 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm blaming my most recent experience with a cattle class budget airline for a deep cold that's put me out of action for 2 days. The cabin air quality was noticeably poor. So I'm not bothering with the cheapo operators any more. Decision made there.
In general I've probably done a 50-50 split of driving and flying over the last few years and driving only takes a few hours longer but seems like less hassle on average.
Flying to the alps:
Drive to airport car park. Wait for link bus. Arrive at main terminal. Wait to book in. Wait to pass through security. Wait for gate number. Wait at gate. Wait on steps. Wait to take off. Fly for a bit. Wait to get off. Wait for bus. Wait for passport control. Wait for luggage. Locate transfer. Wait for transfer to leave.Arrive at bus changeover. Wait for local minibus. Get dumped at wrong place. Get telecabine to next village. Wait for shuttle bus. Arrive at resort.
I think on my next trips I'll try some decent airlines and see what I think. It's still a close call as to whether driving over is preferable.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Meh, any busy aircraft is likely to be just as bad.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I live in Kinross so driving to the Alps adds another day to my journey but if I lived south of Birmingham, I doubt whether I would ever Fly, especially if I had a family. I can understand it if it's a couple of mates heading off but with a family, surely it's easier to drive? Pack all the gear the night before and when the wee ones are getting ready in the morning you pack the car with the kit and off you go.....seems like a lot less hassle.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've been flying BA Business class, using avios points to either pay for it outright, or at least cover the upgrade to business.
I also arrange my flights to fly out about 8-9am.
I'll stay in a hotel by the airport and take advantage of their sleep-park packages which often works out not that much more than the parking alone can cost.
This combination means...
I arrive at the airport the night before, get a decent night's sleep. Leave the car at the hotel. Take the shuttle-bus (if I need to) to the airport.
Check-in at the business class desk, no queue.
take advantage of the 2x32kg baggage allowance, rather than the 1x23kg allowance in economy.
Wander through the fast-track security, no queue
Sit in a lounge with free coffee.
Board first and sit in wider seats, so even if the plane IS busy, you don't really notice it.
When I get back, I call the freephone number and the car is waiting for me right outside the terminal about 10 minutes later. I load up and drive home.
Since it's normally just me that's flying, driving just isn't economically viable, especially at an average of 24mpg
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feef, Can I keep you company next time? (you pay of course) 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hopefully some aviation boffin can enlighten us.
A friend of mine works for Airbus and said it's pretty simple. The cabin fresh air feed is driven from the engine compressors so recycling more of the air saves on compressor and hence fuel costs.
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Don't know why they can't pump fresh air from outside.
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think they do in fact. bled off the engine intake, but the front end gets the freshest air first, and what was smoking seats once upon a time last, but now where the p155ed guys coming back from a week in ibiza sit (less oxygen, helps to keep cattle class more subdued).
cockpit gets fresh air feed from different engine to cabin afaik.
I drive. But then I'm half way to the alps already.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
A friend of mine works for Airbus and said it's pretty simple. The cabin fresh air feed is driven from the engine compressors so recycling more of the air saves on compressor and hence fuel costs.
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Begs the question then - Do budget airlines use the fresh air compressor less?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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according to QI, the air was cleaner when they used to allow smoking, because they changed it more frequently
anyway, I got an appalling lurgy flying on Lufthansa so not sure avoiding budget airlines makes much difference on that score
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I know a pilot with a private plane can fly you to the altiport in Courchevel no messing around near infected riff raff
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You know it makes sense.
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Two things to bear in mind, firstly the air at 30,000 ft is very thin with a lot less oxygen so bringing any in means it hast to be compressed a lot secondly it's very cold so it needs to be warmed a lot, this all takes extra fuel so the plane companies design systems to take in as little fresh air as possible, they also filter out a lot of the moisture because that helps reduce corrosion which is why especially after long flights you feel dry
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Fly on a decent airline then, although I have never had a problem with Easyjet or Ryan Air.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Cynic, Better go to a private ski resort as well, might be some infected riff raff in the lift queue!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, I have a horrible cold after coming back from the birthday bash, and if it was from the aircraft then a 'decent' airline makes no difference. I think if you're cooped up in a small space with 100+ other people then the germs are going to spread, alas.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| tomstickland wrote: |
I'm blaming my most recent experience with a cattle class budget airline for a deep cold that's put me out of action for 2 days. The cabin air quality was noticeably poor. So I'm not bothering with the cheapo operators any more. Decision made there.
