Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Fear and Loathing on In-Competental Airlines
Well, we're back- all of us- finally.
I have to say right off the bat, our week in the Bahamas was wonderful and I'll write about it more when I have pictures to post.
But I'm considering not ever travelling during the holidays again. I'm also considering NEVER flying again. Which is sad.
I LIKE flying- the actual airplane part. It's the part involving airports and airlines that's impossible.
On the trip down we only missed one connection due to air traffic in Fla and it was easy enough to get seats on the next flight- only because of all the poor travellers who didnt make THAT connection in time. So we got to Nassau, only 2 hours later than we planned.
After a wonderful, dream-like week in the Bahamas. The trip home turned into a nightmare of Twilight Zone proportions.
We got to the airport in Nassau 2 hours before our flight and obediently got into the first of several long, disorganised lines, like the good lemmings that we are.
30 mins later at the ticket counter we were told there was no seat for Rob on the flight due to over-booking. They scrambled around a bit and offered him the last available seat on an American Eagle flight to Ft Lauderdale. It was scheduled 45 mins later than ours, but he should still have 25 mins or so to make our connection to Newark. He accepted it. There was no other choice. What options the 50 people in line behind us were given, I have no idea. Not to mention the dozens of people in the American Eagle line for the flight Rob had just gotten the last seat on.
Next we were told there were no seats available for our daughter Erin and her friend Amanda on our connection from Newark to Providence. The seats were already full?? 8 hours before the flight?! Yep, In-Continental had oversold all flights. I begged her to please try again. After several more tries she was able to get a boarding pass for Amanda, but not for Erin, and suggested we try again when we got to Ft. Lauderdale.
We were told to get in line behind the long row of ticket counters for the baggage screeners. This was fascinating. What you have in Nassau is an open-ended corridor with xray machines at either end behind the ticket counters. It's about 300ft long and 6ft wide. Supposedly, 2 lines are supposed to move in opposite directions toward the machines.
What it actually was was pandemonium. At least 500 people jammed into this space with their luggage and no idea where they are going. We had lost each other in less than 30 seconds. I spotted Rob and the girls 200 ft away in the "crowd" (I wont call it a line.) (not) moving in the other direction. I got out of the corridor walked to the other end of the lobby and attempted to go between the counters to get in line with them. I was stopped by one of the ticket women but eventually let through, to the grumbles of other travellers. We were eventually spit out the other end past the screeners. It was very similar to... No, EXACTLY like... being driven through a very slow cattle chute. Mooo.
We then proceeded up, down, and through hallways and escalators for indeterminate reasons toward what we assumed were the departure gates. We came to a corner jammed with a couple hundred people. When we finally made it around the corner we saw what the log jam was for... another security screener, another walk-through machine, another take-off-your-shoes-jackets-purses-carry-on-in the bin-through-the-machine-place. We finally made it through there, up another flight of stairs- (Go to the light Mary-Ellen!) which opened to (rays of light and air and choir of angels) the gate area. Remember the cattle chute? We had finally made it through the meat-grinder and sat there- so many pounds of disshevelled hamburger.
We said goodbye to Rob and told him we'd see him in Ft Lauderdale and got on our plane which (miraculously) left only 45mins late. It was a 40 or so seat prop plane that made for a very personal and exciting flight. An hour later with a bone-jarring bang and a couple of bounces we were in Florida. We got to the gate for our Newark connection about an hour before the flight. I got in line at the gate to talk to the woman about getting Erins ticket from Newark to Providence, as I was told to in Nassau. I explained the problem to her and asked her if she could help. She looked at me like I had a huge suppurating growth instead of a face, looked at Erins tickets an disgustedly told me to talk to them when I got to Newark. I apologized for wasting her time and walked away.
OK, Plan B- Worst case scenario- we cant get Erin from Newark to Providence. I'm obviously not leaving my 17 year old daughter in New Jersey alone to deal with the airlines, so- if there's no seat for Erin, I'll give up my seat, stay there with her and send Rob home with Amanda till Erin and I get seats on the next flight or whatever and he can come back and pick us up whenever we get in. OK. But wait, the plot thickens...
As it gets closer and closer to boarding time I start looking out for Rob. His flight should have been here by now. I put Erin and Amanda on the plane and stand in the hallway waiting for Rob. No Rob. I wait til the last possible minute and get on the plane to Newark without him. A few minutes later they paged him on the plane by name. No Rob. We taxied out to the runway and while we sat there for an hour I got a flight attendants attention and asked him about Rob- "the man they just paged" he didnt know what I was talking about, but said he would find out. He never spoke to me again. After the plane took off I asked another flight attendant, she didnt know what I was talking about, but would ask someone. She never spoke to me again. About 30 mins later, I turned to the woman next to me who had overheard the story twice, and said "There is not enough Xanax in the world..." She looked me knowingly in the eye and slowly nodded. I took one and fell asleep. So much for Plan B.
