Nov 4, 2019
Recorded 01 November 2019
Written by: Geoff Dahl & Vinod Viswalingam
Listen to this experience wherever you download your podcasts - including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play and Overcast.
In this experience Vinny and Geoff share more of their
experiences when, try as they may, the situation just went
badly.
First of all, we want to send a shoutout to fellow podcasters Plane Talking UK. We're lining up co-hosting in an upcoming episode of theirs. Stay tuned for more info.
By popular demand, we're sharing more of our travel experiences – good, bad and ugly – and how we worked at resolving them or made the best of the situation.
Shoutout to Sam Chui for his review of the Air India (AI) Dreamliner business class experience.
Vinny shared a rant about the security experience at MAA in Experience 021 from his RTW trip in the summer of 2019. The rant is back in this experience with full force for his experiences with Air India (AI) – both for in-flight experiences from SIN-MAA-CMB, and one of the top three worst ever lounge experiences he ever had at MAA. You might need a cold lassi after listening to the rant.
Geoff shares his multiple ground travel experiences trying to get from Penang to Kuala Lumpur in July 2019. First the train Google says he should take didn't exist, and then there was a ticket circus with the bus ride that he took instead.
Vinny pulls out a story from his vault of crazy experiences – this time in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2003 hitchhiking to make a train connection to get to Helsinki. But what happens when he missed the connection? (Hint – he got to Helsinki and experienced a Tupolev Tu-134).
Geoff shares his overnight ground transport experience at SIN from his summer 2019 RTW trip. Where was the shuttle that was supposed to leave every 15 minutes? Sometimes waiting ends up being worth it – thanks to a great family from Perth who shared sightseeing advice.
Vinny shares a recent experience from autumn 2019 at SFO. How to get to the Caltrain station to take him into the city, with minimal signage and lack of directions from Google transit. Not only that, where and how did he have to pay for the ticket?
Geoff shares a terrific airside tour experience he had in October 2019 at YYZ. Thanks to Russ, Mark and Haaz for their great work and wealth of information.
News Items:
If you have a story of when your situation just went bad, a
question or other experience that you would like to share, please
email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/
SELECTED LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE EXPERIENCE
NEWS ITEMS
independent.co.uk | Airline passenger stuffs laptop down
her jumpsuit and pretends to be pregnant to avoid excess baggage
charge (28 October 2019)
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/jetstar-excess-baggage-charge-flight-pregnant-laptop-jumpsuit-a9174026.html
"...A budget airline passenger stuffed her belongings down the
front of her jumpsuit to form a pregnancy “bump” in a bid to avoid
paying the excess baggage fee.
Travel writer Rebecca Andrews almost pulled off the innovative stunt while flying from Melbourne to Sydney with Jetstar, before being found out at the last minute..."
AP News | TSA finds gun-shaped toilet paper roller in
bag at airport (31 October 2019)
https://apnews.com/745c9bdaf31d41f68e9e663c43396552
"...NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Transportation Security Administration
agents at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport uncovered a more
decorative than deadly item when they checked a passenger’s
carry-on.
Agents on Tuesday thought there was a gun in the bag when
they put it through the X-ray machine. However, a closer inspection
revealed a gun-shaped toilet paper roller. The realistic replica
gun was designed to spin paper instead of bullets..."
PODCAST CORRECTIONS,
CLARIFICATIONS, CONFIRMATIONS
PEOPLE
MENTIONED
SHOW NOTES