Do not let the terrible events in London keep you away from flying. Terrorists want to stop our way of life by scaring us from living normally. Don't give them the satisfaction of scaring away people from flying domestically and overseas, especially to the UK, just because a few idiots showed they can turn themselves into human grenades.

The authorities will bring the ringleaders of these groups to justice in good time, but until then they will only lay low. Show them you're not intimidated by their terror!!

I'm just going to stick to trains at the moment thanks.

Do not let the terrible events in London keep you away from flying. Terrorists want to stop our way of life by scaring us from living normally. Don't give them the satisfaction of scaring away people from flying domestically and overseas, especially to the UK, just because a few idiots showed they can turn themselves into human grenades.

The authorities will bring the ringleaders of these groups to justice in good time, but until then they will only lay low. Show them you're not intimidated by their terror!!

Just pay me the ticket, and I'il gladly fly to London! :D

The only thing that's stopping me from flying more is the craptacular U.S. based carriers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make domestic travel as miserable as humanly possible. When I fly internationally I'll fly a foreign carrier... United, American, Northwest, Delta... you've all lost my business.

And terrorists don't stop people from flying... insecure paranoid people who think they can somehow "avoid" being killed by terrorists if they don't fly is what stops people from flying.

What's pathetic is the concept of terrorism is so misunderstood, Western nations, especially the US, have little hope of suceeding to rid themselves of it.

What does aviation have to do with the London bombings? No planes were involved. I can understand if some people are scared of using the tube, but flying?

What does aviation have to do with the London bombings? No planes were involved. I can understand if some people are scared of using the tube, but flying?

Seriously. I'm more afraid of those mannish-looking female flight attendants on American Airlines than being bombed out of the sky...

We get it. You don't like flying in America.

I'm just going to stick to trains at the moment thanks.

Who's going to get angry at Hungary? Your country doesn't stick your neck out for anybody, I'm sorry to say.

lol, my mum is going to europe in two weeks, and she was freaked out

I'm flying to Poland from NYC next week and not scared at all. Actually I can't wait. I love flying and I wish I had the money to do it more often.

International air travel is generally very safe.

The safety of domestic flights within the US is near perfect. There were no mainline plane crashes in the US at all in 2004. Pretty amazing considering the amount of flights every day of the year.

International flights were also very good in 2004. I can't bring to mind any flight originating or coming to the US that had an accident last year. (Knock on wood!)

The majority of flying related deaths in the US are private plane related. Either a one propeller or two propeller private plane. The increasing share of flying being done on "fractional ownership" planes, where a person buys the right to use a jet plane that can land and take off at non-commercial airports, may attract companies that aren't as cautious about safety as present companies are (e.g., NetJets), and there thus lies a potential for the avoidance of some safety procedures for the maximization of profits. Let's hope not!

Who's going to get angry at Hungary? Your country doesn't stick your neck out for anybody, I'm sorry to say.
Well, there was a bomb threat on Thursday in a shopping centre, so we are quite vigilante and try to stay out of trouble.

Why should any one worry about terrorism unless you live in the middle east? The G8 leaders are adressing poverty and global warming. Poverty kills more people every day then Terroirsm has in modern time. Global warming has the potential to distroy the world, in 1952 a cloud of smog killed 12,000 Londoners (by comparison just 2973 people were killed on 9/11).

There are terror threats but IMO many of them are likly not real. Im not saying terrorism isn't an issue, but its stupid to worry about somthing that directly affects so few people.

Why should any one worry about terrorism unless you live in the middle east?

Any country who has set foot on Arab nation soil can be sure they're on terrorist's hit list. They don't hate our Western lifestyle, (in fact the 9/11 terrorists lived it up in Boston and loved it!), they're not all these "Islamic Extremists" the governments keep claiming they are. It's the simple fact that occupying or putting any kind of military force on Arab soil is a HUGE NO-NO. If you stay off their land, they'll leave you alone.

