Tuesday, 13 January 2009

• Holiday Travel Madness

  Guest post submitted by ivorygem
  

  
  
  Newark Airport, the day after I was supposed to leave.
  

  On Saturday, 12/20/08 at 6pm, I arrived at Newark Liberty International airport for an 8pm flight to SFO (San Francisco Airport). It would be the beginning of my worst airline experience to date. After a two-hour delay, we boarded around 10pm and sat on the plane by the gate until around 1 am. No food was given out, only water. We were told first that the plane needed to be de-iced due to weather, and then later that only one runway was in operation and we needed to wait for other planes (that were running out of fuel) to land.
  
  At 1 am, we finally started taxing. It hadn't been snowing for hours. Other planes were taking off.
  
  Suddenly, our pilot said, "We've been ordered to go back to the gate." Union rules said the crew had timed out of their shift. In disbelief, we got off the plane, retrieved our luggage, and was told by one of the officers at the gate to wait in the international line. No other explanation or apology, beyond "crew legalities," was given. We waited from 1am-3am. No ticketing counters were open.
  
  Another officer then barked at us saying we were in the wrong line and that we needed to be in the domestic line. We waited in the domestic line for another two hours. There was no way to lie down or try to rest; the line kept moving every so often. I didn't know what felt heavier: my overstuffed luggage or my drained body.
  
  At around 5am, I finally made my way up to the ticketing counter. The lady there told me matter-of-factly that all flights the next two days were overbooked. There were no other connecting flights or cities I could fly to. There had been 200 other cancellations yesterday. The next flight out was probably Christmas Eve, which would've cut my stay at home down to three days. It wouldn't have been worth it.
  
  I began to face the dawning realization that I wasn't going to make it home for Christmas this year. Meanwhile, other people behind me kept clambering up to the desk and interrupting our conversation. To my surprise, she actually acknowledged them and helped them instead of honoring the line order. I was told to stay on standby overnight. No vouchers (hotel, food) would be given. No reimbursements would be given if we wanted to take a taxi back to our homes (contrary to what the first ticketing officer told us). If we wanted to reuse the ticket for another future date, we'd have to pay a $150 change fee.
  
  The first two flights the next day (7am and 8am) were also cancelled. From 6am to 11:30am, I waited for the next flight (scheduled for 11:30am), unable to sleep at the gate. A few of my fellow standbys and I dragged two rows of chairs together as a makeshift "bed," but it was impossible to drift off too long before "Special Announcements" about leaving unattended baggage would blast over the air. This standby flight was also delayed until around 1 pm. Six people out of 65 people on standby were called. We asked if it was possible to add another flight, since there were so many of us left, but were told, "There aren't any planes just lying around."
  
  Only one ticketing officer that day seemed to empathize with our situation. "What would happen if you didn't get on a flight today?" she asked. "I'd miss going home for Christmas," I replied. "Oh no," she said, looking genuinely concerned. "This is ridiculous. They can't just keep cancelling flights." She rebooked us to stay on standby on a 4:30 flight that afternoon.
  
  By that point, I was delirious with exhaustion. I had eaten three meals at the airport, and I just wanted to go back to my apartment. I tried to cancel my reservation through guest services. (The 800 number was not being answered, and the wait was 60 minutes according to the robot.) That line took from 2pm to 3:30pm.
  
  By the time I got there, I thought I was close enough to the 4:30 flight that I would give it another try. The customer service rep said I was pretty far down the standby list but that I should just keep trying. The 4:30p flight was delayed to 6pm. Some girls beside me were complaining about the 1.5 hour delay, but all I could think was, "Honey, you think that's a delay?"
  
  Lots of passengers had missed their connection onto this flight. Then, suddenly, some of my fellow standbys got called to get on the plane. We were like commiserating refugees. We recognized each other's pain. And then I heard it through the blur. My name. I would get on the plane and make it home for Christmas after all. I had spent 24 hours at the airport.
  

  The plane that finally took me home -- after 24 hours at the airport.
   

  Stories like mine were far too common this holiday season. Airports across the country were backed up to nightmare proportions. I was one of the lucky ones; so many people missed spending the holidays with their families altogether.
  You had to wonder though: If something like this happens every year, if weather like this is inevitable, why hasn't anybody thought of better ways to handle the situation? So you can't add more flights, more crew, or more vouchers. What about at least a sincere apology? What about better communication so that we'd at least knew what on earth was going on? What about a little empathy?
  
  Have you ever had any airport problems? Have you had any other traveling nightmares?
  
  
  
  
  

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