well, I had an experience with Singapore Airlines flying out of China few years ago. I just had an innocent comment to the flight supervisor (?) and he got mad at me. Than he walked off, came back and his shouting at me continued, escalated violently and end up with nasty treads that were overheard by all passengers.I was speechless, , deeply offended and helpless. It spoiled my happy mood after nice travel in China and despite of being the Frequent flyer member for decades and recommended SQ o many friends, I stoped flying with Singapore Airlines. For good! Perhaps you should tell us how to calms down the flight supervisors??
The top 5 ways Mentour Pilot manipulates you: 5. Smart uniform 4. Clear explanations 3. Slick production quality and animations 2. Interesting stories 1. Dogs
The PA thing reminded me when I was on a West Jet flight from Toronto to Edmonton a few years ago. A little before takeoff, the captain got on the PA and introduced himself then asked, "Who wants to go to Jamaica?" everyone in the cabin laughed and cheered - and perhaps a few were a little concerned they were on the wrong flight. Then he said, "Too bad, we're going to Edmonton." That little bit of humor has stuck with me.
I used to fly regularly from Manchester to London to get my connecting flight to Switzerland on a nice and early flight and it was always full of pilots on their way to work who had brilliant stories!
I was on a Brazilian domestic flight during a period when a nation wide money raising campaign against breast cancer was running and as we reached the cruising altitude the 'Captain' entered the cabin in very high spirits and began to entertain, sing for us, crack jokes and talk about the campaign. To this day I'm actually in doubt whether it was the Captain or some dressed out clown. We should've been warned, though, since the plane was painted all pink.
I recall on a flight a number of years ago the pilot deadpanning this supplementary safety PA and eliciting a good deal of laughter: “those of you that are seated in an exit row must be able and willing to assist other passengers in the event of an emergency. If you are unable to assist others, please let a flight attendant know so they can reseat you. If you are UNWILLING to assist other passengers, the captain will be coming back to discuss your attitude.”
This Canadian citizen in Thailand is reminded of an amusing mid-1980's "Canuck" TV advertisement wherein the protagonist passenger is brightly attired in obvious holiday / vacation clothing, deludedly thinking he is on his way to Hawaii. When the p.a. indicates that they are in fact headed to Winterpeg, err, Winnipeg, and that his fellow passengers are rather more bundled-up in warm clothing than he, all he can do is wryly repeat, "Goin' to Winnipeg..." P.S. Cannot actually remember what product / service was being advertised.^^
One thing I absolutely miss with airline sales is the plane models. In the 80s and 90s, it was very common that the flight crew had plastic models of the exact same airplane you were on on their cart, often in different sizes and quite reasonably priced (I recall something like 30$ for a 10 inch Lufthansa 747-300). I was flying on vacation with my parents quite a lot, and so I gathered a sizable collection of model airplanes. Somewhere around year 2000 this stopped.. and when asking, the stewards only pointed me to the airline magazine where a few selected models (often not the one you were sitting in) could be mail ordered for horrendous prices (100$ + international shipping). (Big shoutout to Luxembourg's Luxair.. I flew on their Dash8/Q400 and I totally loved that plane and the flight experience and everything, and of course I wanted one for my collection. I asked the flight crew, no merchandise on the carts, but they took my business card with a "we'll see what we can do". I expected an email with an excuse or a catalogue, but instead a few weeks later I received a parcel with four sizes of the Dash8. That's how you make a customer very happy! Too bad they don't service routes except LUX, else I'd fly with them more often.)
I remember those as well. My Dad used to bring these little models along as a souvenir for us kids when he went on business trips! It’s a special childhood memory for me and I noticed at some point they didn’t sell them anymore.
This is one reason we don't fly at all now, obvious signs they are robbing people. Nothing good lasts forever as there is no good any more in the first place
Airports must really hate me. I arrive early, to avoid stress getting to the airport in time. So I spend a lot of time, walking around, looking at stuff.... but not buying anything.
This still helps, because you are still footfall on the premises. You don't buy anything, maybe not the person behind you in the shop, and maybe not even the third, but the fourth saw all of you go into the shops and the fourth person might have been thinking about buying something anyway, or not and they are just very impressionable, and by merely seeing more people in the shops, they are subtly encouraged to buy something. Ker-ching.
@@georgemorley1029 Guess that's the case for any shop, especially those at shopping malls. Why airport shops in general don't sell actual useful stuff, is something I never understood. Who needs a $1000 blazer? Not many. Who needs a newspaper or a book for the flight? Or whatever item for personal hygiene, that was accidentally packed in check-in luggage? I could understand if airports had more "proper" shops than all the fancy crap you find everywhere.
Yeah, right? I’m likely there for business (though a mere peon in the corporate empire), so keen to get to gate to make arrival arrangements, and off to the cab stand on arrival (and I’m not turning in a receipt for a 2kg Wonka Bar and 10L of Crown Royal). As well, my personality has me arrive, and make a beeline to the gate-THEN find a restaurant if necessary. Now our local airport (through which I have flown dozens of times), I can only say that there’s a TGI Friday’s airside, and a bar, a Dunkin Doughnuts, and a Starbucks landslide. There are dozens of places airside, but they don’t catch my attention. I’m no fun at amusement parks or malls. Always on a mission.
For me it’s not just the prices, it’s stuff that I wouldn’t need at all; the only things I’ve ever bought at an airport is food, and that’s not even a common occurrence
stoped using Rayan air as there is to much advertisement. while purchasing the flight as while flying. it's like a prison where they throw all that crap nobody really needs anyway on you for the whole flight. also they only have boeings. so since this year and knowing the mindset of boeing management i guess that also a little plus in not flying with them.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately we have lost power on all engines due to a minor technical issue. Not to worry. Our blue upholstery, and carpeted isles are specifically designed to provided you with a comforting and relaxing experience during our rapid descent! Also, "Sleepless in Seattle" T-shirts are on final sale at $ 0,99 and No-smoking signs are off!
I work for a major airline as a Cabin Mechanic and I can tell you another reason for the blue seats is that dirt and stains are harder to see on the seats. Meaning they do not need to replace the seat covers as often. Of course heavy soiled cover are replaced instantly and many planes have extra covers stored away on board to change incase needed.
I'm not studying to become a pilot but I'm a huge aviation fan and air travel enthusiast... I love how this guy explains things in a manner that we can understand
K.D.P. Ross Yes! That’s what most people don’t understand. When inflation is factored in, plane tickets are a lot cheaper then they were before deregulation.
Yes, adapting seats to the AVERAGE human height is beyond stupid in terms of passenger confort, it means 50% of the population isn't gonna be confortable.... Also, not selling my seat twice, making me loose 2 300$ night in an hotel, or at least compensating me for it.... Would make me happy... But maybe I just need stop taking low cost airlines alltogether... Most are utter shit.
@K.D.P. Ross, don't forget that low-fare tickets are often all that people can AFFORD. Up to the 1970s or early '80s, airports and planes were like fashion catwalks, because flying was such an élite thing that people didn't want to feel badly dressed or to be shamed by it, so they put on their best attire (you can see that even in old videos of holiday charters, which were the cheapest flights you could take back then). Now you see people flying who would have simply never even come near a plane in the old days (and who also couldn't afford expensive designer clothes). That may not be so apparent in developed countries, but go to developing ones and that reality will scream on your face. Even there, A LOT of people are flying who never would without low fares (often competitive with ground transportation).
I always appreciate when a pilot or cabin crew does just a little extra something to give the passengers a quick laugh. Years ago on a Delta flight, when they were still doing the in-person safety briefings, the main flight attendant got on the PA and asked "Who does this belong to?" Once everyone looked up, she said "Now that I have your attention, let's go through our safety briefing." Everyone laughed, and I will always remember that small interaction.
I once flew with a small aircraft on a domestic flight in Germany and our captain was from the netherlands as was obvious from his accent when doing the welcome PA in otherwise perfect german. So he went straight foreward and anounced himself by name and "I'm your captain on this flight, the flying dutchman."
On a flight from JFK to Heathrow in the morning of a late December day, the pilot made the pre-flight announcement in a very festive language and tone and made a clever verbal segway to Frank Sinatra's Come Fly with Me before singing the whole song. The plane applauded. I'll never forget that flight.
I have noticed that airports in Germany like FRA and MUC don't force everyone to walk through the shop. Which is really nice. The worst are places like Manchester where you're forced on an Ikea style twisty route though the shop, walking 100m to end up about 20m from where you started!!
These curvy routes annoy me so much because I AM stressed and I want to get to the gate, and this slows me down which just makes me uncomfortable in that moment. Also these shop areas obviously don't have signs to tell you where to go
It is the same in Nice. ... terminal 1 (dont know about T2 but maybe the same..). they changed it completely 2 or 3 years ago. before the change, you had to take the escalator 1 level up to the security check and then you were directly in the gate area. some shops and restaurants here and there, the usual stuff. but now, the security is in the check in level and then the nightmare starts: an escalator up in the opposite direction, forcing you in and through a huge shopping area (left hand turn, as mentioned in the video..). yes, like ikea. and even no shortcuts possible! .. it is so disgusting. ... but sadly, it doesnt stop when you finally arrive in the waiting area. there used to be a large and very nice panorama window towards the apron. but now they blocked it with stupid gift shops and snack bars. i have never seen such a distasteful way to turn a very nice airport into a place of shame and discomfort before. :(
When I am in any airport right off the bat, I know everything for sale at the airport cost 2 or 3 times more there than on the outside. With that in mind I can easily resist expensive airport manipilations.
Gatwick makes you walk right through the middle of a large duty free shop and it always has the opposite effect on me. Having that oppressive store shoved down my throat, while simultaneously being forced to walk through a crowded and uncomfortably tight area surrounded by precariously shelved items just makes me want to flee! Also easyjet never announces their gates until like 2 minutes before boarding, and quite often they're literally a mile away so I'm always too scared of being late to go shopping!
Yep, but you would be the exception, not the rule. Most people will see something they like and decide to “spontaneously” shop a gift or something then and there.
I think it’s East Midlands where the departure board doesn’t say “wait in lounge” before your gate’s open, but “relax and shop”. That annoyed me to the point where I decided I’d never buy anything at the airport again.
Once in the 90s I was on a transatlantic flight from South America to Gatwick. The departure was delayed a couple of hours. About 45 minutes after takeoff the captain announced that he was sorry for the delay, but they had to check on a red warning light that started blinking over the Atlantic on their way to South America. They couldn't find the fault and decided to just ignore it. His very words at the end of the announcement were: "But the plane brought us to South America so it will bring us back to Gatwick". I filed it under British humor.
Very interesting, thank you! Those shops: I am so repulsed by the stink of cosmetics that I hold my breath until I am clear of them, walking as quickly as possible. So no sales from me. "Beam me up Scottie!"
Agreed, went from LAX to DFW and then to MAD and by the time I got to Madrid and walked through that maze on to a trip in Ibiza I had absolutely no desire to buy anything...with 6 hours to kill none the less.
I get that they want you to walk through a Duty Free, but I just wish I could make my way to a gate without being bombarded by a cloud of perfume. In fact, I would spend more time shopping if I didn't have to hold my breath.
Good grief!! As a severe asthmatic, I'm soooo glad this one hasn't caught on here yet... It sounds super frustrating too, particularly f you were just trying to catch you flight, catch your shuttle home, or transfer between flights 😖
I agree totally I get severe migraines inhaling all the passengers perfume testing clinging to their clothes and I’m sick for the full journey. Flying for that reason is my worst nightmare even with strong medicine from my neurologist. 🤢
@@gillimcutube Oof. That's super tough!! Flying is the worst for that because it's not like you can open a window or ask to get out for a breath of fresh air like normal! Don't know what can be done to make that environment safer for everybody who's chemical sensitive...? Ideally perfume samples would be removed from the duty free counters but the stores involved seem unlikely to cooperate with that alas! 🙄 At least one good thing arising from the whole pandemic ordeal is that it's nornalising wearing pretty heavy duty VOC-filtering facemasks on planes, buses, in meetings etc - at least for now? I find that's significantly cutting down on bad reactions to stuff.
