Oh, my! What a day... I'm to the point that I really hate this new reality...(vent)

[Halftime Hope]

I really do think that for the most part, it was a much, much nicer world 25 years ago.  (I know that there were definite societal exceptions to my statement, and there are ways in which we have vastly improved, but this is a JAWM post. I have zero desire to hear from those who want to argue ways in which it today's circumstances and the way "things are"  don't make everything more terrible.) The only thing that made today a bit better were several examples of individual kindness in the airport.

We went to the airport this morning and stood in line for 90 minutes to arrange a small deal that required a face-to-face interaction with a ticketing agent.  When we got to our gate another hour later, a plane was deboarding at our gate.  It was the plane, our plane, that was to take us to our destination.  The plane sat empty at our gate for another 2.5 hours while we waited for a crew. Another planeful of passengers heading to another destination waited for their plane, which was to load at our gate after our flight cleared.  Their plane was on the tarmac somewhere, waiting for our gate.  Apparently the weather had backed up a bunch of crews in backwater airports, and crews were in a major shortage at the hub.  (So "they" say.)

The gate crew had done a superb job communicating with the passengers, updating fairly frequently.  Then suddenly we all got text messages advising that the flight had been canceled.  I immediately grabbed our boarding passes and ran to get into the gate agent's line of about 30 people, and at the same time started dialing the 800 number of the airline.  In my experience, the way it works is that you either get through to the 800 number or make it to the front of the line, and whichever person you reach first, rebooks you.  

After about ten minutes in line, I start hearing grumbling in front of me, people complaining that the 800 number just hung up on you (like it did to me a dozen times), that the gate agent wasn't helping anyone, and people saying they might try to use a rebooking page on the website.  The line was getting more grumbly and not moving at all, and with no luck with the phone number, I went  back to where dh was still sitting and started fishing my laptop out of my backpack.  At that point, the gate agent announced something over the intercom about assisting passengers on standby for Tulsa.  (Remember, this was her first communication at all since "we called the tower about a crew, and they don't have anything yet; I'll keep you posted."   WTH?  Tulsa?  That wasn't one the two cities they had been anouncing for the last two hours!  Meanwhile I'm struggling to connect to  wifi.  After another 10 minutes of my hitting one wall after another, and a full 21 minutes after the cancelation text message, it was THEN that agent gets on the loudspeaker and announces, "Folks, please don't come up here for help with rebooking to Halftime's Destination city!  I can't help you. I'm only helping passengers heading to Tulsa.  If you need help with rebooking, please go see the Customer Service Desk at gate 25." (15 gates away from us.) 

Un-stinking-believable!  The gate agent didn't even announce the cancellation. Nor did she announce how to get help, in any way shape or form for a full 21 minutes. Since we weren't getting anywhere by phone or online, dh and I took off for the Customer Service desk at Gate 25, only to find a line 4 blocks long.  (Seriously, I'm great at estimating lines because of my job, and accounting for luggage,I would put it at a 250-person line.)  

At Gate 25, we finally got a wifi connection on dh's ipad and rebooked online, and guess what -- the only flights out are 48 hours from our initial flight.  @#$%@#$@#$$#@&*#   

We spent another 90 minutes in three lines trying to get our luggage back; nope, it's on it way to the destination.  And I'm still on hold with the airline.  

We booked an outbound flight with a different airline that will get us there a day earlier, and if STUPID airline will refund my FFmiles, I'll be happy.  But I don't know what they will do about my luggage if I don't fly them outbound.  Gahhh! 

Airlines are running everything razor thin, with no margin, to save a buck. I'd rather pay a bit more of a price point to avoid this much grief. (I'm not buying from Cut-rate-cheapo Airline, after all.)  It's not a nice world at all when the airlines don't give a rip about helping their customers, and they don't staff enough--including extra employees on call when weather is expected--to meet their actual obligations.   

 

 

 

 

[GailV]

Oh man, that really stinks. 

 Overall, it seems like more competition does help us have better choices, and in many ways we do have less competition these days, particularly in regards to airlines -- the Big 4 control  80% of the domestic market. So I'm inclined to agree with you on that -- 25 years ago perhaps you could've decided to no longer use Stupid Airline ever again for any flights anywhere, and just gone with Competitor of Stupid That Isn't Cut-rate-cheapo. Now, though, you're often stuck without much choice.

Best of luck getting where you need to go.  Treasure the kind interactions. Ponder ways to subvert monopolies.

 

Edited December 28, 2018 by GailV

[Annie G]

Holy cow that’s awful! My sincere sympathies. 

