Friday, November 9, 2018

Airline Connections Hell - Why We Avoid Them At All Costs!



 
Courtesy of Max Pixel

I'm Here to Tell A Story of A Flight Gone Bad...

Ah, travel!  When it works, it's great. When there are "issues," hang on!  This is the story of how we almost didn't make it to Paris in April of 2017...

I'm lucky that I live 45 minutes from a growing International airport that seems to get more and more direct flights overseas. Since connections have not worked out well the past few years, if we can get a direct flight, even if it costs a bit more, we'll do that to avoid a heart attack!

I alluded to this trip in an earlier post, but I wanted to share the WHOLE story as an illustration of why to avoid connections for international flights, IF YOU CAN. This is the trip that is ever-present in our guts as the worst flight my boyfriend and I have had together and the reason we now avoid connections like the plague!

 

The Best Laid Plans


In April of 2017, we went to Paris. We'd found an incredible deal for the flight, months earlier, under $500 round trip on a third party site (Hotwire), and then also found a great little hotel that was affordable, as well, on a different site (Agoda).

Unfortunately for us, the day of our travel had severe storms in Ohio, where we were to change planes. They canceled that flight. The Delta airline text I was sent wanted us to then leave the day we were to return, so that wasn't going to work! When we got up to the Delta counter, the agent was surprised because we'd miraculously already been placed on another flight later that day going through San Francisco on Air France. It was going the wrong direction, but it would still get us there within a day of when we were supposed to arrive. We assumed it was Hotwire that got this for us, but no one ever took credit for this, not Delta, and not Hotwire, so it must have been some kind of Divine Intervention!  The Delta agent couldn't get us boarding passes past our home airport, but didn't think it would be a problem.

Plan B


This new flight showed we had a 2-1/2 hour window between flights once getting to San Francisco, so we thought great, and went back home rather than wait around the airport for hours. And, it's a good thing that's what we decided to do! At home, I got on the computer to see what I could learn about this new flight, and also hoped to print out those boarding passes. But, for some reason, Air France wouldn't issue those passes from San Francisco to Paris, just some kind of provisional paper vouchers. But, I printed them out, just in case. Good thing...

As luck would have it, we got back to the airport, and THAT flight was also delayed for, yes, you guessed it, 2-1/2 hours, for bad storms in San Francisco!  That was a bad day for Spring storms all over the country. We almost threw in the towel. But, we were assured they would make up time in the air. So, we boarded.

Panic 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Mmw_large.jpg/800px-Mmw_large.jpg
Courtesy Wikipedia

 


By the time we got to San Francisco, we discovered that we had almost NO time, not enough time to get boarding passes. And, we had to go through security again once we got to the international gates! And, my boyfriend, Andy, couldn't run. He'd had knee replacement surgery just 5 months prior, and recovery was slow. If it had not been for the Air France representative who was miraculously waiting for us at security, we couldn't have gotten our boarding passes. I handed him my provisional papers, and 5 minutes later, he reappeared with boarding passes!  The last hurdle was security...

I flew through, but my boyfriend didn't. Andy had dutifully showed the TSA agent the card from his orthopedic doctor, which was supposed to help at security. He was immediately treated like a criminal and put through several more checks. The TSA man seemed to take delight from delaying 65 year old, limping Andy, "looking" for something on him instead of just believing that he'd had a knee replacement, or at least believing his own equipment that pointed to that very spot INSIDE Andy's knee. We are seniors, and were obviously in distress. This is the way to treat people? I know the TSA has a job to do, but if this were football, there would have been penalties on that TSA agent for unnecessary roughness AND delay of play!  TSA, we are not here for your "entertainment!" Yes, I said it out loud. I've never had such a bad experience with the TSA. They have serious mission. But then there is abuse of power, and that should never be an issue with the innocent traveling public, in my never-to-be-humble opinion!

By now, I was at the gate, and fell to the ground, having a panic attack, not able to contact Andy. The Air France rep told them to hold the plane (when does that ever happen?) and went back to security to see what was happening.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they reappeared. The TSA agent deliberately had kept Andy's phone, and Andy didn't realize it until they were nearly at the gate, so they had to go back, and that xxx agent made him show him his ID again!  He KNEW we were late for that plane. It was obvious that his actions were deliberate, and I wish to this day that I had reported him, but we didn't get his name...

Had it not been for that amazing Air France rep, we wouldn't have made it to Paris for our first big international trip together! I haven't seen a U.S. airline be that helpful in at least 30 years! There is something to be said for European airlines!

Courtesy of Pixabay Geneliao

And There's More!


So, now we could relax - or could we?

We got on the plane, and there was another couple in our seats!  Apparently, they assumed the seats were vacant by then...we did get those seats, though, in the middle of a row, toward the back. A few seats to our right, however, a mother and child sneezed and coughed all the way across the U.S. and then the ocean. But, we made it!

Well, WE made it, but my bag didn't!


Yes, my bag was lost somewhere between home, San Francisco, and Paris. For three days, I walked around Paris in boots NOT made for walking (and started getting blisters) and the same clothing I'd worn from home (washed and hung up at night). Fortunately, Andy carried on, so I was able to use some of his toiletries. Air France was very apologetic, gave me some toiletries, and finally did deliver my bag to the hotel. I'm just glad we stayed put in one hotel on that trip!

When I told my mother what had happened, she told me what I should have known. Don't just pack stuff for the flight and meds on the carry-on. Pack a change of underwear and some clothing (and Andy added, if the shoes aren't made for walking, carry a spare pair!)

Although I picked up a bit of a cold from the sick people down the aisle on the plane, the trip was amazing!

(c) Sondra Singer

 Fly Direct, Fly European Airlines, Whenever Possible


I would do it again, BUT I would look for a direct flight!  And, if I had the choice for not much more money, I'd choose a European airline like Air France. They had more snacks and better (hot) meals, more amenities, and were just more helpful!  But do be careful and make sure what you book really IS a European airline.

We made a rookie mistake earlier this year, and thought we were booking Lufthansa to London. Nope, the fine print was United. But, it was a new plane, and it was a direct flight! So, it turned out fine. More on this in another post.

Next....Third Party Sites to Try, and Some to Avoid. By Name...

In Service,
Sondra

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