Heathrow don’t show gate numbers until about 45-50mins before departure to keep passengers in the shopping area longer. T3 you have to walk through duty free to get to the gates
Thomas Mortimore while LHR T5 comes across a large chaotic shopping mall, with accidental boarding gates playing hide-and-seek with passengers in the most overlooked least profitable corners
Barbara Vyse it’s alright for T5A, main problem is for B+C everyone is suddenly heading for the underground to get the train that connects the terminals. But having said that most long distance flights depart from B+C so you could go beforehand
Detaining people in the shopping area is common in many European airports, and almost unheard of in North America. It is not an airline/airport operational issue. Most flights there pull up to jet bridges yet gates are posted hours ahead. It creates some inconveniences when gates are changed, but passengers are not held captive in a shopping mall. Also, many of the non-duty-free stores, particularly in the UK, make you scan your boarding pass, a shady practice that allows them to keep the VAT if you are leaving the country. That's typically a margin increase of at least 15%.
I used to fly BOAC in the sixties, when LHR was exciting and passengers were treated with respect, but not now. I have just completed a 5,000 km round trip across Europe by car - sensible departure times, comfortable seats, no baggage restrictions, no intrusive inspections, unlimited stop-overs and plenty of shopping alternatives. And it was door-to-door - an aspect of travelling that rarely gets considered in commercial schedules.
Rather you than me. You are close to death in a car. A moment's inattention, a rogue driver coming the other way, and it's all over for you and your passengers. You cannot relax for a moment - you cannot read. The death toll on Europe's roads (including the UK), not to mention the toll of injury, is frightening . . .
@@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301: Yes, you make a valid comment. Air travel does have a commendable safety record despite the disproportionate publicity which follows any unfortunate event. But however you travel (or even stay at home) there are risks involved. For me, a nominal 3.5 hour flight actually translates into about 10 hours door-to-door and, given the other aspects that I mentioned, my balance of risk versus reward comes down in favour of using my car. I appreciate that I have the luxury of being able to choose when and how I travel - if we find somewhere nice then we can stop off for a while - and that others may not have that degree of flexibility. I have been in situations with more constraints and I can understand why other people might come to a different conclusion.
They should pass a law that pricing for transportation is based on the distance and speed of travel, measured _doorstep to doorstep._ That would make companies think differently!
LOVE: When you talked about airport CARPET, you used clips from possibly the most famous airport carpet ever: My home airport, Portland International (PDX). Yep!
the carpeted floor is quite annoying. last year I decided to turn my luggage into a remote controlled robot, but because I only had lego motors it was quite weak, and didn't work on carpets! still impressed everyone at the airport though.
I hate those shop we have to go through after the security. I don't care about their shop and I just want to go to the gate and this stupid shop is between me and the gate. It is stressing me more than the security as I go through the shop searching the exit with my luggage behind me.
I just walk past them. Even if I stop and browse, I know I can buy the same thing cheaper at Amazon, eBay, Mercari, etc... ex: I saw a pair of Oakley Crosshair sunglasses for $226. Took a pic of them, searched Mercari and bought a pre-owned pair for $48 delivered to my door
Plus, those passengers walking in front will tend to slow down or stop when walking through those stupid shops, thereby, blocking the way of other passengers walking behind them who need to get to their gates ASAP.
PDX loves its carpet. So much so that when they went to replace it, people bought squares of the old used carpet as souvenirs and they even designed the new carpet as an homage to the old one. The design on the carpet mirrors the layout of the terminal and runways.
Podcast is excellent as always! Just wanted to add the comment about this last example (or #1) of manipulating from my perspective - i get it that people do get a bit nervous after 30-50 min in que for security checks, sometimes i do too, but honestly where i loose my nerves are exactly those shops before gates. Maybe i would buy something sometimes, but with those 5x bigger prices than usual, my principle is not allowing me to even turn my head for any product, just looking for the way out... Those shops are horrible..
Petter: One you omitted re: airport design. Seating for waiting passengers is deliberately designed to have far fewer seats than are possible and needed. This is programmed into the design of the airport so that people will have to go to restaurants to find a seat. And once there will be obligated to order food or drinks.
@@MentourPilot Airport designers are not apt to confirm this design due to their reluctance to show a design that is specifically meant to cause discomfort to the public. Causing the public to walk in a specific direction in order to entice shopping would not be the same as to not providing enough seats. But they have indeed an obligation to the owners of restaurants and bars to increase revenue to pay for the rent of the facility. Driving passengers to their venues is in the facility design. Fewer open seating is how this is accomplished.
And that is one reason I get thru the shopping area as fast as possible and head straight to the gate. You want me to shop? Then make sure I have a place to sit down when I'm finished.
@@patcavanaugh4941 If they want me to shop, they can start by charging real-world prices -- and mark the prices on the displays. When they DON'T show the price -- you know immediately that the price is so high you'd have to be crazy to pay it.
Here in America, I miss having the SkyMall magazine in the seat-backs of planes. It was the the type of stuff you’d never actually buy (which is probably why they went out of business!) but was entertaining. Where else could you see solar powered garden gnomes, step ladders to help dogs get in bed, and body hair removal kits all in one place?!?!
Needless to say, now that laptops and mobile devices are just about everywhere, something like the SkyMall magazine has gone out of fashion. I remember a similar kind of magazine from a Korean Air flight I took back in the winter of 1988-89. It seemed to feature a different country per month. The one that was right in front of me featured a Korean restaurant in Zürich, Switzerland. It also featured a Korean traditional artist and a fashion model with Swiss connections. It also contained several pages of paintings and photographs from art galleries. I liked the artistic angle of this magazine--i.e., I thought something like pictures and photos was well-suited for passengers stuck in a flight for many hours. Fortunately, this magazine was bilingual--i.e., in English and in Korean.
Yeah, I miss skymall... it was an amusing way to kill 20 or 30 minutes of a flight. I actually did buy something from there once for some Shakespeare production. The director was trying to work out some kind of gag, and the set designer said he had seen the perfect thing in SkyMall... It was a chair with a back that kind of flipped over and it turned into a stepladder. The gag wasn't that funny, but I can honestly say we found a use for something from SkyMall!
Airlines still have it, juts their own airline specific publication that changes monthly. It will have general flight info like channels, usually a crossword puzzle, etc.
Making a building or a vehicle more calming IS good thinking. I recall an office building that had 2 floors, A large open space inside and office space on perimeter. Floor 1 had couches, chairs and olants in the center area, all bathed in natural light from a large row of skylights. Floor 2 had a catwalk on all 4 sides overlooking the seating are. You used that to get from one set of offices on one side to the other (stairwel or open air entry in between). If you took a moment to relax there, you were in view so breaks were purposeful but the light and the green were part of your view. It was a super place to come to work and when we grew and switched to a building with a circuitous floor plan and far less natural light, it had a noticeable and negative impact on productivity.
I have a wonderful time flying. Boo Sunshine, the parrot, comes along. He has been photographed with and played with pretty much everyone. We are always greeted warmly at TSA where he obediently comes out and goes into his carrier. We eat where he is most welcome and if a merchant wants a sale they need only notice him. He should get frequent flier miles, though, and doesn’t.
#1: in Europe, they don't announce the gate until the very last moment, so you don't know where to go to begin with. That makes people spend more time shopping, or at least in the shopping area. At Heathrow, this causes even MORE stress, not less, because they announce the gate 10 minutes prior to boarding, but it takes 20 minutes to walk to the gate. I recommend everyone to go through security even if you don't know where your gate is. As long as you pass security, it'll be easy to find your gate.
Blue is a calming color that have a calming effect on nervous or stressed passengers, it’s also a color where dirt and grime isn’t seen instantly so it takes longer before any dirt becomes a visual problem. Not sure the airports I’ve been on has been having carpets in large areas, but personally I prefer when areas don’t have carpets, and if there are carpets it’s better if it’s of a type that doesn’t add a lot of friction as it becomes a problem for people in wheelchairs or using walkers, or even people pulling a carry on luggage. I’m a wheelchair user myself and carpets can be a major problem for accessibility as it becomes very heavy to self propel over carpet and it slows you down a lot which doesn’t help if you need to go from A to B a bit faster to get to your gate. Funny though, don’t think any of these manipulations have an effect on me. I don’t buy things I haven’t planned to look for in the shops, I’m always calm when traveling and even enjoy the environment of an airport. There’s just something special about the ambience of an airport with the excitement in the air from people traveling on their dream vacation, and the excitement of being on the way somewhere yourself. But maybe I’m just an oddity there... I’ve always loved flying, ever since my first 15 minute flight over Varberg in a Cessna when I was 10, and first charter trip at 14... And omg that smell of jet fuel! When I lived in Tårnby I’d often take the train to Kastrup airport just to have some coffee at Starbucks and just enjoy the airport atmosphere, and of course, some people watching and just be amazed at how many different languages and ethnicities you’d hear and see around you... Nowadays I don’t travel much at all, over 4 years since last time now. But as a disabled person with severe chronic pain, I have one complaint about airports... Why is there so little seating available, and why always so uncomfortable? If I’m going somewhere and have a layover of many hours, there’s just nowhere to go to have a rest that is needed for medical reasons. I just can’t bum around the shops for say 3-4 hours, and then expect my spine to manage more sitting to the final travel destination. Would have been nice if airports had a lounge for disabled passengers where you can just go and have a rest in a more peaceful environment and mainly have the opportunity to lie down for a while on a daybed or in a recliner. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy like business class or first class lounges but just an area where people with a documented disability (physical or other) can just go to recover a little between flights or before boarding a flight. Just some comfy seats/recliners and access to accessible bathroom and a basic kiosk and some outlets would be enough for such an area, and preferably a bit dimly lit rather than fluorescent light. It could help so many people out there who have issues with chronic pain or increased risk of pressure sores, or people who due to some condition is extra sensitive to having too much going on around them
Hej! I too live with Chronic Pain Syndrome, and some other medical stuff too. I want to share something you might know, but maybe others don't know about. Every airport have a connected service to people with disabilities. You can get access to these services by asking for them. The airport prefere to get warnings from the airline so they prefer that you ask at the time of booking your flight but you can access the service at any point. What you do is asking for wheelchair support, they will ask if you need a WCHR or a WCHS. With the WCHR (or most commonly they ask if you will need help all the way to the plane) you'll be expected to be able to walk down the brisway or go with the common bus (expect to stand on the journey to the plane). With the WCHS you will have assistance by wheelchair from the checkin counter to where you leave the flying part of your journey. Meaning there will be someone that stays with you, and handle your luggage at the belt, take you through customs and out to the car picking you up/your cab/ your bus or wherever you need to go. Even stoppin for restroom breaks. The service is free but if you fly into an airport in a country where tipping is a thing, it's seen as a courtesy to leave something for the person helping you (about 8 years ago when I last travelled to the US I generally tipped about a fiver or more if I was traveling with more than I piece of luggage). Some if not a lot of airports have a designated area for disabled people with long layovers. Some are swanky with access to almost flat chairs, and others only have a waiting area in the terminal itself but with a manned desk of to one side. To be able to access them you have to be registered with a WCHR or WCHS and there is codes for vision impaired and hard of hearing/deaf people too. Another special perk of this system is that you don't have to stand in line anywhere as these assistants are working, and have other people to take care of. They will also let at least one other person coming with you, but I have seen where a full family have been taken through all the checkpoints too. With the hope this will be of interest to someone. Yours, Ann P:S jag ber om ursäkt för den långa kommentaren. Jag verkar inte kunna skriva kortare texter längre. D.S.
