"Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread

[OldChelsea]

Jet2, major British LCC, cancels all flights till 24th June, citing lack of clarity from Government on re-starting travel: https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1420826/jet2-flights-cancelled-holidays-jet-2-news-summer-holiday-june-travel-latest

[OldChelsea]

US passport operations starting to approach normality - turn-round time for processing routine applications is now 10-12 weeks: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/passport-covid-19.html

Hey, it's a start...if you can't travel anywhere right now, at least you can get ready for when you can.

[imref]

US passport operations starting to approach normality - turn-round time for processing routine applications is now 10-12 weeks: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/passport-covid-19.html

Hey, it's a start...if you can't travel anywhere right now, at least you can get ready for when you can.

My son got his done in about 6 weeks FWIW.  Remember that Real ID is now in effect so most folks will need a passport to fly domestically unless they have a Real ID driver's license.

[OldChelsea]

My son got his done in about 6 weeks FWIW.  Remember that Real ID is now in effect so most folks will need a passport to fly domestically unless they have a Real ID driver's license.

That's my situation - my licence was running out at the end of last year and I was unable to schedule a Real ID appointment because of all the Covid closures of DMV facilities, so for my (very infrequent) domestic air trips my passport will suffice.

[imref]

Other than masks, Dulles looks no different than it did pre-pandemic. Packed to the gills.

[OldChelsea]

Other than masks, Dulles looks no different than it did pre-pandemic. Packed to the gills.

Sounds consistent with what I've seen on the airport's website - even much of the international schedule is back up (but who's travelling? There can't be that many people seeking patriation flights after this much time). Daily service is now available to Addis Ababa, Doha, Frankfurt, London, San Salvador, Seoul/Incheon and Tokyo, plus 3-4 times weekly (or thereabouts) to Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dubai, Lisbon, Munich, Paris, Vienna and Zurich; also weekly to Casablanca and Istanbul. In addition, United's Caribbean network from Dulles is almost back to pre-Covid service levels.

[imref]

The biggest change is that united now boards all groups, including 1, by rows from back to front. So I’m going to be checking my roller for a while.  First still boards ahead of everyone else as does 1k, GS, military, and those with small kids or needing assistance

On this flight it is mostly families.

[Five Banners]

Sounds consistent with what I've seen on the airport's website - even much of the international schedule is back up (but who's travelling? There can't be that many people seeking patriation flights after this much time). Daily service is now available to Addis Ababa, Doha, Frankfurt, London, San Salvador, Seoul/Incheon and Tokyo, plus 3-4 times weekly (or thereabouts) to Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dubai, Lisbon, Munich, Paris, Vienna and Zurich; also weekly to Casablanca and Istanbul. In addition, United's Caribbean network from Dulles is almost back to pre-Covid service levels.

Variant exchange program

[varoadking]

Variant exchange program

😂

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

On one-aisle planes that only load from the front, kinda makes first a bad place to be. 

First still boards ahead of everyone else as does 1k, GS, military, and those with small kids or needing assistance

[RobDibblesGhost]

Hitting Alaska in June - that'll be my 50th state. Hoped to do it last year but a little something thwarted those plans.

My plan:
Fly to Anchorage for two nights
Day trip to Kenai Peninsula
Two nights camping at Wonder Lake in Denali National Park
Fairbanks
Chena Hot Springs
Back to Anchorage, fly overnight to Portland
Meet my friend in Portland, drive to just outside Crater Lake
Day at Crater Lake, camp out just outside the park
Explore the coast
Back to Portland, spend day and night with my brother and his wife
Amtrak Empire Builder from Portland to Chicago (have a roomette for this leg), Capitol Limited from Chicago to DC.

Any tips/advice would be appreciated!

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Best trip itinerary, ever.  Have fun. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

if you catch any salmon, be sure to freeze it before you get on the train, or else you'll smell like Jaimee.

[OldChelsea]

Why it's probably just as well that we can't go to Britain right now - 7hr immigration queues at Heathrow (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9474107/Fury-seven-hour-Heathrow-queues-Border-Force-staff-say-theyre-working-bubbles.html)

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

That's how Dulles sometimes was before Global Entry

Well, more like 2 hours, but felt like 7. 

Terminal B at Newark is really awful too - especially when someone freaks out because of a roach and causes a chain reaction of 

[OldChelsea]

That's how Dulles sometimes was before Global Entry

Well, more like 2 hours, but felt like 7. 

Terminal B at Newark is really awful too - especially when someone freaks out because of a roach and causes a chain reaction of 

Amazing how Newark is buckling under the strain in recent years - I resided in New Jersey in the mid-70's, and that airport was so little used back then that it was regularly the site for filming commercials for airlines, car hire companies and the like.

I've seen posts on Skytrax complaining of immigration/customs queues at Dulles lasting as much as 5hr. Thank goodness for Global Entry.

[imref]

I flew out of Terminal 1 (United) at O'Hare yesterday. The saddest thing was that the Rick Bayless sandwich shop was closed, as was pretty much every other place to eat in the section of the B gates that I was at. Only McDonalds was open.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

No Chicago dogs??  Those were the only airport hot dogs I would consider eating.  There used to be a couple of stands in Terminal 1, I think right by the big dinosaur. 

I flew out of Terminal 1 (United) at O'Hare yesterday. The saddest thing was that the Rick Bayless sandwich shop was closed, as was pretty much every other place to eat in the section of the B gates that I was at. Only McDonalds was open.

[imref]

No Chicago dogs??  Those were the only airport hot dogs I would consider eating.  There used to be a couple of stands in Terminal 1, I think right by the big dinosaur. 

all the stands I saw were closed.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Damn.  Air travel was already like Torquemada's dungeon, take away the bars and restaurants and I think I'll just be taking my chances sticking a thumb out at the side of the Interstate. 

[Natsinpwc]

Damn.  Air travel was already like Torquemada's dungeon, take away the bars and restaurants and I think I'll just be taking my chances sticking a thumb out at the side of the Interstate.

I had to look up that name.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

"The comfy chair!!"

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I had to look up that name.

I wouldn't have expected that.

[Natsinpwc]

I wouldn't have expected that.

No one expects it. 

[imref]

No one expects it. 

First thing I thought of was this: