Bad experiences with flights

[cmarsh31]

Flying home to the East Coast from the West Coast. 9am in Seattle (bags packed, just having a late breakfast before leaving for the airport) - text message & email from SW. 12pm flight has been delayed until 6pm due to mechanical issues/big thunderstorm & hail damage to planes in NYC. Well. That means we've missed our connecting flight in BWI before we even take off from Seattle... oh, and because of the time change, by the time we land in BWI, our small local airport will be closed - no change of getting a flight in. Nothing like starting a day of traveling with the realization that you have zero chance of actually getting home. Were supposed to be landing at 11pm on Tuesday. Arrived at 11am on Wed. Bonus - we had to spend the 10am until 6pm time in the Seattle airport because we had to physically show up to the ticket counter in order for them to rebook our connecting flight at BWI. Couldn't do it over the phone for some reason. Plus, whether we stayed at the BWI airport from 3am until our new 9am flight the next day... they insisted on making us get all our luggage from baggage claim at 3am and then go through check-in, security, etc 4 hours later.

10am Tues to 11am Wed simply to fly from Seattle WA to Albany NY with two kids. DH said we're done flying cross-country for a few years. So excited for two layovers back at BWI in Oct.

 

[Kaytie]

Is there enough bandwidth on the DIS for my tales of woe? ;-)

Absolutely not!!! I thought of you immediately!!!

Suffice it to say, anyone planning flights from or to New England should make sure the debster family doesn't have trips scheduled...

 

[maxiesmom]

My tales of woe are pretty tame (fingers crossed they stay that way!)

The first one that comes to mind is the time I ended up in the Pittsburgh airport for 9 hours. I missed my connection, as they wouldn't allow the plane I was flying in on to land. The President was somewhere in the area, so they didn't allow any aircraft to land while he was in the area. So many people ended up stranded that they had to bring in another plane to get us all to Grand Rapids. While I was bummed I really felt for the people who were supposed to fly into Lansing. They had to fly to GRR and then be bused to Lansing.

There was a flight where they made an announcement before landing that it was going to be a rough one, and that they recommended chewing gum and not reading. That was a bit spooky. And the landing ended up a bit bumpy, but I've had much worse.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) In over 4½-million air miles, hardly any war stories.
2) Sure,
. . . a few late arrivals and rebooking for a miss connection
. . . a couple of overnight hotel stays due to bad weather
. . . several screaming kiddies when the adults should have quieted them (eg. Benadryl before takeoff)
. . . some rental-car drives from alternate airports due to snow storms
3) However, we once had a near-miss at Memphis while trying to land.
. . . in error, a plane taking off taxied onto our incoming runway
. . . our pilot saw the other plane at the last moment and executed a "missed approach" and powered-up to go around
. . . at approx 200-feet, this is an extremely dangerous maneuver, really dangerous
. . . but, the pilot did it so well, it was more of a Disney E-Ticket ride than a near crash

 

[dis_guy]

. . . in error, a plane taking off taxied onto our incoming runway

Yes, an extremely serious and potentially deadly situation.

. . . at approx 200-feet, this is an extremely dangerous maneuver, really dangerous

I respectfully disagree. A missed approach is not inherently dangerous. No more so than any take off or landing when near the ground. Pilots regularly descend to 100 or even 50 feet in low visibility conditions before executing a missed approach. It might feel like an exciting ride in the back but it's just another day at the office for line pilots.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Not my story, but I was at the airport picking up my Mom one time when I heard complaints from a family that had just flown in from fishing in Alaska. He'd checked his frozen fish, but also put his car keys in with the fish. I don't know why, either. So, of course, luggage goes missing and it's his fish (and keys) that won't arrive until the next day, long after the ice has melted. He was not a happy camper, for sure.

Another time I was on a flight that had been delayed and I heard about the poor older gentleman that had checked his insulin, which he now needed, but unfortunately, his luggage was on another continent. Makes you feel like your rebooking of a missed flight could be so much worse.