@@annlidslot8212 I do use the wheelchair services when traveling :) I keep my own chair to the gate and then have staff take my chair to the special cargo hold as I walk onboard the aircraft, and then I have my chair delivered to the gate upon arrival. For short layovers over had transfer by the golf cart like vehicles between gates, sometimes also bus for some distance to have shortcut outside the terminals instead of going through the labyrinth indoors. It’s usually been working really well this far, the little I have traveled since my chronic illness changed my life and I started using a wheelchair. If I have longer layovers in future travels I’m going to have to ask about special waiting areas I think, see if it can give a possibility to just stretch out a bit and rest between flights, sitting for extended periods of time is an issue for me due to pretty bad spine and neck issues.
@@ReyOfLight Hej igen, That's what I thought was happening. I too have a hard time just sitting without any real possibility to stretch out. I ment the information mostly to those who might be new to traveling with a disability. As you have the golf cart transfer but go by bus it sounds to me like you go as a WCHR and you should be able to access any rest areas that the airport might have. I've noticed that you have to have a long layover to be taken there with transfer times over three hours. I have started requesting the WCHS service myself. I have moderate to severe brain fatigue as a side order to my chronic pain. The difference for me is that there are less stimuli going in the special car than taking the bus. On the whole there are less stimuli in general, so that is what I prefer. To each their own. Good luck with your travels in the future. Vänligen, Ann
@@annlidslot8212 I’m sensitive to too much going on as well. But I just haven’t traveled much since before my EDS started affecting my life heavily, so it’s been working out pretty well this far. Only time I’ve been traveling with layover since becoming disabled was when traveling to Poland in 2015, but it was just about an hour layover in Munich each way, hence the bus and golf cart transfers there. With a longer layover I’d probably just have gone in my chair to explore the airport a bit on the way to the next gate, along with just getting to move around a bit (I do better with sitting in my wheelchair if I’m moving around between places, than when I’m just sitting in general in one place) but yeah, with just about an hour layover in a huge airport, needed to get to the next gate fast to be sure to be there on time. Even had time to have some ice cream at a cafe by the gate before boarding the connection flight on the way to Poland :) If I travel with long layovers again, I’ll for sure check if the layover airport has any facilities for disabled people as that would save so much energy to just be in a more quiet space for a while
@@ReyOfLight Hi, So sorry to hear that. EDS doesn't sound to be much fun. My CRS comes from a traffic related whiplash injury. I have a couple of unrelated lung disorders and a wonky immune system on top of that, so the last way too many years I haven't traveled a lot either. I was doing fine with just the whiplash but since falling ill with the other stuff and then two years in isolation because a pandemic, well lets just say I'm travel deprived. We (husband and I) are talking about taking the car and drive south until we find somewhere warm and sunny. Maybe Spain because you can get closest to the equator there while still being in the EU. You can take a car ferry/cruise ship to the Canary Islands from there if need be. I hope that your EDS may stabilizes, and you will have the best life possible. Yours, Ann
One of the main things I complain about when I travel is actually the airports with carpet. It makes it significantly more difficult to pull my luggage VS a nice smooth tile floor
My airport (Saskatoon, SK, Canada) is mostly not carpet. As far as I can recall. Well, it is winter here like half the year, and then Mud Season after that....if we had carpet, it would be full of melted snow and ice chunks and mud in no time, and it would be stinky and gross.
Mentour Pilot, your videos (and Captain Joe's) have helped me get a little better with flying. I still get nervous in the air, and some things still low-key freak me out, but your videos have really helped me not panic nearly as bad, and you have given me so much more confidence in pilots. Thank you so much!
The duty free shops are always too expensive. Even common brands of chocolates cost double of what they cost outside. I wouldn't spend my money for anything other than meals/coffee.
Its how very touristy stores are. Amusement parks, airports, tourist spots, cruise ships all have expensive AF shops. When you are on a vacation, people tend to let loose and spend money because "it is a vacation." They take advantage of that and jack up the prices.
The shops at international airports in the UK are no longer duty free. They charge you the duty and tax as normal, but then they ask to see your boarding pass and if you are going somewhere outside the European Union the shop claims back the duty and tax money and keeps it.
@@NatureAndTech yes but eating/drinking when you have some time and especially when you are hungry is one of the little pleasures of life. Life is not some constant budget-optimization routine, we make money to enjoy life, not the other way around
Some airports have gone even further - At Heathrow and other airports, they departure displays in the shop area won't even tell you what gate to go to, until you have just enough time to make it there with a brisk walk, therby keeping you even longer in the shop area. I have discovered that if you have to check in at a counter or drop a bag there, sometimes the personnel there konw already what gate you will have, and you don't have to wait in the shop area, and then walk fast to your gate.
Perhaps if the airport shops charged reasonable local prices they might just increase turnover instead of pissing most travellers off and causing them to intentionally ignore them. Just a thought
Mentour Pilot disagree, people are in airport lounges to travel not shop. Any shopping is mainly opportunistic rather than essential, quite a different motive than those actually attending a conventional shopping mall where the primary motive is usually to shop.
Sad that it works that way, Mentour Pilot. Maybe more to do with price inelasticity of demand than the supply and demand balance. Phew - that's the first time I've mentioned inelasticities for about 20 years! Juuust possible I'm wrong, but it sounds smart :-)
@@MentourPilot I would like to know whether airport get any revenue from these shops? I have never purchased anything from the shops on the airport except for food. I have eaten from KFC, Cafe Coffee Day (similar to Starbucks in Europe it is a coffee chain in India)
Great Video - all true. The vast majority of pax are completely unaware that airports take a % of every retail sale for themselves, whether duty free, shop, bar, restaurant, currency exchange or bottled water from a vending machine. Each and every sale has a % going to the airport. The other great trick you didn't mention is the airport not announcing gates till a certain time prior to boarding - this is to keep you in the retail area as long as possible. And they work with the airlines to make sure your Gate is NOT printed on your boarding card. In 90% of flights, the airline and the airport know exactly which terminal and which gate your flight will be well in advance. But this handy little info is withheld to keep you shopping as long as possible. It is possible to find out your gate before its posted via a few apps and a little knowledge of where to look. If you're a 5/7 times per year flyer and want to beat the airport at part of their own game. Spend €300/year and buy a lounge card, or purchase the one-off lounge access. Keeps you out of the shops and restaurants, you'll have some modest food and beverage included, better wifi (usually) and some comfort and convenience while you wait to board.
love your videos. and you hit the nail on the head with this one. funny thing is, i took my son to check out MIT when he was college shopping. we didnt have time to grab an MIT shirt from the store at the school but we found them at the air port store and they were actually cheaper than the ones in the college store. BONUS. he got his MIT shirt. and i got it cheaper.
Let's not forget...they tell you to be way early...then they put all the food, after security. You're waiting, you get hungry, you're options are expensive food or really expensive food. "Captive" consumers + few options = high prices.
I don't know anything about their rent $$$...but I am sure you are correct. I don't blame the shop keepers, so much as I blame the building owners that charge the high rent. Same as anything, anywhere...we, the consumer pay for it all. It makes perfect sense, from a business standpoint.
Fermiticus : yep and the reason there's no place to sit before security is that they don't want people to spend time there, they want us to go inside and spend money.
So it's about getting you in the shops and keeping you there? Well, that's not a surprise. Great topic! Normally I like the technical side of things more, but this was well worth viewing.
I watched YYC and YEG go through a startling transformation when they got redeveloped years ago. Somehow they became shopping centres where planes come to visit. I was gobsmacked to see entities that, to my mind, were strictly retail and had nothing to do with aviation or travel or even tourism. Odd.
The airport redesigns haven't really caught on yet in the US, at least in the domestic terminals, but it's definitely noticeable in Europe. I remember flying through the Geneva airport, and getting dumped right into the duty-free shop after coming up the escalator from security. I was so outraged, I bought nothing just out of stubbornness!
A lot of the tips and tricks that the Cabin Crew and pilots use are things I also use as a teacher. These are good people skills to help everyone find a solution to whatever problems might have arisen. It's super cool to see that we've got things in common! Keep up the amazing work! Cheers!
I've gone into a Vegas casino trying to get out the other end and had a compass, I still came out on the wrong end. Hahaha. You are totally right, those casinos are insane.
I love your dogs in the videos ! I never mentioned them before cause I didn't want the serious subject to be diminished but I want you to know I really like seeing them in your videos . I'm a low time private pilot who hasn't had a current medical certificate for years due the expense of aircraft rental and not being in a position to own an aircraft . I used to keep up with the subject and subscribed to a NSTB accident report magazine as in a paper magazine that used to come to my house in the mail and always read them cover to cover LOL , I know I'm dating myself horribly . I'm seriously considering getting back into aviation and getting my instrument rating and my own aircraft . I appreciate your channel Mr. Mentour and have alot of catchup to do with your older videos as well looking forward to your new ones . Keep up the good work !
You forgot to mention that, in most airports nowadays, the displays don't show the assigned gate until 20/30 minutes before boarding. In this way, people tend to wander around the shops, instead of sitting all the time at the gate.
I recall that some people seem to figure out anyway what gate the flight will be from, especially if an airline tends to fly from just one gate. I've wondered when the seats won't pop out if the floor until just before the flight. It reminds me of a Black Mirror episode in which the video walls of the protagonist's room play a screeching noise if he won't watch enough advertisements.
Let me see if I got this straight. Airports want to increase their revenue by having the passenger purchase more. These items, weighing more than the money spent, increases aircraft fuel consumption, which increases airline expenses, which in turn, is followed by an increase in the cost of the ticket. Conclusion: Duty-free purchases results in increased ticket prices. OR " Keep airlines flying; don't buy duty-free!" Thanks for another excellent, informative video.
I have noticed that in SAS, its usually the pilot flying who makes the welcome speach, sometimes the pilot on the PA introduces him as a first officer, or captain, depending on who is flying
When they force passengers to walk through a perfume section in a shop...x( As an asthmatic that's a painful experience. Wish the airports would be more about accessibility.
Hopefully you can use this platform to remind crews to come and relay important announcement information to deaf passengers. I usually don't find out we've diverted until we show up at an airport I wasn't travelling to!
Can't you book your ticket accordingly (so they know you need extra attention ?) I know that people in wheelchairs or families with small children can notify them in advance and get extra attention, help and the seats with more room for your legs. Or when you enter the plane you tell a flight attendant (the most senior looking) that you need extra communications Or you have a little written message ready. - It is also a safety risk for an airline because in an emergency you do not understand what was said - you might end up getting a better seat just that they can have an eye on you during flight. Not helping you out would make them look bad - people are more aware of the obligation towards people with disabilities. And their PR department might be aware of it as well. In times of social media and mobile phone videos they do not want to be online with discriminatory practices - and like I said there is a safety aspect as well. btw: you most likely would also find your seat neighbours quite willing to assist you, if you introduce yourself.
Most of what he said is standard retail and advertising knowledge applied to aircraft, airports and airlines. We have been manipulated by increasingly sophisticated marketing/advertising for decades and now politicians and governments are using the same knowledge to control the masses. Russia applies it very efficiently, especially since the advent of social media.
