Crazy Airline Procedures.

[NickD 202]

With the recent storm in New York, over a thousand cancellations that mainly tied down aircraft. Wife and daughter were in Bogota, The flight before and after their flight was okay. Their plane was stuck in New York. Since these aircraft hold around 300 passengers, wife and daughter were put on standby.

But the plane that came in after theirs gave priority to the passengers that had reservations for that trip. One after that was also canceled, leaving 600 passengers stranded with only a couple of seats left vacant. Six successive flights also gave priority to the passengers that had reservations. Those that had cancellations were screwed, had to show up at the airport, wait in very long lines for hours and pray they would get in on a standby status.

So it was three days of this nonsense for them, finally got them home in the wee hours of the morning, both are exhausted.

One would think with delays like this, they would give priority to passengers whose flights were canceled and kind of spread out the pain. But no, if your flight is canceled, you are screwed and have to wait. At first I was told calling Delta, could be two weeks before they came home, but managed to talk to a higher up that makes these crazy rules. And don't they even have a plane someplace for backup?

Even a few years ago airline rates were reasonable, One alternative we had, was to pay four times the already inflated ticket price to get an alternative airline. Like $4,000 per person for a 4 1/2 hour flight, one way.

One thing we learned is to try to use the same airline from your point of departure to your destination. This is not the first time this happened. With a different airline, as far as they are concerned, you didn't show up for your flight, even though its not your fault. As far as they are concerned, you didn't show up and your ticket is non-refundable. That was really a battle.

God, I hate the airlines.

[Darnell 8,478]

-500 points for not purchasing the optional trip insurance. Sure, it adds 3 to 11 percent of the trip ticket, but is useful during the winter months.

When you next plan a trip, add that to the budget, if'n its a flight during the winter season.

[GandD 5,966]

Thanks Captain Hindsight!

[NickD 202]

Indubitably pay for both flight and medical insurance when traveling to another country, but domestically, just flight insurance. Cheapest way, as you never know what's going to happen like a fender bender driving to the airport. Other option is paying more than twice as much for a refundable ticket.

Our health insurance covers us anywhere in the US, but not out of country. But from what I hear, if you travel to the UK, you are okay. In my wife's case with that huge jam in the NE caused a severe shortage of aircraft. No alternative airlines were available, were also jammed. So much for flight insurance.

The successive flight for her did come in, I would just thing the flight that was canceled would give those people priority. But no, they were screwed and put on standby that meant waiting in long lines, being at the airport, and praying an extra seat would be available only to find out no seats are available. This went for six consecutive flights until a seat was finally available each requiring a five hour wait.

Just seems like there is better way to deal with this, another flight was canceled meaning there was over 500 people stranded. But the people with reservations on those flight were okay.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

The airline gives priority to uninterrupted travel. The people on the second flights were simply completing their flight in progress , The displaced passengers where looking for available seating ( rare these days ) because their original flight failed to exist. Had your wife's flight simply been late in landing would you also expect them to disrupt as many future flights as necessary to move her to the front of the line. Being delayed is a pain especially if you go cheap and don't buy insurance,.

[NickD 202]

Calling Delta here in the US, after a three hour wait, talked to a supervisor. Only two flights a day from Bogota, the sixth time wife waited in that standby line, they gave her and my stepdaughter confirmed flights for that morning. This was last Monday morning, came in late Monday night. But my wife and daughter did get confirmed tickets for last Friday, five days later.

I feel by calling them did help. Delta did paid for their lodging and food for three days, and for those three days, twice a day, had to pack up their luggage, go to the airport and wait five hours for a disappointment, that was ten hours a day. Had two very tired girls on my hands when I picked them up in Milwaukee at midnight Monday night. Also gave them each a $500.00 coupon good for a year on their next Delta flight. Each only lost a days pay. But could have been a weeks pay, maybe even their jobs.

So I guess everything did work out okay, but was very stressful.