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mcmommy
Senior Member
USA
978 Posts |
 Posted - 03/05/2007 : 13:44:55
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We went to NY this past weekend and booked our trip through Expedia.com. I almost ALWAYS use that website and have a wonderful experience just about everytime. Our challenges this past weekend weren't the fault of Expedia rather than a little bit of bad luck and some bad managment on the airlines part.
We flew Delta on the way to (upstate) NY. We had a 30 minute layover in Cinn. Our flight was delayed getting in to Fort Myers which made us late getting out of Fort Myers therefore missing our connecting flight in Cinn. We then had a 4 hour layover in Cinn. SUCKED!!!! No big deal, we made it there by 10pm (10 hour travel time).
The car rental went perfect. It was in the 20's with a crap load of snow (McGuire doesn't have winter attire). However..the rental came with heated seats. Whew!!!
The hotel was awesome. Nothing fancy, but... bed had a feather bed AND a down comforter so we stayed warm and cozy.
The purpose of our trip was a friend's wedding. It went well. Plus it was one of those trips to be introduced to the friends and family. Puts the relationship on another level. 
Our journey home..... US Airways. The plane we were supposed to be on needs a "manual start" which they use this piece of equipment called an "Air Starter". The airport did NOT Have this equipment needed to start this plane. NICE HUH? Our flight was cancelled. They moved us over to Air Tran. We flew to Baltimore, then to Atlanta where we had 5 hour layover. It took us over 12 hours to get home yesterday.
I think these airlines are going to get a call from my "travel partner". He isn't very happy. It will be interesting to see what the outcome will be (took over 12 hours to get home yesterday).
I leave for Charleston, SC a week from Wednesday and leave Charleston that Friday and fly to Vegas (no gambling for me..only shopping). I hope my flights are better than the ones this past weekend.
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Watchu talkin' bout Willis?
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MOTV8D
Contributing Member
USA
3946 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2007 : 17:03:07
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My flight from hell...
I was flying to Brazil to get married. My husband to be and his family was already there. I had to be there 10 days before the actual wedding to get the license and wait the applicable "waiting period."
My flight leaving Mpls/St. Paul was delayed one hour...two hours...three hours...six hours. By this point, I missed the last connecting flight to Brazil. They flew me to Miami instead so I would be able to get the first direct flight out in the morning.
At this point, I am already a day late. But I can still get there in time for my license and wedding. I arrive at the airport at some godawful early hour. They have even bumped me up to first class to make me stop crying. I board the plane and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. Evidently, they had us board a plane that didn't even have a pilot. We had to wait while one was found and could get to the airport. If I remember correctly, he had to fly in from Atlanta.
Several hours later, a pilot shows up, apologizes on behalf of the airline, and gives us our new estimated time of arrival. We begin to taxi down the runway when the pilot announces that he must return to the gate as the plane is having mechanical problems.
We deboard the plane and wait and wait and wait until a new plane is available. The new plane is smaller so I get bumped out of my upgraded first class seat. We finally arrive in Brazil in the middle of the night, two days later than I was supposed to be there to get my marriage license with the proper waiting period.
We proceed to the baggage pick up area to get my suitcase. I am exhausted, crabby, and just want to get some sleep. With all of the plane changes, I don't know why I was optimistic that my luggage would actually be there. Because it wasn't. They had absolutely no idea where it was. They gave me $50 for my inconvenience so I could buy new clothes and toiletries. The good news is that clothing in Brazil is cheap. The bad news is that it is all a little skimpier than what an American girl is comfortable wearing.
Long story short...it took me five days to get my luggage. We were too late getting the license and I couldn't extend my trip. We went ahead with the reception and honeymoon that was already planned and paid for. I had to give my sister-in-law proxy rights to sign the marriage certificate and take the vows for me. I was actually married two days after I returned home and I don't appear in a single wedding picture.
Guess I should have realized that the universe was sending me the message that this marriage was not meant to be. 
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If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain
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Dancinfool
Contributing Member
USA
2885 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2007 : 23:24:11
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WOW....while I can relate to McG's travel whoas.....I've been there many times  But Mot's is a total disaster!!!
"Guess I should have realized that the universe was sending me the message that this marriage was not meant to be. "
OMG....next time, listen to the universe.....that is one wild story MOT!!!!