DUDE! As a sound engineer for live events I TOTALLY get what you said about "the less technical details I give you," etc. MY job as the sound guy, or whatever other technical position I'm working, is to JUST confidently tell you, "we're experts, we've got this." And it really does work just like that. If I try to explain a problem and its solution, first obviously that takes valuable time, but it also immediately goes into things the person I'm talking to doesn't understand and starts to stress them out MORE. When there is a problem in a concert and the promotor or whoever is panicking, absolutely THE BEST thing I can do... 100% of the time, without fail... is do the best I can to say, mean it, exude in every part of my being: "I got this, relax." If I can do that with the person I'm talking to, it works EVERY time... which makes it even better, makes it work even better, because they're not hassling and distracting me and I can implement my troubleshooting procedures instead of dealing with a panicked client.
The fluffbutt copilot is the star of the show. Also its a very happy coincidence that the captain and copilot are wearing the same hair color haha. Keep up the good work!
The last one never works on me, because once I am through security, my main goal and focus is just finding my gate. And the gates are usually quite far from the shop, which makes it very unlikely that I will return. I also plan all trips to airports to be full before arriving, since ending up there hungry will hurt my wallet more than needed.
When i fly, the captain does not do the PA. It always comes from a cabin crew member. They just say "On behalf of the captain and the rest of the cabin crew, we would like to welcome you on board." The only time i hear the captain is when they say "cabin crew, takeoff." Etc
@@Real_Natural It would be funny to hear a pilot with an Indian accent. "Excuse me sirs and madams this is your captain speaking. I am very much wanting to continue moving to the jetway so please stay seated until the seatbelt sign is turned off."
the PAs of the captains don't calm me but make me angry and nervous, the microphones and speakers are of such a bad quality, that I often don't understand a single whole sentence, in 90% the captains also talk in a much too low voice and often much to quickly. In case of an emergency, if the passengers would also cry etc. one would certainly understand nothing.
I believe that captain Sully only said one thing - 'brace for impact' - during the Hudson incident, and that was it. If the pilot is waffling on it means you're not crashing :-)
They all attended the Bruce Springsteen School of Elocution. It's mandatory worldwide for anybody making announcements in or around airports and aircraft. I think they're required to simultaneously chew gum, suck on a lollipop, and mash the microphone against the lips.
Agreed: state of the art $100M aircraft are equipes with $0.5 microphones and speakers built in te early 1960s. The stationary analogue phone we had then had a better sound quality.
There is a three part video series on Netflix called the city in the sky. And it talks about why airports are designed the way they are and other facts about aviation.
Do they explain why every announcer on every airport PA system in the world sounds as if she's sucking on a hard candy, recovering from extensive dental surgery from which the lidocaine hasn't worn off and mashing the microphone so hard against her lips that it leaves marks?
I've noticed the time estimate signs and appreciate them. No food on domestic flights in the US, so it's good to know if I have time to sit and eat, or need to grab a sandwich to go, or just head to the gate. If you're flying AA it doesn't matter, you always have time to eat, sleep, take an online class, and order a new wardrobe to replace the lost bags.
Anyone remember how United treated a passenger a few years ago when they needed his seat for an airline employee and he was assaulted and security dragged him off by his feet and injured him severely? I've experienced some excellent cabin crews over many years of flying but have also run into my share of rude and incompetent ones. Flying used to be a real pleasure but not anymore thanks to deregulation.
I remembered that too, when Petter talked about polite, friendly and helpful crew. The problem (and I think it was United Airlines that did it): They had sold more tickets or needed the seat for crew - but the captain offered only a ridiculously low compensation for all the trouble (essentially the price for a new ticket, and maybe for a meal on top). I am sure it was not the captain that was such a miser, he was not allowed to offer more. Plus he announced that they would not leave until someone would give up their seat. And when no one followed the "friendly" invitation they announced they would select a passenger. I wonder WHY they could not make arrangments with OTHER airlines to accomodate the person coming later - assuming that this was an employee that needed to get to their port of destination. It would not be correct to prioritize one passenger over another one. (Although in another case a first class passenger that already was seated was made to leave, also with threat of use of force - allegedly he had to make way for a Senator). The practice to oversell seats (usually someone cancels) means that they can efficiently fill the planes and maximize revenue. So if by coincidence all passenger show up for the flight OR if they have to transport more crew than expected - they certainly can afford to give better incentives for all the hassle. From the comments under the videos covering that sccandal I took that many made the experience that the offers of the airplanes are not good. Often they try to give the passengers that give up their seat (or are bullied into it) the little extra (on top of fare) in form of a voucher (so only useful when the person flies again, and with the same airline). They could easily afford to be more generous, the practice of overselling also means more revenue for them, and here and there they would have to give financial or other incentives to make it worthwhile for passengers to help them out. This violent removal was right before take-off, plane was filled (most people seated) - so at that time the luggage has been loaded and it would be an extra hassle to get it. Then leaving the plane, trying to get another flight, waiting at the airport (or even getting into a hotel), change of plans etc. But if they had offered a few hundred bucks more and had appealed to one nice person on board helping us out, pretty please - I am sure one not so busy passenger would have given up the seat voluntarily. Financial benefits on top of that. I am not sure why they singled out an elderly gentlemen for this (there was a suspicion this had racial undertones: He is old he is Asian-American - how busy can he be ? Likely also betting on it, that a little man from that culture would not protest and put up with it). Also: IF they had a passenger (politician ??) or crew member that they needed absolutely to get into a seat - they could make a deal with another airline.
The carpet featured in the clip is the classic original carpet at Portland (Oregon) International/PDX. We were very attached to that carpet. It became a social media celebrite. When it was replaced a few years ago, it caused city-wide anxiety, but the new design is fine, and it's nice to have new carpet. :-)
The thing that gets me is how expensive "duty free" is in the UK. When I was last doing a lot of flying (53 flights in 10 months nearly drove me crackers) the duty free was actually more expensive than my local cash and carry.
I live in Pennsylvania where the alcohol taxes are so high that it costs significantly less to buy at the duty free shop on the way home if I possibly can.
At 8.40 you talk about the captain using the PA to tell the passengers that they have a minor technical issue. I flew out from Schiphol Airport once, flight to the USA, and during taxiing the captain informed us of a minor technical issue that would cause some delay. All passengers stayed quiet, I started to get worried. The delay took around 15 minutes. Then the captain informed us that the minor technical issue had been resolved, and we would be taking off. During the entire flight I was more tense than normal. But we reached our destination and everything was fine.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Love it!
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
lol the dog though agree with you great video
well, I had an experience with Singapore Airlines flying out of China few years ago. I just had an innocent comment to the flight supervisor (?) and he got mad at me. Than he walked off, came back and his shouting at me continued, escalated violently and end up with nasty treads that were overheard by all passengers.I was speechless, , deeply offended and helpless. It spoiled my happy mood after nice travel in China and despite of being the Frequent flyer member for decades and recommended SQ o many friends, I stoped flying with Singapore Airlines. For good! Perhaps you should tell us how to calms down the flight supervisors??
@@MentourPilot Compare 1930s Nazi Germany Vs 2020s Communist Chinazi IN YOUR NEXT VIDEO Project.
Why is there a man telling us about planes in this cute dog video?
The top 5 ways Mentour Pilot manipulates you:
5. Smart uniform
4. Clear explanations
3. Slick production quality and animations
2. Interesting stories
1. Dogs
That's why we don't notice he's using a green dress instead of a pillow case.
Especially the dogs.
And interrupting himself to keep us watching. I actually turned it off though before I realized that.
lol 😂
Ace in the hole comment!
The PA thing reminded me when I was on a West Jet flight from Toronto to Edmonton a few years ago. A little before takeoff, the captain got on the PA and introduced himself then asked, "Who wants to go to Jamaica?" everyone in the cabin laughed and cheered - and perhaps a few were a little concerned they were on the wrong flight. Then he said, "Too bad, we're going to Edmonton."
That little bit of humor has stuck with me.
I used to fly regularly from Manchester to London to get my connecting flight to Switzerland on a nice and early flight and it was always full of pilots on their way to work who had brilliant stories!
WestJet’s crews manage to even make me feel less terrified when I’m flying. I have never had bad service with them.
I was on a Brazilian domestic flight during a period when a nation wide money raising campaign against breast cancer was running and as we reached the cruising altitude the 'Captain' entered the cabin in very high spirits and began to entertain, sing for us, crack jokes and talk about the campaign. To this day I'm actually in doubt whether it was the Captain or some dressed out clown. We should've been warned, though, since the plane was painted all pink.
I recall on a flight a number of years ago the pilot deadpanning this supplementary safety PA and eliciting a good deal of laughter: “those of you that are seated in an exit row must be able and willing to assist other passengers in the event of an emergency. If you are unable to assist others, please let a flight attendant know so they can reseat you. If you are UNWILLING to assist other passengers, the captain will be coming back to discuss your attitude.”
This Canadian citizen in Thailand is reminded of an amusing mid-1980's "Canuck" TV advertisement wherein the protagonist passenger is brightly attired in obvious holiday / vacation clothing, deludedly thinking he is on his way to Hawaii. When the p.a. indicates that they are in fact headed to Winterpeg, err, Winnipeg, and that his fellow passengers are rather more bundled-up in warm clothing than he, all he can do is wryly repeat, "Goin' to Winnipeg..."
P.S. Cannot actually remember what product / service was being advertised.^^
One thing I absolutely miss with airline sales is the plane models. In the 80s and 90s, it was very common that the flight crew had plastic models of the exact same airplane you were on on their cart, often in different sizes and quite reasonably priced (I recall something like 30$ for a 10 inch Lufthansa 747-300). I was flying on vacation with my parents quite a lot, and so I gathered a sizable collection of model airplanes. Somewhere around year 2000 this stopped.. and when asking, the stewards only pointed me to the airline magazine where a few selected models (often not the one you were sitting in) could be mail ordered for horrendous prices (100$ + international shipping).
(Big shoutout to Luxembourg's Luxair.. I flew on their Dash8/Q400 and I totally loved that plane and the flight experience and everything, and of course I wanted one for my collection. I asked the flight crew, no merchandise on the carts, but they took my business card with a "we'll see what we can do". I expected an email with an excuse or a catalogue, but instead a few weeks later I received a parcel with four sizes of the Dash8. That's how you make a customer very happy! Too bad they don't service routes except LUX, else I'd fly with them more often.)
Amazon…around $40
I remember those as well. My Dad used to bring these little models along as a souvenir for us kids when he went on business trips! It’s a special childhood memory for me and I noticed at some point they didn’t sell them anymore.
What a wonderful collection!
Some airlines do still sell the replicas while onboard. Just have to ask the cabin crew.
This is one reason we don't fly at all now, obvious signs they are robbing people. Nothing good lasts forever as there is no good any more in the first place
Airports must really hate me. I arrive early, to avoid stress getting to the airport in time. So I spend a lot of time, walking around, looking at stuff.... but not buying anything.
Ha, After security i decided to walk all the areas at YVR i could. Not browsing the shops though.
Ha that's me as well!
@@bertblankenstein3738 Beautful airport, YVR. Had a few hours layover there, one time, waiting for a flight to London.
This still helps, because you are still footfall on the premises. You don't buy anything, maybe not the person behind you in the shop, and maybe not even the third, but the fourth saw all of you go into the shops and the fourth person might have been thinking about buying something anyway, or not and they are just very impressionable, and by merely seeing more people in the shops, they are subtly encouraged to buy something. Ker-ching.
@@georgemorley1029 Guess that's the case for any shop, especially those at shopping malls. Why airport shops in general don't sell actual useful stuff, is something I never understood. Who needs a $1000 blazer? Not many. Who needs a newspaper or a book for the flight? Or whatever item for personal hygiene, that was accidentally packed in check-in luggage? I could understand if airports had more "proper" shops than all the fancy crap you find everywhere.
