Hmmm... I think that could actually be a good visit. It's an allegory that shows how time marches on and things renew. To see something old being used for something new is encouraging. Give it a thought.

Hi,

Yes perhaps i'll see what kind of mood she is in.
But now unfortunately and i almost hate to say it, the meeting did not take place thanks to her troublesome sister. She gave her so many problems by the time everything was said and done she had to rush to the airport and thus the meeting did not take place.
When i think about how sad this is. For a long time now she has been something like 2500 miles away, then all of a sudden she was within maybe 20 miles of me, then in a flash she was gone again and now she's 2500 miles away again.

The upside is we got to talk on the phone and she is seeing a professional again.

 

Al I believe you have mentioned her before. I want to say a fear of flying entered into things on your part. Now as far as I recall New Jersey has some lovely airports. Go to an airport and I am sure you can find a plane going west to CA and go visit her. You are not alone as I would get to the airport 1/2 day early and sit in the bar for hours just so I could board a plane. Today my doctor told me if I ever have to fly he will prescribe a bucket of Xanax for my pre-flight. Seriously Al, think about it. You would likely very much enjoy the trip and seeing an old friend on her turf, especially with a well planned trip.

Ron

 

Al I believe you have mentioned her before. I want to say a fear of flying entered into things on your part. Now as far as I recall New Jersey has some lovely airports. Go to an airport and I am sure you can find a plane going west to CA and go visit her. You are not alone as I would get to the airport 1/2 day early and sit in the bar for hours just so I could board a plane. Today my doctor told me if I ever have to fly he will prescribe a bucket of Xanax for my pre-flight. Seriously Al, think about it. You would likely very much enjoy the trip and seeing an old friend on her turf, especially with a well planned trip.

Ron

Hi Ron,

Geeze, that's great encouragement i cant tell ya how much i appreciate that and how much simpler it sounds now.
Yeah, back when i had to fly around a lot to fix bad designs i had to have some drinks too before boarding. It works haha.
She is probably the only person on this earth who could get me on a plane again too ha ha. I had a bad experience back then flying into Boston from Canada when the plane lost an engine and we came very close to crashing. Inside the plane was dead silence until we finally landed.

That's great encouragement and maybe i am just worrying about this too much and just getting nuts about it when i should just go.
There are a few personal things i have to do first anyway though but yeah you are so right i have to do this.

Thanks for pointing this out.

Just one question though if you dont mind, can you still go to an airport at some random unscheduled time and find a plane going to somewhere you want to go? Dont you have to reserve in advance now or no?

 

Hi Ron,

Geeze, that's great encouragement i cant tell ya how much i appreciate that and how much simpler it sounds now.
Yeah, back when i had to fly around a lot to fix bad designs i had to have some drinks too before boarding. It works haha.
She is probably the only person on this earth who could get me on a plane again too ha ha. I had a bad experience back then flying into Boston from Canada when the plane lost an engine and we came very close to crashing. Inside the plane was dead silence until we finally landed.

That's great encouragement and maybe i am just worrying about this too much and just getting nuts about it when i should just go.
There are a few personal things i have to do first anyway though but yeah you are so right i have to do this.

Thanks for pointing this out.

Just one question though if you dont mind, can you still go to an airport at some random unscheduled time and find a plane going to somewhere you want to go? Dont you have to reserve in advance now or no?

Yes, that’s still possible. The catch is that airlines are flying fewer flights and those are usually packed! So while you can go and walk up, you may have to wait a long time to get an available seat on some future flight.

 

Hit post reply prematurely. The other side is once you have a ticket and boarding pass, you can go to the gate of all the earlier flights and get on the standby list. Oftentimes, you will get on an earlier flight.

 

Just one question though if you dont mind, can you still go to an airport at some random unscheduled time and find a plane going to somewhere you want to go? Dont you have to reserve in advance now or no?

I really don't know. My last flights were maybe 26 or 28 years ago. When I was doing the international thing there were three years where I was averaging upwards of 70,000 air miles a year. Some really bad flights with all sorts of problems so to this day I have no desire to fly. On the other hand my wife loves to fly so go figure.

