This is from May 2012, the last time Ken and I flew together. We were headed to upstate New York to get married and were fortunate to have a friend who agreed to stay in our house and watch over Callie, our border collie. We left from Terminal 2E on an Air France flight to Boston* where we visited friends and spent the night before driving west to Albany.
I've only flown twice since then. Once in 2016 to Montréal where I spent two nights, then drove south to Albany. The second and last time was this past February when one of my aunts passed away. That was just as the coronavirus was moving around the globe. I flew from Paris to Chicago where I changed planes for Albany. My return trip was Albany to Washington, DC, then back to Paris. I was fortunate that I did not pick up the virus on any of the four planes I was on or in any of the four airports I passed through. Not to mention the trains to and from home.
I have no idea when the next time I fly will be. It likely won't be soon.
*More information than you want: Albany is a three hour drive from JFK in New York City or from Logan in Boston. It's a four hour drive from Montréal. I prefer to take one plane and drive rather than change planes to fly to Albany. Except in winter. Even so, my February flight from Chicago to Albany was diverted to Buffalo for a few hours due to runway ice in Albany. My return from Albany to Washington Dulles was also delayed and I very nearly missed the connection back to Paris. Traveling to the snow belt in winter is no fun.
No, traveling to the snow belt in winter is definitely not fun. I would prefer your selections (in good weather). The flight and a drive would take less time than two flights.
ReplyDeleteI miss traveling, but it is not worth the risk, the CDC estimates 11,000 people have been infected on US airline flights.
ReplyDeleteYou never give us more information than we want. ;). I would never have thought of flying Paris/Chicago/Albany.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you saw Jane's recent FB post about flying, but she said that it's like a ghost town out there... on the planes (15 passengers, 12 crew, huge plane), in the airports(95% of the airports shops and restaurants closed), around the airports (shuttered hotels all around the CDG airport). So much financial loss for workers and companies.
ReplyDeleteI feel like it has been ages since I've flown...and it has! Last time for me was 2007! My passport expired over 5 years ago. Now, I wonder when I will even renew it? When the virus has been contained, I guess.
ReplyDeleteWhen your plane was diverted to Buffalo, did you get off and then drive to Albany? Maybe you had the car reserved and it would have involved too many changes.
Once on a flight to Europe, we were scheduled to be on an Airbus, but it was changed just a few days before departure. I had really looked forward to seeing how Airbus compared to United, Delta and American!
You aren't missing much. I just heard a podcast on the h/o PanAm. how lovely flying was once upon a time.
ReplyDeleteNowadays it is an awful experience.
mitch, it's much less stressful not to have to change planes, and direct flights from Paris to NYC or Boston are not as long as some other destinations.
ReplyDeletetravel, I'm with you, it's scary stuff!
bettyann, it seems a bit out of the way, but I was flying on short notice and the price was right.
judy, I haven't. I'll take a look. Thanks.
mary, I'm thinking you meant "Air France." It's a nice airline and I try to fly Air France when I can. On this last trip I flew United (so I could go through to Albany) and I was pleasantly surprised. Both of the international legs were comfortable and the aircraft had been recently updated. The DC to Paris flight was my first time on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner!
michael, I generally agree, but there are exceptions!
mary, I forgot to answer your question: we landed in Buffalo and spent 3 hours on the ground before taking off again. We landed in Albany at 1:00am but had been scheduled for 9:30pm! My rental car was waiting for me there... the rental agencies stayed open late because so many flights were delayed due to ice. Everyone was helpful and nice even though it was freezing cold and so late. I got to my hotel at 2:00am and didn't sleep a wink the rest of the night.
ReplyDeleteReading this post, I am reminded of your visit to Boston prior to heading for Albany. I have fond memories of our drive up to coast for a seafood lunch in Portsmouth, NH. I remember, too, the return to Sudbury, driving through Acton, MA and you suddenly saying, "There's the house my family lived in briefly when I was a kid." Can that have been really 8 years ago? And hello to Ken.
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