If there’s one thing for sure about air travel… it’s that nothing is for sure about air travel. (Well, you can count on cramped economy seats and no more free meals on domestic flights.) We embrace travel here at The Vacation Gals, and even when weather, mechanical problems, and “crew needs to rest” issues disrupt flights. After all, the unrpedictability of flying these days just add to the fun and adventure, right?!
I suppose I should have known that my air-travel plans were going to go awry this morning when I showed up at my Colorado mountain airport at 6:45 a.m. with my shirt on backwards. D’oh!
Kids are nonplussed by our airport delay -- this mom loves their iPod Touches!
Just a few minutes to before my kids and I were supposed to board our flight to Denver en route to Orlando this morning, a gate agent announced that the heating/cooling system on our plane was acting up. Not more than three minutes later… “I don’t have good news. This plane is now ‘on decision’ until 10 a.m. Another plane from Denver needs to bring a part in. We might fly at 10 a.m. or the flight may be canceled.”
As chaos reigned in the gate area — a chorus of groans while everyone rushed the ticket counter — another agent got on the intercom (and I’m paraphrasing): “You can stand in line here, but getting on the phone with United might be faster. Use any means necessary to evaluate your options.”
I was half tempted to get on Twitter ASAP. After all, according to this December New York Times article, many passengers found success Tweeting airlines for help in re-booking during the post-Christmas blizzard air-travel debacle.
Instead, while I pulled up the United.com website on my laptop (thank you free airport wi-fi!) I speed-dialed United Airlines 800-number, which is programmed in my cell phone. I highly recommend putting all major airlines’ phone numbers in your cell phone for occasions such as this.
While other passengers patiently — or not so patiently — waited in line here at the airport, and others around me fumbled to make phone calls, I had a reservations agent on the phone re-booking me and my kids to Denver and ultimately to Orlando. I suppose I could have gotten online and secured mobile boarding passes. Instead I left my kids and our carry-on luggage at the gate, and scooted back to the main ticket counter (before security) and printed out our boarding passes from a kiosk.
Of course,right now all three of us are seated in middle seats, several rows apart from one another on the first leg of our trip (we don’t have any seats for the second leg). But at this point, it’s the least of my worries. When the line dies down here at the gate, I”ll see if I can switch them. Or smile nicely at my fellow passengers once we get on the plane.
I feel fortunate that — if all goes well — we’ll arrive just three hours later than planned. I”m currently sitting next to a family who is trying to get home to the South… sounds like they won’t arrive until tomorrow morning! Dad’s on the phone trying to make deals with a supervisor — asking for some free round-trip tickets for their inconvenience. That’s my other tip: Try, try, try to remain cordial and pleasant with all ticketing or reservation agents! They appreciate passengers who are cool, calm and collected — not disgruntled and confrontational.
I am thankful that we have good friends in Orlando who are going with the flow. They’ll just pick us up at MCO later — and they’ll have my favorite bottle of wine opened and ready to drink when we ultimately arrive at their house just after dinnertime!
I’m thankful, too, that I’ve got a couple of kids who are seasoned travelers. Although the crankiness might set in later today (we woke up at 5:15 a.m. after all), right now they’re cool. With games and music on their iPod Touches, movies to watch, Nintendos to play with, books to read and plenty of snacks on hand, they’re content. And, in the end, the new timeline might work out even better — we’ll have a longer layover in Denver during lunchtime. I’m thinking about an airport Colorado microbrew on tap for me!
whew! safe travels. the best thing we ever bought for our daughter was her ipod touch.
Great tips, Kara. The thing I always say is that ‘where else would I rather be?’ Sure, being stuck in an airport can suck at times (especially smaller airports where options and resources are limited), but in my eyes, a change in scenery is only as far out as the delay is long, so I’ll take it. Any chance I can get to travel, I’m all for! Safe travels to you and the fam!
Way to keep your cool, girlfriend! Hope you and the kids get there with no further problems!
How terrific that you turned a stressful travel situation around — these are great tips from an experienced flier.
Great tips!!!
Love the tips especially about programming the airline reservation number on your cell phone. With this hi-speed age, we do everything on-line so I tend to forget that the human part is necessary in time like this!
Thanks everyone! Alas, no microbrew for me — kids wanted food court (with no taps in sight) and I obliged. (Keeping the peace here on this delayed-flight day…) But so far it looks like our DEN-MCO flight is on time!
Seems this kind of thing is the norm, not the exception. Thank goodness my kids are used to it, too. Thanks for the tips!
Great idea with the programmed numbers for airlines… That puts you three steps ahead.
Whew! What you really have there was really something. I must say that when my flight was cancelled for our vacation in Hong Kong I almost freak out. Thank heavens my wife was there to calm me until we got into another flight–a flight that brought us somewhere else in Singapore that tightened my bond with my wife.
Great advice about the phone calls. That has helped me a couple of times when I’ve been delayed on travels. My granddaughter has a DSI that she loves and that keeps her busy for a good portion of our travel activities. Thanks for a very interesting article.
Interesting!
Yet another reason I’m terrified of flying with my kids. If all would go smoothly, I’d be fine, but being outnumbered 2:1 when trouble strikes might do me in.
Thanks for the tips.
Good tips, the phone idea is brilliant. I used to get really upset but have learned (like you) that getting on the phone quickly and being calm work much better. You catch more flies with honey….
Thanks
-David
Brilliant idea to pre-programme airlines into the phone! Earlier this year I encountered a similar problem with a KLM flight canceled. Needless to say, chaos reigned. While I did have my phone – by the time I was on hold with the airline for 30 minutes, my battery was nearly dead and I was frazzled! I am programming the airline number into my phone right now for my Christmas trip to Prague! Fingers crossed I won’t need it!
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