In this experience Vinny and Geoff share more of their experiences when, try as they may, the situation just went badly.

First of all, we want to send a shoutout to fellow podcasters Plane Talking UK. We're lining up co-hosting in an upcoming episode of theirs. Stay tuned for more info.

By popular demand, we're sharing more of our travel experiences – good, bad and ugly – and how we worked at resolving them or made the best of the situation.

Shoutout to Sam Chui for his review of the Air India (AI) Dreamliner business class experience.

Vinny shared a rant about the security experience at MAA in Experience 021 from his RTW trip in the summer of 2019. The rant is back in this experience with full force for his experiences with Air India (AI) – both for in-flight experiences from SIN-MAA-CMB, and one of the top three worst ever lounge experiences he ever had at MAA. You might need a cold lassi after listening to the rant.

Geoff shares his multiple ground travel experiences trying to get from Penang to Kuala Lumpur in July 2019. First the train Google says he should take didn't exist, and then there was a ticket circus with the bus ride that he took instead.

Vinny pulls out a story from his vault of crazy experiences – this time in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2003 hitchhiking to make a train connection to get to Helsinki. But what happens when he missed the connection? (Hint – he got to Helsinki and experienced a Tupolev Tu-134).

Geoff shares his overnight ground transport experience at SIN from his summer 2019 RTW trip. Where was the shuttle that was supposed to leave every 15 minutes? Sometimes waiting ends up being worth it – thanks to a great family from Perth who shared sightseeing advice.

Vinny shares a recent experience from autumn 2019 at SFO. How to get to the Caltrain station to take him into the city, with minimal signage and lack of directions from Google transit. Not only that, where and how did he have to pay for the ticket?

Geoff shares a terrific airside tour experience he had in October 2019 at YYZ. Thanks to Russ, Mark and Haaz for their great work and wealth of information.

News Items:

Independent (UK) article "Airline passenger stuffs laptop down her jumpsuit and pretends to be pregnant to avoid excess baggage charge"

Associated Press article "TSA finds gun-shaped toilet paper roller in bag at airport"

If you have a story of when your situation just went bad, a question or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we look at the world of gate assignments, and why your plane is parked at a specific location. What is happening when you arrive at the airport and you're told that your gate is not available. We review the differences between gates and jet bridges. What does an airport need to do to prevent unnecessary mixing of passengers? What's a swing gate. What is the ramp and how is it set up? What happens on the ramp and inside the terminal when there's a last-minute gate change? What happens when you're parked out at a remote location or stand? Geoff shares his remote parking experience at DPS. Vinny has another really tight connection adventure with a bus at FRA. Vinny had a really long bus trip at IST. Don't forget about the weather – thunderbolts and lightning on top of snow and ice makes for gate backlogs and people needing to be careful not to dent the plane. Speaking of denting, Vinny shares stories of jet bridge training – and systems designed to prevent accidental dents. News Items:

• Business Traveller article "United CEO puts getting late passengers on planes before on-time departures"
• ch-aviation article "Scramble for Thomas Cook UK slots as Condor seeks new owner"

If you have a story of gate changes and jet bridges, a question or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we look back on that fateful day on 11 September 2001 and how it changed the world of airport security forever. Geoff and Vinny share their experience of that day and a story from Operation Yellow Ribbon at YXY. Vinny had a university project suddenly change in focus due to incredibly long wait times at YEG security. Geoff later joined him in YYC. What exactly is pre-board screening and how do different airports do it around the world? Vinny shares his luxurious security experience at MAD, and shares his worst EVER experience at MAA. Geoff shares his extremely good security experience at DPS, but also his eternity to clear security at EWR. Why is it that we only see massive lines in the US? Is there a different psyche? What are tips and practices you can do as a passenger to get through the security line more quickly? Vinny shares his experience flying as a regular passenger after flying as crew for years. Straight blade razors – who knew that they could be such a cause of inconsistency at security? Simple Flying news item about Alaska Airlines (AS) encouraging customers to bring their own bottles. Flyertalk / Indo-Asian News Service news item about Air India (AI) having issues with fuel payments causing restrictions at six domestic Indian airports. Flyertalk / BBC news story of security at DEL catching an 32-year-old trying to impersonate an 81-year-old complete with disguise. If you have a story of airport pre-board security, question or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we look at two rail travel adventures from Vinny and Geoff from their recent round the world adventures. In both cases they were left with a go/no-go decision point to determine if they should go on.

