Storm Chase 2012 - Dates And Early Booking Offer

[duckeyh]

Claire you will need to be here to see here it:

Thanks Quentin, I'd realised. Sadly I can't be in two places at once . I just wanted to see what if anything the guys are upto , Otherwise I'll need to change my plans as it seems really daft to miss this when I'm only 1 or 2 states across... There is one in Oz later in 2012 but I'm not giving up me Kansas/Colorado/Dakotas Storms

[Dorsetbred]

Thanks Quentin, I'd realised. Sadly I can't be in two places at once . I just wanted to see what if anything the guys are upto , Otherwise I'll need to change my plans as it seems really daft to miss this when I'm only 1 or 2 states across... There is one in Oz later in 2012 but I'm not giving up me Kansas/Colorado/Dakotas Storms

Claire IF it's quiet like last years tour 1 I'm sure the Sherm & the team will get you there.

[Tom Lynch]

Total eclipse

Paul mentioned it and suggested that if possible I arrange to be out there and ready to roll for the19th May but a lot will depend on what tornadic action there is at that time, My flight has been booked and i will be there on the 19th.

Tom

[Cookie]

I will be out the day before this year, so 19th for me aswell

[davelp]

Tickets booked for tour 4. Arriving BA the day before so now to find a suitable hotel. Yippee!

[lewisosd]

Tickets booked for tour 4. Arriving BA the day before so now to find a suitable hotel. Yippee!

Best Western in Irving I believe! You BA0193 from Heathrow?

[davelp]

How did you guess. I set myself a goal not to travel with our AA colleagues after last year. Will be looking to book the best Western is there is space available.

[Dorsetbred]

Total eclipse

Paul mentioned it and suggested that if possible I arrange to be out there and ready to roll for the19th May but a lot will depend on what tornadic action there is at that time, My flight has been booked and i will be there on the 19th.

Tom

Here's what a total eclipse looks like

http://lb.vg/1A8pj

Enjoy

[lewisosd]

I have an aa flight on the way home. What happened last year?

[davelp]

Bit of a cattle truck. Surrounded by inebriated service men and women, and staff who really didn't care. I sure it was probably a one off as there was some form of sporting event being played (Baseball I think), which was a serious distraction to staff and service.

[Dorsetbred]

Well with respect to "probably a one off ...."

AA is renowned for it's High quality customer care attitude.

Ask Duckeyh how she found their service. I have used them many times in the past, at business class, and at cattle class, and they I found were worse than bad.

Sorry to disappoint but cheap, yes they are, and it says all about their service, cheap....

I looked at them for flights, and figured I just couldn't stand the pain.

Then again, if your like my son, who is asleep before the plane leaves the runway. and wakes up as it lands, they are the best.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Dorsetbred

[davelp]

I was trying to be subtle.

I renamed them Guantanamo air after the last trip. I've sat in the front and back of many airline cabins, and constantly the Americans come low on the list of quality service. Hence I'm traveling BA. More cost but I know what I'm getting.

[lewisosd]

Ah well, at least it's on the return. Hopefully i'll be too knackered to care!

just out of interest, what flights did you get for the return to heathrow? There is only 1 BA flight that day so take it was the BA0192

As for the cheapest option - BA was the cheapest. Had a look on AA and it was £100 more expensive regardless of BA or AA flights. The BA flight return from Dallas made the trip much more pricey. For some reason that was coming in at £327 whereas the rest were at £251. I remember in September these all being at the same price. Ah well

Edited November 20, 2011 by lewisosd

[davelp]

Yes. Unfortunately BA only have one direct flight per day, The rest are under the guise of 'One world'. My last flight out and back which was AA, had a BA flight number and 7 others. Was interesting trying to figure out what gate to go to, I didn't read the small print when I booked it.

Thankfully my planning worked from last year so I did not have to rely on getting the cheapest flights which is great, but at the end of the day the chase is what counts so any airline would have done at a pinch.

Edited November 20, 2011 by davelp

[lewisosd]

I am actually considering changing the flight to the BA one now after reading these comments! Would cost me £100 + the extra £70 difference in price. I don't think it is worth the hassle and money really. Not a good sleeper on planes but may just pop a couple of pills lol!

[davelp]

If you can sleep who cares who drives the plane. Likewise not a good sleeper. That's exactly what the person in front of me did last time. Two pills and out cold. I spent the flight with their seat 4 inches from my face. No dinner as I could not wake them and the staff were not interested. Got my own back for breakfast though, deft use of elbows and knees. lol

[Tom Lynch]

Well i would say if you have already booked your flight i wouldnt want to spend such a lot of money to change to BA However Bitish Airways are better. I could write a book about my problems with AA and when we meet over there I will share them with you. However the flights cost enough and you have already spent enough. Enjoy the chasing at the end of the flight.

