How this forum has benefit you as SLF (or passenger)?

[Rwy in Sight]

After reading some serious threads here, I would like to ask all of the fellow passengers - PPRuNers, how has this forum impacted you when you fly?

The question is general you can treat it as wide as narrow as you like but please remember this is not Jet Blast. For example do you feel more comfortable because of the questions answered here?

Looking forward to read you opinions.

Rwy in Sight

[muppetbum]

I've gone from being a terrified passenger ( due to a bad bout of turbulence once) to a merely nervous one thanks to the " nervous passenger thread".

I have a control freak personality that needs to know what the slightest noise is when I'm flying. I've found a lot of info out on here. I don't feel so stupid about being a nervous passenger and have come to relaise that the Cabin Crew have seen worse than me :)

I've stopped thinking that the chimes I hear shortly after take off are a sign of impending doom.

And other stuff that I'm sure I'll think of later

muppets

[anotherglassofwine]

But of course ..
I think the first time I posted here it was to ask what was the very load noise shortly after takeoff on a BAE146. At the time I asked the cabin crew and was told that it was normal and not to worry - I wasn't worried, I was curious.. A quick post on here satisfied my curiousity ..
This forum has answered hundreds of my questions (whether asked by me or not) and continues to be a fantastic source of information for any pax... great stuff!

[Pontius Navigator]

With some professionals looking in it gives you a consuit that does not exist even when you are face to face in an aircraft.

[Two-Tone-Blue]

The exam question ... "how has this forum impacted you when you fly?"

I've been flying in all sorts of aircraft for a lonnnnng time, up front and down the back. I'm not scared of flying, otherwise I wouldn't have got my licence!

But this forum, along with others on PPRuNe, has added additional refinements to what goes on the world of passenger-moving. Check-in, baggage, on-board service, tips on airlines and booking arrangements, why your meal isn't available, which seats to choose ... it goes on and on.

The strongest basic human instinct is fear, especially fear of uncertainty ... the "Fight or Flight" reaction. Being stuck in that tube for 8 hours or so isn't nice, regardless of which cabin you're in.

I have no basic 'fear' - being born is fatal. :cool:

But from reading this Forum, I have less uncertainty when I travel - the stress of the 'unknown' or 'WTF are they doing now?' is much reduced. That makes be a calmer, happier, passenger.

NOW ... WHERE'S MY MEAL? :)

[Dubaian]

I'm a relative newbie to pPrune but a long term PAX and I just enjoy picking up some of the news / opinions from those in the industry. There's a lot of dross here too but from experiences on other forums it's pretty easy to spot the wind-up merchants and those who should engage brain before hitting the keyboard.
I will say the management of the forum seems to be really good. Things work without hiccups and moderation is well handled. IMO. Keep up the good work.

[timgill]

I visit this forum every day (Jet Blast too) and one of the main things that I've benefitted from is knowing that other SLF have the same problems and fears as me - checkin, flight delays, turbulence etc.

[ulxima]

It is a good source of information you would not fine anywhere else.....well maybe in another like-for-like forum :E
For istance it made me to try different airlines, discovering new services I was unaware of and were (well they still are) better fit for purpose.
Thank you guys!

Ciao
Ulxima

[Final 3 Greens]

Building on and not repeating the comments of earlier posters, it is nice to have somewhere to go in a hotel room a long way from home and be in a community.

I've also met some great people as a result of visiting here for 11 years.

[PAXboy]

I agree with F3G, there is a sense of community. Some folks roll in and then out and some of us loiter ... :p

But there is always something amusing to read, helpful comments and some good old fashioned Bølløçks!! I consider a visit here as an essential part of my day. I recently dropped out of another forum that I have participated in for many years because it is unmoderated (UseNet) and I got bored with people not helping other people.

[jetset lady]

Sorry. There had to be at least one crew member blundering in and it's me I'm afraid, but I did ask permission first! :O

From my point of view, this part of the forum has given me an insider view from the perspective of passengers, especially regular fliers. As I've said before, I've changed the way I do certain things after reading some of the posts on here. I'll make PA's if the air conditioning is causing a mist in the cabin. I'm more aware of how long services take and how long you'd like them to take. I now have a fair idea of what drives the majority of you nuts and what you like and expect once onboard the aircraft. Plus, there's always the tips and hints from the other professionals that haunt these pages. In fact, just about the only thing it's failed to tell me is what you all like to be called! So, you'll know it's me on your aircraft if I approach you with, "So...erm...Mr Smith..Sir..My Love? How would you like your Vodka..ahem..cough...Mate?" :\

It's never going to be 100% perfect. I will have to do things that people don't like and I'll never please everyone all of the time. But if most people leave the aircraft with a smile most of the time, I'll be happy with that! :ok:

Jsl

[nebpor]

I originally signed up to try and get over a fear of flying i had bizarrely picked up after years of frequent flying - read up on everything technical I could understand, loved the community and hung around.

