Ribh's D'Coopage

[MaryJanet]

I have done a couple of long-haul trips since the pandemic started and I have to say, it isn't the same.
I used to quite like flying - the quiet time for example - and I flew enough that I had routines at the airport and in flight that made it all quite pleasurable. But somehow it just isn't the same now.

What's under that 'somehow' RC? The virus? The crowds? The pandemic paperwork?

 

[MaryJanet]

That sounds excellent!

It was really good. However, I've decided to skip today so I can get ahead on a bunch of other things.

 

[RoyalChick]

What's under that 'somehow' RC? The virus? The crowds? The pandemic paperwork?

Well some of it is the mask. If you have say an eight hour flight and you have to account for at least 90 mins in the airport at one end and 30 at the other, you are wearing a mask for 10 hours and that doesn't feel great.
Then the airports seem more frazzled - there are people not wearing masks and coughing and that gets everyone tense, and sometimes the security people intervene and sometimes they don't.
Then in flight there seems to have been some edict that food service is a problem - so it has all been stripped down to basic - no relaxing with a glass of wine.
Admittedly this is US airlines and probably a bunch of it is cost cutting measures which I understand. But it adds up to not such a great experience.
My second trip (February) was meaningfully less grim than my first trip - so it may be that things are improving.

 

[MaryJanet]

Well some of it is the mask. If you have say an eight hour flight and you have to account for at least 90 mins in the airport at one end and 30 at the other, you are wearing a mask for 10 hours and that doesn't feel great.
Then the airports seem more frazzled - there are people not wearing masks and coughing and that gets everyone tense, and sometimes the security people intervene and sometimes they don't.
Then in flight there seems to have been some edict that food service is a problem - so it has all been stripped down to basic - no relaxing with a glass of wine.
Admittedly this is US airlines and probably a bunch of it is cost cutting measures which I understand. But it adds up to not such a great experience.
My second trip (February) was meaningfully less grim than my first trip - so it may be that things are improving.

How dismal. I've got a short hop to Sydney in a couple of months. At least it's only a few hours.

 

[LozzyR]

How long are you in Sydney for?

 

[BY Bob]

I am feeling the same way.

I don't miss flying at all. I do miss a king sized hotel bed all to myself.

 

[BY Bob]

The talks were excellent. The humanities speaker from UNSW was particularly outstanding and so was the former chief scientist. The round table less so, but still good. I was surprised how many government scientists were in attendance. On my table were one in federal government working on grains and another from Queensland government working on microbials. Fascinating. And because I use theory, qualitative and quantitative data they found my work interesting.

Excellent. Wasn't that a nice treat! You were pretty negative about this meeting. I'm very happy this was the outcome.

 

[MaryJanet]

Excellent. Wasn't that a nice treat! You were pretty negative about this meeting. I'm very happy this was the outcome.

Me too!!

 

[MaryJanet]

How long are you in Sydney for?

A meeting.

 

[LozzyR]

A meeting.

So FIFO then?