A lot of famous people have been kicked off airplanes or banned altogether. This led me to the thought experiment of what it would mean to travel from SF to Berlin without commercial aviation.
Snoop Dogg: British Airways banned him and his entourage after the 2006 Heathrow lounge dispute. CBS/AP reported the airline’s confirmation.
Naomi Campbell: British Airways banned her in 2008 after a missing-bag dispute and her removal by police.
Liam Gallagher: Cathay Pacific banned the Oasis singer in 1998 following trouble on a Hong Kong-to-Perth flight. The story is often retold as an argument involving a scone, followed by Gallagher saying he’d “rather walk.”
Jonathan Rhys Meyers: The Irish Examiner reported in 2010 that United banned the actor after an intoxicated outburst at JFK.
Suppose commercial flying really were off the table. What would the trip from SF to Berlin look like? One route would be to drive across the US, sail from New York to Southampton, then take trains through London and continental Europe to Berlin. Cunard offers Queen Mary 2 crossings between New York and Southampton, commonly taking 7 days.
So you’d have to allow a week to drive across the US, a week at sea, and another couple of days to train to Berlin. About 16 days one way, before waiting for a sailing or allowing extra time for connections. Definitely best to just be nice.