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Ac-cent-tu-ate the Positive: Isn't there ANYTHING you like about flying?

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Ac-cent-tu-ate the Positive: Isn't there ANYTHING you like about flying?

Posted by Tracy Stewart on Monday, March 23, 2009

In response to last week's call for travel horror stories: Yikes! Missing wheelchairs, barfed-on blankets (ew!), mold eating (double ew!), and a whole lot of lost luggage. You've really been through it, and it's no wonder folks are so down on flying these days. Still, we're not the curmudgeonly sort to dwell on the negative here. Like mother says, "If you can't say anything nice..."

So, haven't you had at least one positive experience with an airline? Ever felt that a crew member or ticket/gate agent went above and beyond to make your trip a little better? C'mon! Surely you must have enjoyed a flight at some point in your life, right? RIGHT? Rack your brain if you must, and leave your story below.

And if there's nothing down there by the end of the day, well, we'll cry.


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by Tol7tuy on Thursday, August 13, 2009
Living in northern Canada, I fly a lot just to go down south. I also fly to Europe regularly and has tried many different airlines. By far, the best I have the pleasure to travel on are Canadian North and First Air. Their service is always perfect and their meals are fantastic, sometimes almost gourmet. What other airline serves you caribou or bison meat with a free glass of wine? Not plastic cutlery either! On Canadian North, passengers are even offered a hot towelette before supper is served! Their staff are always friendly and willing to help in any way. On those two airlines, everyone is treated as a first class passenger!
by northerngirl on Saturday, April 04, 2009
Leaving in northern Canada, I fly a lot just to go down south. I also fly to Europe regularly and has tried many different airlines. By far, the best I have the pleasure to travel on are Canadian North and First Air. Their service is always perfect and their meals are fantastic, sometimes almost gourmet. What other airline serves you caribou or bison meat with a free glass of wine? Not plastic cutlery either! On Canadian North, passengers are even offered a hot towelette before supper is served! Their staff are always friendly and willing to help in any way. On those two airlines, everyone is treated as a first class passenger!
by northerngirl on Saturday, April 04, 2009
Guess what is missing fr all these comments: someone posting that they had a great or wonderful airline flight experience "after getting mad, pouding the counter, and threatening all the employees who looked my way." People often get back what they dish out.

I recall a red-eye flight fr Portland to Wash, DC a few years ago. I merely thanked the ticket agent for working New Years Eve when I was sure that, after a hectic holiday travel season, she probably would have enjoyed the night off. WE had a brief exchange about whether NYE was a good holiday, or only a so-so one-- we agreed on so-so. Later, at the gate, I responded to a call fr the gate agent, who asked for my boarding pass and handed me a first class upgrade boarding pass in return. THe only explanatino I have is that the first agent was so surprised at someone extressing thanks that she decided to upgrade me to an empty seat. I was not angling for an upgrade, so it made the night's sleep en route even better.
by quebecster on Wednesday, April 01, 2009
In September 2005, I was to fly home on Alaska Airlines from Vancouver, BC to San Francisco, then connect to an American Airlines San Francisco to Chicago flight. It became clear to me in Vancouver that I would not make my connecting flight in San Francisco because the connection time was tight, plus the flight from Vancouver hadn't even boarded yet and it was already one hour past the scheduled departure time. Without saying one thing about my situation to anyone, a gate agent paged me and said she could see that I was going to miss my connection in SF so she handed me a boarding pass for a nonstop Vancouver-Chicago flight on United Airlines and I quickly hustled to the gate. My sister, who was flying home on that same flight (we'd traveled to Vancouver separately on separate airlines), was shocked when she saw me walk past her down the aisle on her same flight. As a result, the return trip home for both of us was effortless! If I ever get the chance to do so, I'll absolutely fly Alaska Airlines again. They are first rate in terms of customer service!
by Alaska Airlines Fan on Tuesday, March 31, 2009
We flew American Airlines to California last June. My daughter brought her Nintendo DS to occupy her on the plane. When we arrived in San Jose, I told her to gather all her things. I was busy gathering my own things, plus getting our carry-ons out, and I didn't double check her seat pocket, although I checked mine.

It turns out, she left her DS on the plane! We were in California for 19 days, doing a lot of driving in the National Parks, and she needs to do something or she will get carsick. Also, just replacing it would mean she would have to start over from the beginning on all her games. She was very upset. We went back to the airport, but the plane had already left for LA. I called LA and explained what happened, and gave my daughter's seat number. When the plane landed, the AA employee went aboard, found my daughter's game, and overnighted it to us. We were so grateful!
by laurie31 on Sunday, March 29, 2009
We just returned from a weekend trip to Atlanta. We were delayed about one hour each way due to bad weather at the destination (keeping track of the weather kept this possibility from being much of a surprise). The crews on Delta were friendly and helpful. Most outstanding was the pilot of the return flight to LaGuardia airport in New York City. Not only did he constantly apologize for factors beyond his control. When he found that an additional delay was imposed after the plane was loaded and we were on the tarmack, he had the cabin crew distribute headphones for free and then had them run a first run move at no charge. By the way, he also landed the plane in fog that was as thick as pea soup and put the plane down very softly and smoothly.
by kalbah on Sunday, March 29, 2009
Hmmm..what's my best travel kudo? Well, I have a few....KLM refunding me by check their $150 change fee + INTEREST!!!!!!! (and I booked with a NYC bucket shop!!! Got sick, couldn't make the flight) And a few months ago AA "held" (sorry....) the plane at the gate so that "NY passengers" could make the last flight from DFW to PHX...there were 6 of us! And CO bumped us up to Bizz Class in FRA to EWR because we were "dressed nice" Ja wohl!
by on Friday, March 27, 2009
Like Nice 1, my story started as a horror story but had a happy ending. I had first gone to the Grand Canyon and then was flying to California for a visit with my sister. I flew out of a very small airport in Arizona -- so small that security was a small portable building outside. I am slightly handicapped, so am slow, and was the last passenger to go through security. They were rushing me, and they made me put my glasses, my watch, and the cross I always wear into a dish (this despite the fact that I didn't go through the x-ray machine because of my pacemaker). I was so rushed, I didn't get my glasses, watch, and cross, although I realized just as they were closing the door that I had left them behind. The crew on the plane was great -- they called the airport and I was sure I would soon be reunited with my possessions. Unfortunately, I don't think the people in the airport went out to the security building -- they just said, nope, we couldn't find them.
Once I got to my destination, I made my own phone calls, to no avail. I had to go out and buy new reading glasses and a new watch, and was heartbroken because my favorite cross was gone. Ultimately, somebody finally looked in the security building and I did get my glasses, watch, and favorite cross back, so my story has a happy ending.
by Texas Songbird on Friday, March 27, 2009
My husband and I had been vacationing in the Manzanilla and Puerta Vallarta areas on my Alaska FF miles. When departing from PV we were booked on a flight to LAX with a connection to SFO. I heard other travelers around me talking about their non-stop to SFO so when we got to the counter I asked if there was a earlier flight available with maybe non-stop to SFO. The agent said yes and booked us on it and said those non-stops are not usually offered to FF's. We were thrilled and very appreciative of his gesture as we home in bed that night before our original flight even got into SFO.
by sherryk on Friday, March 27, 2009
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