So if my reasoning is right, you say, what triggered 9/11? Simple... It was the leader of Saudi Arabia who let US troops on their land during the 1991 Gulf War. Bin Laden was in Riyadh at the time, and when he heard of the decision, he was extremely pissed off because of that very reason, and vowed revenge which was exacted in 2001.

Madrid and London have suffered the same fate because they too have helped "occupy" Iraq, another Arab state.

Sorry this was off-topic... but it really bothers me that the US's approach to irradicating terrorism is the very thing that caused it in the first place. It's silly...

Any country who has set foot on Arab nation soil can be sure they're on terrorist's hit list. They don't hate our Western lifestyle, (in fact the 9/11 terrorists lived it up in Boston and loved it!), they're not all these "Islamic Extremists" the governments keep claiming they are. It's the simple fact that occupying or putting any kind of military force on Arab soil is a HUGE NO-NO. If you stay off their land, they'll leave you alone.

So if my reasoning is right, you say, what triggered 9/11? Simple... It was the leader of Saudi Arabia who let US troops on their land during the 1991 Gulf War. Bin Laden was in Riyadh at the time, and when he heard of the decision, he was extremely pissed off because of that very reason, and vowed revenge which was exacted in 2001.

Madrid and London have suffered the same fate because they too have helped "occupy" Iraq, another Arab state.

Sorry this was off-topic... but it really bothers me that the US's approach to irradicating terrorism is the very thing that caused it in the first place. It's silly...

Cheese, you hit the nail on the head. GWB, et al, think the answer is to invade countries to force them to adopt our way of life. He doesn't represent me as an American.

Cheese, you hit the nail on the head. GWB, et al, think the answer is to invade countries to force them to adopt our way of life. He doesn't represent me as an American.

Ahh, waccamatt... we need more people who think like you in South Carolina. :)

Unfortunately, Bush doesn't represent a lot of people, but it does tear me up inside to think why we aren't calling his head on a platter for planning the unjustified invasion of Iraq the very day after 9/11. [See "Against All Enemies" by Richard Clarke for more info. on that. It's a great read btw.] Anyhow, it really does make me consider moving to another country.

Again, my apologies to Nick in Atlanta for getting off-topic here. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Just pay me the ticket, and I'il gladly fly to London! :D
Me too! :D

Generally international air travel is very safe. There isn't very much to worry about, except somewhat annoyingly thorough security checks.

I will be flying in and out of London next week, the Tube might be different. I was on the Tube in some of the places were it blew up less than a week before, a bit uncomferting.

Any country who has set foot on Arab nation soil can be sure they're on terrorist's hit list. They don't hate our Western lifestyle, (in fact the 9/11 terrorists lived it up in Boston and loved it!), they're not all these "Islamic Extremists" the governments keep claiming they are. It's the simple fact that occupying or putting any kind of military force on Arab soil is a HUGE NO-NO. If you stay off their land, they'll leave you alone.

So if my reasoning is right, you say, what triggered 9/11? Simple... It was the leader of Saudi Arabia who let US troops on their land during the 1991 Gulf War. Bin Laden was in Riyadh at the time, and when he heard of the decision, he was extremely pissed off because of that very reason, and vowed revenge which was exacted in 2001.

Madrid and London have suffered the same fate because they too have helped "occupy" Iraq, another Arab state.

Sorry this was off-topic... but it really bothers me that the US's approach to irradicating terrorism is the very thing that caused it in the first place. It's silly...


I would like to believe it was that simple, but no, I don't think so....

And anyway, if you say Bin Laden attacked the US in 2001 because of a thing that happened in 91, I guess they will have reasons to do thousands of attacks in the next centuries....
It's like, in 2147, the terrorists justifying: "This one was because an american tourist spit in a sacred soil in Iran in 1972!" :D

PS: Don't need to reply to me.... let's not turn this thread into a political one. :)

I'm flying from Chicago to Killeen,TX tomorrow. Can't wait to fly on an American MD80 and an American Eagle ERJ 145. I've never been on an ERJ 145 before, can't wait.