Vinny's took place on the North-South line in Vietnam – on a trip between Hue and Da Nang. He utilized the resources available to him with local population to help him with the issue. Geoff's took place at Frankfurt station in Germany – on a trip to Dusseldorf in the midst of weather delays and cancellations. He utilized alternate connections being available – even if they were not the ones suggested.

Vinny also shares a train adventure from Spain - not from this year's round the world adventure - trying to get from Alicante to Madrid on a busy weekend.

We also share our condolences for Captain Al Haynes who passed away on 25 August 2019. He became famous for his incredible leadership of United Airlines Flight 232 on 19 July 1989.

If you have a story of your travel going sideways (rail or otherwise), question or experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this very special experience, we join Vinny and Geoff while they both are on the road. Vinny joins the experience from the Super Lounge at Istanbul Airport (IST), while Geoff joins in from Kuala Lumpur's Sentral Station. We share some of our experiences that we have experienced while on our RTW adventures. Vinny shares initial impressions of the brand new gleaming white airport at IST and its massive lounge. He also lets us know about his unique arrival taking an airport bus from a parking location that he never experienced before. Geoff shares his interaction with the UA social media team, and a terrific customer experience with ANA for his neighbouring passengers. Geoff and Vinny both share their experience with The Jewel at SIN. If you have questions or an experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we look at Vinny and Geoff's separate round the world (RTW) adventures - Vinny's will already be underway when this experience is posted. We look at the world of booking an RTW with points travel, with stopover and mileage rules, but also how to maximize your layovers between stopovers. Vinny shares his geeking out with reviews and videos to ensure he maximizes his in-flight and lounge experiences. Just because you have an RTW ticket doesn't mean you can't supplement it with some separate point-to-point tickets. Make sure you catch the great story about how Vinny's wife got upgraded to Seat 1A. Geoff approached his RTW adventure from another angle – what was the most economically priced set of tickets on multiple airlines to complete the trip? Mainline flag carriers and low-cost carriers mixed together to get Geoff around the world. Knowledge of baggage limits helped Geoff pick certain flights. Geoff notes how third-party lounge accesses don't always work in all airports, and some lounge-like benefits offered at certain airports for a fee. What were the tools that both Geoff and Vinny used while booking their adventure? What are they looking forward to in the cities they are stopping in? CMB, DAD, DPS, DUS, EWR, FRA, GOT, HAN, HUI, IST, JFK, KUL, MAA, MAD, MLE, NRT, ORD, OSL, PEN, SIN, TPE, TXL, VIE, YTZ, YVR, YYZ – there is bound to be an adventure or two just waiting. Shout outs to the websites of Sam Chui, The Points Guy and One Mile at a Time. A big shout out to the Layovers podcast with Paul Papadimitriou and Alex Hunter – thanks for the inspiration! View From the Wing news item about a passenger being served 16 Month Old Food. If you have an RTW story, question or experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we build off a key component of the previous experience and re-visit the theme of baggage. We look at where your checked bag ends up in a plane and why it is there, along with how bags are loaded with narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. We look at what's happening when you see your bags being loaded. Why is there different weights used by airlines – 32 kilos, 23 kilos and more. Vinny looks back at how many times people tried checking in overweight bags at YYC with British Airways (BA). Speaking of overweight bags, Vinny and Geoff share experiences with easyJet (U2) and Ryanair (FR) at TXL, STN and LGW. If you're on a journey with multiple airlines, make sure you check the weight limits for all the airlines. If you're over your weight limit by a lot, it never hurts to ask a supervisor. What is the famous "gate check" and "sky check"? What is the science of the bag tag? Flyertalk/Independent (UK) news item about a passenger who accidentally opened the plane emergency exit instead of the toilet door. Shout out to listener Danny Nabalek for sharing his experience of sitting in Seat 1A, listening to Seat 1A. If you have an airline baggage story, question or experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we are doing something a little bit different. Fan of the show, Debbie shares her nightmare travel experience from YVR to AUS. She shares the nineteen-hour saga – complete with one cancellation, one delay, one changed flight, three airlines, three changed connecting cities, dead checked bags in the bowels of YVR, and the determination of her and her husband to get to Austin along with their bags. Vinny and Geoff analyze what happened, and review how they handled the multiple traveller challenges that were experienced. Shout out to Debbie for sharing her experience, another shout out to a terrific gate representative from Alaskan Airlines (AS) Flyertalk news item about a Peruvian chef being held by the TSA for bringing 40 frozen piranhas into the U.S. Condolences from Seat 1A to family and friends of Aeroflot Flight 1492 along with those in the industry. If you have delay or rebooking stories (or want us to review and analyse your travel experience), question or experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience, we look at railway to runway, using train services - that are often tied into the booking of your flight - to get to and from your airport. How does it work? How does it affect your baggage? Are you able to check in your bags at other airports besides the airport? What happens if your plane or train is late? Make sure you're catching the train at the right station. Vinny shares his city check-in experience at HKG. Does anyone still do curbside check-in? Shoutout to train travel writer extraordinaire Mark Smith – aka "The Man in Seat Sixty-One". If you're in a tough spot while, a train may be an option to get you to your short to mid-length destination. The railway to runway option is not limited to Europe...Taiwan has the option to book discounts on the high-speed rail system.