I can't imagine an Internet without PPRuNe now - it's an amazing source of information/flaming/genius .... reading Pilots debate the ins and outs of procedures fascinates me at times, plus the SLF forum gives me some perspective that it's not just me getting jaded with the whole flying thing :ok:

Oh, and I've now moved to Sydney and have no reason to moan anymore as flying domestic Qantas Sydney->Melbourne every week is a joy compared to Glasgow->London!

[gj888]

I try to visit PPRuNe every day. The website gives an amazing insight into what is happening in the aviation world - from the professional viewpoint as well as the passenger viewpoint.

Although some threads can be a bit heated at times I think that the moderators do an amazing (and often unappreciated) job in keeping the conversation flowing.

[Ancient Observer]

I took a long haul to Syd just after Christmas.
As I was very wary of BA, (strikes etc) I would not book with them. Researching on here led me to book Virgin's Econ+ via one of the consolidators.

OK, I could have got all the info elsewhere, but here I can do the research AND visit JB. Great.

[jetset lady]

As I was very wary of BA, (strikes etc) I would not book with them. Researching on here led me to book Virgin's Econ+ via one of the consolidators.


I'm so sorry AO, but the above means I have to. What sort of world is it again? A small, small world perhaps? :p ;)

[Big Harvey]

I used to be a nervous flyer, but reading posts in the Rumours and News section (ironically those about crashes and other mishaps) have actually helped me develop a better informed perspective of the real risks involved in flying. I'm now no more nervous getting on a plane than I am getting on a bus or a train. I will add that not being involved in the aviation industry I would never actually post in the Rumours and News section other than in the kind of exceptional circumstances that I hope will never happen.

I think all my posts have been made in this section of the forum, and I have received plenty of excellent help and advice both from people within the industry and fellow passengers.

I also hope that some of the occasional replies I've posted (based on my experience as a bargain-hunting passenger) have been of use to others!

[Ancient Observer]

JSL,
that was most unfair. Even more unfair as I had to think about what you posted and what it meant.
Huh!
A Pirate's Life to you.

I might come back in the Autumn, (LH, ex-LHR) if only to show support for the non-strikers!

[radeng]

Finding chapter and verse of the rules on refunds......

[Emm4]

Reply to Jetset Lady (20th March) "..what do you like to be called..?

Definitely not "Self Loading Freight". It is disrespectful. PPRUNe should drop this phrase.

To be addressed as Mr/Mrs (Surname) is always welcome since it shows you prechecked the passenger list.

[MPN11]

We've been there often - it's just "brief speak".

Don't worry about it, the airlines really appreciate your custom ;)

[PAXboy]

The subject of 'SLF' almost ought to be in the FAQ as it appears so often. For the most part, the term is used rarely in the industry. We are simply known as PAX.

If I ever felt that an airline was treating me as SLF, I would not use them again. In here, I find it amusing. A kind of 'in joke' for the forum.

[jetset lady]

Emm4,

The reference to "what you like to be called" in my post was in fact following another thread recently where some people like to be called by their surname, ie Mr Smith and some find that uncomfortable. Others like Sir/Madam and a few are even happy with more casual terms. It had nothing to do with the term SLF.

Jsl

[neroliie]

Ooof.

I haven't flown since I started reading pprune, so as a passenger I don't have much to say. But as a nerd/enthusiast, pprune is a place to find answers to the niggling little questions that bug me about aviation in general.

Sometimes I find asking questions here rather intimidating (because it's full of pros who have done all the studying and stuff), but my take is that if I do a search beforehand, and ask politely and in the right place, I'll minimise my chances of exasperating others :O

[Sailor Doug]

I have been a frequent flyer for over 30 years. It use to be easy to fly but, the total experience has been on a long down hill slope. Today SLF fits the experience.
I am one of those passengers who have to pay the $900 tickets for a 300 mile flight. You still get treated exactly the same as the passengers beside you who paid $200. Today the drive time has to be greater than 7 hours before I fly. Why are business flyers down? We avoid like the plague.

Ps

I enjoy the technical reading here.

[Mr Optimistic]

...using this forum. I try and look in every day and its nice the professionals give us their time (even in the face of some dumb questions). Not from me you understand......So, thanks to all concerned.