closest airport with reasonable non-stop flights is 4 hours from me.  From the airport within 1 hour to me I can go non-stop to Chicago, Minnesota, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta and sometime days Detroit or Fort Meyers.
Man, I wish we had those options. Our only airport within an hour drive only flies to Atlanta. It takes us three flights to get just about anywhere in the country.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1140 on: September 27, 2018, 07:49:24 AM »
All these people who talk about waiting to be the last off a plane- do you not have connecting flights?

I usually book about an hour to a 2 hour connection, and often due to delays that gets cut to less than 20 minutes to get all the way across an airport. (Regional jets are never in terminals with the planes connecting to larger cities.)  The time it takes to get a gate checked bag can often be the difference between making a flight and missing one.  (I left a gate checked stroller in Dallas, when a 3-hour delay out of Austin made my super long connection into a 10 minute run with a baby.)
Nope, my number one priority is a non stop flight.  Even internationally I try for a non stop, though not always possible.  The flight to my home town is a regional jet and I hear you about the smaller space.   The overhead bins are usually half empty on these flights because the space is so small and regular carry on bags won't fit, so they get gate checked. I only got caught the first time with a bag that wouldn't fit overhead.  Now I carry a tote I can squish and always fits (I can remove my purse from it if need be to make it squish).  The rest gets checked.
The closest airport with reasonable non-stop flights is 4 hours from me.  From the airport within 1 hour to me I can go non-stop to Chicago, Minnesota, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta and sometime days Detroit or Fort Meyers.
Man, I wish we had those options. Our only airport within an hour drive only flies to Atlanta. It takes us three flights to get just about anywhere in the country.

The struggle is real. I'm surprised Atlanta can't get you to more places that you need 3 flights!

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1141 on: September 27, 2018, 08:03:50 AM »
The closest airport with reasonable non-stop flights is 4 hours from me.  From the airport within 1 hour to me I can go non-stop to Chicago, Minnesota, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta and sometime days Detroit or Fort Meyers.
Man, I wish we had those options. Our only airport within an hour drive only flies to Atlanta. It takes us three flights to get just about anywhere in the country.
The struggle is real. I'm surprised Atlanta can't get you to more places that you need 3 flights!
I just double checked and there are some two-flight options to locations we fly, but they are locations you'd usually expect to have non-stop options for (Portland, Phoenix, San Francisco, Charlotte, etc.). In addition, some of them require overnight stays in Atlanta to line up with the second leg... Any destination city smaller than maybe half a million people will require three flights. My parents live in a medium sized city (big enough to have direct flights to Denver) and we can't get there without taking three flights or driving 2.5 hours to a bigger airport.

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« Reply #1142 on: September 27, 2018, 08:10:14 AM »
haha- I'd never expect to get to any of those places you named non-stop :) 

I HATE when you end up needing overnight flights. Basically anything coming home from the west coast tries to pull that.

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« Reply #1143 on: September 27, 2018, 08:35:28 AM »
It's Sunday night and I'm dreading tomorrow.  I'm in my late 40s and only joined corporate America 9 years ago, I can not understand how people my age who have been doing this since they got out of college are not zombies.  My job is soul sucking and pointless and it's really hard to pretend like it's not.   

Have you switched companies? I've been in the corporate workforce for the past 16 years and I've noticed a major difference among the 4 companies I've worked for in terms of culture and how it impacts my mood and general outlook on life.

The original company I joined has been sold twice and this last sale to a offshore company is hell.  I'd leave in an instant and am actively in the job search but I'm struggling with a couple things - I only have 18 months before I quit, I currently work from home and we'd need a vehicle if I took an office job. My job has changed several times and the current iteration is annoying, so I'd like to do something different, but realize that might be unrealistic without a salary cut. 

LearnTo

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1144 on: September 27, 2018, 11:29:56 AM »
While we're on the topic of boarding early, I don't get priority boarding for first/business class passengers.  You're in the front of the plane.  Your bins are reserved for you, as is your seat.  If you get on early, you just end up sitting there while all the cattle class bumps their way past you.

In a previous life, I did a fair bit of international flying, always business class.  I would wait until the very last minute to board that 14-hour flight.  There's plenty of time on the plane to do whatever you want, and the airport lounge is more comfortable anyway.



I find that it's more comfortable to sit in my first class seat than it is to sit or stand in the often crowded gate area.  That and free booze.

And many airport lounges are overcrowded these days, just like the gate area.  I would rather get settled in my seat with a drink and start reading.

Proud Foot

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« Reply #1145 on: September 27, 2018, 12:39:27 PM »
re: gate checking.. on United commuter flights like the little embraer jets, if you gate check, you get your bag back on the jetway as soon as you leave the plane.  on regular size jets 737 etc, if you gate check, your bag goes to baggage claim.  not sure how other carriers handle this.

I have never had this issue. Every time I have gate checked a bag I have gotten it back on the jetway after getting off the plane. The only exception has been when the flight was the last flight of the day. I had one situation where I had a bag gate checked and if I had not checked the jetway after we landed my bag would have gotten left. The next leg of my flight was on the same plane and since it was a quick turnaround they let those of us who were on the next flight stay on the plane.

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1146 on: September 27, 2018, 12:46:01 PM »
re: gate checking.. on United commuter flights like the little embraer jets, if you gate check, you get your bag back on the jetway as soon as you leave the plane.  on regular size jets 737 etc, if you gate check, your bag goes to baggage claim.  not sure how other carriers handle this.