Vinny shares his experience train travelling in Hungary and missed his station stop – in the days before smartphones...and how a phone call to Geoff helped him get back on track. Geoff shares a plane to train experience – complete with Nietzsche. And you never know what you're experience you're going to have...even a train car singalong in Germany.

Jet Airways (9W) suspending operations. Skift news item about credit card companies holding back ticket revenue from Norwegian (DY). Will Geoff run into problems when he flies them from OSL-JFK in a few months?

FlightGlobal news item about Firefly (FY) resuming flights from SZB to XSP. Vinny shares an experience from HKG-ZRH where he had to circle above the city to avoid a typhoon and an airspace restriction.

Business Traveller news item on Boeing 737 Max grounding leading to Air Canada (AC) cancellations and schedule amendments.

What happens when an airline swaps aircraft to a larger plane?

If you have a story, question or experience that you would like to share (including train travel stories), please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

With summer flights coming up to and from Europe, we look into the world of Schengen and non-Schengen flights. What is Schengen and what does it mean to you as a traveller? How will you have to handle security, customs and immigration? How does the physical layout of your airport affect your connection? Vinny shares a very tight timing experience flying from IBZ-MUC-YVR on Lufthansa (LH). Geoff shares experiences having to re-jig his schedules twice through MUC on LH. What do you want to do on your arrival - do you even need to clear Schengen? Do you have the proper visas to transit to get to your destination? Vinny shares stories of checking passports with British Airways (BA) at YYC. Does the country you're flying to offer short term visas? If you're travelling inter-Europe, you still might have a Schengen to non-Schengen connection.

Boarding Area/Sam Chui news item about a British Airways flight ending up in the wrong city

NBC news item about a Michigan mom suing Spirit Airlines, says daughter was removed from flight without her knowledge

Boarding Area/Sam Chui news item about Air Belgium A340 operating for British Airways to Dubai

Shoutout to listener Brenda Reeves.

If you have a story, question or experience that you would like to share - including inter-European flights - please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/