Tom

[duckeyh]

Total eclipse

Paul mentioned it and suggested that if possible I arrange to be out there and ready to roll for the19th May but a lot will depend on what tornadic action there is at that time, My flight has been booked and i will be there on the 19th.

Tom

Hi Tom, Thanks...I was planning to fly out a couple of days earlier anyway to get over the jetlag and post flight grumpiness so I'll be loitering somewhere

I was trying to be subtle.

I renamed them Guantanamo air after the last trip. I've sat in the front and back of many airline cabins, and constantly the Americans come low on the list of quality service. Hence I'm traveling BA. More cost but I know what I'm getting.

I travelled to the US twice this year, once with AA to Dallas and the second time with BA to Phoenix, I have to say BA beat AA hands down (even with the terrible in flight food) .

[Paul Sherman]

And we got a lovely Lightning Fest on the way back with Storms all the way from Flagstaff to about Denver before I Finally conked out. I thought the BA Pilot's positioning around those Storms was pretty spot on

[Nick F]

I can vouch too for flying AA not being a pleasant experience, last time I flew with back from Dallas the plane was obviously of old stock with threadbare seats, TV screens spaced overhead down the middle aisle rather than on the back of each seat, so no choice of what to watch; unattentive hostesses; and pretty awful food. Not a great way to spend 9-10 hours in a tin can! But you get what you pay for and the little extra for a BA flight certainly worth it IMO!

[lewisosd]

Ok so is the BA0192 on 11th June returning to Heathrow too early of a flight (allowing for travel from wherever we may be). I think the flight is around 5:30

Cheers

Lewis

Edited November 21, 2011 by lewisosd

[Tom Lynch]

Ok so is the BA0192 on 11th June returning to Heathrow too early of a flight (allowing for travel from wherever we may be). I think the flight is around 5:30

Cheers

Lewis

No that is the one I generally come home on so should be ok - I am booked on that one too lewis - The problem flights are anything around mid day and before.

[lewisosd]

No that is the one I generally come home on so should be ok - I am booked on that one too lewis - The problem flights are anything around mid day and before.

Thank you Tom. Due to what others have been saying about AA, I have made a change on my flights. I am not a great flyer and the thought of it being made worse by discomfort just worries me even more.

Lewis

Edited November 22, 2011 by lewisosd

[Tom Lynch]

Thank you Tom. Due to what others have been saying about AA, I have made a change on my flights. I am not a great flyer and the thought of it being made worse by discomfort just worries me even more.

Lewis

Lewis

I cant say that I have had a lot of discomfort with AA , stress yes indeed. Having booked my flights in september I was mortified to find that i was only on stand by when i came to board my second leg Chicago to Oklahoma, i managed to get on eventually. In Oklahome City in a ploy to clear passengers stranded by storms on the previous day they had only two desks open and in the time taken to clear the queue it made me too late and again i ended up on stand by - no amount of arguing would help - now, AA stand by prioritizes the people on stand by because they said i was late , i came low down their list. A passenger with an AA advantage card asked if he could go on a flight earlier than the one he was booked i.e. my flight would you adam & eve it, he came on the stand by list above me. When I went to the desk to enquire why my name wasnt on the list I was chased with a flea in my ear. If i did get a seat I would miss my transatlantic flight , have to pay for a hotel and another transatlantic flight. Stressed you bet. The flight that I was on stand by for came in and boarding started I still did not know if I was going to get on it. I went to the desk I was told in no uncertain terms go and sit down. I did get on that flight , the last seat but only because some one changed their seat to another airline. The year before they downsized the plane from Chicago and 15 people had to be bumped off the flight we left two hours late. Numerous delayed take offs . They said flight on time I said to my wife it cant be on time, they have got the engine in bits . She said shh!! someone will hear you . I said all they have to do is look out the bloody window. They had the side of the engine in pieces.

There is more but I will not bore you with it.

I must say that BAs move from the Boeing 777 to the older 747 has slightly reduced the quality of the Heathrow to Dallas flight but they merge flights to save money, thats life ATM.

Delta were tightly packed in so yes discomfort. I like British Midland & United Airlines & US Airlines . We came back from New York with Continental Airlines and were not too bad.

Tom

[John Hanrahan]

AA have stranded me in New York and Chicago on seperate occasions, having me to spend the night in both airports to get to their desks first at 5:00 to change the replacement flights their computer put me on. In fairness the AA staff did heir very best to get me on a more suitable flight and eventually got me on a much better Aerlingus flight back to Shannon. i've been flying BA ever since. I was appalled last year when I only realised when doing online checkin that my nice BA flights were actually AA code share flights. I payed extra for BA. Thankfully those flights worked out OK with the exception of the lack of comfort, headphones that make your ears bleed and no free booze.

In short for me, B.A good, AA BAD!