Attenion all passengers: United Airlines can kiss it!
Day two of the conference went just fine. I think we really got a lot out of it and hope that the new ideas and tools we introduce to the agency will be welcomed with open arms. And then I woke up!
The conference ended just shortly after 3 on Tuesday and Luke and I made a beeline to the airport. We checked in, made it to the gate in ample time. I enjoyed ice cream and surfed the free wi-fi (note to ALL airports- FREE Wi-Fi).
We boarded... late. While sitting in the plane and getting ready to take off, the captain announced "that there is a dent in the door and FAA will not let us take off until we have it checked out." Ok, no bigs, they'll take a looksie and we'll be on our way.
Whoa-ho-ho- I was wrong. Apparently, this is a serious situation. A situation that requires FORTY FIVE MINUTES of investigation and paperwork.
Luke and I sat back and began to laugh as we finally took off- because we only had 45 minutes of connection time in Denver to make our flight home to Wichita. I knew there was no way in hell we'd make that flight, always the pessimist; and he rested easy knowing we'd catch another one, possibly this one, always the optimist.
As we got closer to Denver the flight attendant announced that there were 15 of us that had to make a connecting flight in Denver. The airline was going to hold two of those flights until the passengers could get on board... ours was not one of them. She asked that all passengers stay seated once we arrived so that our 15 could get off the plane and make our flights.
Of course, the second the plane touched the jetway the whole plane stood up. Luke and I were seated in the absolute dead-last seats- meaning that even in normal situations it would be 10-15 minutes before we got off the plane.
We finally broke through. We checked the departure TV and our flight had already been removed. I laughed. We missed our flight home. That has never happened to me before.
We made our way to the counter and they already had boarding passes waiting for the next flight--- the flight that would leave at 10:15 the next morning. SUPER!!
We were provided with a voucher for a hotel room and a $4.00 voucher for breakfast- for the butter pat to go on our muffin. We passed on the breakfast.
By the time we made it to the hotel I hadn't eaten in almost 12 hours and it was nearly midnight. Then it dawned on me that for the first time in my life I didn't pack an extra change of clothes. Go figure. I washed my delicates in the sink in the bathroom and made due with what I had for the rest of my clothes.
Ultimately, we made it home safely- tired, dirty and cranky. Ok that was me, I don't know about Luke.
I haven't had a spare minute yet, but I'm gathering all my flight info so that I can place a calm and rationale phone call to United. I'll explain to them that it is trips like this, where every flight is screwed up, is the reason they are in bankruptcy. I'll also explain to them that they are going to provide me with no less than one free flight to anywhere I choose. I hope very soon to update you with the success of that conversation.
The conference ended just shortly after 3 on Tuesday and Luke and I made a beeline to the airport. We checked in, made it to the gate in ample time. I enjoyed ice cream and surfed the free wi-fi (note to ALL airports- FREE Wi-Fi).
We boarded... late. While sitting in the plane and getting ready to take off, the captain announced "that there is a dent in the door and FAA will not let us take off until we have it checked out." Ok, no bigs, they'll take a looksie and we'll be on our way.
Whoa-ho-ho- I was wrong. Apparently, this is a serious situation. A situation that requires FORTY FIVE MINUTES of investigation and paperwork.
Luke and I sat back and began to laugh as we finally took off- because we only had 45 minutes of connection time in Denver to make our flight home to Wichita. I knew there was no way in hell we'd make that flight, always the pessimist; and he rested easy knowing we'd catch another one, possibly this one, always the optimist.
As we got closer to Denver the flight attendant announced that there were 15 of us that had to make a connecting flight in Denver. The airline was going to hold two of those flights until the passengers could get on board... ours was not one of them. She asked that all passengers stay seated once we arrived so that our 15 could get off the plane and make our flights.
Of course, the second the plane touched the jetway the whole plane stood up. Luke and I were seated in the absolute dead-last seats- meaning that even in normal situations it would be 10-15 minutes before we got off the plane.
We finally broke through. We checked the departure TV and our flight had already been removed. I laughed. We missed our flight home. That has never happened to me before.
We made our way to the counter and they already had boarding passes waiting for the next flight--- the flight that would leave at 10:15 the next morning. SUPER!!
We were provided with a voucher for a hotel room and a $4.00 voucher for breakfast- for the butter pat to go on our muffin. We passed on the breakfast.
By the time we made it to the hotel I hadn't eaten in almost 12 hours and it was nearly midnight. Then it dawned on me that for the first time in my life I didn't pack an extra change of clothes. Go figure. I washed my delicates in the sink in the bathroom and made due with what I had for the rest of my clothes.
Ultimately, we made it home safely- tired, dirty and cranky. Ok that was me, I don't know about Luke.
I haven't had a spare minute yet, but I'm gathering all my flight info so that I can place a calm and rationale phone call to United. I'll explain to them that it is trips like this, where every flight is screwed up, is the reason they are in bankruptcy. I'll also explain to them that they are going to provide me with no less than one free flight to anywhere I choose. I hope very soon to update you with the success of that conversation.