I have my own trick up my sleeve that beats all those airport shopping tricks :) I'm to bloody poor to buy anything at those prices!
I have been in airports that seem like expensive shopping malls that you just happen to leave by plane, rather than anything else.
jur4x im too bloody poor to go there in the first place
Yeah, right? I’m likely there for business (though a mere peon in the corporate empire), so keen to get to gate to make arrival arrangements, and off to the cab stand on arrival (and I’m not turning in a receipt for a 2kg Wonka Bar and 10L of Crown Royal). As well, my personality has me arrive, and make a beeline to the gate-THEN find a restaurant if necessary. Now our local airport (through which I have flown dozens of times), I can only say that there’s a TGI Friday’s airside, and a bar, a Dunkin Doughnuts, and a Starbucks landslide. There are dozens of places airside, but they don’t catch my attention. I’m no fun at amusement parks or malls. Always on a mission.
For me it’s not just the prices, it’s stuff that I wouldn’t need at all; the only things I’ve ever bought at an airport is food, and that’s not even a common occurrence
@@TS_Mind_Swept The only thing besides food I ever bought at an airport, was a book to read on the airplane and that was 33 years ago! LOL
Ryan Air's interior colors scream "SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, THEN GET OFF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"
That's what I'm thinking whenever I get on a Ryanair plane. I hate those colours :')
stoped using Rayan air as there is to much advertisement. while purchasing the flight as while flying. it's like a prison where they throw all that crap nobody really needs anyway on you for the whole flight. also they only have boeings. so since this year and knowing the mindset of boeing management i guess that also a little plus in not flying with them.
Ryanair = burglars with all the supplements that you have to pay which are not included in your ticket price !
What about RIP your overall bone structure as we land 😂
soooo true
Ways you are manipulated by Mentour
1) Cute fluffy dog ......
........
It works. I'm aware of it. I'm not even mad.
2) calming an assuering voice
3) Great accent! (I would listen to him talk about pretty much anything.)
Yessss! 😅 It certainly works for me! 😎😅😅😅
Dave Hines Hate to say this but I'm disappointed when the dog(s) aren't there, no matter how interesting the topic! Sorry Mentour but it's true lol
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately we have lost power on all engines due to a minor technical issue.
Not to worry. Our blue upholstery, and carpeted isles are specifically designed to provided you with a comforting and relaxing experience during our rapid descent!
Also, "Sleepless in Seattle" T-shirts are on final sale at $ 0,99 and No-smoking signs are off!
Hah hah hah!!
Bahahahahaha! Seriously underrated comment right here. Should be top. This made me burst out in laughter. Thank you, good sir!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
You forgot to say "and this will mean we'll be loosing cabin pressurization"
Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!I'm pissing myself!
As a passenger I like to listen to the captain before take-off, especially if he is in a good mood, this really brings good vibes
Especially when he says “expecting a smooth ride ….see you in the air”
I work for a major airline as a Cabin Mechanic and I can tell you another reason for the blue seats is that dirt and stains are harder to see on the seats. Meaning they do not need to replace the seat covers as often. Of course heavy soiled cover are replaced instantly and many planes have extra covers stored away on board to change incase needed.
I'm not studying to become a pilot but I'm a huge aviation fan and air travel enthusiast... I love how this guy explains things in a manner that we can understand
Blue upholstery is very nice, but if the airline really wants to make me happy they will give me a few more inches of legroom!
their blue is too cold. its dark blue than daylight light blue
They do... In the class ahead of you and for a fee :(
K.D.P. Ross Yes! That’s what most people don’t understand. When inflation is factored in, plane tickets are a lot cheaper then they were before deregulation.
Yes, adapting seats to the AVERAGE human height is beyond stupid in terms of passenger confort, it means 50% of the population isn't gonna be confortable.... Also, not selling my seat twice, making me loose 2 300$ night in an hotel, or at least compensating me for it.... Would make me happy... But maybe I just need stop taking low cost airlines alltogether... Most are utter shit.
@K.D.P. Ross, don't forget that low-fare tickets are often all that people can AFFORD. Up to the 1970s or early '80s, airports and planes were like fashion catwalks, because flying was such an élite thing that people didn't want to feel badly dressed or to be shamed by it, so they put on their best attire (you can see that even in old videos of holiday charters, which were the cheapest flights you could take back then). Now you see people flying who would have simply never even come near a plane in the old days (and who also couldn't afford expensive designer clothes). That may not be so apparent in developed countries, but go to developing ones and that reality will scream on your face. Even there, A LOT of people are flying who never would without low fares (often competitive with ground transportation).
The dog related technical difficulty put a huge smile on my face. 😃
I always appreciate when a pilot or cabin crew does just a little extra something to give the passengers a quick laugh. Years ago on a Delta flight, when they were still doing the in-person safety briefings, the main flight attendant got on the PA and asked "Who does this belong to?" Once everyone looked up, she said "Now that I have your attention, let's go through our safety briefing." Everyone laughed, and I will always remember that small interaction.
I once flew with a small aircraft on a domestic flight in Germany and our captain was from the netherlands as was obvious from his accent when doing the welcome PA in otherwise perfect german. So he went straight foreward and anounced himself by name and "I'm your captain on this flight, the flying dutchman."
On a flight from JFK to Heathrow in the morning of a late December day, the pilot made the pre-flight announcement in a very festive language and tone and made a clever verbal segway to Frank Sinatra's Come Fly with Me before singing the whole song. The plane applauded. I'll never forget that flight.
I have noticed that airports in Germany like FRA and MUC don't force everyone to walk through the shop. Which is really nice. The worst are places like Manchester where you're forced on an Ikea style twisty route though the shop, walking 100m to end up about 20m from where you started!!
These curvy routes annoy me so much because I AM stressed and I want to get to the gate, and this slows me down which just makes me uncomfortable in that moment. Also these shop areas obviously don't have signs to tell you where to go
Standsted is shit like that as well.
I love passing through those shops, I keep checking their high prices make a loud comment and laugh, and I see how the workers there stare at me. Lol.
It is the same in Nice. ... terminal 1 (dont know about T2 but maybe the same..). they changed it completely 2 or 3 years ago. before the change, you had to take the escalator 1 level up to the security check and then you were directly in the gate area. some shops and restaurants here and there, the usual stuff. but now, the security is in the check in level and then the nightmare starts: an escalator up in the opposite direction, forcing you in and through a huge shopping area (left hand turn, as mentioned in the video..). yes, like ikea. and even no shortcuts possible! .. it is so disgusting. ... but sadly, it doesnt stop when you finally arrive in the waiting area. there used to be a large and very nice panorama window towards the apron. but now they blocked it with stupid gift shops and snack bars. i have never seen such a distasteful way to turn a very nice airport into a place of shame and discomfort before. :(
More anti-anglo raceism nice.
When I am in any airport right off the bat, I know everything for sale at the airport cost 2 or 3 times more there than on the outside. With that in mind I can easily resist expensive airport manipilations.
Yes...so simple.. allway's my practice too.
Starbucks is only 30% more just like at a mall.
Gatwick makes you walk right through the middle of a large duty free shop and it always has the opposite effect on me. Having that oppressive store shoved down my throat, while simultaneously being forced to walk through a crowded and uncomfortably tight area surrounded by precariously shelved items just makes me want to flee! Also easyjet never announces their gates until like 2 minutes before boarding, and quite often they're literally a mile away so I'm always too scared of being late to go shopping!
Yep, but you would be the exception, not the rule. Most people will see something they like and decide to “spontaneously” shop a gift or something then and there.
I think it’s East Midlands where the departure board doesn’t say “wait in lounge” before your gate’s open, but “relax and shop”. That annoyed me to the point where I decided I’d never buy anything at the airport again.
Once in the 90s I was on a transatlantic flight from South America to Gatwick. The departure was delayed a couple of hours. About 45 minutes after takeoff the captain announced that he was sorry for the delay, but they had to check on a red warning light that started blinking over the Atlantic on their way to South America. They couldn't find the fault and decided to just ignore it. His very words at the end of the announcement were: "But the plane brought us to South America so it will bring us back to Gatwick".
I filed it under British humor.
I'm pretty sure that's how half a dozen of Mentour Pilot's plane crash stories start.
Very interesting, thank you!
Those shops: I am so repulsed by the stink of cosmetics that I hold my breath until I am clear of them, walking as quickly as possible. So no sales from me.
"Beam me up Scottie!"
Absolutely nauseating indeed!
I hate the mandatory duty free maze. It puts me in a grumpy mood, worse than security.
Ah, just walk past it and aim for the closes cafe with views over the airport
@@MentourPilot That's my goal, but in BRU the duty free maze feels endless.
I just can’t stand all the smells. I get on the other end of it with a headache and sneezing. No joke, the one in LAX Tom Bradley, I hold my breath.
@@wizardmix Yeah, I'm the same way. Perfume counters should be glassed in like smoking rooms in restaurants were before it was banned.
Agreed, went from LAX to DFW and then to MAD and by the time I got to Madrid and walked through that maze on to a trip in Ibiza I had absolutely no desire to buy anything...with 6 hours to kill none the less.
I have always loved the polished wooden floors at Copenhagen airport - much nicer than carpets.
I get that they want you to walk through a Duty Free, but I just wish I could make my way to a gate without being bombarded by a cloud of perfume. In fact, I would spend more time shopping if I didn't have to hold my breath.
Good grief!! As a severe asthmatic, I'm soooo glad this one hasn't caught on here yet... It sounds super frustrating too, particularly f you were just trying to catch you flight, catch your shuttle home, or transfer between flights 😖
I agree totally I get severe migraines inhaling all the passengers perfume testing clinging to their clothes and I’m sick for the full journey. Flying for that reason is my worst nightmare even with strong medicine from my neurologist. 🤢
@@gillimcutube Oof. That's super tough!! Flying is the worst for that because it's not like you can open a window or ask to get out for a breath of fresh air like normal! Don't know what can be done to make that environment safer for everybody who's chemical sensitive...? Ideally perfume samples would be removed from the duty free counters but the stores involved seem unlikely to cooperate with that alas! 🙄
At least one good thing arising from the whole pandemic ordeal is that it's nornalising wearing pretty heavy duty VOC-filtering facemasks on planes, buses, in meetings etc - at least for now? I find that's significantly cutting down on bad reactions to stuff.
I feel this. I've always wondered how people could actually work there 8h a day. I'd have a major headache if I were in their shoes, lol.
Big call-out to that cute doggy for finally distracting you. I've been wondering if it would ever happen.
I am very happy to see the dog is alive. In some of your videos the dog literally does not move.
Doggo is just slowly being swallowed by the couch cushions
🤣🙈🐶🧡
2:23
“Airlines tend to prefer - What are you doing, [dog?]”
Heathrow don’t show gate numbers until about 45-50mins before departure to keep passengers in the shopping area longer. T3 you have to walk through duty free to get to the gates
same with most airports i know.
Thomas Mortimore while LHR T5 comes across a large chaotic shopping mall, with accidental boarding gates playing hide-and-seek with passengers in the most overlooked least profitable corners
I find that so stressful. I like to be sitting at the gate early so I don’t have to rush.
Barbara Vyse it’s alright for T5A, main problem is for B+C everyone is suddenly heading for the underground to get the train that connects the terminals. But having said that most long distance flights depart from B+C so you could go beforehand
Detaining people in the shopping area is common in many European airports, and almost unheard of in North America. It is not an airline/airport operational issue. Most flights there pull up to jet bridges yet gates are posted hours ahead. It creates some inconveniences when gates are changed, but passengers are not held captive in a shopping mall. Also, many of the non-duty-free stores, particularly in the UK, make you scan your boarding pass, a shady practice that allows them to keep the VAT if you are leaving the country. That's typically a margin increase of at least 15%.