Then there was the time in Hamburg when DH and I were transferring and they wanted us to check our carry on luggage, as it was too heavy. It had cameras and a laptop in it, so hubby said no way. The guy finally told us to take the camera out of the bag, and then he let us go. We stuffed the camera back in the bag at the gate, wondering how that made any sense at all.

Finally, one from days long gone by. Back in the 70s, before there even was security, you could sit with your family at the gate while they waited for their flight. We were flying home from Miami and our flight was cancelled. A jumbo jet of passengers that had a 6 hour wait for another flight and had to be booked into the new flight. There was a guy there who was making all kinds of fuss about how he had to be first to get on the next flight, so they made sure he was first to be booked in. Naturally, back then as now, they filled planes from back to front, so he got his seats first at the back of the plane, while we, a family of 4 got the seats in the front, in first class. At boarding, my dad said he saw the daggers coming from his eyes as he boarded to the back of the plane past all the other passengers sitting in much better seats than his family. So, the lesson is don't make unnecessary waves when you don't have to.

 

[Shanoops]

My worst story borderlines on horrific, but is funny to me now: In October 2011, I was flying to ST. Louis for a cousin's wedding. I was supposed to have brief stop in Raleigh, NC to change planes and then arrive in St. Luis about 30 minutes before the rehearsal dinner.

There was some bad weather in Raleigh, so we circled in the air for about 40 minutes before trying to land. As our plane descended, there was a loud boom, a flash of light and lots of bouncing. The captain came over the PA and said something about needing to fuel up and that we were being diverted to Norfolk, VA without acknowledging the boom, the light, or the bouncing. When we landed in Norfolk, the plane was quickly surrounded by firetrucks. Turns out we'd been struck by lightning. We deplaned in Norfolk and the gate agent called me up to the desk to let me know that I'd been rebooked for a flight to St. Louis the next morning. They flew us back to Raleigh after about an hour and the gate agent there let me know that the airport was closing for the evening. I could stay in the terminal and let my checked luggage hang out in the baggage claim without me, or go get my luggage and not be able to get back into the airport. I was flat broke at the time and had $1 in my wallet. I ended up having to have my father, who was already in St. Louis, book me a hotel room near the airport so I wasn't stuck outside overnight.

My best advice is to always have cash on hand when you're travelling. The whole ordeal would have been far less terrifying if I'd had cash on hand to book my own room.

 

[goofy4tink]

Yes, an extremely serious and potentially deadly situation.



I respectfully disagree. A missed approach is not inherently dangerous. No more so than any take off or landing when near the ground. Pilots regularly descend to 100 or even 50 feet in low visibility conditions before executing a missed approach. It might feel like an exciting ride in the back but it's just another day at the office for line pilots.

My dh used to work for a company with its own private jet, so when he flew, that's how they booked him (poor baby). The pilots were pretty much former military pilots. If they were flying in or out of smaller airports, with little air traffic, they loved to practice 'touch and goes', I think that's what dh said. He said the pilots told him it was the only fun they had!!

I know that when my plane is bouncing around up there, the pilots are probably having a good time...similar to when I'm out on a boat and the water is choppy! Much more fun than flat, quiet water. But, for some reason, I prefer my pilots bored!!

 

[dis_guy]

My dh used to work for a company with its own private jet, so when he flew, that's how they booked him (poor baby). The pilots were pretty much former military pilots. If they were flying in or out of smaller airports, with little air traffic, they loved to practice 'touch and goes', I think that's what dh said. He said the pilots told him it was the only fun they had!!

I know that when my plane is bouncing around up there, the pilots are probably having a good time...similar to when I'm out on a boat and the water is choppy! Much more fun than flat, quiet water. But, for some reason, I prefer my pilots bored!!

Touch and goes are routine in pilot training. Plane touches down, pile on the coal and off you go again. The Brits call them circuits and bumps. Yeah it's fun.

Believe it or not pilots like a nice smooth ride, too. But sometimes it's not possible so it is what it is.

 

[keishashadow]

As long as I don't look out and see a monster on the wing I'm good.

True, but it did teach us a valuable lesson to pay attention and very carefully open the overhead bin. Not only might items "shift during flight" they might break too.