[J-rap]

That's sooo frustrating!!  My dd got stuck in Manchester, England coming home for Christmas when her first flight was delayed and she didn't make her second flight.  This was at 3am my time...  I was able to call the booking agent and they were initially happy to help, but couldn't find a flight that would leave Manchester for two days!!  WHAT?  She'd miss Christmas!  I finally found one myself on a different airlines that was leaving in 30 minutes, and amazingly she made it.  Now I have to go through the hassle of trying to get a refund.

[easypeasy]

omgosh - when it comes to traveling by air, I 100000% agree with you that things were so much better back in the "good old days." I traveled extensively with my family - this was back when they would occasionally hold a flight for a passenger who was *just a few minutes* behind, when you didn't have to trudge through the stressful and sometimes embarrassing security line, and when there WOULD BE SOMEONE AT THE FRONT DESK AVAILABLE AND HAPPY TO HELP ASSIST YOU WITH QUESTIONS!!!! As long as your suitcase would close you were good (no weighing! Who remembers helping mom by sitting and jumping up and down on a suitcase to get it to latch closed? LOL)! We even had LEG ROOM in ANY row! Magical!

I hate flying now. Hate, hate, hate it. And the number of canceled-at-the-last-minute flights we've had in the past 5-6 years is RIDICULOUS!! No matter the airline, no matter the time of year... it happen with ZERO apologies by the airline. Delayed by 4+ hours (causing connecting flights to be missed...) and/or flat-out canceled. My kids have been stranded in strange cities while flying solo and it's been darn near impossible to track down anyone to answer questions during those situations. 😧

If it's a family member traveling, we book a flight. If *I'm* going - we drive. I'll drive 21-hours straight at a chunk to avoid flying because of the stress it causes me.

Edited December 28, 2018 by easypeasy

[Halftime Hope]

I'm so sorry for each of you with epic airline failure stories.  I took it in stride in September when bad weather caused me to lose a day in the airport, one of four days on my long weekend to see my new gdd.  It was weather, after all.  (And crews timing out.) 

But this time, it was the people that failed spectacularly.  Dh says their used to be red-vest agents roaming the gate areas to help with passenger questions, such as "Is it even possible to retrieve luggage? And if so, how?"  There was no one to answer those things, and you were on your own on the rebooking.  Apparently STUPID airlines has made that the passengers' problem now. 

J-rap, all the best with seeing your dd!! 

GailV, when we retire, dh and I will subvert monopolies by driving across the continent like little snails, enjoying the view, the breezes, and the normal people, while dragging our little shell behind us. And eat lots and lots of beans and peanut butter, in a fair trade for our freedom.  And then when g-kids are old enough to be in sports, we'll settle back down a bit more, enjoy the room to cook abundantly again, and go to g-kids games and concerts.    Hah!

Edited December 28, 2018 by Halftime Hope

[Mimm]

Airline stories kind of boggle my mind. They sell a thing (a ride from one place to another at a particular time) with absolutely no obligation to deliver. I have no desire to fly anywhere at this point.

[fairfarmhand]

You know, a long time ago, flying was the glamorus way to travel! Now it’s like a cattle car and you get to pay hundreds of dollars to be treated as such. Blech. 

[maize]

2 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

You know, a long time ago, flying was the glamorus way to travel! Now it’s like a cattle car and you get to pay hundreds of dollars to be treated as such. Blech. 

We need a better rail system; good rail travel is much nicer than flying.

[maize]

I'm not nostalgic for how flying used to be because--cigarette smoke on planes. I felt like I couldn't breath the entire time I was on the plane; international flights were especially awful.

Haven't flown in almost a decade though.

[fairfarmhand]

Just now, maize said:

We need a better rail system; good rail travel is much nicer than flying.

YES! I’d love to travel by rail. There used to be a rail terminal through Nashville. It closed in the 80s. I listened to a podcast a month or two back. For all the crossings and stuff to be updated to the needs for high speed trains, it would be millions of dollars. Historically, auto travel in Tennessee isn’t that bad, so I can’t see our state funding it. 

I think for the train system to work, the federal government is going to have to pitch in a lot to the states. 

[fairfarmhand]

1 minute ago, maize said:

I'm not nostalgic for how flying used to be because--cigarette smoke on planes. I felt like I couldn't breath the entire time I was on the plane; international flights were especially awful.

Haven't flown in almost a decade though.

That is true. I’ve thought before how miserable it must’ve been to be trapped with the smoke for hours on end.

[stephanier.1765]

In November, I flew Southwest from Florida to New Hampshire for the birth of my grand daughter. On the second leg of the flight there, we hit some pretty bad turbulence. The kind that makes you fly up in your seat so you are very thankful for seat belts. Even though I didn't complain and isn't the pilot's fault that weather is crazy, I was refunded the entire amount of my ticket. 

