Why Budget Airlines Still Suck, and a Device that Makes Them Better

I think we've mentioned our lack of affection for budget airlines before. But a Singapore-based passenger from Singapore to Sydney has summed up the experience in a very eloquent and funny way. Read it here.

Returning to another subject we've also discussed before, it's time for airlines to address the needs of families while flying. Strangely, the needs of families while flying are remarkably similar to the needs of solo travelers.

Cases in point: flying to Hong Kong last weekend, I was in sightline of a child whose lung capacity, given the volume, pitch, and frequency of his cries during the last 20 minutes of the flight, were truly remarkable. Try this exercise: deep breath, SCREAM AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS UNTIL YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO MORE AIR LEFT, deep breath, repeat. That's what it sounded like, except the scream should be inflected with the emotion that your world as you knew it has now ended. Sad, but impressive.

On the return flight, I knew that as soon as I saw the woman with the baby behind me, there would be trouble. I was not disappointed. For two fo the flight's three hours, it sounded like the child, about a year old, was being waterboarded. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Gurgle gurgle gurgle. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Two hours. Thank you for choosing Hongkong Airlines.

For this reason, I highly recommend the Bose QuietComfort 15 noise-canceling headphones. Noise-canceling may be a tad optimistic, but it certainly reduces the noise around you. Those earbuds the airlines give you, they're crap. A regular traveler needs a full ear-covering headphone that's going to at least cancel out the noise of the engine. Anything beyond that that's eliminated or reduced is a bonus. You need that. You do.

One of our editors indicated Thursday morning that he didn't understand what the big deal about taking a budget ariline versus a premium airline is. Aside from wanting to say "pure ignornace," let's put it this way: imagine taking an all-night, seat-only train trip in China. Now, imagine taking an all-night, seat-only train trip in China during Spring Festival: the crowds, the yelling, the chickens. That's the difference. There's also a big difference between arriving at a business or holiday destination refreshed and rested, and need a day to recover before actually starting to relax.

On Tuesday, I'll tell you how to plan your trip to Japan during the new September 3-5 holiday, for maximum irony.

Photo: Web2carz.com