Time to spare, go by air...

[Ghery]

More time yet, go by jet.

Is that ever the truth today. Got to SJU this morning to catch my flight to ORD, connecting to SEA. No plane and the flight to ORD was cancelled. It appears that they had a mechanical problem after leaving ORD and returned. No available aircraft to replace it, so those of us planning on flying to Chicago this morning were out of luck.

This is a three day weekend. Think there were any available seats on other flights, or combination of flights, to Seattle today? Nothing that United could find, and the ticket agent, a nice helpful lady named Anna Maria, was looking hard. After much fooling around, she found me a flight to Miami on American and a flight to Seattle from Miami on Delta. I went and checked in with American, got my boarding pass, checked my bag through to Seattle and went to check with Delta to see that they had a seat for me.

Delta had no record of me. Nothing, zilch, nada. So, I went back to United. To give you an idea of how long some of this work was taking, three gentlemen from Japan who had been at my meetings this week were right behind me in the line at United and they were still working with Anna when I got back. When she finally finished with them (I have no idea how they are getting back to Tokyo) she recognized me in the line and had me come back to her station. After hearing my story we checked and, guess what? She had booked me for tomorrow. Ouch. Oh well, I have a boarding pass for the 12:33 flight to Miami, and my bag is checked through to Seattle. What do we do? More mad typing on the keyboard. Finally, I am traveling from Miami to Seattle tomorrow. Nothing else available. But, it is on United, MIA to DEN and DEN to SEA. 1st class. Get home before the Delta flight arrives.

Now, what to do about the bag? I went back to American to see if they could retrieve the bag and just check it to Miami. United had their station manager at American seeing that their customers were being helped properly and was apologizing profusely for the problem. We got talking, and he's a pilot, too. Just had lousy timing and tried to get a slot with the airlines a number of years ago when Pan Am and others were folding up shop. So now he works for United on the ground. Anyway, American was able to retrieve my bag and just check it to Miami.

United provided a room, and that's where I am right now. I'll take the shuttle back to MIA late tomorrow morning and finally get home around 8:30 or so after getting into SEA around 1900. So much for going to the Seattle Mariners game tomorrow afternoon with my wife, kids and daughter's in-laws. The game will be over by the time I get back. Rats.

It's going to take me longer to get from SJU to SEA than it is scheduled to take to get from CPT to SEA in October. Joy, oh joy!

 

[sere]

You could of just about flown yourself there in the amount of time it is taking you to get home. Hope the time fly's by for you.

 

[Richard]

Ghery: waaaaa
(sorry, I couldn't resist)

Anyone who flies comm has been there. Coming back from JFK->PHX->SBA we were delayed 2.5 hours at JFK, boarded, sat :45 minutes, deplaned, sat another :45 minutes, departed for PHX. At PHX we waited 1 hour past schedule only to be told our plane was wx delayed and still in Omaha. 3 hours later--after many updates--we were told our flight had been cancelled. 2 hours later a crew was called in and a jet materialized out of mx and we finally made our destination.

My wife flew LAX->DFW non-stop. Took her 17 hours. No wx or mx delays. Funny thing is, I had said I wanted to fly her there but she said the company had already paid for her flight. Because of the delays two meetings had to be rescheduled, involving 22 people from around the country. I had flight planned 9 hours. Her return featured 2 mx delays on two different jets resulting in a 9 hour delay.

I'm sorry you'll miss out on spending time with your family.

 

[Ghery]

I commented while in line the second time that I could probably get home faster from MIA with a 182, but I don't know of any one way rentals and the company frowns on the use of GA for business. Would have been fun to take a 182 from MIA to SEA. Oh well...

 

[Ghery]

A point that I wanted to make was that both AA and United personnel were as helpful as could be and did what was possible to get me home. Delta was a different story. Sorry, you're not in our computer, go away. As long as today's flights go on time I'll be home by about 8:30 or so this evening. I wonder when my friends from Japan will finally get to Tokyo? That can't be fun.

An unintended side effect was that I had a very enjoyable evening last night in the chat room, something I usually can't find time for. That could be very addicting.

Time to shut down, check out of the hotel and make a leisurely trip to the airport. TTFN.

 

[bbchien]

A point that I wanted to make was that both AA and United personnel were as helpful as could be and did what was possible to get me home. Delta was a different story. Sorry, you're not in our computer, go away. As long as today's flights go on time I'll be home by about 8:30 or so this evening. I wonder when my friends from Japan will finally get to Tokyo? That can't be fun.

An unintended side effect was that I had a very enjoyable evening last night in the chat room, something I usually can't find time for. That could be very addicting.

Time to shut down, check out of the hotel and make a leisurely trip to the airport. TTFN.

It has gotten to the point where I consider 12-15 hrs in the Seneca as an appropriate trade for airline uncertainty. Going to Tahoe in early August....(from Peoria).

 

[Ghery]

Well, I made it home - finally. Almost didn't make the connection in Denver. 45 minutes between flights scheduled, 15 minutes actually available. And, of course, the gates weren't even close. Amazingly enough, my bag made it, too. Well, three days home and then off to Hawaii for a week and a half. At least that's a non-stop from Seattle.

The Seneca is sounding better and better, Bruce.