My ridiculous odyssey.
I left my house to go to ONI-CON last Thursday at 2pm. It would take me about an hour to get to the airport via public transportation, and after that it’d be an hour before my flight left at 4pm. I arrived at the airport, checked my luggage and waited at the gate with plenty of time to spare. I was going to be in Houston by 9pm Central Time.
That’s where everything went wrong.
Pulling out of the gate, the pilot announces that the airplane’s air-conditioning has broken and we need to pull back in to the gate so the technicians could manually fix it. This delays us substantially, since we also have to wait our turn again on the runway. We land in Detroit at around 7:30pm, which is an hour late, and fifteen minutes after my connecting flight to Houston has already left.
I go to the desk to get a ticket for the next available flight out to Houston. I’m told it’s at 9:30am the next morning. Fourteen hours from that moment. The lady at the desk gives me a phone number to call for a “distress rate” at a hotel and advises me to make sure that whatever hotel I choose has a shuttle so I don’t have to pay extra for a cab ride. With a hotel room not in my budget at all, I decide to stay in the airport all night.
After a long night of walking the airport halls, drinking at the overpriced airport bars and trying to sleep in the uncomfortable airport chairs, I get a phone call at 7:15am that next morning. I’d already been there for twelve hours. Only two more to go and then I’d be on my way to the convention… except that the phone call is an automated voice telling me that my 9:30am flight had been canceled due to “airplane maintenance” and the next flight out wasn’t until 12:15pm. I nearly put my fist through a window when I realized I would be waiting around for another five hours.
I decided I was going to fetch my checked bag and take my business somewhere else. I searched for anyone to speak to, which took me another twenty minutes. When I found the proper employees, they directed me to the customer service gate where someone would be there to help me. What I found were two empty desks, some ticket scanners and cell phones that one would use to call the customer service help-line. I told the person on the other line, very calmly and patiently for a man who’d been up all night in an airport, that I wanted to get my luggage and book a flight on another airline. She said she would connect me to the “customer service baggage claim help-line.” I got a busy signal and the phone hung itself up.
At this point I’m starting to get delirious from the combination of exhaustion and anger.
I tried to book a flight on another airline and have my bag sent to me via the later flight, but thanks to my fatigue I ran the wrong way to the connecting terminal and ended up going past security and out the doors. The woman at the new airline gate told me “too bad, you won’t make it” and sent me on my way back through security.
At last I found someone at the customer service gate that was not a ticket scanner nor a cell phone. I told her of my ordeal and she apologized on behalf of the airline. For my patience and good nature I received two “inconvenience vouchers.” One had a coupon worth ten dollars at an airport food vendor. The other had a coupon to sign me up for that airline’s frequent-flyer program. Ha.
I did, however, get to ride first class on that 12:15pm flight. I was exhausted and stressed. I was going to miss half a day of the convention and I was sick to death of traveling. The conversation that ensued with the stewardess was a nice ending to this travel nightmare.
“Hello, sir. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Oh god, yes. How much for a glass of scotch?”
“Alcohol is free in first class, sir.”
“…..”
“Sir? Why are you smiling like that?”
“No reason. Just bring me a scotch and keep ‘em coming.”
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October 24th, 2007 at 3:35 am
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October 24th, 2007 at 3:49 am
God, I went through something similar in July, but with less first class. Nearly killed someone.
Fortunately, my mother and I had given ourselves a ‘buffer’ day just in case.
By the way, after 12+ hours in an airport the song “I wanna be sedated” by the Ramones gets freaking hilarious.
October 24th, 2007 at 4:42 am
So I have a pretty good travel story as well… i drive annually from stl to chicago for acen, anime reactor, and other cons. about 3 years ago during reactor there was a lot of construction on the highways used to get home, with detours and whatnot all over the place, and in the midst of all the confusion i end up going the wrong way… however since there are really no identifying landmarks as it is a very boring drive, i didnt notice. normally it is about a 5 1/2 hour drive to make, and i had left sunday night after the con, so it was already dark. i drove for about 4 hours and wasnt seeing signs for stl by this time, so i stopped at a gas station to find out i was in INDIANA, going the exact opposite away from my destination, and turning my 5 hour drive to a 9 hour drive >.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:27 am
I’m so sorry you had such a rough deal
That’s really unfair, especially about the hotel… distress rate my ass!! I’m guessing maybe you might have fared a bit better if you had travel insurance?
