Rupert_Baehr Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Of course it is! - and sometimes, it's bloody hilarious, too.:hihi: In late August I flew with Sleazyjet from Munich to Manchester. They tried to con me into paying for 'priority boarding'. Well, I hate to pay even one penny more than I have to - and I hate standing in line - so I came up with my own plan. I sat on a seat at the gate. (No charge for that.) They called for 'priority boarding' [the people who'd paid an extra 15 quid to be first) people in wheelchairs, families with small children and those who might need extra help. I sat on my bum on the free (albeit not very comfortable) chair. Then - eventually - the called for 'regular boarding.' I sat on my bum on the free (albeit not very comfortable) chair. (I hate standing in a queue.) Once the queue had dissipated, I ambled over, had my boarding pass scanned and walked up and down a few flights of stairs. There was no jetway. Eventually, I made it to the bus. The priority boarding people got the first places on the bus. - I was about the third from last to get on. The bus drove to the aircraft. First on, last off. I walked to the back of the aircraft (there's no law which says you have to go up the steps at the front - If you're driving, that might be a good idea, but I don't do that anymore, so it didn't matter. I was about the 3rd person to go up the back steps. I chose a seat - plenty of choice - stowed my carry-on, sat down and waited until the 'priority boarding' people struggled aboard.) The aircraft wasn't going to leave until we were all aboard anyway.) 15 quid well saved - but if people are daft enough to spend money getting to the front of the line - that's their choice. I've discovered an even better trick though (and it doesn't cost a penny!) My wife is disabled [not a lot of fun and she can't walk very far. She uses a wheelchair to get from the entrance to the aircraft. WOW! - VIP travel! You sit on your bum and somebody takes you. You don't wait for security (You go through a special line and you go through faster than grease through a goose!) You don't have to fight to find a place for your carry-on bag - the man does that for you. I was seriously impressed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bargepole23 Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Of course it is! - and sometimes, it's bloody hilarious, too.:hihi: In late August I flew with Sleazyjet from Munich to Manchester. They tried to con me into paying for 'priority boarding'. Well, I hate to pay even one penny more than I have to - and I hate standing in line - so I came up with my own plan. I sat on a seat at the gate. (No charge for that.) They called for 'priority boarding' [the people who'd paid an extra 15 quid to be first) people in wheelchairs, families with small children and those who might need extra help. I sat on my bum on the free (albeit not very comfortable) chair. Then - eventually - the called for 'regular boarding.' I sat on my bum on the free (albeit not very comfortable) chair. (I hate standing in a queue.) Once the queue had dissipated, I ambled over, had my boarding pass scanned and walked up and down a few flights of stairs. There was no jetway. Eventually, I made it to the bus. The priority boarding people got the first places on the bus. - I was about the third from last to get on. The bus drove to the aircraft. First on, last off. I walked to the back of the aircraft (there's no law which says you have to go up the steps at the front - If you're driving, that might be a good idea, but I don't do that anymore, so it didn't matter. I was about the 3rd person to go up the back steps. I chose a seat - plenty of choice - stowed my carry-on, sat down and waited until the 'priority boarding' people struggled aboard.) The aircraft wasn't going to leave until we were all aboard anyway.) 15 quid well saved - but if people are daft enough to spend money getting to the front of the line - that's their choice. I've discovered an even better trick though (and it doesn't cost a penny!) My wife is disabled [not a lot of fun and she can't walk very far. She uses a wheelchair to get from the entrance to the aircraft. WOW! - VIP travel! You sit on your bum and somebody takes you. You don't wait for security (You go through a special line and you go through faster than grease through a goose!) You don't have to fight to find a place for your carry-on bag - the man does that for you. I was seriously impressed! The real trick is to fly only with decent airlines, then none of the above is an issue. Flown with the family on easyjet once...dire from check-in to flight, likewise ryanair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 The real trick is to fly only with decent airlines, then none of the above is an issue. Flown with the family on easyjet once...dire from check-in to flight, likewise ryanair. Oh, do be reasonable! I used to fly with my own airline. I had a guaranteed seat and was fed coffee every half hour. Flights didn't cost much (Actually, they were free ) If I want to travel from Munich to Manchester, I have 3 choices: Cheapest: Easyjet About £150 round trip. Mid-Range Drive and Ferry (2 or 3 days) Total cost about £250 + £200 for hotels. Full-price Airline - about £700 round trip. AS I intimated in my previous post, I'm 'careful with my money' - as in 'tight'. As tight (as my father used to say) as a fish's arse at 50 fathoms ... and that's watertight! Easyjet is pretty crap - but it works. I can fly between my summer home and my winter home for about the same as I would pay a full/price carrier to fly between Munich and the UK. I had a run-in with both Virgin Airlines and the Department for the Elimination of Farming and Rural Affairs in May this year. That's about £8000 a year I will spend elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerrangaroo Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I use the argument with theme parks that it doesn't push you to the front of the queue; it just moves you into a smaller wealthier queue. If that was big enough there'd be a market for a third even smaller wealthier queue. Money talks. That's the world we live in. Mine's not around long enough to learn the language Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bargepole23 Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Oh, do be reasonable! I used to fly with my own airline. I had a guaranteed seat and was fed coffee every half hour. Flights didn't cost much (Actually, they were free ) If I want to travel from Munich to Manchester, I have 3 choices: Cheapest: Easyjet About £150 round trip. Mid-Range Drive and Ferry (2 or 3 days) Total cost about £250 + £200 for hotels. Full-price Airline - about £700 round trip. AS I intimated in my previous post, I'm 'careful with my money' - as in 'tight'. As tight (as my father used to say) as a fish's arse at 50 fathoms ... and that's watertight! Easyjet is pretty crap - but it works. I can fly between my summer home and my winter home for about the same as I would pay a full/price carrier to fly between Munich and the UK. I had a run-in with both Virgin Airlines and the Department for the Elimination of Farming and Rural Affairs in May this year. That's about £8000 a year I will spend elsewhere. If I was you I would check out Lufthansa prices, they fly direct 3 times Manchester to Munich at waaaay less than the £700 quid you have mentioned....in fact I could book that return for £119 flying next month, and I could check a bag in, pre-book a seat, have a drink on-board that I dont have to pay for etc etc. I could book it for £200 flying tomorrow.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerbyTup Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 turning into a bit of an airline thread now isn't it? Should we get back to the original point, which is, is it wrong to pay to jump the queue? The OP suggests it is - and says it will cause greater polarisation in society. I disagree. If it was only the wealthy that could afford to do it - then maybe that would be a problem - but the facts are that it's not just the wealthy. The previous examples about airlines prove the point. I travel regularly by air and it's usually the lower social orders of society - the ill educated and uninformed - that are daft enough to pay to be first on the airport bus and last to their seats in what they believe to be priority boarding. In Communist society people are/were paid a very low wage - so they'd put obstacles in the way of getting things done - and people would willingly pay to beat the system. It still happens today in Communist countries. If you want to be seen by a doctor in hospital for urgent treatment you can slip a few notes to staff along the way and jump the queue. Here in the UK we call that private healthcare. The question as to whether it is right or wrong really depends on what value you place on your time? I place a lot of value on mine and see nothing wrong in paying to have more of it, knowing that others have the right to make the same choice - whether they do so or not is not just about money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiousguy Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Nopee lol don't see why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiousguy Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Unless they're old or disabled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.