I know when my wife goes to Arizona to see her cousin we book early like a month plus in advance and as the flight draws closer the cost goes up, sometimes quite a bit. A round trip Cleveland to Phoenix which was $225 would be up to about $325 a week before the flight. Anyway Al, I assume you are retired? Should that be true then make a plan and go for it. Seriously if you have apprehension about flying shere it with your doctor and he will likely give you a script for Xanax or similar which really helps avoiding hangovers.

Ron

 

I really don't know. My last flights were maybe 26 or 28 years ago. When I was doing the international thing there were three years where I was averaging upwards of 70,000 air miles a year. Some really bad flights with all sorts of problems so to this day I have no desire to fly. On the other hand my wife loves to fly so go figure.

I know when my wife goes to Arizona to see her cousin we book early like a month plus in advance and as the flight draws closer the cost goes up, sometimes quite a bit. A round trip Cleveland to Phoenix which was $225 would be up to about $325 a week before the flight. Anyway Al, I assume you are retired? Should that be true then make a plan and go for it. Seriously if you have apprehension about flying shere it with your doctor and he will likely give you a script for Xanax or similar which really helps avoiding hangovers.

Ron

Hi Ron,

So i guess you are saying that the price goes up for people who didnt buy a ticket yet, and so the more in advance you buy the ticket the cheaper it will be.

 

Hi Ron,

So i guess you are saying that the price goes up for people who didnt buy a ticket yet, and so the more in advance you buy the ticket the cheaper it will be.

Basically yes.

 

Hi Ron,

So i guess you are saying that the price goes up for people who didn't buy a ticket yet, and so the more in advance you buy the ticket the cheaper it will be.

Yes, that's how it seems to play out today, been our experience anyway.

Something else which is going on is both amusing and interesting. When shopping airline pricing people would discover for a round trip ticket from let's say Newark to San Diego with a stop in LA actually cost less than the ticket from Newark to LA. So people would book the flight and simply exit at LA and not use the continuation. There was a big flap about that. I forget what it was called but people actually created algorithms to work out the best fares. I haven't a clue of what I once called "standby" still exist or if it offers a discounted fare but do know the airlines try to get every plane full to the max.

Ron

 

So i guess you are saying that the price goes up for people who didnt buy a ticket yet, and so the more in advance you buy the ticket the cheaper it will be.

That's the general rule, yes. Some deals allow your ticketed price to go down if the price falls after your purchase, a sort of low price guarantee.

There is an exception, though, if you're willing to leave on a dime. Airlines don't like empty seats and I believe some will drop fares at the last minute to fill seats. I've never been prepared to take advantage of that but I have heard about it. Airline employees and their families also get access to unfilled seats.

 

Hi,

Yeah that sounds interesting too but i guess if they beat you to a seat you might not get it then.

This is still pending and there are other interesting things coming up now too. I'll update again soon.
This will be the meeting of a lifetime for me and i want to make it the same or at least really nice for her too.

 

Hello again guys,

I hate to keep asking questions but this is an important one any help would be greatly appreciated.

When you take a domestic flight does it matter if you are carrying some cash like say 1000 dollars USD?
I ask because i dont want security to think i was some kind of drug runner or something and get nervous about me.
I dont want to travel with zero cash either.

Something came up in CA so I may have to leave soon so anything any ideas would help asap.

Thank you all very, very much.

 

$1000 won't matter. Now, if it was a golden semi-automatic, it would.

I should add that I routinely send my wallet though the scanner as I don't want any credit cards to set it off. If you do that, count the cash before and after.

 

$1000 won't matter. Now, if it was a golden semi-automatic, it would.

I should add that I routinely send my wallet though the scanner as I don't want any credit cards to set it off. If you do that, count the cash before and after.

Can you carry the cash in your hand? I hate to leave that much unattended for any length of time.

What do you mean by "the scanner" what is that exactly?

You mean credit card can set off an alarm of some kind?

Thanks a lot really.

 

I've come late to this but it sounds to me like your friend is suffering from PTSD just because she's not letting go. PTSD is about could of, should of and would of. What did you do or how did you react to what was done to you. I'm only telling you this because if she is suffering from PTSD it comes with equal parts depression and anger. Usually one is hidden from others and the other is shared but eventually if you're with her enough you will see the other side. It sounds like the other side with your friend is the anger. You need to know that if or when you see that side it has nothing to do with you except you're the one there. If you do see it though it's your decision if you let it run you off or not. She may even be trying to run you off. Obviously this is a remedial explanation of PTSD but this explains the classic basics of the condition. Take or leave this but if she does talk about her mother or dog and it's all rosey or all warts you're listening to BS. She can't create a new history. It doesn't work. This is over the top for a forum but I hope it helps.

