BS: Airline Nightmare.

Subject: Airline Nightmare.
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 12:28 AM

Just arrived in NYC at LaGuardia Airport. My Delta flight was cancelled and I was put on American. Which took off a half hour late. Not a problem. We arrived at LGA at 8:10PM and sat on the tarmac until 11:05!!!!! There were no gates free.
For entertainment we were treated to an extra individually wrapped mint and the sight of a mass arrest. It seems the passengers on the plane behind us had enough and mutinied. The doors opened; they disembarked in the middle of nowhere and were picked up by a fleet of security cars and ambulances.

Be forewarned: DO NOT FLY INTO LAGUARDIA AIRPORT UNLESS YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!!!

And some sick humor - someone rented an entire wall as you pass through LaGuardia security and used it to post a sign recommending that you post all your complaints on-line.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Matt_R
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 12:45 AM

3hrs??? MAry, when we came back from Japan, after surviving the 12-hour straight Trans-Pacific flight, we sat at the Portland Oregon Airport tarmac for EIGHT HOURS because there was a "conflict" with the flight route.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Amergin
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 12:52 AM

Mary, but who in their right mind would want to fly into New York in the first place....

Amerginduckinghiswayoutthehatch

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: SeanM
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 04:00 AM

Don't duck too much Amergin... I've been seeing a whole gang of reports claiming that somewhere between 30% to 70% (depending on how hysterical the reporter was) of all delays are due to antiquated equipment and overloaded flight slots at NY airports.

Sheesh... though it's been fun watching "FOGWATCH 2001" for the LAX fog that we've had. You'd think the world had ended when it got below 3 mile visability...

M

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 11:25 AM

Nah, having lived in Chi-town for 17 years, O'Hare has all the others beat for misery.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Jimmy C
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 11:43 AM

Just be thankful that your miseries were on solid ground. In 1972, flying back from Freeport in the Bahamas, some half drunk smoker decided to have a puff (it was allowed in those days).

Anyway he dropped his lit match into a bag of straw souvenirs and the rear end of the plane was engulfed in smoke within a few minutes and the bag of straw articles was aflame, all at an altitude of 27,000 feet.

We managed to extinguish the straw and landed safely. I have never complained about waiting ever since, I do however hate waiting while seated on the plane, it happened a few times, you feel helpless, can't move about.

Service just ain't what it used to be, be it at an airport, restaurant, store, it's all gone to the dogs.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Kim C
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 12:11 PM

MAG! Ten years ago, on my Honeymoon, thank you very much, Mister and I spent SIX HOURS at O'Hare waiting for a plane to take us to San Juan so we could get on the cruise ship. The original plane was grounded in Milwaukee and they kept telling us, it'll be here any minute, it'll be here any minute, they're just fixing a little part, it'll be here any minute. Time passed like cold molasses in January. I'm thinkin, there better be some bloody marys in this for me.... they brought us around a soft drink cart but that was simply not going to do. We continued to suffer and wait.

Finally, they called us down to another gate. They told us we were on standby. If you're ever on standby, it helps to have a last name within the first few letters of the alphabet - not only did we get on the plane, but we were in FIRST CLASS. And I got my bloody mary.

There was yet another comedy of errors on the way back but I don't care to revisit it just now. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 12:13 PM

The pilot came back to offer sympathy to the passengers. I offered to fake a heart attack if it would get us off the damn plane. He hesitated before he refused. Poor guy had nine passengers waiting in the terminal to take this same plane to New Hampshire. Bet they were a happy lot. I will say that the crew and attendant did an admirable job of making the best out of a bad situation. And no one lit a match or I would have gladly spent the night in jail.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: GUEST,kendall
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 01:16 PM

I have a question..Who is to blame for all this? Has it gotten worse since president Ray gun fired all those air controllers? Do you think it might be MONEY?

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 01:31 PM

It is the Port of Authority and the lack of growing room around LaGuardia Airport. Too many flights scheduled; too few gates. Keep in mind that LGA is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. I sometimes think that it will take a huge loss of life on the ground before the City does something about the situation. Several planes have fallen into the bay. And yes, money is at the heart of it. Read your tickets carefully and the disclaimers preventing anyone for suing regarding the cattle cars and lateness. Remember - LGA scheduled two 6:15PM flights (Delta and AA) that I know of for last night out of Portland and into LGA. Why? If there were only nine people flying? There used to be a fine to the airline for leaving a gate outside a given time range related to the scheduled time. I don't know if that is still the case. According to news reports, LGA has the worst on-time record of any airport in the country. The only apparant solution - don't fly into or out of LGA.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Jimmy C
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 01:35 PM

Kendall, you are partly correct. the need to show a profit takes precedence and the results in less money being available in other areas resulting in less training,less committment to ones job, and the list goes on. Look at what happened last week,, when a crazed passenger was able to walk into the cockpit and disengage the auto pilot. So I suppose less money also means less security, It certainly means less service, also some disgruntled employees with a who gives a damn attitude. Although i Have been on some excellent flights where the service was super, but problems with scheduling etc could be due to less air traffic controllers or even overworked ones, which is very scary indeed.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Midchuck
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 01:52 PM

You wonder sometimes what the railroads would be like now if all the money hadn't been diverted into air travel and highways.

Say I wanted to visit my daughter in Salt Lake. 2000 miles +/- at 150 mph would be...13+ hours. I could be there overnight in a sleeper car. If we had maglev monorails it might be 250 mph and 8 hours...

Dream on.

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: GUEST,kendall
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 03:16 PM

I think I'd be a little concerned about going 250 miles an hour on the ground. Do you realize what one vandal could do to a train at that speed?