I'm flying from Chicago to Killeen,TX tomorrow. Can't wait to fly on an American MD80 and an American Eagle ERJ 145. I've never been on an ERJ 145 before, can't wait.

I've been on ERJs about 20 times, if you're under 5'8" you'll love them, I really like the 2-1 seating config. They're fun to fly in windy weather, they get tossed around and you can hear all kinds of alarms and stuff going off in the cockpit... enjoy!

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

...if you say Bin Laden attacked the US in 2001 because of a thing that happened in 91, I guess they will have reasons to do thousands of attacks in the next centuries....
It's like, in 2147, the terrorists justifying: "This one was because an american tourist spit in a sacred soil in Iran in 1972!"

I agree with you Nephasto. One of Bin Laden's "speeches" talks about retaking Al-Andalus. Most might wonder where that is in the Middle East. It's not. It's the Iberian Peninsula, which we now know as Spain and Portugal. Here's a quote from Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors)

In AD 711, some Moors, in fact Arabs and Berbers, invaded Visigoth Christian Spain. Under their Berber leader Tariq ibn-Ziyad, they landed at Gibraltar on 711 April 30 and brought most of the Iberian Peninsula under Islamic Sharia rule in an eight-year campaign. They attempted to move northeast across the Pyrenees Mountains but were defeated by the christian Frank Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours in 732. The Moors ruled in Spain and Portugal, except for small areas in the northwest and largely Basque regions in the Pyrenees, and in North Africa for several decades. The Moorish state suffered civil conflict in the 750s.

The country then broke up into a number of mostly Islamic fiefdoms, which were consolidated under the Caliphate of Cordoba. Christian states based in the north and west slowly extended their power over Spain. Galicia, León, Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia or Marca Hispanica, Portugal and Castile became Christian again in the next several centuries. In 1212 a coalition of Christian kings under the leadership of Alfonso VIII of Castile drove the Muslims from Central Spain. However the Moorish Kingdom of Granada thrived for three more centuries. This kingdom is known in modern times for such architectural gems as the Alhambra. On January 2, 1492, Boabdil, the leader of the last Muslim stronghold in Granada surrendered to armies of a recently united Christian Spain. The remaining Muslims were forced to leave Spain or convert to Christianity. These descendants of the Muslims were named moriscos. They were an important part of the peasantry in some territories, like Aragon, Valencia, and Andalusia, until their systematic expulsion in the years from 1609 to 1614. Henre Lapeyre has estimated that this affected 300,000 out of a total of 8 million inhabitants at the time. The expelled Moors mostly went to Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and helped to develop their culture; others became corsairs.

Invasions of other people's land is not new!

I would like to believe it was that simple, but no, I don't think so....

And anyway, if you say Bin Laden attacked the US in 2001 because of a thing that happened in 91, I guess they will have reasons to do thousands of attacks in the next centuries....
It's like, in 2147, the terrorists justifying: "This one was because an american tourist spit in a sacred soil in Iran in 1972!" :D

Exactly, they could do thousands of attacks to get back at the US, UK and friends for Iraq, and as long as Bin Laden's on the loose or someone else is running Al Qaeda, I don't see what's stopping them.

But their retaliation doesn't stem from "small" incidents like a couple tourists messing with Iran like you describe, it's about tens of thousands of US troops walking across Saudi Arabia, or today, with 150,000+ foreign troops on the ground in Iraq.

:) :) :)

I'm flying to London on thursday evening. I planned it already before the terror attacks, but booked the tickets after the attacks.

You're my hero DiggerD21!!

You're my hero DiggerD21!!

I forgot to mention that my hostel is near Kings Cross station. Am I godlike now? No, I'm just a normal person who want to visit someone in London.

The only thing that's stopping me from flying more is the craptacular U.S. based carriers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make domestic travel as miserable as humanly possible. When I fly internationally I'll fly a foreign carrier... United, American, Northwest, Delta... you've all lost my business.

And terrorists don't stop people from flying... insecure paranoid people who think they can somehow "avoid" being killed by terrorists if they don't fly is what stops people from flying.