Yes, and too often it's the person sitting under the bin who gets hit in the noggin. People need to listen to the FA announcements, they always remind people of this possibility.

Nobody hopes for a flight delay, but when we do experience one, i go the lemonade route & cross those fingers that it's an equipment issue & long enough to ask for 'compensation'.

Not so when flying spirit or allegiant, just hope to get where-ever that same day, dealing with their so-sad, too-bad policies, but it's my acknowledged trade off for the ridiculously low fares.

 

[kamik86]

Flying home to the East Coast from the West Coast. 9am in Seattle (bags packed, just having a late breakfast before leaving for the airport) - text message & email from SW. 12pm flight has been delayed until 6pm due to mechanical issues/big thunderstorm & hail damage to planes in NYC. Well. That means we've missed our connecting flight in BWI before we even take off from Seattle... oh, and because of the time change, by the time we land in BWI, our small local airport will be closed - no change of getting a flight in. Nothing like starting a day of traveling with the realization that you have zero chance of actually getting home. Were supposed to be landing at 11pm on Tuesday. Arrived at 11am on Wed. Bonus - we had to spend the 10am until 6pm time in the Seattle airport because we had to physically show up to the ticket counter in order for them to rebook our connecting flight at BWI. Couldn't do it over the phone for some reason. Plus, whether we stayed at the BWI airport from 3am until our new 9am flight the next day... they insisted on making us get all our luggage from baggage claim at 3am and then go through check-in, security, etc 4 hours later.

10am Tues to 11am Wed simply to fly from Seattle WA to Albany NY with two kids. DH said we're done flying cross-country for a few years. So excited for two layovers back at BWI in Oct.

BWI is really bad for layovers... when I do Seattle WA to Albany I lay over at Midway. Others that work with me sometimes drive to Boston and go direct (depending on where you live that may not work for you but I live 1.5 hours from Albany in MA so between the layover and time spent to get to Albany going to Boston is about even on time.

When I go to DC sometimes I would try to do BWI to Albany at night after a meeting (like a 7 PM flight) however BWI seems to always be running late and crazy at night and its a pain. Stopped trying to save my company money and just stay the night in DC and fly out early in the morning now instead... so much less hassle.

 

[cmarsh31]

BWI is really bad for layovers... when I do Seattle WA to Albany I lay over at Midway. Others that work with me sometimes drive to Boston and go direct (depending on where you live that may not work for you but I live 1.5 hours from Albany in MA so between the layover and time spent to get to Albany going to Boston is about even on time.

When I go to DC sometimes I would try to do BWI to Albany at night after a meeting (like a 7 PM flight) however BWI seems to always be running late and crazy at night and its a pain. Stopped trying to save my company money and just stay the night in DC and fly out early in the morning now instead... so much less hassle.

We're 20 min from Albany "International" so we're generally stuck! It seems that EVERY SW flight with a layover from Albany stops in BWI now!

 

[margot31]

Many things could go wrong but you may never know till it happens. Let alone just because some of us have experienced bad things doesn't mean it happens all the time. So I would say there is no need to worry about what could happen. Just give yourself enough time and be patient.

 

[kamik86]

We're 20 min from Albany "International" so we're generally stuck! It seems that EVERY SW flight with a layover from Albany stops in BWI now!

Lol an airport is international if you can fly to canada or mexico doesn't mean much.

As for going through BWI just checked MDW is still an option the problem for you would be it would suck with kids as you either have to leave at 6 AM from SEA or not arrive until after 11 in ALB.

In the other direction ALB to SEA is again either leave at 6 AM or not arrive in SEA until 10 which is the equivalent of 1 AM for you from the east coast.

For work I generally just do the early flight but then its only me that I have to get up and there early. Although I do have the extra hour drive that you wouldn't have to worry about.