We arrived in Newark with about 15 minutes to sprint to the gate on the other end of the airport at least a mile away. ( I swear they do that on purpose to weed out the weak, thin the herd, and free up more seats.) Thankfully, when we got there sweaty and panting, they had a boarding pass for Erin. (I guess that "thin the herd" thing works.)
I told the woman "Thank gODD you have a ticket for her, I've already lost one member of my family today." She took Robs name, punched it into the computer and told me, "Well it says here Robert is in a hotel in Miami and is booked on a flight on Monday."
MONDAY????? (This was on Saturday.) AND HOW THE HELL DID HE END UP IN MIAMI??? The lady just smiled and shrugged and put us on the plane to Providence.
At 8:30 we got into Providence and went to baggage claim, got our luggage AND Robs. Yes, against FAA regulations, they apparently put Robs suitcase on 3 successive flights he was NOT aboard.
When I got home at 10pm there was a message from Rob. I called him in Miami. He was well on his way through a $75 bottle of room service vodka. Basically, his flight from Nassau was delayed so he never made the 2:30 connection to Newark. After trying for 3 hours in Ft lauderdale the best they could offer him was a ride to Miami, one night in a hotel (he was stuck there for 2 nights with no clothes), 2 meal vouchers worth a maximum of $15 (for 3 days), and a flight home on Monday.
I called Continental early Sunday to ask if there was any possible way to get him home that day. The woman was very pleasant and apologetic and tried. The only option she could offer was for Rob to rent a car at his own expense, drive 4 hours to Orlando, take a flight to Cleveland that would connect to Providence. (I offered the option to Rob, which only pissed him off worse.) I asked if Continental was going to compensate him in some way for this disaster. She told me she was sure they would, and to call back Monday after he got home in case there were further problems. OK.
My Ulysses finally made it home from his odyssey Monday night. I called Continental Tues morning as the sweet people at their "Customer Care" line had instructed me to do over the weekend. I spoke briefly to the nastiest, rudest woman I have ever encountered who told me that Robert had already received QUITE ENOUGH in the way of compensation (???!!!). She told me that I had been told repeatedly that they would only deal with Robert and not me (They had??). And that this conversation would NOT continue until she was speaking with Robert. Rob called them and was told that his whole problem was not the fault of Continental for not providing the seat he had bought and paid for, but American Eagles fault because the flight left late and that as far as they were concerned, the matter was closed. American Eagles position is that they are not responsible for delays due to air traffic.
Well, now that THAT'S all cleared up I understand. Why didn't they just say so to begin with?
I feel violated. Could someone please help me remove this airplane from my ass?
Well, we're back- all of us- finally.
I have to say right off the bat, our week in the Bahamas was wonderful and I'll write about it more when I have pictures to post.
But I'm considering not ever travelling during the holidays again. I'm also considering NEVER flying again. Which is sad.
I LIKE flying- the actual airplane part. It's the part involving airports and airlines that's impossible.
On the trip down we only missed one connection due to air traffic in Fla and it was easy enough to get seats on the next flight- only because of all the poor travellers who didnt make THAT connection in time. So we got to Nassau, only 2 hours later than we planned.
After a wonderful, dream-like week in the Bahamas. The trip home turned into a nightmare of Twilight Zone proportions.
We got to the airport in Nassau 2 hours before our flight and obediently got into the first of several long, disorganised lines, like the good lemmings that we are.
30 mins later at the ticket counter we were told there was no seat for Rob on the flight due to over-booking. They scrambled around a bit and offered him the last available seat on an American Eagle flight to Ft Lauderdale. It was scheduled 45 mins later than ours, but he should still have 25 mins or so to make our connection to Newark. He accepted it. There was no other choice. What options the 50 people in line behind us were given, I have no idea. Not to mention the dozens of people in the American Eagle line for the flight Rob had just gotten the last seat on.
Next we were told there were no seats available for our daughter Erin and her friend Amanda on our connection from Newark to Providence. The seats were already full?? 8 hours before the flight?! Yep, In-Continental had oversold all flights. I begged her to please try again. After several more tries she was able to get a boarding pass for Amanda, but not for Erin, and suggested we try again when we got to Ft. Lauderdale.
We were told to get in line behind the long row of ticket counters for the baggage screeners. This was fascinating. What you have in Nassau is an open-ended corridor with xray machines at either end behind the ticket counters. It's about 300ft long and 6ft wide. Supposedly, 2 lines are supposed to move in opposite directions toward the machines.
What it actually was was pandemonium. At least 500 people jammed into this space with their luggage and no idea where they are going. We had lost each other in less than 30 seconds. I spotted Rob and the girls 200 ft away in the "crowd" (I wont call it a line.) (not) moving in the other direction. I got out of the corridor walked to the other end of the lobby and attempted to go between the counters to get in line with them. I was stopped by one of the ticket women but eventually let through, to the grumbles of other travellers. We were eventually spit out the other end past the screeners. It was very similar to... No, EXACTLY like... being driven through a very slow cattle chute. Mooo.