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But you would be just as likely to catch something from your fellow passengers in a non-budget airline - unless you are suggesting that those who fly budget are more likely to have a contagious illness???
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In general I've probably done a 50-50 split of driving and flying over the last few years and driving only takes a few hours longer but seems like less hassle on average.
Flying to the alps:
Drive to airport car park. Wait for link bus. Arrive at main terminal. Wait to book in. Wait to pass through security. Wait for gate number. Wait at gate. Wait on steps. Wait to take off. Fly for a bit. Wait to get off. Wait for bus. Wait for passport control. Wait for luggage. Locate transfer. Wait for transfer to leave.Arrive at bus changeover. Wait for local minibus. Get dumped at wrong place. Get telecabine to next village. Wait for shuttle bus. Arrive at resort.
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None of which has anything to do with budget or non-budget airline. In fact a lot of it is less common with the budget airlines, because their margins mean they are all about speed of turnaround.
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I think on my next trips I'll try some decent airlines and see what I think. It's still a close call as to whether driving over is preferable. |
If you live within a few hours of the channel ports, it may well be - although only economical if more than 1 travelling.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ronald, Deer Valley has the right idea.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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<snob>There were some proper chavs in the club section (not that it's much different) on the flight back from VCE on Sat. I'm assuming they got a last-minute op-up or something.</snob>
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| D G Orf wrote: |
| Two things to bear in mind, firstly the air at 30,000 ft is very thin with a lot less oxygen so bringing any in means it hast to be compressed a lot secondly it's very cold so it needs to be warmed a lot, this all takes extra fuel so the plane companies design systems to take in as little fresh air as possible, they also filter out a lot of the moisture because that helps reduce corrosion which is why especially after long flights you feel dry |
Correct on the facts but it's not really an aircraft manufacturer decision, the recirculated/fresh air ratio is set by the individual airlines/air crew. The lower the fresh air ratio the less fuel is used, and also the lower the oxygen content in the cabin...and if you drop the oxygen content slightly people tend to feel more sleepy, and sleeping people press the service button less so you can drop the number of cabin crew/give away fewer complimentary drinks.
Often if you complain about it being very stuffy in the cabin they will increase the ratio - for a time anyway.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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planes were healthier places to be when you could still smoke, air was changed necessarily much more often, today its recycled much more often, manky
and its not a budget phenomenon, the point on oxygen made earilier is true in first class transatlantic cabins too - especially on the night flights home.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 13-02-13 13:06; edited 1 time in total
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First class passengers were allowed on first years ago so the plebs had to view their wealth, disadvantage of this was that all the diseases passed by too, after a TB transmission this was changed.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Mjit wrote: |
| D G Orf wrote: |
| Two things to bear in mind, firstly the air at 30,000 ft is very thin with a lot less oxygen so bringing any in means it hast to be compressed a lot secondly it's very cold so it needs to be warmed a lot, this all takes extra fuel so the plane companies design systems to take in as little fresh air as possible, they also filter out a lot of the moisture because that helps reduce corrosion which is why especially after long flights you feel dry |
Correct on the facts but it's not really an aircraft manufacturer decision, the recirculated/fresh air ratio is set by the individual airlines/air crew. The lower the fresh air ratio the less fuel is used, and also the lower the oxygen content in the cabin...and if you drop the oxygen content slightly people tend to feel more sleepy, and sleeping people press the service button less so you can drop the number of cabin crew/give away fewer complimentary drinks.
Often if you complain about it being very stuffy in the cabin they will increase the ratio - for a time anyway. |
Excellent, I have never found the button/knob for doing that, could you tell me where it is on an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-800 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
First class passengers were allowed on first years ago
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if I was paying a lot extra to fly I'd expect to step on board just before they closed the doors, carrying just my Gucci handbag and a rolled up newspaper, after all the appalling riff-raff in the back had found their seats, shuffled around, stuffed their stupidly large cabin bags into the overhead lockers, then decided they needed to take their jacket off, made the two passengers in the outside seats move so they could stuff that in too, then climbed back in only to remember they'd left their book in the cabin bag.
