Long ago and far away (1990), out of Melbourne on Qantas, I went via on a stop-over in Auckland for some reason.
I forgot I had a full 35mm canister of some primo Queensland pot in my carry-on (along with other canisters of film). And I guess sorta like the USA does, there was a check out and check in though I was flying through, so customs. It passed and in LAX they didn’t bother to have a look so stamp my passport and JFK is domestic.
Of course just passport control. I’ve gotten too used to the EU where they look at your passport and wave you through.
Back in the lovely old days of 20GBP flights to Europe from England I took a weekend trip to Madrid. Passport “control” consisted of a crowd of people waving their passports in the air as they swarmed past a kiosk. Amazing.
I have some photog friends who’ve done Iceland; they have some incredible photos. It is high on my bucket list but of course, it is a last minute trip as you don’t exactly know when it’s going to pop or for how long.
I did look into HI a couple of years ago. Between the cost of last minute flights, ridiculous rental car prices (post-pandemic squeeze) it was going to average over $1000/day! I balked at the cost, & in hindsight it was the right decision because it stopped by the time I would have gotten out there just a few days later.
That Ryanair story is so fucking stupid - clearly just a way to get the name in the media. The “unnamed regulator” is literally every single one on the planet (though it would have been EASA because their planes are registered there); they are largely harmonized on the concepts of seating and passenger safety.
It reads like a parody. It couldn’t possibly be serious. Either that, or Michael O’Leary is a raving lunatic who shouldn’t be allowed to run a hot dog stand, let alone an airline.
I wonder what O’Leary thinks that kind of attention-trolling is going to accomplish. Personally, my view is, sure, I’ve heard of Ryan Air, they’re infamous. And I’d never fly them.
I did fly them once in 2011 (not much opportunity, given as I’m in Canada) and it was adequate. Met exactly the need I had, but certainly didn’t offer more.
They actually have a pretty good safety record, and I’m fine with bare-bones travel. I’d not be particularly concerned to fly with them again.
But these hare-brained “innovative” ideas from idiots who think they are “disruptors” just make me want to hit something. Media attention is all it is, and I don’t have much respect for that.
The reality of the airline biz is that the company that can really sell $10/ride transportation over a continental range will own the entire industry & blacken the skies with their fleet.
Anything that crams more bodies in is fundamental to that goal.
The reason airlines have massive passenger behavior regulations and subways do not is simply an accident of history. If we did regulate airlines like subways, elbow to elbow standing would be the norm.
Ryanair knows that and wants that to become reality.
. It passed and in LAX they didn’t bother to have a look so stamp my passport and JFK is domestic.