We then proceeded up, down, and through hallways and escalators for indeterminate reasons toward what we assumed were the departure gates. We came to a corner jammed with a couple hundred people. When we finally made it around the corner we saw what the log jam was for... another security screener, another walk-through machine, another take-off-your-shoes-jackets-purses-carry-on-in the bin-through-the-machine-place. We finally made it through there, up another flight of stairs- (Go to the light Mary-Ellen!) which opened to (rays of light and air and choir of angels) the gate area. Remember the cattle chute? We had finally made it through the meat-grinder and sat there- so many pounds of disshevelled hamburger.
We said goodbye to Rob and told him we'd see him in Ft Lauderdale and got on our plane which (miraculously) left only 45mins late. It was a 40 or so seat prop plane that made for a very personal and exciting flight. An hour later with a bone-jarring bang and a couple of bounces we were in Florida. We got to the gate for our Newark connection about an hour before the flight. I got in line at the gate to talk to the woman about getting Erins ticket from Newark to Providence, as I was told to in Nassau. I explained the problem to her and asked her if she could help. She looked at me like I had a huge suppurating growth instead of a face, looked at Erins tickets an disgustedly told me to talk to them when I got to Newark. I apologized for wasting her time and walked away.
OK, Plan B- Worst case scenario- we cant get Erin from Newark to Providence. I'm obviously not leaving my 17 year old daughter in New Jersey alone to deal with the airlines, so- if there's no seat for Erin, I'll give up my seat, stay there with her and send Rob home with Amanda till Erin and I get seats on the next flight or whatever and he can come back and pick us up whenever we get in. OK. But wait, the plot thickens...
As it gets closer and closer to boarding time I start looking out for Rob. His flight should have been here by now. I put Erin and Amanda on the plane and stand in the hallway waiting for Rob. No Rob. I wait til the last possible minute and get on the plane to Newark without him. A few minutes later they paged him on the plane by name. No Rob. We taxied out to the runway and while we sat there for an hour I got a flight attendants attention and asked him about Rob- "the man they just paged" he didnt know what I was talking about, but said he would find out. He never spoke to me again. After the plane took off I asked another flight attendant, she didnt know what I was talking about, but would ask someone. She never spoke to me again. About 30 mins later, I turned to the woman next to me who had overheard the story twice, and said "There is not enough Xanax in the world..." She looked me knowingly in the eye and slowly nodded. I took one and fell asleep. So much for Plan B.
We arrived in Newark with about 15 minutes to sprint to the gate on the other end of the airport at least a mile away. ( I swear they do that on purpose to weed out the weak, thin the herd, and free up more seats.) Thankfully, when we got there sweaty and panting, they had a boarding pass for Erin. (I guess that "thin the herd" thing works.)
I told the woman "Thank gODD you have a ticket for her, I've already lost one member of my family today." She took Robs name, punched it into the computer and told me, "Well it says here Robert is in a hotel in Miami and is booked on a flight on Monday."
MONDAY????? (This was on Saturday.) AND HOW THE HELL DID HE END UP IN MIAMI??? The lady just smiled and shrugged and put us on the plane to Providence.
At 8:30 we got into Providence and went to baggage claim, got our luggage AND Robs. Yes, against FAA regulations, they apparently put Robs suitcase on 3 successive flights he was NOT aboard.
When I got home at 10pm there was a message from Rob. I called him in Miami. He was well on his way through a $75 bottle of room service vodka. Basically, his flight from Nassau was delayed so he never made the 2:30 connection to Newark. After trying for 3 hours in Ft lauderdale the best they could offer him was a ride to Miami, one night in a hotel (he was stuck there for 2 nights with no clothes), 2 meal vouchers worth a maximum of $15 (for 3 days), and a flight home on Monday.
I called Continental early Sunday to ask if there was any possible way to get him home that day. The woman was very pleasant and apologetic and tried. The only option she could offer was for Rob to rent a car at his own expense, drive 4 hours to Orlando, take a flight to Cleveland that would connect to Providence. (I offered the option to Rob, which only pissed him off worse.) I asked if Continental was going to compensate him in some way for this disaster. She told me she was sure they would, and to call back Monday after he got home in case there were further problems. OK.
My Ulysses finally made it home from his odyssey Monday night. I called Continental Tues morning as the sweet people at their "Customer Care" line had instructed me to do over the weekend. I spoke briefly to the nastiest, rudest woman I have ever encountered who told me that Robert had already received QUITE ENOUGH in the way of compensation (???!!!). She told me that I had been told repeatedly that they would only deal with Robert and not me (They had??). And that this conversation would NOT continue until she was speaking with Robert. Rob called them and was told that his whole problem was not the fault of Continental for not providing the seat he had bought and paid for, but American Eagles fault because the flight left late and that as far as they were concerned, the matter was closed. American Eagles position is that they are not responsible for delays due to air traffic.
Well, now that THAT'S all cleared up I understand. Why didn't they just say so to begin with?
I feel violated. Could someone please help me remove this airplane from my ass?