I think I might have drunk myself into a stupor by then, I certainly wouldn’t have had the patience you did! Kudos to you
Glad you enjoyed the con though, it sounds like you were really busy
October 24th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Oh man that sounds like it really really sucked. I’m sorry you had such a hard time Mookie. Gosh I would have been severly pissed off if that had happened to me.
October 24th, 2007 at 10:23 am
October 24th, 2007 at 11:36 am
What airline did you use? Or are you withholding that information to protect the innocent?
October 24th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Hurray for free alcohol!
Glad you made it there and back safe though!
October 24th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Damn, man, that sucks. I’ve never gone to any conventions, but I’ve got family out over in Tuscon Arizona, and for the past 10 years I’ve visited annually I’ve always flown by Southwest Air. I’ve never had any issues, but I could have lucked out every time, if that’s who you used.
October 24th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Awww… poor Mookie.
Well, that is travle for you.. one minute you are a san passenger to get on your flight, the next you are a 17 hr sleep deprived lunatic hell bent on breaking someone’s neck.
Yay for the free alcohol… Boo bad flights
October 24th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
I was one of your customers on Sat (that H guy). Reading in Vol. 2 right now. Enjoyed your note about what you did with the group who wanted to be in the comic in first volume. Looks like your current arc might feature scene in Hell coming up. Feel free to use me if you want .
You briefly mentioned your travel travails when we talked, but none of the details. My deepest sympathy! Good thing you didn’t tell me, though - I went to the AMV show soon after that, might have occured to me to suggest someone use stills from your comic to illustrate that bit from the Kentucky Fried Movie’s A Fistful of Yen (”Take him … to DETROIT!”)
Giving serious consideration to putting me in Hell yet?
October 24th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
(laughs) Good ending Mookie, nice one…
But that’s a harsh set of events…A really harsh set of events…At least it’s over now though, eh? Guess the chances of you going with that airline again are pretty slim, hm.. (chuckles)
October 24th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Word to the wise: If, for any reason, they put you off your plane when you’re trying to fly someplace, get off the plane as FAST as you can and go STRAIGHT to the desk. Ask to be put on standby for the next flight to your destination. If the problem is bad enough that you have to debark, odds are your plane will not take off.
I learned this lesson trying to get to Chattanooga from Atlanta. They canceled my flight…and I had to watch people get onto the next flight out. Luckily the drive was (ONLY) a couple hours, so my friend came to get me.
The same thing would’ve happened on my way home (second leg of the flight, Louisville to O’Hare), but as soon as they told us there was going to be a delay, I marched to the desk and asked for the next flight. There wasn’t anything to O’Hare for hours, but I was able to get to Milwaukee, which is actually closer to home for my fam (I had a ride home, thank goodness). I asked them to put me on standby, they did, I got home before my flight to O’Hare would’ve gotten off the ground. Whee.
October 25th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Oh god Mookie that sounds so awful. That’s why I’m glad any place I have to go I get there by foot… granted I never get to go to any cons like you do… V_V; *jealousy*
October 26th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
For future reference, I thought it may be cool to know this…
http://www.aviation.com/travel/070814_rule240.html
Depends on what flight you’re taking, but I still think that it could be worth it to get where you need to be on time…
October 28th, 2007 at 1:00 am
Free scotches?! So thats why first class is so bloody expensive!
October 28th, 2007 at 2:25 am
Goodness Mookie… Maybe I should give you my contact info and maybe I can give you a place to crash rather than you being stuck in the detroit metro airport for 17 hours next time that happens to you there.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Wow…I woula hurt someone if that happened to me. But thats just me!