Realistic Expectation- Flyertalk

Just been for a mooch round the Flyertalk trip reports:much as I would enjoy sitting in 2A ( I normally sit in 1A - the one with the control column and thrust levers on the 737 ), and I do enjoy my 6K in UC on holiday, I fear that some of the posts on FT lose track of reality.

Complaints about the wifi speed, speed the IFE loads, quality of food in First on SQ etc.

Do people realise they are in an aircraft, not a 5 star Gordon Ramsey 2 Michelin eaterie or a Virgin optical broadband cafe?

Yes the ticket is expensive, and yes, there is a level of expectation, but really?

Is there more to life than the label on the champers?

Just been for a mooch round the Flyertalk trip reports:much as I would enjoy sitting in 2A ( I normally sit in 1A - the one with the control column and thrust levers on the 737 ), and I do enjoy my 6K in UC on holiday, I fear that some of the posts on FT lose track of reality.

Complaints about the wifi speed, speed the IFE loads, quality of food in First on SQ etc.

Do people realise they are in an aircraft, not a 5 star Gordon Ramsey 2 Michelin eaterie or a Virgin optical broadband cafe?

Yes the ticket is expensive, and yes, there is a level of expectation, but really?

Is there more to life than the label on the champers?

The ticket *is* expensive and airlines consistently over promise, giving passengers expectation which is then under delivered.

If you are going to offer passengers WiFi, you'd better make sure it works. And airlines do makes wild claims about their dining offering.

At the end of the day, it's ten hours in a metal tube which has become a promise of status and glamour to a few and temptation to others (and A to B to the clever ones).

Managing that kind of expectation is difficult, airlines do themselves no favours and at 33,000 ft reality can hit the best of us.

Or something.

But as that's what you are paying for instead of flying business, PE or Y, I see no harm in pointing out the flaws. If an iPad can be very responsive, why is it that the IFE costing vastly more per unit isn't as fast? (There are reasons, but this is what people think) But as we see on here, when the flaw become smaller, more silly things to worry about, it shows that overall the product is good.

And some of the 'flaws' are not flaws as such but people just being complete arses

'My butter was too cold'

'My coffee was too hot'

'Only ONE ice cube in my Gin!'


Of course the most pernickety complaint we have ever seen was about a VS flight. Some of us remember 'cup cake gate' with fondness!

I do understand that airlines promise the world, and service delivery sometimes fails to match the puff: but surely the individuals who judge an airline by "the coffee is too hot / cold " One ice cube" etc are missing the point: you are in a tube, 34ft wide, 7 miles above the surface.

Ever heard an astronaut complain about the victuals?

And some of the 'flaws' are not flaws as such but people just being complete arses

'My butter was too cold'

'My coffee was too hot'

'Only ONE ice cube in my Gin!'


Of course the most pernickety complaint we have ever seen was about a VS flight. Some of us remember 'cup cake gate' with fondness!

Well, those things are annoying.

If I was paying full whack for a flight, I'd expect perfection.

Of course the most pernickety complaint we have ever seen was about a VS flight. Some of us remember 'cup cake gate' with fondness!

Ha ha ha, just read a lot of those threads and some replies to what was written had me in fits. The original post on TA is long since gone, anyone got a copy of the 'report' to share?

.. but it was an eclair!! ) )

Cannot remember who but a comedian recently did a part of his act and talked about complaining flyers etc and all the things they moan about regarding delays and problems etc.,

His final piece finished on the fact that as you are about to fly at 37,000 ft at 500 mph..... you should all be so happy with huge smiles and cheers and whoops every time you fly ! No complaints and arms up in the air at every bit of turbulence... flying..... the best Rollercoaster ride in the world !!!

I think the common FT response from those more grounded regulars is 'first world problems'

The problem though is that the more that we fly, the more we start to notice the minor imperfections and inconsistencies. Human nature that, so it's more a question of where you draw the line around raising them in a public forum, thereby exposing yourself to public ridicule...

For example, I could ask why BA had the temerity to put someone in the middle seat next to me where I'm sitting right now. Ok, perhaps I am in an exit row, but still, it does limit my use of one of the armrests. Harrumph!