I used to fly BOAC in the sixties, when LHR was exciting and passengers were treated with respect, but not now. I have just completed a 5,000 km round trip across Europe by car - sensible departure times, comfortable seats, no baggage restrictions, no intrusive inspections, unlimited stop-overs and plenty of shopping alternatives. And it was door-to-door - an aspect of travelling that rarely gets considered in commercial schedules.
Rather you than me. You are close to death in a car. A moment's inattention, a rogue driver coming the other way, and it's all over for you and your passengers. You cannot relax for a moment - you cannot read. The death toll on Europe's roads (including the UK), not to mention the toll of injury, is frightening . . .
@@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301: Yes, you make a valid comment. Air travel does have a commendable safety record despite the disproportionate publicity which follows any unfortunate event. But however you travel (or even stay at home) there are risks involved.
For me, a nominal 3.5 hour flight actually translates into about 10 hours door-to-door and, given the other aspects that I mentioned, my balance of risk versus reward comes down in favour of using my car. I appreciate that I have the luxury of being able to choose when and how I travel - if we find somewhere nice then we can stop off for a while - and that others may not have that degree of flexibility. I have been in situations with more constraints and I can understand why other people might come to a different conclusion.
@J Smith BOAC: Better On A Camel
They should pass a law that pricing for transportation is based on the distance and speed of travel, measured _doorstep to doorstep._ That would make companies think differently!
Captain you are so well spoken. I absolutely admire how educated you are
LOVE: When you talked about airport CARPET, you used clips from possibly the most famous airport carpet ever: My home airport, Portland International (PDX). Yep!
the carpeted floor is quite annoying.
last year I decided to turn my luggage into a remote controlled robot, but because I only had lego motors it was quite weak, and didn't work on carpets! still impressed everyone at the airport though.
Loved how you showed KPDX Portland international Airport for the carpet.
Well it's the most famous.
PDX is the best!
My home airport!!!
@@inactivefatimahgianna245 Likewise
I hate those shop we have to go through after the security. I don't care about their shop and I just want to go to the gate and this stupid shop is between me and the gate.
It is stressing me more than the security as I go through the shop searching the exit with my luggage behind me.
Yes, I walk through as quickly as possible, don't look to either side and hold my nose to stop me choking in the perfumery section.
What are you talking about, the shop is the best part.
I just walk past them. Even if I stop and browse, I know I can buy the same thing cheaper at Amazon, eBay, Mercari, etc...
ex: I saw a pair of Oakley Crosshair sunglasses for $226. Took a pic of them, searched Mercari and bought a pre-owned pair for $48 delivered to my door
Plus, those passengers walking in front will tend to slow down or stop when walking through those stupid shops, thereby, blocking the way of other passengers walking behind them who need to get to their gates ASAP.
It makes sense. Finnair has grey interior in their planes, as the sky is almost always grey in Finland.
PDX loves its carpet. So much so that when they went to replace it, people bought squares of the old used carpet as souvenirs and they even designed the new carpet as an homage to the old one. The design on the carpet mirrors the layout of the terminal and runways.
I have one!
Podcast is excellent as always!
Just wanted to add the comment about this last example (or #1) of manipulating from my perspective - i get it that people do get a bit nervous after 30-50 min in que for security checks, sometimes i do too, but honestly where i loose my nerves are exactly those shops before gates. Maybe i would buy something sometimes, but with those 5x bigger prices than usual, my principle is not allowing me to even turn my head for any product, just looking for the way out... Those shops are horrible..
Petter: One you omitted re: airport design. Seating for waiting passengers is deliberately designed to have far fewer seats than are possible and needed.
This is programmed into the design of the airport so that people will have to go to restaurants to find a seat. And once there will be obligated to order food or drinks.
That’s another great point. I didn’t get that confirmed though
@@MentourPilot Airport designers are not apt to confirm this design due to their reluctance to show a design that is specifically meant to cause discomfort to the public. Causing the public to walk in a specific direction in order to entice shopping would not be the same as to not providing enough seats. But they have indeed an obligation to the owners of restaurants and bars to increase revenue to pay for the rent of the facility. Driving passengers to their venues is in the facility design. Fewer open seating is how this is accomplished.
And that is one reason I get thru the shopping area as fast as possible and head straight to the gate. You want me to shop? Then make sure I have a place to sit down when I'm finished.
@@patcavanaugh4941 If they want me to shop, they can start by charging real-world prices -- and mark the prices on the displays. When they DON'T show the price -- you know immediately that the price is so high you'd have to be crazy to pay it.
Jokes on them, because I just sit on the ground.
I love watching your dog while listening to you.
Petter, Great video and awesome channel, but I think you forgot to turn the "starboard" pillow around during the pre-filming checklist! Thanks.
I cracked up when the adorable dog popped it's little head up from behind the cushion LOL.
He is lovely isn’t he!
@@MentourPilot he is! What a gorgeous little furbaby conpaniom you have!
Here in America, I miss having the SkyMall magazine in the seat-backs of planes. It was the the type of stuff you’d never actually buy (which is probably why they went out of business!) but was entertaining. Where else could you see solar powered garden gnomes, step ladders to help dogs get in bed, and body hair removal kits all in one place?!?!
Needless to say, now that laptops and mobile devices are just about everywhere, something like the SkyMall magazine has gone out of fashion. I remember a similar kind of magazine from a Korean Air flight I took back in the winter of 1988-89. It seemed to feature a different country per month. The one that was right in front of me featured a Korean restaurant in Zürich, Switzerland. It also featured a Korean traditional artist and a fashion model with Swiss connections. It also contained several pages of paintings and photographs from art galleries. I liked the artistic angle of this magazine--i.e., I thought something like pictures and photos was well-suited for passengers stuck in a flight for many hours. Fortunately, this magazine was bilingual--i.e., in English and in Korean.
Yeah, I miss skymall... it was an amusing way to kill 20 or 30 minutes of a flight. I actually did buy something from there once for some Shakespeare production. The director was trying to work out some kind of gag, and the set designer said he had seen the perfect thing in SkyMall... It was a chair with a back that kind of flipped over and it turned into a stepladder. The gag wasn't that funny, but I can honestly say we found a use for something from SkyMall!
Airlines still have it, juts their own airline specific publication that changes monthly. It will have general flight info like channels, usually a crossword puzzle, etc.
Agreed! I could spend 1/2 the trip browsing the SkyMall. I don’t think I ever purchased anything.
I found this vlog very interesting how we as passengers are manipulated when in the airport and plan 👍👍
Making a building or a vehicle more calming IS good thinking. I recall an office building that had 2 floors, A large open space inside and office space on perimeter.
Floor 1 had couches, chairs and olants in the center area, all bathed in natural light from a large row of skylights. Floor 2 had a catwalk on all 4 sides overlooking the seating are. You used that to get from one set of offices on one side to the other (stairwel or open air entry in between).
If you took a moment to relax there, you were in view so breaks were purposeful but the light and the green were part of your view.
It was a super place to come to work and when we grew and switched to a building with a circuitous floor plan and far less natural light, it had a noticeable and negative impact on productivity.
Sounds #absolutelyfantastic
I have a wonderful time flying. Boo Sunshine, the parrot, comes along. He has been photographed with and played with pretty much everyone. We are always greeted warmly at TSA where he obediently comes out and goes into his carrier. We eat where he is most welcome and if a merchant wants a sale they need only notice him. He should get frequent flier miles, though, and doesn’t.
Mentour: another marvelous, artful, informative video! And your english is outstanding. Gracias hermano! 💛🙏🏼
#1: in Europe, they don't announce the gate until the very last moment, so you don't know where to go to begin with. That makes people spend more time shopping, or at least in the shopping area. At Heathrow, this causes even MORE stress, not less, because they announce the gate 10 minutes prior to boarding, but it takes 20 minutes to walk to the gate. I recommend everyone to go through security even if you don't know where your gate is. As long as you pass security, it'll be easy to find your gate.
It is always on a board in the US. It is probably even required by the FAA.
But doesn't the boarding pass say which gate you need to be at where you will be boarding?
Patxi is back. yeah !! Thanks for sharing Mentour, very interesting.
Blue is a calming color that have a calming effect on nervous or stressed passengers, it’s also a color where dirt and grime isn’t seen instantly so it takes longer before any dirt becomes a visual problem.
Not sure the airports I’ve been on has been having carpets in large areas, but personally I prefer when areas don’t have carpets, and if there are carpets it’s better if it’s of a type that doesn’t add a lot of friction as it becomes a problem for people in wheelchairs or using walkers, or even people pulling a carry on luggage. I’m a wheelchair user myself and carpets can be a major problem for accessibility as it becomes very heavy to self propel over carpet and it slows you down a lot which doesn’t help if you need to go from A to B a bit faster to get to your gate.
Funny though, don’t think any of these manipulations have an effect on me. I don’t buy things I haven’t planned to look for in the shops, I’m always calm when traveling and even enjoy the environment of an airport. There’s just something special about the ambience of an airport with the excitement in the air from people traveling on their dream vacation, and the excitement of being on the way somewhere yourself.
But maybe I’m just an oddity there... I’ve always loved flying, ever since my first 15 minute flight over Varberg in a Cessna when I was 10, and first charter trip at 14... And omg that smell of jet fuel! When I lived in Tårnby I’d often take the train to Kastrup airport just to have some coffee at Starbucks and just enjoy the airport atmosphere, and of course, some people watching and just be amazed at how many different languages and ethnicities you’d hear and see around you...
Nowadays I don’t travel much at all, over 4 years since last time now. But as a disabled person with severe chronic pain, I have one complaint about airports... Why is there so little seating available, and why always so uncomfortable? If I’m going somewhere and have a layover of many hours, there’s just nowhere to go to have a rest that is needed for medical reasons. I just can’t bum around the shops for say 3-4 hours, and then expect my spine to manage more sitting to the final travel destination. Would have been nice if airports had a lounge for disabled passengers where you can just go and have a rest in a more peaceful environment and mainly have the opportunity to lie down for a while on a daybed or in a recliner. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy like business class or first class lounges but just an area where people with a documented disability (physical or other) can just go to recover a little between flights or before boarding a flight. Just some comfy seats/recliners and access to accessible bathroom and a basic kiosk and some outlets would be enough for such an area, and preferably a bit dimly lit rather than fluorescent light. It could help so many people out there who have issues with chronic pain or increased risk of pressure sores, or people who due to some condition is extra sensitive to having too much going on around them
Hej! I too live with Chronic Pain Syndrome, and some other medical stuff too. I want to share something you might know, but maybe others don't know about.
Every airport have a connected service to people with disabilities. You can get access to these services by asking for them. The airport prefere to get warnings from the airline so they prefer that you ask at the time of booking your flight but you can access the service at any point.
What you do is asking for wheelchair support, they will ask if you need a WCHR or a WCHS. With the WCHR (or most commonly they ask if you will need help all the way to the plane) you'll be expected to be able to walk down the brisway or go with the common bus (expect to stand on the journey to the plane). With the WCHS you will have assistance by wheelchair from the checkin counter to where you leave the flying part of your journey. Meaning there will be someone that stays with you, and handle your luggage at the belt, take you through customs and out to the car picking you up/your cab/ your bus or wherever you need to go. Even stoppin for restroom breaks. The service is free but if you fly into an airport in a country where tipping is a thing, it's seen as a courtesy to leave something for the person helping you (about 8 years ago when I last travelled to the US I generally tipped about a fiver or more if I was traveling with more than I piece of luggage).
