The Morning Doo
- Thread starter Steve97tj
- Start date
I always fly Delta after having debacles with Airtran and American. A bit more pricey but they get me there on time, pretty much always. Oh and I've got status and blah blah so that is nice. I've also heard great things about Southwest as well and SW is adding more and more flights from ATL. I know recently they did open up LAX and Vegas nonstop for cheap.
Bite the bullet and fly out of ATL. Since its a big airport, most of the time you can get a direct flight. Don't be a cheap @$$ and get a flight with 5 connections. You'll kill yourself after the 2nd layover. In fact, just about any layover longer than 45 minutes sucks. A 45 minute layover is perfect. You pretty much just walk to the next gate.
Also look at flying into either LAX or Las Vegas. Driving across LA isn't that bad during the middle of the day so when you arrive at 11am or whatever, just go out, get your car and then you can scoot. In the past I'd land at LAX and then drive over to San Bernardino. I could leave LAX and get over there in about an hour and a half. Its not that bad (especially in a Mercedes C class or Challenger) and quicker than waiting 2 hours for a puddle jumper to take you over there. Driving in Vegas is easy as long as you don't go down the strip.
If you check a bag, LAX and Vegas are SUPER slow. Be prepared for that. Typically I go and grab something to eat then go get the bags as it will take 20~45 minutes. However ATL is super quick. If I get in at gate C, D, E, or F, by the time I get to baggage claim, my bag is already there. If I'm closer, I gotta wait 5 minutes.
Oh and don't fly into John Wayne. Its more expensive and a cluster. Both LAX and Vegas have the capacity to deal with larger crowds. Oh and if you do fly into LAX or Vegas, legit give yourself 2 hours from time of arrival to departure. I've gotten stuck at both during a random peak hour and it sucks.
I will say one benefit of the bigger airports is getting a decent rental car. They have the inventory. I've gotten screwed at a smaller airport with a crappy car with 50k on it and half the paint missing. That sucks. Having big inventory, if the car is crap, you can reject it instead of being screwed.
If you fly into Ontario, prepare to get some crappy connections and it be expensive as crap.
If you do come down to ATL, do off site parking at Peachy Airport. This does a few things: First off, look for a groupon and you can get cheap covered parking. Their shuttles are quick and get you there in no time. Also you avoid the cluster that the ATL airport is right now...and for the next bit. You are far out so the shuttle driver deals with it instead of you. It is a bit of a pain coming back but you've got time so deal with it. Its just nice coming back and NOT finding hail damage on your car.
Oh and DO NOT plan any stops around the ATL airport. Its a bad time down there.
Lastly, take the 5 seconds beforehand and look up a map of how the airport you are flying out of/landing in is arranged. I friggen hate it when people can't understand the ATL airport. Its SUPER SIMPLE. However people would prefer to walk 500 miles instead of getting on this awesome train that takes you where you need to go...super fast.
That is all I gots for right now.
Bite the bullet and fly out of ATL. Since its a big airport, most of the time you can get a direct flight. Don't be a cheap @$$ and get a flight with 5 connections. You'll kill yourself after the 2nd layover. In fact, just about any layover longer than 45 minutes sucks. A 45 minute layover is perfect. You pretty much just walk to the next gate.
Also look at flying into either LAX or Las Vegas. Driving across LA isn't that bad during the middle of the day so when you arrive at 11am or whatever, just go out, get your car and then you can scoot. In the past I'd land at LAX and then drive over to San Bernardino. I could leave LAX and get over there in about an hour and a half. Its not that bad (especially in a Mercedes C class or Challenger) and quicker than waiting 2 hours for a puddle jumper to take you over there. Driving in Vegas is easy as long as you don't go down the strip.
If you check a bag, LAX and Vegas are SUPER slow. Be prepared for that. Typically I go and grab something to eat then go get the bags as it will take 20~45 minutes. However ATL is super quick. If I get in at gate C, D, E, or F, by the time I get to baggage claim, my bag is already there. If I'm closer, I gotta wait 5 minutes.
Oh and don't fly into John Wayne. Its more expensive and a cluster. Both LAX and Vegas have the capacity to deal with larger crowds. Oh and if you do fly into LAX or Vegas, legit give yourself 2 hours from time of arrival to departure. I've gotten stuck at both during a random peak hour and it sucks.
I will say one benefit of the bigger airports is getting a decent rental car. They have the inventory. I've gotten screwed at a smaller airport with a crappy car with 50k on it and half the paint missing. That sucks. Having big inventory, if the car is crap, you can reject it instead of being screwed.
If you fly into Ontario, prepare to get some crappy connections and it be expensive as crap.
If you do come down to ATL, do off site parking at Peachy Airport. This does a few things: First off, look for a groupon and you can get cheap covered parking. Their shuttles are quick and get you there in no time. Also you avoid the cluster that the ATL airport is right now...and for the next bit. You are far out so the shuttle driver deals with it instead of you. It is a bit of a pain coming back but you've got time so deal with it. Its just nice coming back and NOT finding hail damage on your car.
Oh and DO NOT plan any stops around the ATL airport. Its a bad time down there.
Lastly, take the 5 seconds beforehand and look up a map of how the airport you are flying out of/landing in is arranged. I friggen hate it when people can't understand the ATL airport. Its SUPER SIMPLE. However people would prefer to walk 500 miles instead of getting on this awesome train that takes you where you need to go...super fast.
That is all I gots for right now.