 

[Pmlocke]

I have found that most of the problems associated with air travel can be directly linked to the passenger more often than the airline. I have seen people who cannot find their seat just sit in any seat and then make a fuss when they are told to move; I have seen people as soon as they sit in their seat are calling for a stewardess to get a drink; I have seen people try to bring full sized luggage as a carryon and complain when they have to have their bags placed in the hold; I have seen people complain that they have to wait to board the plane while those people with kids or in a wheel chair get to go first; I have seen people complain at the top of their lungs when they are told to turn their computer and phones off for takeoff. I have always enjoyed my travel experiance and have never had a bad experiance or delay that wasn't anyone's fault other than bad weather. There are rules to air travel, follow them and you should have a pleasant experiance.

 

[hsmamato2]

strange question OP..... one thing you learn while flying is you can't control most of what goes on around you, you are just stuck waiting for your airline to keep things going properly in most cases...... We have flown about 3-4 r/t flights per year for the past 5-6 years..... very few negative things have occurred.... each and every time, we arrive safely to our destination,with our bags where they're supposed to be! Yes, sometimes we've had delays,an overly cold plane, impolite people to deal with.... but I fly b/c it's quick and it gets me where I want to go(and it's cheap) you will get negative answers and experiences, but that's just life (and travel) that's not to say I don't know how to call the airline instantly if there's a delay or cancellation,knowing I'll need to adjust some aspect of our trip for whatever reason, but no real issues,ever. If I'm at the airport,and y flight is delayed, I get as comfortable as possible,relax,and wait. Even if my flight home gets changed WHILE I'm on the plane(you have to disembark now,instead of just going thru on same plane,and wait for a different flight) and that new flight I'm waiting for is further delayed by some hours....a snack, a book,I'm fine!

 

[charmed59]

I have found that most of the problems associated with air travel can be directly linked to the passenger more often than the airline. I have seen people who cannot find their seat just sit in any seat and then make a fuss when they are told to move; I have seen people as soon as they sit in their seat are calling for a stewardess to get a drink; I have seen people try to bring full sized luggage as a carryon and complain when they have to have their bags placed in the hold; I have seen people complain that they have to wait to board the plane while those people with kids or in a wheel chair get to go first; I have seen people complain at the top of their lungs when they are told to turn their computer and phones off for takeoff. I have always enjoyed my travel experiance and have never had a bad experiance or delay that wasn't anyone's fault other than bad weather. There are rules to air travel, follow them and you should have a pleasant experiance.

I'm a frequent flyer, and though I've seen many annoying folks on planes, it is very, very rare I've run across a passenger that made a plane late, much less cancelled an entire flight. Even if every person on the plane was cheerfully following every flight crew direction, flights are still have mechanical issues, which can cause them to be very late, or cancelled.

The worst kind of delays are those where the flight crew can't be bothered to tell the passengers anything, so you don't know if you will be missing the sitdown meal you planned during your connection, making a run through the terminal for the next flight, or have no hope at all of making the connection. There is where I am sitting on the plane wondering if I should be rebooking my connection or making a hotel reservation. And it has nothing to do with other passengers.

I'm much happier on an ontime flight with rude people than a cancelled flight full of well behaved people. Rude people I can ignore. Missed connections I have to deal with.

 

[sam_gordon]

Aside from multiple "misdirected" luggage cases...

* Travelling home the Saturday after 9/11... unfortunately our plane left MCO as scheduled (although only 1/3 full). Get to Atlanta and find out one FA for our connecting flight hadn't made it in yet (air travel was jacked up for a while). So we couldn't fly (I offered to sacrifice having drink service, but that wasn't enough. ). Rescheduled for an 8am flight the next morning, so ended up spending the night on the Atlanta airport floor.
* Heading to a family reunion/vacation in Mexico. We board our plane on time, push back from the gate on time, then sit. 10 minutes later the captain gets on the intercom and says we're going back to the gate b/c of some mechanical problem. 2 hours later, we finally leave. We ended up missing our connection, but finally got to Mexico. We couldn't call our family to let them know because they had turned their phones off to keep international charges off the phone.
* This didn't happen to me, but at my small local airport, and is pretty much a "worst case scenario"... The flight crew of a small Delta jet tries to take off from the wrong runway. The runway is too short, the plane crashes hundreds of feet off the end of the runway. The only survivor is the co-pilot.