Tale of Two Flights: A Spoiled Brat Flies the Airlines

Most of us have experienced some mind-blowing travel failures.

Dick Karl

Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

FLYING contributor Dick Karl says he once arrived to JFK for a flight to London only to learn our aircraft hadn’t left England yet. [Courtesy: Dick Karl]

Key Takeaways:

The article compares airline travel to general aviation, highlighting how commercial flights can range from "sublime" to "ridiculous" experiences.
The "ridiculous" journey involved multiple delays due to crew rest, missed connections, costly rebookings, and an uncomfortable in-flight interaction, making a short trip lengthy and expensive.
Conversely, the "sublime" experience included unexpected first-class upgrades on commercial legs and a smooth, efficient flight in a private Piper Cheyenne III for a plane delivery.
The author concludes that while general aviation offers consistent efficiency, commercial airline travel is highly unpredictable, capable of delivering frustrating inefficiencies or surprising perks.

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You hear a lot about how terrible airline flying is: delays caused by rowdy passengers, crews timing out, ATC staffing shortages, and all manner of weather. Most of us have experienced some mind-blowing travel failures. I once arrived at JFK for a flight to London only to learn that our aircraft hadn’t left England yet. Luckily, a bar was conveniently available.

Two recent airline forays could be classified as sublime and ridiculous.