Almost Carefree on US Airways
Written: Sep 03 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Helpful and pleasant flight attendants; decent food; flight ahead of schedule
Cons: Painfully cramped seats
The Bottom Line: Their seat space and legroom leave a lot to be desired; because of this I gave them four stars. However, friendliness of the staff was reassuring, and the food tasty.
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| PianoGirl's Full Review: US Airways |
I'm a person who would rather take the stairs than the elevator/escalator, having phobias concerning both machines. I also am extremely "sky-challenged", and would much rather drive than to fly. I mean, being suspended in a huge airplane at 35,000 feet (far from the ground!) for hours, and having to interact with strangers at the same time--well, it's not my cup of tea at all, at all. But occasionally one must bite the bullet and do the thing one fears, regardless.
And so, I flew from Pittsburgh to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth Airport)on August 13. When I kissed my husband goodbye and walked onto the plane, my stomach was doing hamster-wheel turns instead of the usual butterfly fluttering. I had not flown in more than 15 years, and all my fears were (almost literally) rising to the surface. I located my window seat toward the rear of the plane, sat down, and shoved my carry-on bag under the seat in front of me. Then I fumbled with my seatbelt a minute or two, and finally got it hooked together. I am a large person, and I believe the seat might have been made with a four-year-old's comfort in mind, but surely not for an adult's. The person sitting next to me was quite thin, and he complained to me about the lack of spaciousness in HIS seat, as we were waiting for takeoff.
This helped me to forget my fears for a little bit, but then we took off. Amid many, many silent prayers for safety, and after what seemed an interminable climb (who needs mountain climbing? just "prepare for takeoff"!)the plane leveled off. (Note: my prayers were, obviously, answered in the affirmative, for which I am very grateful to God.)
I reached for a couple of books out of my carry-on bag, and began to read, studiously avoiding the window to my immediate left. The man sitting next to me kept pointing toward the window and saying, "Oh, look! Aren't those clouds beautiful?" and then, to be polite, and to keep from having to lie, I would risk a tiny glance out the window. Of course, I didn't see enough to be able to converse knowledgeably about any of the clouds I was looking down on. But you know, I HAVE seen many clouds from the ground's vantage point, and so I could agree with him that "Yes, the clouds are beautiful"--with a clear conscience.:) However, as you may imagine, this made it difficult to become immersed in my book and thus be inured to what was going on around me.
About 30 minutes after we were "driving on the long stretch", as I referred to it in my mind (which helped, to a small extent,to keep panicky thoughts of airplane disasters away), flight attendants began to bring out carts and inquire as to what people would like to drink. When the lady attendant in my section of seats stopped, I asked for water. She promptly handed me a chilled bottle of spring water. I thanked her and she smiled and told me, "You're welcome." Then she asked me if there was anything else I needed. I thought about asking her if she had any Valium--as a half-joke--but decided that that would not be appropriate in any way, so I told her, "No thank you."
I drank the water slowly, took deep breaths, and--because of the claustrophobic arrangement of the seats--saw out of the corner of my eye that the man next to me had gone to sleep. HE HAD GONE TO SLEEP ON THE PLANE!!! This was totally incomprehensible to me, and I tried not to stare. I was successful, and this did afford me the opportunity to concentrate on my book.
I had succeeded in becoming oblivious to my surroundings when I heard the "squeak, clunk CLUNK!" of the cart again. When the attendant got to my row, she handed out small, forest green boxes to each of us and trundled on past. I watched the man next to me to see what you were supposed to do, and as he pulled down his tray table and opened his box, I did the same. Inside the box were a four-inch-long sandwich, an oatmeal raisin cookie, a little tub of salad dressing and a tiny package of equally tiny carrots. I was glad that I had not finished drinking my water at that point. The sandwich consisted of marbled rye with Swiss and American cheeses and roast beef and ham. It was quite tasty. I didn't care for the salad dressing, so I ate my carrots without. The cookie tasted almost homemade; from me that's a high compliment (see my reviews on the King Arthur cookbook and the Kitchen Aid mixer to understand why). My only complaint was that the cookie was miniscule, the size only an elf would appreciate.
I resumed reading my mystery series, now beginning the second book in the series. (By the way, I highly recommend the "Aunt Dimity" series of mysteries by Nancy Atherton--it's a "kinder, gentler" sort of mystery story.) My legs had begun to cramp at that point; being 5"10', my limbs just do not take kindly to being forced into a space the size of a Fred Flintstone lunchbox (or thereabouts). For the rest of the flight, approximately an hour, my fears were finally forgotten, being replaced by all-too-futile efforts to get my legs into a less torturous position.