At the end of the flight any of said riff-raff who had the temerity to get out of their seats before the entire first class cabin had disembarked would be politely but firmly told to sit down.
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The days when air travel was glam are well and truly over my friend no matter which airline you fly. You are going to fly a more expensive airline next time to ensure you dont catch any bugs? Good luck with that. You stick with the car, its better for everyone.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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getting off the plane first is far more important
I'm lucky enough with work to fly first class to US and back, not as often these days. jibber is exactly right, i've gotten colds and bugs after return flights in the front of the plane just as often as flying budget - more often in fact as you're on the plane much longer. (air hostesses showed us their "secret room" staff cabin up the back one night - musta looked odd these drunken punters out from first class (obviously there on work tickets), plodding down the plane following a giggling air hostess  )
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Poster: A snowHead
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I bet if you catch a cold on a flight, you'd catch worse one on Ryanair.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mjit, (I have no specialist knowledge on this) but from that well known source of all aviation related knowledge, http://www.askthepilot.com/questionanswers/cabin-air-quality/
"pilots cannot tinker with a plane’s air-conditioning systems to modify the ratio of fresh to recirculated air. This ratio is predetermined by the manufacturer and is not adjustable from the cockpit. On the Boeings I fly, we have direct and accurate control over temperature, but only indirect control over flow."
A layman's look at an airliner ops manual (ATR72) backs that up - I think?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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http://www.boeing.com/commercial/cabinair/facts.html
Afaik there is no way on the 737-800 to vary the airflow rate in normal operation, the Airbus you could run it at a lower flow rate if you had a low number of passengers
There is no way to vary the oxygen content, the only way is to climb or descend, highest cabin altitude usually seen on the 737 is around 8000 ft at a cruise alt of 41,000 ft.
My personal opinion in why you get a cold when flying is that the pressure changes force bacteria into places which don't have a good blood flow, the dry atmosphere
doesn't help either
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I travel similar to feef, except I pay for a ridiculously cheap economy fare arriving the night before I want to travel to the resort, and pay the cheap upgrade fee offered by BA after that for Club Europe. I then book an airport hotel using Avios, and catch the trains/get the hire car refreshed and after a good nights sleep. The CE upgrade fee is usually about double the cost of booking an extra bag - if you upgrade one leg of the journey you get the luggage allowance for that flight on both flights as long as they're both on the same booking.
Business costs a bit more obviously but since you get use of the lounges and more personal space you end up at your destination far more chilled out and relaxed. It's a really really good way to start the holiday. You can regain the costs by being a bit smart with your transfers after that - for example if you're using the train, prebook a really cheap ticket.
Basically, you can do it for not much more than the economy fare if you look at your travel expenses as a whole and what's going to benefit you more.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bugs are usually present in ones system before the flight, the pressure of the cabin just moves them into places they should not be
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Travel is a PITA whichever way you do it whether for pleasure or work. I always tend to pick up a cold on return leg of long haul for some reason. I'm just grateful there are ways I can leave work not obscenely early and still get somewhere like Chamonix for a beer and food and first lift the next morning. If anything I bemoan the lack of late night transfer options at more European airports - would be nice to get an evening flight into Zurich and still get to St Anton for last orders by public transport or any evening flight at all to Innsbruck.
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Personally I love flying and there's no way I'd be able to get from home to resort in 6 hours any other way. Since I don't currently own my own learjet I'm stuck with the airlines. I have no complaints with either Thomson or Lufthansa, but if I can afford to go back to Austria next month I'll have to fly Ryanair, there's no alternative. I'm Irish, hopefully this means my penny-pinching countryfolk will be gentle with me... 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I picked up a stinking cough from a geezer a row in front of me on a midweek Easyjet flight back from Innsbruck last season.
Next month it's British Airways (£15 with Avios!!!) for me and I hope to remain uninfected!!!! 
Seriously, though, I now generally opt for BA or Swiss as they work out much cheaper than all the EasyJet and Ryanair add ons!
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I read somewhere that you're more likely to pick up viruses by touch (i.e. doorhandles, taps, buttons) than airborne. Maybe a snowhead doctor can confirm or refute this?
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