Some if not a lot of airports have a designated area for disabled people with long layovers. Some are swanky with access to almost flat chairs, and others only have a waiting area in the terminal itself but with a manned desk of to one side. To be able to access them you have to be registered with a WCHR or WCHS and there is codes for vision impaired and hard of hearing/deaf people too.
Another special perk of this system is that you don't have to stand in line anywhere as these assistants are working, and have other people to take care of. They will also let at least one other person coming with you, but I have seen where a full family have been taken through all the checkpoints too.
With the hope this will be of interest to someone. Yours, Ann
P:S jag ber om ursäkt för den långa kommentaren. Jag verkar inte kunna skriva kortare texter längre. D.S.
@@annlidslot8212 I do use the wheelchair services when traveling :) I keep my own chair to the gate and then have staff take my chair to the special cargo hold as I walk onboard the aircraft, and then I have my chair delivered to the gate upon arrival. For short layovers over had transfer by the golf cart like vehicles between gates, sometimes also bus for some distance to have shortcut outside the terminals instead of going through the labyrinth indoors. It’s usually been working really well this far, the little I have traveled since my chronic illness changed my life and I started using a wheelchair. If I have longer layovers in future travels I’m going to have to ask about special waiting areas I think, see if it can give a possibility to just stretch out a bit and rest between flights, sitting for extended periods of time is an issue for me due to pretty bad spine and neck issues.
@@ReyOfLight Hej igen, That's what I thought was happening. I too have a hard time just sitting without any real possibility to stretch out. I ment the information mostly to those who might be new to traveling with a disability. As you have the golf cart transfer but go by bus it sounds to me like you go as a WCHR and you should be able to access any rest areas that the airport might have. I've noticed that you have to have a long layover to be taken there with transfer times over three hours.
I have started requesting the WCHS service myself. I have moderate to severe brain fatigue as a side order to my chronic pain. The difference for me is that there are less stimuli going in the special car than taking the bus. On the whole there are less stimuli in general, so that is what I prefer. To each their own. Good luck with your travels in the future. Vänligen, Ann
@@annlidslot8212 I’m sensitive to too much going on as well. But I just haven’t traveled much since before my EDS started affecting my life heavily, so it’s been working out pretty well this far. Only time I’ve been traveling with layover since becoming disabled was when traveling to Poland in 2015, but it was just about an hour layover in Munich each way, hence the bus and golf cart transfers there. With a longer layover I’d probably just have gone in my chair to explore the airport a bit on the way to the next gate, along with just getting to move around a bit (I do better with sitting in my wheelchair if I’m moving around between places, than when I’m just sitting in general in one place) but yeah, with just about an hour layover in a huge airport, needed to get to the next gate fast to be sure to be there on time. Even had time to have some ice cream at a cafe by the gate before boarding the connection flight on the way to Poland :) If I travel with long layovers again, I’ll for sure check if the layover airport has any facilities for disabled people as that would save so much energy to just be in a more quiet space for a while
@@ReyOfLight Hi, So sorry to hear that. EDS doesn't sound to be much fun.
My CRS comes from a traffic related whiplash injury. I have a couple of unrelated lung disorders and a wonky immune system on top of that, so the last way too many years I haven't traveled a lot either. I was doing fine with just the whiplash but since falling ill with the other stuff and then two years in isolation because a pandemic, well lets just say I'm travel deprived. We (husband and I) are talking about taking the car and drive south until we find somewhere warm and sunny. Maybe Spain because you can get closest to the equator there while still being in the EU. You can take a car ferry/cruise ship to the Canary Islands from there if need be. I hope that your EDS may stabilizes, and you will have the best life possible. Yours, Ann
One of the main things I complain about when I travel is actually the airports with carpet. It makes it significantly more difficult to pull my luggage VS a nice smooth tile floor
Nicer to walk on though ☺
I find no difference.
That’s why more people stop and shop in airports with carpet. They get tired of yanking luggage around on the carpet.
My airport (Saskatoon, SK, Canada) is mostly not carpet. As far as I can recall. Well, it is winter here like half the year, and then Mud Season after that....if we had carpet, it would be full of melted snow and ice chunks and mud in no time, and it would be stinky and gross.
Mentour Pilot, your videos (and Captain Joe's) have helped me get a little better with flying. I still get nervous in the air, and some things still low-key freak me out, but your videos have really helped me not panic nearly as bad, and you have given me so much more confidence in pilots. Thank you so much!
1. the carpet you showed is the old one in Portland, Oregon. 2. Singapore is heavily carpeted, and the quietest airport I've been in.
James Willmore but try pulling a roller bag in Singapore. The thick carpet makes it difficult.
@@silberware That's why they got the 'personal size' trolley.
@@c247478426 Hmmm. Never saw those. I'll look next time. Thanks!
Portland totally took advantage of thar carpet design though. Definitely made some money off of it since travelers loved it so much.
PDX is my home airport! I miss that old carpet!!!!
Very interesting and entertaining. You are a wonderful representative of quality air travel. - Dean from Minnesota
The duty free shops are always too expensive. Even common brands of chocolates cost double of what they cost outside. I wouldn't spend my money for anything other than meals/coffee.
Its how very touristy stores are. Amusement parks, airports, tourist spots, cruise ships all have expensive AF shops. When you are on a vacation, people tend to let loose and spend money because "it is a vacation."
They take advantage of that and jack up the prices.
The shops at international airports in the UK are no longer duty free. They charge you the duty and tax as normal, but then they ask to see your boarding pass and if you are going somewhere outside the European Union the shop claims back the duty and tax money and keeps it.
"I wouldn't spend my money for anything other than meals/coffee" which are also catastrophically overprices.
well when you are hungry, you gotta eat. But don't have to buy the other crappy stuff
@@NatureAndTech yes but eating/drinking when you have some time and especially when you are hungry is one of the little pleasures of life. Life is not some constant budget-optimization routine, we make money to enjoy life, not the other way around
Some airports have gone even further - At Heathrow and other airports, they departure displays in the shop area won't even tell you what gate to go to, until you have just enough time to make it there with a brisk walk, therby keeping you even longer in the shop area. I have discovered that if you have to check in at a counter or drop a bag there, sometimes the personnel there konw already what gate you will have, and you don't have to wait in the shop area, and then walk fast to your gate.
last time I went on holiday, I had to go through the duty free to get to the gates. mad
Perhaps if the airport shops charged reasonable local prices they might just increase turnover instead of pissing most travellers off and causing them to intentionally ignore them. Just a thought
They would if they saw it would increase sales.. but the sales are high even with the higher prices. Supply and demand
Mentour Pilot disagree, people are in airport lounges to travel not shop. Any shopping is mainly opportunistic rather than essential, quite a different motive than those actually attending a conventional shopping mall where the primary motive is usually to shop.
Sad that it works that way, Mentour Pilot. Maybe more to do with price inelasticity of demand than the supply and demand balance. Phew - that's the first time I've mentioned inelasticities for about 20 years! Juuust possible I'm wrong, but it sounds smart :-)
That would require common sense. Extinct since the 90s
@@MentourPilot I would like to know whether airport get any revenue from these shops? I have never purchased anything from the shops on the airport except for food. I have eaten from KFC, Cafe Coffee Day (similar to Starbucks in Europe it is a coffee chain in India)
Great Video - all true. The vast majority of pax are completely unaware that airports take a % of every retail sale for themselves, whether duty free, shop, bar, restaurant, currency exchange or bottled water from a vending machine. Each and every sale has a % going to the airport.
The other great trick you didn't mention is the airport not announcing gates till a certain time prior to boarding - this is to keep you in the retail area as long as possible. And they work with the airlines to make sure your Gate is NOT printed on your boarding card. In 90% of flights, the airline and the airport know exactly which terminal and which gate your flight will be well in advance. But this handy little info is withheld to keep you shopping as long as possible. It is possible to find out your gate before its posted via a few apps and a little knowledge of where to look.
If you're a 5/7 times per year flyer and want to beat the airport at part of their own game. Spend €300/year and buy a lounge card, or purchase the one-off lounge access. Keeps you out of the shops and restaurants, you'll have some modest food and beverage included, better wifi (usually) and some comfort and convenience while you wait to board.
Episode Idea... Marry the two best things about Mentour - flying and dogs. Could you do an episode about airline pet transport?
That would be super helpful! I have an emotional support cat and when I fly to Croatia eventually I am definitely taking her with me.
I always find the Thai Airways purple cabin both homely and relaxing. I also like the green used by Cathay Pacific.
You might want to look up the definition of "homely."
@@williamwallace9826 He probably meant 'homey'
love your videos. and you hit the nail on the head with this one. funny thing is, i took my son to check out MIT when he was college shopping. we didnt have time to grab an MIT shirt from the store at the school but we found them at the air port store and they were actually cheaper than the ones in the college store. BONUS. he got his MIT shirt. and i got it cheaper.
Let's not forget...they tell you to be way early...then they put all the food, after security. You're waiting, you get hungry, you're options are expensive food or really expensive food.
"Captive" consumers + few options = high prices.
Expensive, but remember they will be paying hugely more rent than a shop on the high street.
I don't know anything about their rent $$$...but I am sure you are correct.
I don't blame the shop keepers, so much as I blame the building owners that charge the high rent. Same as anything, anywhere...we, the consumer pay for it all.
It makes perfect sense, from a business standpoint.
Fermiticus : yep and the reason there's no place to sit before security is that they don't want people to spend time there, they want us to go inside and spend money.
I have been to airports that have stores/food before and after security.
Fermiticus
"you're options are"
"Your", not "you're".
So it's about getting you in the shops and keeping you there? Well, that's not a surprise.
Great topic! Normally I like the technical side of things more, but this was well worth viewing.
We love each and everything you talk about in the channel
I watched YYC and YEG go through a startling transformation when they got redeveloped years ago. Somehow they became shopping centres where planes come to visit. I was gobsmacked to see entities that, to my mind, were strictly retail and had nothing to do with aviation or travel or even tourism. Odd.
The airport redesigns haven't really caught on yet in the US, at least in the domestic terminals, but it's definitely noticeable in Europe. I remember flying through the Geneva airport, and getting dumped right into the duty-free shop after coming up the escalator from security. I was so outraged, I bought nothing just out of stubbornness!
How obnoxious!
Great info as always, Mentour. I'm not a pilot but I'm always interested in this kind of things.
Excellent! It’s a bit of a different video but I thought I should show it to you anyway
Love that you featured the famous PDX carpet!
I couldn’t leave it out.
From Salem Oregon, fly out of PDX, noticed it too :)
PDX is my home airport! I could practically walk to PDX if I wanted to
I hate those carpets... They are dirty and it's harder to pull luggage.
That's trick #6, to slow you down so you buy a I
It also creates static shocks any time you touch metal. Ugh. I hate it.
@@badbatch974 The dryer the air makes you more likely to buy drinks there.
Carpets are at least a bloody lot nicer than tiles when the flight's delayed, all the seats are full and there's nowhere else to sit.
@@JesusisJesus lol, true
A lot of the tips and tricks that the Cabin Crew and pilots use are things I also use as a teacher.
These are good people skills to help everyone find a solution to whatever problems might have arisen.
It's super cool to see that we've got things in common!
Keep up the amazing work!
Cheers!
I didn’t really understand what true love was until I saw your doggies always adoring that sofa of yours! 💕🐶🐶💕😆
Haven't been on a plane since '93 but have spent $$$$ on flight sims and add-ons.
ahhhh! good one mentour. you put that dog in this video on purpose knowing we"d stay till the end of the video. your playing with our emotions..lol
Try to get thru a casino in Las Vegas. They are the master of manipulating.
I've gone into a Vegas casino trying to get out the other end and had a compass, I still came out on the wrong end. Hahaha.