I have never had this issue. Every time I have gate checked a bag I have gotten it back on the jetway after getting off the plane. The only exception has been when the flight was the last flight of the day. I had one situation where I had a bag gate checked and if I had not checked the jetway after we landed my bag would have gotten left. The next leg of my flight was on the same plane and since it was a quick turnaround they let those of us who were on the next flight stay on the plane.

I've often heard "there is not enough room in the overhead luggage compartments. You can check your bag for free and you can oick it up at your destination".  It's checked at the gate but not "gate checked".

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1147 on: September 27, 2018, 01:03:51 PM »
re: gate checking.. on United commuter flights like the little embraer jets, if you gate check, you get your bag back on the jetway as soon as you leave the plane.  on regular size jets 737 etc, if you gate check, your bag goes to baggage claim.  not sure how other carriers handle this.

I have never had this issue. Every time I have gate checked a bag I have gotten it back on the jetway after getting off the plane. The only exception has been when the flight was the last flight of the day. I had one situation where I had a bag gate checked and if I had not checked the jetway after we landed my bag would have gotten left. The next leg of my flight was on the same plane and since it was a quick turnaround they let those of us who were on the next flight stay on the plane.

Me too, but only because I listen closely to the announcements. Some make it very clear that they mean it will be checked, you will have to find it at baggage claim.

mm1970

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Re: The 'I Don't Get It' thread. Rants accepted.
« Reply #1148 on: September 27, 2018, 01:11:18 PM »

I understand gluten free is useful for the 1% of the population that have celiac's (even fewer know they have it) but at what point do we start putting warnings for every food allergy that impacts a very small percentage of the population? It seems companies are latching on to the gluten free tag as a marketing slogan at this point with the assumption that its healthier which this is highly debatable.

I don't get why people are sorry bothered by someone else's diet. I have a non-celiac GF friend and I've seen her get very ill after eating gluten so I'm quite sure she's not making it up. She avoids eating the disgusting and expensive processed gluten free products though. When we're out somewhere and she asks for GF, she's often interrogated about whether or not she's celiac and when they find out she's not, her request is sometimes ignored.

I don't get why you would ignore someone's food choices on purpose. Even if someone is making it up because they read something online,  it's not my problem they're eating gluten free. And any type of allergen should always be labelled because some niche allergies can actually have very serious consequences.

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Imma - somewhat related to that - my colleague has taken up running and has been on a special healthy diet given to her by a dietician.  Most people at my work don't know that she is a cancer survivor as she is a very private person - but this was her main motivation to change.  I'm very happy for her - not that it's any of my business.  She was never overweight but she has lost a few kilos on this diet and exercise regime and looks fit and healthy. 

However, some of the comments our female colleagues have made since this transformation are just ridiculous.  One colleague said to her "don't lose any more weight as being thin makes you look older".  Other colleagues have criticized her diet and exercise or said that she is 'too skinny'.  I wish that people would just keep their mouths shut about this kind of thing.

I agree.  I stopped eating wheat a little over a year ago because it was not agreeing with me.  I have friends and relatives who are celiac, or who have other allergies.  The importance to being open about allergies in foods is so that people who are celiac or allergic to something can eat it.  If something is processed on the same equipment as wheat, then it's not certified GF, and a celiac cannot eat it.  Thus, if a company wants to sell things to celiacs, they have to be certified, and they might as well list it as such.

I am not so sensitive to cross contamination (I eat regular rolled oats). However, the GF label is useful to me on things like sauces.  So I don't have to read the labels and look for wheat.  I recently ate some BBQ sauce that was in a bowl at a party, and I was pretty miserable after (many BBQ sauces have wheat).

Just like friends who are deathly allergic to peanuts or almonds or...?  They have to make sure they buy items that are not made on shared equipment, hence the label.


In the last year, since giving up wheat, I've lost 12 unintended lbs.  I feel like I was fine before.  Of course now, at my age - it's making me look old.  I can see the wrinkles much more easily.  Well, I guess I'm in my late 40's, at some point I'm not going to pass for 35 anymore.  That's ok.  Some neighbors have made comments on how thin I'm looking, but it's not on purpose or anything.

mm1970

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« Reply #1149 on: September 27, 2018, 01:13:22 PM »
All these people who talk about waiting to be the last off a plane- do you not have connecting flights?

I usually book about an hour to a 2 hour connection, and often due to delays that gets cut to less than 20 minutes to get all the way across an airport. (Regional jets are never in terminals with the planes connecting to larger cities.)  The time it takes to get a gate checked bag can often be the difference between making a flight and missing one.  (I left a gate checked stroller in Dallas, when a 3-hour delay out of Austin made my super long connection into a 10 minute run with a baby.)
Nope, my number one priority is a non stop flight.  Even internationally I try for a non stop, though not always possible.  The flight to my home town is a regional jet and I hear you about the smaller space.   The overhead bins are usually half empty on these flights because the space is so small and regular carry on bags won't fit, so they get gate checked. I only got caught the first time with a bag that wouldn't fit overhead.  Now I carry a tote I can squish and always fits (I can remove my purse from it if need be to make it squish).  The rest gets checked.
The closest airport with reasonable non-stop flights is 4 hours from me.  From the airport within 1 hour to me I can go non-stop to Chicago, Minnesota, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta and sometime days Detroit or Fort Meyers.
Man, I wish we had those options. Our only airport within an hour drive only flies to Atlanta. It takes us three flights to get just about anywhere in the country.

Yep, we gave up and now we just drive to LAX for all of our flights.