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 03:29 PM

The story of the decline of our railroads is an interesting one. The industry is (in my opinion) at fault itself. It failed to see that it was part of the travel and transportation industry and opened the door to competition. Imagine if they had foreseen where air travel was headed and established airlines of their own. Of course some fool would have stepped in and screamed monopoly...

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 03:30 PM

For 5 years, I averaged 5 flights a week all over the US, but mainly east of Mississippi...except for a lot into DFW and Hobby. I've got stories after stories and frankly, the situation seems to be getting worse. It used to be alsmost humorous though........I'd be on the road for three weeks and damn near every flight would be on time with only occasional problems UNTIL I started home! THEN every known thing in the universe would conspire to glom the entire system and screw ME!!! There's an old saying that still applies,

If you've got time to spare, go by air.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 04:45 PM

Me too, Spaw. There were times I flew 2 and 3 flights in a day. There were delays but they were the exception. I don't know how a business traveller can even pretend to set up appointments now unless he flies in the night before.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: NightWing
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 05:24 PM

Speaking of O'Hare, a good friend of mine got stuck there New Year's Eve. Weather? *shrug*

She was supposed to have arrived here (Denver) at about 4 pm Sunday. Ended up getting in at about 10 am Monday. Finally took 28 hours (including half hour of ground transportation at each end) to get from her folks' place in Connecticutt to her place here.

She called us to cry on our shoulders: "I get to spend New Year's Eve sleeping on the floor at O'Hare." All we could do was blow her kisses over the phone and drink a beer for her.

BB,
NightWing

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 05:56 PM

I don't know what your all moaning about -on a recent British Airways flight to Nairobi a 'confused 'passenger walked into the cockpit tried to grab the controls, knocked off the autopilot twice and the plane went into a vertical spiral and they all came within an inch of their lives. Finally, the cabin crew wrestled him to the ground and he was arrested. Amongst others on the flight was Brian Ferry. Obviously the confused man was a music lover.

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 06:03 PM

Anyone who flies a lot needs to buy memberships in the private airline clubs. It beats the hell out of sitting around anywhere else! You also get to run into a few of the rich and famous. After our wedding, we took Karen's grandparents to Hartsfield for the flight home. We actually had 5 people we were taking so we arrived in time for the first one's flight and then sat around the Delta Crown Room having breakfast rolls and such while we waited.

Lo and behold, escorted by some Delta employees, in comes George Burns. Nell (Karen's grandmother) was VERY excited and said to Karen, "I feel just like a teenager wanting to swoon over a movie star!" I went over and asked a Delta hostess if she'd ask him if Nell could get a picture. The old poop was gracious to a fault and let us take a picture with Nell and gave her a kiss! As we were going to their plane, Nell turned to Karen and said, "That made my entire weekend!!"

So much for our wedding.......................

BTW, the funniest "delay" I ever had was on a flight frrom Tampa to Atlanta. Hartsfield is very busy but always efficient......but not this day. I don't know what the problem was exactly, but the weather was bad all over the east coast which fouls up airports everywhere else. In any case, we flew the pattern over and over and over and over..........Finally, the pilot announces that we have reached the fuel minimum and had to divert to a secondary. Not a first by any means, I'd had it happen a few times before, but it was a surprise when, because of weather problems, we ended up flying BACK to Tampa! I walked back into the Crown Room there where earlier I'd been flirting with a hostess, who was surprised to see me (not delighted, just surprised) and told her I just couldn't stay away

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: Bradypus
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 07:19 PM

Here's what happened to me about three weeks ago ...

Long Journey Home

I'm sitting in Tri-Cities Airport
The weather in Bristol is fine
It's bright and it's cold
But I'm bored – I've been told
Just to sit here, wasting my time

Last night we took off for Chicago
Took off after three hours delay
Fifteen minutes to go
O'Hare's covered in snow
Frozen rain, ice, fog – what more to say

So they flew us all back to Tri-Cities
Whether we liked it or nay
Then I queued for an hour
They did all in their power
To route me to London next day

So I tossed and I turned, I was hungry
I was tired, I was tense, didn't sleep
I feel bad, I feel sad
Phoned my wife – she sounds mad
The alarm goes off – bleep bleep bleep bleep

So back to Tri-Cities this morning
No flights to Chicago today
So we'll try Cincinnati
My brain's going batty
And yes, there's another delay

And now Cincinnati's been cancelled
I'm no nearer London, I sigh
Next choice is Atlanta
Some light-hearted banter –
It's better to laugh than to cry

Atlanta's delayed – now it's cancelled
There's a later flight – give it a go
Still the weather here's sunny
It feels rather funny
To sit here delayed by the snow

At last on the flight to Atlanta
No take-off, just walk off again
Air Traffic Delay
Is all they can say
Then finally back on the plane

Atlanta at last – this is progress
Flight to London? At last find the gate
Boarding's late, no surprise
You can see in my eyes
I know that we'll just have to wait

So we sit on the plane for an hour
Then take off! All the waiting is past
I'm just a day late
Family just had to wait
But it's so good to be home at last

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: kendall
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 07:52 PM

Anyone remember the incident in 1982 when an Air Florida crashed on the 7th st bridge in Washington DC? I was in the NEXT plane waiting to take off..

Subject: RE: BS: Airline Nightmare.
From: sledge
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 09:08 AM

How about when the IRA fires some mortars at Heathrow airport in the early Ninties, my flight took off 2 to 3 minutes befor the bombs landed, I knew nothing of the event until an hour or so after I got to Utrech.

And there was the flight over Lake Michigan when our plane caught fire, quickest landing I've ever had.

Sledge