You are totally right, those casinos are insane.
@@dangleason9023 They have no windows or clocks
@Jason Buis yeah it happened to me, I went in at about 6 pm and when I left the casino it was already past 11 pm in Atlantic City a long time ago.
I've been in a couple of casinos.
Their cigarette stench manipulated me to leave pretty quickly.
Have you been to anything Disney?
I love your dogs in the videos ! I never mentioned them before cause I didn't want the serious subject to be diminished but I want you to know I really like seeing them in your videos . I'm a low time private pilot who hasn't had a current medical certificate for years due the expense of aircraft rental and not being in a position to own an aircraft . I used to keep up with the subject and subscribed to a NSTB accident report magazine as in a paper magazine that used to come to my house in the mail and always read them cover to cover LOL , I know I'm dating myself horribly . I'm seriously considering getting back into aviation and getting my instrument rating and my own aircraft . I appreciate your channel Mr. Mentour and have alot of catchup to do with your older videos as well looking forward to your new ones . Keep up the good work !
I love Barcelona t shirts and oversized chocolate bars 😂 very accurate
You forgot to mention that, in most airports nowadays, the displays don't show the assigned gate until 20/30 minutes before boarding. In this way, people tend to wander around the shops, instead of sitting all the time at the gate.
I recall that some people seem to figure out anyway what gate the flight will be from, especially if an airline tends to fly from just one gate. I've wondered when the seats won't pop out if the floor until just before the flight. It reminds me of a Black Mirror episode in which the video walls of the protagonist's room play a screeching noise if he won't watch enough advertisements.
This pisses me off in large airports.
Let me see if I got this straight. Airports want to increase their revenue by having the passenger purchase more. These items, weighing more than the money spent, increases aircraft fuel consumption, which increases airline expenses, which in turn, is followed by an increase in the cost of the ticket. Conclusion: Duty-free purchases results in increased ticket prices. OR " Keep airlines flying; don't buy duty-free!"
Thanks for another excellent, informative video.
“...and the cabin crew will always greet you with eye contact and a smile.” Obviously, you have never flown with Air Canada.
Or Ryanair.
unless you are sam
Maiden Air, or Spirit Airlines...”You want a smile from me? Ten bucks, Pal!”
Or United.
I always have a pleasant flight with Air Canada.
I have noticed that in SAS, its usually the pilot flying who makes the welcome speach, sometimes the pilot on the PA introduces him as a first officer, or captain, depending on who is flying
When they force passengers to walk through a perfume section in a shop...x( As an asthmatic that's a painful experience. Wish the airports would be more about accessibility.
Hopefully you can use this platform to remind crews to come and relay important announcement information to deaf passengers. I usually don't find out we've diverted until we show up at an airport I wasn't travelling to!
Can't you book your ticket accordingly (so they know you need extra attention ?) I know that people in wheelchairs or families with small children can notify them in advance and get extra attention, help and the seats with more room for your legs. Or when you enter the plane you tell a flight attendant (the most senior looking) that you need extra communications Or you have a little written message ready. - It is also a safety risk for an airline because in an emergency you do not understand what was said - you might end up getting a better seat just that they can have an eye on you during flight.
Not helping you out would make them look bad - people are more aware of the obligation towards people with disabilities. And their PR department might be aware of it as well. In times of social media and mobile phone videos they do not want to be online with discriminatory practices - and like I said there is a safety aspect as well.
btw: you most likely would also find your seat neighbours quite willing to assist you, if you introduce yourself.
u cannot manipulate us into watching that skillshare ad
because there is no carpet, no daylight and no left turn!
Hahahaha
Tap tap tap
Lol! Do you skip it as well? 10 sec forward skip two or three times usually does it! 😂
Mentour pilot: Shares facts
Airlines: Im afraid i have to downgrade your salary now Mentour pilot
Most of what he said is standard retail and advertising knowledge applied to aircraft, airports and airlines. We have been manipulated by increasingly sophisticated marketing/advertising for decades and now politicians and governments are using the same knowledge to control the masses. Russia applies it very efficiently, especially since the advent of social media.
Especially if he works at Ryanair
DUDE! As a sound engineer for live events I TOTALLY get what you said about "the less technical details I give you," etc.
MY job as the sound guy, or whatever other technical position I'm working, is to JUST confidently tell you, "we're experts, we've got this." And it really does work just like that. If I try to explain a problem and its solution, first obviously that takes valuable time, but it also immediately goes into things the person I'm talking to doesn't understand and starts to stress them out MORE.
When there is a problem in a concert and the promotor or whoever is panicking, absolutely THE BEST thing I can do... 100% of the time, without fail... is do the best I can to say, mean it, exude in every part of my being: "I got this, relax." If I can do that with the person I'm talking to, it works EVERY time... which makes it even better, makes it work even better, because they're not hassling and distracting me and I can implement my troubleshooting procedures instead of dealing with a panicked client.
The fluffbutt copilot is the star of the show. Also its a very happy coincidence that the captain and copilot are wearing the same hair color haha. Keep up the good work!
The last one never works on me, because once I am through security, my main goal and focus is just finding my gate. And the gates are usually quite far from the shop, which makes it very unlikely that I will return. I also plan all trips to airports to be full before arriving, since ending up there hungry will hurt my wallet more than needed.
Yeah, I buy for later on the flight, for a 3 hour flight what you do works but not for a 6 or 8 hour one.
When i fly, the captain does not do the PA. It always comes from a cabin crew member. They just say "On behalf of the captain and the rest of the cabin crew, we would like to welcome you on board." The only time i hear the captain is when they say "cabin crew, takeoff." Etc
Sir, usually the captain's brief does not calm me down, as every second/third word is "eeeeeeeeerrr..."
In the US the pilot sounds like some white guy from Texas.
Eeeeerrrrrr......., what?
@@Real_Natural It would be funny to hear a pilot with an Indian accent. "Excuse me sirs and madams this is your captain speaking. I am very much wanting to continue moving to the jetway so please stay seated until the seatbelt sign is turned off."
Especially noticeable on French and Middle Eastern pilots
@@dannydaw59 i read that with an Indian-American accent ya big jerk!🤣
Hahaha the sleeping dog look like a rag doll hahah so cute 🤣🤣🤣🤣
need more videos of you talking with your dogs in the background. The dogs are cute
the PAs of the captains don't calm me but make me angry and nervous, the microphones and speakers are of such a bad quality, that I often don't understand a single whole sentence, in 90% the captains also talk in a much too low voice and often much to quickly. In case of an emergency, if the passengers would also cry etc. one would certainly understand nothing.
I believe that captain Sully only said one thing - 'brace for impact' - during the Hudson incident, and that was it. If the pilot is waffling on it means you're not crashing :-)
I have to agree with that.
In most cases, I barely understand half of what's being said.
@Mars Exulte see George Carlin's Airline announcements..
They all attended the Bruce Springsteen School of Elocution. It's mandatory worldwide for anybody making announcements in or around airports and aircraft. I think they're required to simultaneously chew gum, suck on a lollipop, and mash the microphone against the lips.
Agreed: state of the art $100M aircraft are equipes with $0.5 microphones and speakers built in te early 1960s. The stationary analogue phone we had then had a better sound quality.
At some point, we need a video JUST about the doggy :)
I think the dogs need their own channel
He has one. Mentour is there just for advertasing:-))
There is a three part video series on Netflix called the city in the sky.
And it talks about why airports are designed the way they are and other facts about aviation.
Do they explain why every announcer on every airport PA system in the world sounds as if she's sucking on a hard candy, recovering from extensive dental surgery from which the lidocaine hasn't worn off and mashing the microphone so hard against her lips that it leaves marks?
That’s a great show.
I've noticed the time estimate signs and appreciate them. No food on domestic flights in the US, so it's good to know if I have time to sit and eat, or need to grab a sandwich to go, or just head to the gate. If you're flying AA it doesn't matter, you always have time to eat, sleep, take an online class, and order a new wardrobe to replace the lost bags.
Puppybloopers on point
Anyone remember how United treated a passenger a few years ago when they needed his seat for an airline employee and he was assaulted and security dragged him off by his feet and injured him severely? I've experienced some excellent cabin crews over many years of flying but have also run into my share of rude and incompetent ones. Flying used to be a real pleasure but not anymore thanks to deregulation.
I remembered that too, when Petter talked about polite, friendly and helpful crew. The problem (and I think it was United Airlines that did it): They had sold more tickets or needed the seat for crew - but the captain offered only a ridiculously low compensation for all the trouble (essentially the price for a new ticket, and maybe for a meal on top). I am sure it was not the captain that was such a miser, he was not allowed to offer more. Plus he announced that they would not leave until someone would give up their seat. And when no one followed the "friendly" invitation they announced they would select a passenger.
I wonder WHY they could not make arrangments with OTHER airlines to accomodate the person coming later - assuming that this was an employee that needed to get to their port of destination. It would not be correct to prioritize one passenger over another one. (Although in another case a first class passenger that already was seated was made to leave, also with threat of use of force - allegedly he had to make way for a Senator).
The practice to oversell seats (usually someone cancels) means that they can efficiently fill the planes and maximize revenue. So if by coincidence all passenger show up for the flight OR if they have to transport more crew than expected - they certainly can afford to give better incentives for all the hassle.
From the comments under the videos covering that sccandal I took that many made the experience that the offers of the airplanes are not good. Often they try to give the passengers that give up their seat (or are bullied into it) the little extra (on top of fare) in form of a voucher (so only useful when the person flies again, and with the same airline).
They could easily afford to be more generous, the practice of overselling also means more revenue for them, and here and there they would have to give financial or other incentives to make it worthwhile for passengers to help them out.
This violent removal was right before take-off, plane was filled (most people seated) - so at that time the luggage has been loaded and it would be an extra hassle to get it. Then leaving the plane, trying to get another flight, waiting at the airport (or even getting into a hotel), change of plans etc.
But if they had offered a few hundred bucks more and had appealed to one nice person on board helping us out, pretty please - I am sure one not so busy passenger would have given up the seat voluntarily. Financial benefits on top of that. I am not sure why they singled out an elderly gentlemen for this (there was a suspicion this had racial undertones: He is old he is Asian-American - how busy can he be ? Likely also betting on it, that a little man from that culture would not protest and put up with it).
Also: IF they had a passenger (politician ??) or crew member that they needed absolutely to get into a seat - they could make a deal with another airline.
The carpet featured in the clip is the classic original carpet at Portland (Oregon) International/PDX. We were very attached to that carpet. It became a social media celebrite. When it was replaced a few years ago, it caused city-wide anxiety, but the new design is fine, and it's nice to have new carpet. :-)
I love the new carpet design but I miss the old one.
I immediately knew that was PDX and I've never flown there. LOL
The thing that gets me is how expensive "duty free" is in the UK. When I was last doing a lot of flying (53 flights in 10 months nearly drove me crackers) the duty free was actually more expensive than my local cash and carry.
"Duty Free" is really only duty free if you leave the EU. (That statement is true both individually and as a nation.)
@@RobertCBATES I was flying to the USA mainly.
I live in Pennsylvania where the alcohol taxes are so high that it costs significantly less to buy at the duty free shop on the way home if I possibly can.
It always is, it is a big scam.
At 8.40 you talk about the captain using the PA to tell the passengers that they have a minor technical issue.
I flew out from Schiphol Airport once, flight to the USA, and during taxiing the captain informed us of a minor technical issue that would cause some delay.
All passengers stayed quiet, I started to get worried. The delay took around 15 minutes. Then the captain informed us that the minor technical issue had been resolved, and we would be taking off.
During the entire flight I was more tense than normal. But we reached our destination and everything was fine.