Ironically, at one point I even looked out the window, trying to divert my mind from the increasing pain in my bent-up body. My seat was directly over the wing, and as I scrutinized the wing (to assure myself it was "heavy" enough not to break down), I recalled a joking comment a dear Epinions friend had made to me a few days previous in email--to the effect that I was not to do any "wing-walking" on this flight. I chuckled out loud at the thought of any such ridiculous idea, and was able to forget the cramping of my legs for a moment.
At that point, the pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker, telling us we were twenty minutes ahead of schedule, and to refasten our seatbelts in preparation for landing. The flight attendants, sans carts, went through the plane making sure everyone's seatbelts were on, bags stuffed under seats, and so on. They were friendly and relaxed, and this did help me not to be AS afraid as I could have been.
When the plane landed, that was most unpleasant for me--due to the huge SCRAPING sounds of the wheels on the pavement. Unfortunately, all the graphic parts of all the airplane crash movies I had ever seen rose to the forefront of my mind. My hands gripped the seat arm, and I kept telling myself it would be over shortly--and it was, thankfully. I gave a huge (and internal, as I did not want my seatmate to see how anxious I had been) sigh. I thought of how my husband had been praying, as had many friends, that this flight would be safe and all would go well, and I offered up a prayer of profuse thanks myself.
It was difficult to lug my heavy carry-on bag to the aisle, and I nearly dropped it once I got there, but a kind man caught it before it hit the floor--and then waited as I steadied myself by holding onto one of the seats. I thanked him and trudged up the seemingly-interminable aisle, finally arriving at the front of the plane, where the flight attendants and the pilot waited with smiles on their faces. They thanked me for flying US Air, and I thanked them for being so courteous and making me feel better about being in an airplane. The pilot said he was glad I had "survived the experience", winking at me as he did so. I shook his hand and walked through the "tube", as I called it, to my waiting family on the other end.
I had problems with my legs cramping for a couple of days after the flight, and on my return flight, August 27, the seats were just as tiny and the legroom just as non-existent. My legs began to protest almost immediately, no doubt remembering the torture they had been exposed to ten days earlier. Curiously, the same small forest green boxes, with the same kinds of foods in them, were again passed out. On this return trip, there were a lot of empty seats, including the two seats on my row. (This afforded me the luxury of putting my purse AND a carry-on in the seat next to me.) I again had a window seat, and this time was brave enough to look out and D O W N--to see a doll's-eye view of vari-colored, neatly laid-out houses; swimming pools (they were gleaming, aqua, kidney-shaped); groves of trees that resembled clumps of dark green cotton balls; in short, a whole new world! I was fascinated at first glance, and spent the entire two hours gazing out the window--a MUCH more enjoyable time than my first trip. (However,I regret to say that my legs did not agree, and grumbled in protest about their working conditions the entire time.)
The flight attendants were again very polite and helpful; they came around twice on this trip to ask if we wanted anything to drink. They also came and disposed of any trash we had, which was useful, as I had a goodly number of crumpled-up chewing gum wrappers on my lap. (I found that gum helped reduce the unpleasantness of ear popping to a bare minimum. Candy did not work nearly as well for the purpose.)
On this return trip I had two carry-on bags and one, of course, had to go overhead. I was able to shove it up in to the overhead container without too much trouble, but when disembarking, I couldn't get enough leverage on the thing to get it out. Again, a very nice man said, "Allow me," yanked the bag down and put it into my hands. I thanked him and stumbled off up the aisle.
As before the flight attendants and the pilot were standing, smiling and joking with the passengers, and I thanked them as I left.
In revenge for their owner forcing them to again be in terribly close quarters, my legs kept me in pain for the next couple of days after the flight, the same as before.
If only US Airlines would expand their seats and consequently the legroom, I would be able to give them a total thumbs up. But until they do, I have to caution you that you will pay in pain for the other bestowed comforts.
If I had known how it was going to be, I'd have taken some Tylenol before I got on the plane.
Otherwise, it was a good flight experience for a very unwilling and reluctant "flyee" like me, and I would definitely recommend US Air to you, whether you are a seasoned and relaxed flyer or a phobic one. :)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
PianoGirl
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Member: Bronwen Gibson
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
Christian lady; SAHW; one cherished daughter; passions: piano, music eclectic, Texas, books, cross-stitch, Victorian era
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