What's pathetic is the concept of terrorism is so misunderstood, Western nations, especially the US, have little hope of suceeding to rid themselves of it.

great comment,i just came back from a trip on united where i had a direct flight from miami to paris on united airlines and ended up having to take 4 different flights of which each one got delayed atleast one hour,from now on i'll take virgin atlantic ,british air or air france.......

just booked a ticket fom Rome to Shanghai with Aeroflot!

just booked a ticket fom Rome to Shanghai with Aeroflot!
:eek2:
you are brave on flying on those old Tupolev :runaway:

^ :D Yes I am

Before booking I read comments on skytrax about Aeoflot and they were all positive : just the onboard service ,from what I read, seems not that good but then I don't really mind if I can save a lot of money!

Look forward to flying on Tu 154 and Il 96-300!
Go Aeroflot! :nocrook:

Look forward to flying on Tu 154 and Il 96-300!
Go Aeroflot!

The Tu154M from Rome to Moscow is a 727 knock off, but the Il-96-300 looks like a cross between a 767 and 777, but it has four engines. The Ilyushin should be pretty cool. Maybe you can give us a thread on the Aviation subforum on your views of the two planes. Especially the Ilyushin, which you'll be on for over 8 hours from Moscow to Shanghai.

It's not the plane blowing up that scares me. It's getting trapped in an airport somewhere because two countries can't get it straight about passports and you end up spending days trying to sort it out in the airport. It's security deciding your car keys or some other item irrationally constitutes a security hazard and you end up not being able to get home or to your hotel and have to spend $300. It's becasue you might end up having your flight canceled and spend a night sleeping in an airport. It's that they suddenly decide that they no longer let you just park, you HAVE to give them your keys, and when you get back your car is no longer there and no one is there to help you (this HAS happened to me at Logan!). It's finding someone to bring you to and pick you up from the airport because it's such a hassle with security and finding the appropriate flight and terminal. It's becasue the flight is going to be too uncomfortable and you will be stuck for hours on a plane that offers no service. It's because I am afraid the airline is going to screw up their reservations and not issue a ticket, and you don't get to fly until the next day.

Ironically it's not the fact that people are scared of the airplane flying itself, it's of all the stuff that happens before, during, and after the flight.

The Tu154M from Rome to Moscow is a 727 knock off, but the Il-96-300 looks like a cross between a 767 and 777, but it has four engines. The Ilyushin should be pretty cool. Maybe you can give us a thread on the Aviation subforum on your views of the two planes. Especially the Ilyushin, which you'll be on for over 8 hours from Moscow to Shanghai.

The Tu154 is a bit old ...
http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=376

The il96-300 it shouldn't be much bad http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=253

but the Il-96-300 looks like a cross between a 767 and 777, but it has four engines.

It's like a shorter and wider A340! ;)

The Ilyushin should be pretty cool.
Yes it surely is! The Il 96-300 is the aeroplane used by the russian president Putin for his international trips.

Maybe you can give us a thread on the Aviation subforum on your views of the two planes. Especially the Ilyushin, which you'll be on for over 8 hours from Moscow to Shanghai.

Yes I will try to take pics on the return flight since I don't have a digital camera now as I planned to buy a good one in Shanghai.
So expect pics for the end of September! :cheers:

Yes it surely is! The Il 96-300 is the aeroplane used by the russian president Putin for his international trips.

He should use a Tu-144 instead! That would be badass...

:) :) :)

I've been on ERJs about 20 times, if you're under 5'8" you'll love them, I really like the 2-1 seating config. They're fun to fly in windy weather, they get tossed around and you can hear all kinds of alarms and stuff going off in the cockpit... enjoy!

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)


My experience in the American Eagle ERJ-145 was one of the best flying experiences I've ever had. We even ran into some good "scary" turbulence, I was sitting in the back and when it was over for about 10 seconds I started clapping saying "That was awesome." Others started laughing, plus there was this really hot girl on my flight and I had to ask her out but she told me she was engaged. Anyway, that was the best flight I ever had. :)