Oh and for these cross country flights, get an aisle seat and bring water and snacks. They are just too brutal otherwise as the bag of peanuts and complementary dehydrating soda does NOT help the situation. Typically when I am on the airplane for 3+ hours, I'll get dehydrated. Getting dried out on the airplane then going to the desert is a bad time and then in the morning you feel like crap.
For flying into Vegas or LAX, I typically bring 2 nalgenes. The ATL airport has these special places to fill up water bottles. Like, 4~6 of them per terminal so keep em empty through security then fill em up. I'm also seeing these special water bottle places elsewhere. I know Denver has them and saw them last week in Milwaukee. I bring my own re-usable bottles because bottled water prices when traveling is highway robbery. Also you just got em with you and considering your destination you'll need water bottles anyway. The aisle seat is crucial because if you are going to be running fluids through your body, you are gonna have to piss. The bottom line is that I typically can't afford to feel like crap when I get off the airplane so this is what I do.
Bring snacks. Anything unopened can go right through security. Last time I flew to Boston, I brought a bag of goldfish (I also had a bus ride afterwards, so it was multi-transportation snacks) and it was glorious. Also you can buy little snack samplers (cheese and fruit and crap) for cheap in the airport (well, cheap considering where you are). Sammiches are pricey but you can get more sammich for the money in the terminal vs. on the airplane. Oh and don't go get fast food and then bring it on the airplane. Its just an effing mess and then you are that guy making the crunching noise. Get stuff that you can buy then stick in your pack. Then in a couple hours, you start to nom nom nom and good to go. Oh and don't count on buying foods on the airplane. Typically all the bidness travelers up front get em. And if you are back in @$$ class, they'll all be gone by the time they get there.
Heavily consider buying wifi with your ticket. Typically 10 bucks per trip. For being in the air that long, its probably worth it. Especially if you can stream movies and crap over a device. Last time I flew to Colorado, I ditched the tablet and ran everything off my phone. Worked well but for a longer flight, the tablet is awesome.
Don't bring a computer. Just...don't...
Oh and consider buying a power bank. Its basically a battery to re-charge your phone. Groupon typically has these for ~$10. Also will be useful at KOH, having a way to recharge your phone when you are away from a power source. I'd plug mine in about 90 minutes before landing. Power bank would be dead but the phone would be good to go.
For flying into Vegas or LAX, I typically bring 2 nalgenes. The ATL airport has these special places to fill up water bottles. Like, 4~6 of them per terminal so keep em empty through security then fill em up. I'm also seeing these special water bottle places elsewhere. I know Denver has them and saw them last week in Milwaukee. I bring my own re-usable bottles because bottled water prices when traveling is highway robbery. Also you just got em with you and considering your destination you'll need water bottles anyway. The aisle seat is crucial because if you are going to be running fluids through your body, you are gonna have to piss. The bottom line is that I typically can't afford to feel like crap when I get off the airplane so this is what I do.
Bring snacks. Anything unopened can go right through security. Last time I flew to Boston, I brought a bag of goldfish (I also had a bus ride afterwards, so it was multi-transportation snacks) and it was glorious. Also you can buy little snack samplers (cheese and fruit and crap) for cheap in the airport (well, cheap considering where you are). Sammiches are pricey but you can get more sammich for the money in the terminal vs. on the airplane. Oh and don't go get fast food and then bring it on the airplane. Its just an effing mess and then you are that guy making the crunching noise. Get stuff that you can buy then stick in your pack. Then in a couple hours, you start to nom nom nom and good to go. Oh and don't count on buying foods on the airplane. Typically all the bidness travelers up front get em. And if you are back in @$$ class, they'll all be gone by the time they get there.
Heavily consider buying wifi with your ticket. Typically 10 bucks per trip. For being in the air that long, its probably worth it. Especially if you can stream movies and crap over a device. Last time I flew to Colorado, I ditched the tablet and ran everything off my phone. Worked well but for a longer flight, the tablet is awesome.
Don't bring a computer. Just...don't...
Oh and consider buying a power bank. Its basically a battery to re-charge your phone. Groupon typically has these for ~$10. Also will be useful at KOH, having a way to recharge your phone when you are away from a power source. I'd plug mine in about 90 minutes before landing. Power bank would be dead but the phone would be good to go.
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Travel sites follow your cookies. the more you visit them the more the price goes up. Tuesday morning 6 weeks before your trip is best time to book it. Fly out of atlanta if you don't want to pick a super early flight or else just go to Greenville and get a 5-6am flight. Even living 20 mins from Atlantas airport we have to get there atleast 1 1/2 hrs before flight. I've gotten to greenville airport 20 minutes before my flight and had no problem making my flight. You can leave gwd that morning and make it.
The "myth" of travel sites using cookies to jack up the prices when they predict you are about to book is just that, a myth. Prices change so much, and for many reasons, there is no way to prove it. And if someone really believes that, just take two seconds and delete your cookies, then go back and book the flight. Or browse for flights on your computer and then book it on your phone.
SEMA looked to be pretty badass this year. Willys seem to be making the same comeback that 911s are.
http://www.race-dezert.com/home/get-lost-sema-day-ii-photos-115507.html
Also this is awesome.
http://www.race-dezert.com/home/rj-andersons-xp1k2-video-now-live-115348.html
http://www.race-dezert.com/home/get-lost-sema-day-ii-photos-115507.html
Also this is awesome.
http://www.race-dezert.com/home/rj-andersons-xp1k2-video-now-live-115348.html