Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Flight to Phoenix

So you already know that I'm an anxious flier, which is why I don't want to try airlines I've never heard of like Allegiance Airlines.  It's a great deal.  That's what my son said.  So we bought these great deal tickets for two to Phoenix.  Then we learned that the great deal price did not include our seating or our luggage.   We had to pay for each seat.  We had to pay for each piece of luggage.  And we had to drive to a little airport in Ogden to catch the flight.

Our plane was scheduled for take-off at four in the afternoon.  We took off at seven.  This is evidently a daily occurrence at Allegiance Air if you are to believe their reviews.  The wait can be up to 18 hours if you're going from Las Vegas to Honolulu.

Don't get me wrong.  It's still a good price, but you might want to take a sleeping mat and a blow-up pillow for your long stay at the airport.  It was no big deal for Tom and me.  We ate lunch and I read The Caine Mutiny on my Kindle.  Tom played Backgammon on his laptop.  For people with small children, it was a juggling act, and my guess is that it's not worth the savings.

We also saved money, because Jerry and Peggy were willing to drive us to Ogden.  Greater love hath no couple.  Thank you, Jerry and Peggy.

The flight was uneventful and smooth.  Just like I like it.

8 comments:

  1. I'm confused about what you were buying if it didn't include a seat on the plane. Standing room? Still, a bargain's a bargain. Glad it went smoothly for you.

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  2. You should really come visit sometime. We live really close (15 minutes on surface streets). We've had issues flying out of Ogden too. I'm guessing the great deal is for those who travel lite and alone. We'll see how it goes in April.

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  3. I live near a small airport and Alliegent (?) is often times our only option. I have flown them twice and hated it. I hated buying the ticket on their website (no real people to answer questions, no customer service) and discovering the price was only for the right to be on the plane. It was $20 extra to sit down in a seat. Then there was a $35 per bag charge for carry-ons and I forget how much it was for checked baggage. I was seething about the hidden charges. I couldn't do anything about the seat charge, but I'll be danged if I was going to pay $35 for a carry on since that was my only luggage. So I took my righteous anger to the thrift store and I found a 20 pocket fishing vest. I proceeded to cram everything I needed to take into my fishing vest and I wore my son's old Boy Scout shorts with large hip pockets. I filled up the pants pockets. That left me with just my purse, which I Space Bagged my underwear into. Purses fly free on Alliegent. :) Other than I got stopped at the TSA , fully frisked and they completely unloaded my fishing vest, when I explained I was trying to avoid the $35 carry-on fee, I was congratulated for my cleverness. It took an hour to get through security, but it was worth it.
    I looked absolutely ridiculous, but I plan on doing the same thing every time I have to fly Alliegent Air. My stubbornness about being ripped off overrides my vanity.

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    1. Heather, you are a genius. It's not as if you don't have plenty of time to get through security.

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  4. I am laughing, laughing, as I read this (and Heather's reply) to my husband.

    I am not sure how the airline can sell flight space on an airplane and not a seat, given that the FAA requires each passenger to be seated on take-off and landing, and anytime inflight that the cockpit deems prudent.

    I wonder how long their brain-child will last?

    As for me, I am taking a multiple-destination-flight trip next month, and am trying to plan my luggage accordingly. (And financially.) In addition to shipping odds & ends UPS the week before, I may well go Heather's route and find a fly-fishing vest and use MY son's old Scout uniform. Heh heh...

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  5. Congratulations on your smooth travels to Arizona!

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  6. We watched your plane go overhead and knew that you had finally left. I'm glad it went smoothly. We chuckled over Tom's email about the delays to Hawaii from Las Vegas since we will be experiencing that in two weeks.

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  7. I hope you soak up some of this lavish sun.

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