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MOTV8D
Contributing Member
USA
3946 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2007 : 20:50:11
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Heck, that's just the wild story leading up to the marriage. There's another story in the marriage and one in the divorce.
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If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain
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Kuuipo
Senior Member
USA
820 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2007 : 22:00:37
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My flight from hell...
I was flying from NJ to Fiji. The flights between NJ and Honolulu went pretty much as expected. Some delays, crying babies aboard, kids kicking my seat, the usual stuff. We landed in Honolulu for what was to be a short layover. Hours passed before we were told anything. Finally, they told us there was a repair needed in the tail section and the repair part was on it's way. They were going to bus us to spend the night at the Turtle Bay Hilton. This is the most northern part of Oahu, a good 1/2 hour drive from the airport.
Long story short, just about got to sleep when there was a phone call telling us to meet in the lobby for the trip back to the airport. The plane was fixed. We board the plane and proceed to sit for another 2 hours aboard. Finally, we're told the part had been installed backward and needed to be corrected.... Well now, that's a comforting feeling isn't it?
Finally, we take off for Nandi, Fiji. Every time we encountered turbulance, the plane went sideways instead of up and down.
Later we discovered that Quantas Airlines uses mechanics in training and pays them accordingly. Once they get the experience needed, they move on. Honolulu is the main service point for their aircraft. The next time I flew Air New Zealand to Fiji and didn't have any problems. |
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CapeChick
Contributing Member
Zimbabwe
3595 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2007 : 20:56:05
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quote:
Originally posted by MOTV8D
Heck, that's just the wild story leading up to the marriage. There's another story in the marriage and one in the divorce.
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If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain
I'm just curious as to how you wound up marrying a man from Brazil?
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CapeChick
Contributing Member
Zimbabwe
3595 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2007 : 12:40:10
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and people wonder why I hate to fly. Had one bad experience at JFK trying to visit family here in the 80's. It's winter, we waited and waited on the plane. Had to be de-iced 2x, plane had "trouble", we had to switch to another plane. Arrived in FM about 7 hours after we boarded the plane on what used to be a 2 1/2 hour direct flight. Get down here and our luggage is MIA for 2 days. They gave us $$$ for essentials but it really screwed up our vacation especially since my significant other at the time left his medication in his bag which was missing. He was a bit of a hypochondriac so he kept checking his blood pressure like every hour. The hotel we booked was not to his liking because the pool was being resurfaced so we went to some hotel here on the Cape which had a tremendous pool. I think it was near the country club or was part of the country club. Did they used to have a hotel there?
Still not as bad as the time we flew from NYC to FM and when I got here I realized I left the dress I was wearing to my sister's wedding hanging up in the hall closet! Luckily hubby's nephew was staying at the house to watch the dogs and he had it Fed Exed to me.
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Orange Blossom
Contributing Member
USA
3815 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 20:22:01
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Mot, the Universe was SCREAMING at you!
We were flying home from France one time. Had an uneventful trip there, 8 hours, left on time, arrived okay....life was great. After 2 weeks there, I was sooo, OH so ready to come home. We get to the airport...I have come down with the stomache flu 2 days earlier, and also a UTI while over there. I feel less than great. We get to the airport, and find out that the truck drivers have ALL gone on strike! That meant that NO trucks in to the airport to refuel the planes, or to supply food for the trips. Well, we left 4 hours later than we were supposed to....as an International Flight, apparently there is some rule you can't fly without sustenance onboard for the passengers. WE couldn't even get food at the Kiosks as there was NO Food in the entire airport. The gate attendents explained to French Devil that the stewards had gone to the market. IT was Sunday, and NO big stores are open over there. They had to go to markets, and small speciality stores to buy food. We were on a HUGE plane so I have no clue how many souls were on board, I was just finally glad to get in the plane, with the kids in tow, and start to come home over the Atlantic.