On my way home, my first leg was delayed due to weather but still had me at the next airport in plenty of time to make the next flight. However, that flight left late as well because they were waiting for passengers from another connecting flight. I think we waited 20 minutes for them and I'm sure they were thrilled to have made it. AND I still made it to my home airport by the original time.  Amazing.

I'm a nervous flyer because I'm an inexperienced flyer but at every turn where I didn't understand something agents took the time to help me out.

All that to say, I hope to never experience the crap you all have been through. I'm nervous enough as it is and I cling to these good experiences to help me through the next ones.

[goldberry]

I agree, the airlines don't give a crap about customers anymore.  It's awful and customer service is zilch. Wow, just because we totally cancelled your flight after you were already at the airport, you think we have any obligation to assist you? Sucks to be you!  😕

[importswim]

I can guess where you were probably flying out of yesterday! Ugh. DH is an airline pilot and it's been interesting to see how the industry works as far as how easy it can be to get a flight delayed/canceled/etc. DH has been rerouted/reassigned numerous times when weather sets in and then it's frustrating for everyone when crews time out. You put so "they" say in quotes but I can confirm that yesterday was a nightmare for airplane travel out of a number of airports which then has a knock on effect from crews not able to get out of other airports, happens to DH during certain times of year (so they weren't lying about that).  Winter and hurricane season are the worst! Christmas travel + storms and canceled flights mean he may not get home himself from his commute on the flight he wants to. Sucks.

I'm sorry that the gate agent wasn't communicating well. It takes 2 seconds to keep people updated! They should have had someone there to direct people.  It sounds like a really sucky day. 

Edited December 28, 2018 by importswim

[dirty ethel rackham]

I have had nightmare travel days like you experienced.  However, I do have a happier story to tell, About a year ago, dd and I needed to travel to an event with several members of her team.  Bad thunderstorms rolled through putting the entire airport on a ground stop.  After the thunderstorm passed, operations would resume.  Our plane was in another city in the path of the same thunderstorms we were experiencing, so when our airport would have resumed normal activity, that airport was on a ground stop.  That went on all day.  Our gate agent was fantastic.  She had hundreds of people lined up due to delays trying to get people where they needed to be, yet she kept her cool, keeping us updated and reminding people that being rude to gate agents wouldn't get you onto a plane any faster.  The gate agent gave some great advice and would encourage travelers on the same flight to listen to the same spiel.  She helped me get on standby for another flight and every time that was filled up, she would move dd and me to another flight.  Eventually, our plane did arrive with a fresh crew, and we did get to our original destination, but only after 9 hours in the airport.  Not being a frequent air traveler, I didn't know the ins and outs of navigating delays and cancellations.  Fortunately, with the help of dd's teammates' parents and the excellent gate agent, we were able to get where we needed to be.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to our hotel until after all the restaurants had closed so we had to make do with some snacks from Target.  And our hotel was really creepy and the doors didn't lock well.  

[mom2scouts]

I haven't flown in about 14 years and, based on the many horror stories I've heard, I'm not missing anything. The only carrier I ever hear positive stories about is Southwest and those are usually stories about how they actually did what they should have done. If I flew now and had a flight cancelled, I wouldn't have a clue what to do. 

I'm not sure rail travel is much better, at least in its current form. I only know of two people who tried to travel by train. The first was delayed on the tracks for a couple of days. The second had to fly home due to flooding on the tracks that cancelled all trips on that line.

I think one other issue is a shortage of pilots. Most pilots are trained by the military and then take civilian jobs and I don't think this is happening as much. We have a nearby aeronautics school that is spending over $6.5 million on a new training center and there's an aviation based Explorer unit trying to gain enough members to start, so there does seem to be an effort to train new pilots.

[Borstahusen]

Southwest has always been a good experience for us but the way they do seats is frustrating. We used to fly Allegiant  from Florida to Indiana but we will never fly them again after so many delays, flights cancelled, poor customer service, etc. Not to mention the poor condition of their planes. 

[Janeway]

This is why I will not fly anymore. Other than when I left the continent, I refuse to get on an airplane. 

[maize]

5 hours ago, mom2scouts said:

 

I'm not sure rail travel is much better, at least in its current form. I only know of two people who tried to travel by train. The first was delayed on the tracks for a couple of days. The second had to fly home due to flooding on the tracks that cancelled all trips on that line.

 

Rail travel in countries with good and well used rail systems is usually quite smooth.

The United States isn't one of those countries.

Friends of mine just took a 1000 mile rail trip in China and had an excellent experience. I've been all over Europe on rails with never a glitch.

Most of the horror stories I have heard are from the U.S.