Just returned from a 2-week trip to Benin, West Africa. A great trip - over the next few weeks (or months), I will share insights and experiences from this journey. Here's some of my observations about flying internationally:
- There are simply not enough charging station kiosks in airports. Found good amount at DFW's terminal, but in Chicago, forget it! The charging station kiosk was 200 yards from the gate and there were 4 outlets for about 4000 interested people. And no seating, so you just stood there waiting for your phone to charge. In Paris, nothing. In Benin, West Africa, I was fine, because their power grid is so jittery I didn't care to plug in my phone to their electricity. But very disappointed at Paris, Washington Dulles, and O'Hare. Speaking of charging, would we not at least have the ability to charge our phones while on the plane, even if we can't use them (I'm talking on flights where you cannot use them yet). Be nice to have charging systems right next to where you plug your headphones into especially on a 4-hour or 8-hour plane ride.
- Call me from the sticks, but thought the automatic toilet seat covers at O'Hare were pretty snazzy - some guy actually shows it on YouTube
- The United "Extra Legroom" offer is worth it. It's only 5 inches more, but the best is when the guy in front of you decides to lay his seat back all the way for an annoying 3 hour nap, it's not near as inconventient on your tray table.
- It should be against the law in Coach Class to recline your seat as far as some people do. I do not understand how that person doesn't even think about the inconvenience he is placing on the passenger behind him. Would you do this to your friends in carpool on your way to work?
- People watching is incredibly fun - especially an in international terminal or in an airport overseas. It's fun to spot the inexperienced American tourist heading for their first European family vacation. Just good comedy.
- European perfume ads are downright inappropriate for a public venue like an international airport - call me a prude but why do naked mothers with babies all around them sell how you smell?
- It's a shame that the de-boarding system can't be done by priority order - those with the earliest connecting flights are called off first, then followed by those with connections 4 hours later followed by the ones who have reached their final destination. Seems fair and democratic to me and might result in fewer missed connections (and less pushing once inside the terminal). Also, they board the elderly and those with small children first, why not let them deboard first? After a long 8-hour flight the family I was sitting next to me from Paris to Washington had more squabbles while we were just sitting at the gate waiting to de-board.
- I wish airports could offer the technology that could text you when you were 10 minutes from actual boarding. This would alleviate the stressed-out crowd at the gates, notably where there delays and when the airline is backed up because of previous cancellations. Just let me get out of that crowd, go down to a nice restaurant and wait on my flight rather than sitting on the floor in the overcrowded gate area (with no charging station for my iPhone!)
- Every airport, especially international hubs like Paris' Charles-de-Gualle, should offer sleeping rooms for weary travelers
- It's truly a miracle to me that I can sit inside a well-designed contraption of several tons of metal and we fly over the Atlantic Ocean because of some real trust-worthy engines. It's amazing we do this. Beats the 3-month boat voyage!
