Last minute trip .. to Texas

nalani

nalani

Well-Known Member
well, yesterday sucked ... my uncle in Texas (my father's brother) passed away. None of my brothers or sisters can afford to go but I'm pretty lucky in that I am allowed time off when I need it and have at least *some* money to take a last-minute trip. So, I booked a last minute flight to Texas for tomorrow. :O

The lowest fare I could find was on ATA which, of course I'd prefer United or American, but as my cousin said, "if a plane is gonna fall out of the air, it's gonna fall out of the air ... regardless of the amount you paid for your ticket, whether or not you were served dinner, or the name plastered on the outside." ... he has a point there. I actually got a round trip ticket for less than $1000 - very lucky. So .. has anyone flown ATA? I don't think I've ever had the pleasure .. I've done United, American, SouthWest, AmericaWest, and the various local airlines (Hawaiian and Aloha). Ok .. anyone have pointers? Should I bring my own dinner? Lifejacket? Keep my iPod on my ears so I can't hear the gum-smacking stewardess?
 
nalani said:
well, yesterday sucked ... my uncle in Texas (my father's brother) passed away. None of my brothers or sisters can afford to go but I'm pretty lucky in that I am allowed time off when I need it and have at least *some* money to take a last-minute trip. So, I booked a last minute flight to Texas for tomorrow. :O

The lowest fare I could find was on ATA which, of course I'd prefer United or American, but as my cousin said, "if a plane is gonna fall out of the air, it's gonna fall out of the air ... regardless of the amount you paid for your ticket, whether or not you were served dinner, or the name plastered on the outside." ... he has a point there. I actually got a round trip ticket for less than $1000 - very lucky. So .. has anyone flown ATA? I don't think I've ever had the pleasure .. I've done United, American, SouthWest, AmericaWest, and the various local airlines (Hawaiian and Aloha). Ok .. anyone have pointers? Should I bring my own dinner? Lifejacket? Keep my iPod on my ears so I can't hear the gum-smacking stewardess?
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They might not allow you to use your iPod in the air. Electronic devices are a no-no...interfearance or some shit like that.

Ask for a speicialized dinner...like, 'low-fat, no salt' or 'kocher' . That way, the meal is prepared independantly of the rest, comes on board hotter and tastier. Works every time and worth the few seconds that it'll take to make the request. A nice trail-mix is a good add-on for you as well.
 
MrBishop said:
Ask for a speicialized dinner...like, 'low-fat, no salt' or 'kocher' . That way, the meal is prepared independantly of the rest, comes on board hotter and tastier. Works every time and worth the few seconds that it'll take to make the request. A nice trail-mix is a good add-on for you as well.
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ATA is probably a no-frills type,meaning no-food available.(not sure if thats a good or bad thing. :shrug: )
 
A.B.Normal said:
ATA is probably a no-frills type,meaning no-food available.(not sure if thats a good or bad thing. :shrug: )
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I think you're right because all that was mentioned on the website is "Beverage Service" .. holyhell .. all that time with just beverages? I wonder if there's an inflight movie at all ...
 
Sorry about your unc, Na... hope it was a painless passing.

From what I read about ATA, it is seriously no frills. I suggest eating a sizeable meal before departure. There may be little in your future other than small snacks for many an hour.
 
Thanks for your kind words .. it was painless .. freakishly like my own father's passing, actually. Went in to nap .. and didn't wake up. His youngest son went to check on him and found him there, already gone ... just like my youngest brother did with my father. Quiet .. in their sleep .. it's what they deserved.
 
unclehobart said:
Sorry about your unc, Na... hope it was a painless passing.

From what I read about ATA, it is seriously no frills. I suggest eating a sizeable meal before departure. There may be little in your future other than small snacks for many an hour.
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so ... no in-flight movie either?
 
Probably not. Standard operating procedure is no electronic devices (including iPods) until the plane goes above 10,000 feet.
 
Sorry to hear about your uncle Na. I'm glad that he went peacefully though for the families sake. My sincere condolensces to you and your whole family.

I would definitely suggest bringing some snacks with you on the plane, so this way, if you do get hungry, you'll have more than peanuts or something. Ask them when you get on the plane if you can use the Ipod or not. They'll be able to tell you!
 
Thanks to everyone for your well-wishing. I returned yesterday from Texas .. it was hot and sad but still, it was nice to see my family again.

Now, for the low-down on ATA.

The truth is, it was just about as comfortable as United or American airlines. They served a substantial snack on the red-eye (which most airlines do anyway) and on the return flight, they served an actual dinner (the flight was during dinner time). Of course, the food was crappy, but it was a meal. The staff is very helpful and tries to be as accomodating as possible. On trip over, there was an empty seat between me and another person so it was really comfortable. On the return flight, there were a bunch of kids in back of me and the all three seats in my row were taken. A steward asked if I wanted to move up in the cabin and that there was an entire row empty and I was welcome to it. He also moved the couple that was next to me near an emergency exit (they were very tall).

Oops .. more on ATA and Southwest later .. ku'u says it's time for lunch
 
Sorry to hear about your Uncle, Na. My deepest condolences to you and your family....glad the flight was more than you expected. Kepp all in my prayers. :winkkiss:
 
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