How not to fly
Chapter 2
How not to fly
Sorry So long but you will see why if you read the whole thing.
We decided to fly to Miami from Philadelphia the day before the trip just incase we had any delays. This way we wouldn’t have to worry about missing the boat because of a cancelled flight. This was the first time my wife ever flew anywhere so it was very exciting for her. So my Mom dropped us off at the airport at 11:30 am, our flight was scheduled for 1:30pm. I called to verify the flight at 11am and it was on time. We figured that this would give us enough time to get though security and relax before the flight. I hadn’t flown since 1999 so we had not been though the new checkpoints yet and didn’t know what we might be in for. We checked in our baggage at the curbside and were informed that the flight was delayed till 1:50pm. We though oh this is going to be fun already. We haven’t even gotten in the building and the fight is delayed. The security check point was a breeze. We were though security and at the gate for our fight in 15 minutes. When we got to the gate the message board said that the flight had been delayed till 2:30pm it was 11:45am. I thought “Great now it is over an hour behind”. We figured well since we have time to kill “lets go get some lunch”.
So we went to lunch at TGIF and went back to the terminal. It is now 1pm. We went to sit down and noticed a long line forming at the ticket counter. I asked one of the people standing in line “What’s the line for?” He said the flight was CANCELLED, only after they had delayed it a 3rd time to 3pm. We were told that we could stand in line or we could call the number on the desk for assistance. I had my cell with me so I opted to call the number. I was on the phone for over 90 min and finally got us on a fight to Charlotte, North Carolina at 6pm with a connector to Miami at 9pm. We where suppose to be flying on American Airlines and the new Flight was going to be with USAIR. This would get us into Miami at 11:00pm, so much for taking my wife out for dinner in Miami. The woman that I talked to said that they found our bags and that they would be on the flight with us to Charlotte. We called the hotel to make sure they knew we would be in late. They noted it on our room and told us that the (Free) Shuttle ran till 1AM. So we figured great we have plenty of time once we get to Miami.
So we are now sitting in the Philadelphia airport trying to make sure that we are on this new flight. At 3pm I decided we better check at one of the counters and make sure we don’t need boarding passes to get on the flight. We went to the counter and the woman at the counter told us that she didn’t have any information on us in the computer and that she wouldn’t have anything until 5pm and even then she couldn’t print out boarding passes for us. She said that we should go to the ticket counter to get new boarding passes so that we wouldn’t have any issues. So we figured ok no big deal. What she didn’t tell us was that we would have to go back outside the security zone to get those passes. So we go back out of the security zone to get in line (45 min wait) to get the new boarding passes. We got the new boarding passes and have to go back though security again. That took 15 min, again faster then expected. It is now 4ish. So we go back to the terminal and waited for the flight. The fight was on time and we even landed in Charlotte about 15 min early. We figured cool as long as the flight to Miami is on time we are doing good. We had to hike about 2 miles to get to our transfer flight. Luckily they have those walking escalators that make the hike shorter.
So we get to the new gate at about 7:30pm. We decided to go get something to eat but this time we are going to bring it back to the gate and eat it there so we don’t miss any announcements. We ate our dinner and everything was going good. About 8:30 the Desk attendant announces that the flight was delayed in DC and that it would be arriving in about 15 min and that we would board as soon as the passengers get off. So the fight was delayed for boarding to 9:10pm. Well 9pm came and went and the flight was still not at the gate. So at 9:10 she announces that the flight was on the ground and that it would be in the gate at any moment. The flight was now delayed to 9:25pm. At 9:30 the attendant announced that the fight was being cleaned and that it was going to be a few more minutes. So now the flight was delayed to 9:45.
At 9:40 the attendant (looking very scared) announces that the flight was almost ready but that it would be 10pm before we can board. See where this is going L. At 10:05 she gets on the speaker again and announces that the flight had been grounded due to maintenance issues but we have another Plane that we can use. The only thing was we had to go to a different gate. You guessed it we had to go back to where we first landed 3 hours before on the other side of the airport. So we walk back the 2 miles to the new gate. After arriving at the gate we are told that the fight would be leaving at 10:25. At 10:30 the same desk attendant announces that the plane is being cleaned because it was suppose to sit over night so it would be a few more minutes. It is now suppose to leave at 10:45. The plane finally begins boarding at 10:50.
So we get into the plane and get ready to pull away from the gate. The back of the plane if full of Cubans (no not the cigars), they are carrying on about not being able to site with there family. The Captain comes back and threatens to take the plan back to the gate and remove the woman if she doesn’t sit down and shut up. She mouths off a little bit but, shuts up and sits down. It is now 11:20pm and the captain announces that the flight will take 2 hours. So guess that means that we will miss the free shuttle to the hotel.
We finally arrive at 1:15am. We go to the baggage claim and wait 20 min for our luggage that never comes. That is right I said our luggage is now lost in Miami at 1:40am. We go to the baggage claim desk at USAIR and the attendant say that it is probably over at American Airlines on the other side of the parking lot. So we walk across the parking lot which was about a ½ mile. We get to the AA baggage desk and the attended (that barely spoke English) tell us that they do have our luggage that we need to go to the end of the hallway and meet her supervisor and that she would give us our bags. You guessed it another 1/2mile walk. So we get to the end of the hall and NO ONE is there. We wait 5 min and head back to the desk. NO ONE is there at the desk. We walk back down the hall it is now almost 2AM. Again NO ONE is there. So we walk back to the desk one more time because it is 2AM and we don’t know what else to do. As we walk back to the desk there is a woman walking in front of us in an AA uniform like the one at the desk. We get back to the desk and this woman is locking everything up. I say “excuse me we are looking for a supervisor that was suppose to meet us at the storage room for our baggage”. She says “yeah that is me but we are now CLOSED come back at 5am and someone will help you”. I said “What!!!!” as she speedily walks out the door. So now it is 2:15 am and we are stuck at the airport without our luggage and we can’t get it till after 5am. So we decide maybe we can catch a cab to the hotel. We catch a cab to the hotel and get checked in. It is now 2:35am. We figure we will sleep till 7 am and then get up and go back to the airport and get our luggage.
Well sleeping till 7am wasn’t going to happen. We go to bed and realize that the pillows and the comforter are both Down. I wake up at 6 am with an allergic reaction to the down and I’m pucking and everything like I just went though a CS gas chamber. (military guys will get that one). We get up and got to the airport. It takes us all of 2 min to get our luggage. Just think if the %^%$%$*%$ at 2am had been nice that is all the longer it would have taken. We go back to the hotel and check in to the Cruise. They had an early check-in for anybody that stayed at the Marriott. This saved us about 90 once we got to the dock.
So the moral of the story is Always fly the day before because you never know what is going to happen.