A few hours into the flight, we are served our drinks,teeny tiny bottles of water. That's it. I saved my bottle for the kids. Knowing they'd be thristy be on a plane for 9 hours. Then half way into the flight, The kids are starving, and they come by and hand us an apple, a cut piece of french bread, a piece of brie cheese, and a can....with a pull top lid. Not reading french I have no clue what they've given us....hubby is sleeping. I tell the kids to eat their bread, they dont' eat brie cheese, so I gave them my bread, and French Devil's bread. Also, I dug deep into the carry on and pulled out (I'll never forget this) 4 pre packaged lil debbie brownies, and 6 fruit snack packages. Hardly enough food for small children under the age of 8, but I digress. When French Devil wakes up, he has Brie to eat, and 3 apples. The kids won't eat the apples, the skin was on them. OH, and the cans of whatever it was...now mind you, during this time it's the Mad Cow disease scare. France has a moritorium on imported meats due to the sickness of the brain diseases. So Hubby reads the cans, and said a few expletives in French...then turns to me and said "You are Joke-EENG, ONEY" He says to me, "Zay deed naught give you theese? Did zay?" I said, OUI OUI, and I'm irritated...so he rings for a flight attendant. I said to him what the F is it...in my pure American Slang....He said, "You do not want to know!" And he's peeved, and I mean peeved. Other passengers around us are now turning and staring at him. The flight attendant comes, asks him in English what is the matter, and he lits into her in French....they start arguing....and it's getting loud. So she rips the cans out of his hands and storms off....I mean just RIPS The cans out of his hands....
I said, what the HECK is in the can? Canned cow brains. CANNED COW BRAINS.....French Devil is now satiated with 3 apples and 3 wedges of brie cheese, and goes back to sleep. So the attendant comes back and has some sandwiches for the kids, I said, I'll have one of those, please..and she said, "NO, you are not allowed." And I am now feeling like I'm on a bad episode of Seinfeld, and I said, "WHY NOT?" And she said, THEESE Ham and Sheesze" So I said,"Works for me, SIL VOUS PLAIT" And she said, "NO!!" And stomps off...Hubby had gone back to sleep....and I ring for the attendant..and said, "Why can't I Have a sandwiche?" "Your husband said you are a vegetarian. I give sandwiches to your children because I feel sorry for them they are hungry, and are not accustomed to our delicasies, but you, AmerEEcan, are just a vegetarian, and you have nothing."
I was so upset. So my stomache is gurgling, and churning. All my food, but the apple, has been given away...and because my husband lied to the attendant to try and get me better food, I ended up with NOTHING. We landed in Miami, and we IMMEDIATELY went to McDonalds, and that hamburger never tasted so good!
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It's Not What You Say...It's What You Do
Laurence Haughton |
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MOTV8D
Contributing Member
USA
3946 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 20:55:36
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Canned cow brains?   Thank goodness no one tried to feed me that when I was there.
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If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain
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Orange Blossom
Contributing Member
USA
3815 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 21:02:56
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quote:
Originally posted by MOTV8D
Canned cow brains? Thank goodness no one tried to feed me that when I was there.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain
He didn't even know they had such a thing in a can. It was disgusting.
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It's Not What You Say...It's What You Do
Laurence Haughton |
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CapeChick
Contributing Member
Zimbabwe
3595 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 22:11:38
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"Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is –whether its victim is human or animal – we cannot expect things to be much better in this world. We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature.
Rachel Carson
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mcmommy
Senior Member
USA
978 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2007 : 16:14:44
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We took US Air to Vegas with a very short lay over in Charlotte. The flight and service was good.
As we were approaching Vegas and flying over the mountains the plane was all over the place (common I hear). I never get motion sickness and I thought I was going to lose my lunch. If we had been on that plane a minute longer I probably would have. I had the "baggy" in my hand. It took about an hour after we landed for my equilibrium (spell) to get back to normal. Whew!!!
My sister flew in the next day and said the same thing happened to her.
Our flight back was on American. We took the Red Eye. Im not sure I can do that again. I was exhausted and couldn't get comfy enough to fall asleep. There just isn't any room on those planes to stretch out. We inquired about upgrading to first class. Yeah..they wanted an ADDITIONAL $700 per ticket. We chose to suffer.
There was this french lady who sat behind us and the flight attendents needed her to move. She was yelling at them and telling them she couldn't speak English. The flight attentend says "Why are you yelling at me because I don't speak French? Why don't you speak English? Now please get up and move." It was awesome!!! I wanted to hug the flight attentend. Hehe.
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Watchu talkin' bout Willis? |
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Flights from Hell.....
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