travel thoughts so far

I'm writing this from the Frankfurt airport, though I'm posting it later as I cannot join the Wi-Fi network without a T-Mobile account.

Counting yesterday, I have met three different women who are the wives of Hal Co employees in my various travels in the last several years. By 'met', I mean the kind of casual conversation you strike up with your fellow travelers that is about nothing in particular. The woman from yesterday was struggling with a rather large amount of luggage which I though was three checked bags and a sizable carry-on and I joked to her that she was also traveling light like myself. (Point of reference, the totality of everything I brought with me fit in my backpack, three checked bags, and one box that I have mailed to myself. I really hope I got the address on the package correct.) It turned out that one of her bags was a carry-on and her ginormous purse was her 'personal item' which is a practice I generally frown upon. But since the flight was only about three-quarters full, I'll forgive her. She was apparently going to Cairo for a month.

Lufthansa has an 8 kg carry-on limit. My backpack probably weighs closer to 15 kg so I'm really glad they didn't ask about it. I had to leave the airline counter and pay for my extra bag on the other side of the terminal since I was checking an extra bag. The attendant told me I didn't have to wait in line when I came back, but I did wait for her to finish with the people she was currently helping. She made them weigh all of their carry-on bags after she had already taken their checked bags so they couldn't redistribute the weight into their bags. It almost seemed deliberately spiteful.

IAH airport in Houston has a possessed toilet in terminal 4.

Lufthansa has a strange boarding process. Apparently, the order is first class, business class, special club members, people who need assistance, and then everyone else at the same time. Update, they did the same thing with economy class in Frankfurt for the flight to Budapest. Apparently, this is easier than boarding the rear of the plane first. Or not.

Is airline food specifically designed to not produce smelly gas in people?

A couple passengers stood up too early when we landed in Frankfurt. They got up while we were still taxiing opened the overhead bin and took their bags out. The co-pilot came on the intercom and told everyone to sit down and followed that by saying "In the history of aviation, never once has a passenger arrived at the terminal before the plane."

Frankfurt airport feels very strange. The ceiling are too low, lights hang too low, and there are marquees barely above head height.