 

Can you carry the cash in your hand? I hate to leave that much unattended for any length of time.

Yes, but I leave it in my wallet. I'd rather no one really know how much I am carrying.

What do you mean by "the scanner" what is that exactly?

I went through 2 airports last week, CLE and PSP.
Security was different at each. CLE had a microwave scanner and metal detector. You stepped into a booth, held your hands over your head, and it was over. No need to remove shoes.
PSP was a more conventional screen. You had to take off your shoes and walk through a "scanner". Metal only or that plus ???? I don't worry about what else.
Generally, you need to remove metal items and place your carry on's on a conveyor for x-ray examination.

You mean credit card can set off an alarm of some kind?

Thanks a lot really.

Don't know and don't intend to test it. I treat my wallet like I treat my carry on, belt, and shoes when required. That scanner is presumably just x-ray, but I am not sure. One of my credit cards sets off the RFID theft scanners at a local Walmart regularly and occasionally at other places. I presume it is the chip(s). I'd rather be safe than go through the "enhanced" security.

 

Physicists found that metal detectors could sense the metallic ink in a one dollar billfrom under two inches away. As the physicists increased the size of a stack of bills, the magnetic field increased as well. ... There is a huge difference between one hundred $100 dollar bills and one hundred $1 dollar bills.

They know when you carry cash, so if you take 10 $100 bills they know there is something metal, 10 bills won't flip a trigger. $100,000 might.

Safe Travels,

kv

 

I've come late to this but it sounds to me like your friend is suffering from PTSD just because she's not letting go. PTSD is about could of, should of and would of. What did you do or how did you react to what was done to you. I'm only telling you this because if she is suffering from PTSD it comes with equal parts depression and anger. Usually one is hidden from others and the other is shared but eventually if you're with her enough you will see the other side. It sounds like the other side with your friend is the anger. You need to know that if or when you see that side it has nothing to do with you except you're the one there. If you do see it though it's your decision if you let it run you off or not. She may even be trying to run you off. Obviously this is a remedial explanation of PTSD but this explains the classic basics of the condition. Take or leave this but if she does talk about her mother or dog and it's all rosey or all warts you're listening to BS. She can't create a new history. It doesn't work. This is over the top for a forum but I hope it helps.

Hi,

Well thanks for the reply but not sure what you mean by 'if she does talk about her mother or dog'.
If it bothered her, why would she not talk about it?
I encourage her to talk so that i can understand her better, but please elaborate i like to hear more insight.

 

Yes, but I leave it in my wallet. I'd rather no one really know how much I am carrying.

I went through 2 airports last week, CLE and PSP.
Security was different at each. CLE had a microwave scanner and metal detector. You stepped into a booth, held your hands over your head, and it was over. No need to remove shoes.
PSP was a more conventional screen. You had to take off your shoes and walk through a "scanner". Metal only or that plus ???? I don't worry about what else.
Generally, you need to remove metal items and place your carry on's on a conveyor for x-ray examination.



Don't know and don't intend to test it. I treat my wallet like I treat my carry on, belt, and shoes when required. That scanner is presumably just x-ray, but I am not sure. One of my credit cards sets off the RFID theft scanners at a local Walmart regularly and occasionally at other places. I presume it is the chip(s). I'd rather be safe than go through the "enhanced" security.

Oh i see ok. Well i dont know about my cc's if they will set it off or not, but i hate to take them out first. I dont want to lose any of them on a trip like this.

 

Physicists found that metal detectors could sense the metallic ink in a one dollar billfrom under two inches away. As the physicists increased the size of a stack of bills, the magnetic field increased as well. ... There is a huge difference between one hundred $100 dollar bills and one hundred $1 dollar bills.

They know when you carry cash, so if you take 10 $100 bills they know there is something metal, 10 bills won't flip a trigger. $100,000 might.

Safe Travels,

kv

Hi,

Did you mean the difference between one 100 dollar bill and a hundred 1 dollar bills?