Colossal Airline Blunders: Tell us your Battle Stories

I am sure you were shaken. I had taken small quanties of spices with us when we went to a timeshare in Freeport, no problem getting in, but they confiscated my pepper on the way out calling it pepper spray. I was surprised and thought they were kidding. Then they wanted my things in a specific bag, my bag of kitchen things almost got taken and I almost missed my plane. I was very nice and spoke very proper or I know there would of been a bigger problem. Flying can be a big pain.

by tlhanger on Friday, April 10, 2009

I'm curious about how others feel about the security and TSA. I haven't flown for a while and didn't know about the 3.4 oz rule so I had 4 oz bottle & 2 5 oz squeeze tubes in my carryon. Taken away of course but the response from the TSA agent surprised me. The more I questioned the more she searched.

If TSA is going to confisicate and throw away items, shouldn't they also be required to offer a solution? Such as an area to stow your already searched bags so you can run to your car?

For the last eight years I have removed clothing, been patted down, and been randomly searched on more than one occasion on the same trip. Hasn't the airlines and airports figured out how awful this is? And unhealthy mentally?

I'm not sure I will fly again for awhile. I found the whole airport experience to be disturbing and a royal pain.

by Seamus on Friday, April 10, 2009

thanks you

by okey oyna on Monday, March 30, 2009

On a flight from Honolulu to Las Vegas on AirTran one of our seats had been urinated on. My daughter sitting down before knowing got her jeans soaked. Told the attendent and she wanted to know how we knew. Offered to let her smell but she refused.She said there were no other seats available. She did bring pillows which helped the wetness but not so much the smell. I emailed their customer service twice but no reply. The least I expected was "sorry, we'll try to do better". Never AirTran again.

by fritter on Friday, March 27, 2009

We were headed to Belize in May of 2006 on American, going from Denver with a stop in Dallas. After we boarded the plane in Dallas to Belize City they made an announcement that there was a problem with a fan in the front "first class" lavatory. The pilot said it should fix itself once we were in the air.

So we take off and about halfway through our flight (we were probably 45 minutes away from Belize) they come on and say that the fan was still not working and we will pop into Houston really quick to get it fixed.

So we head back to Houston and land about 20 minutes later. At the gate they tell everyone that they can get off to use the restroom, but to stick close to the gate. What do you know, people were coming back with snacks and ice cream. So we had to wait even longer for everyone to get boarded again. About an hour later we are finally on our way to Belize.

What really made us mad is that it was only the first class lavatory with a problem. The ones at the rear had no problems at all. Also add the fact that we could have made it to Belize in the time it took to turn around and get the problem fixed in Houston.

by pugmom on Thursday, March 26, 2009

My wife and I loaded a plane three times in Cincinatti headed for Las Vegas.

We left the gate twice.

We took off once.

We spent the night in Cincinatti.

We spent all day (having left Dayton at 7:30 AM for a 10 AM departure out of CVG. We landed at CVG at 11:30PM. We couldn' continue our trip to Las vegas because the delta did not supply this flight with adequate crew staffing.

There were a host of other problems during the day (inadequate crew, lost pilots, broken planes etc.). But taking off for LAS and having to return really took the cake.

I just wanted to know how many frequent flier miles I would recieve for flying for Gate 62 to Gate 79.

by cynicalanddisgusted on Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I surely hope the airlines read these blunders, mostly by their employees. It only takes one bad apple to get these kind of comments. I have filed with the Israelie airline and it takes time, but I did get satisfaction. There are so many good people at Northwest, they are going to have to tell on those bringing them all down. I did use to work for them. Sounds like they need to address this and dismiss the few.

by tlhanger on Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Even though Northwest airlines is headquartered in Mpls. I have tried - most of the time successfully - to avoid flying with them. In the past they have lost my luggage (I was on my honeymoon and we had to rent a car to drive 100 miles to claim it when it appeared 5 days later), flights departed and arrived late most of the time, bags have been "inspected" and items have been missing (new nightgown, video cassette, perfume, etc.) and they have the rudest employees of any airline. I agree with the comment that they should change their name to Northworst but now it's Delta's problem.

My most recent horror story was a flight the first week of Dec. 2008 returning from Mississippi to Mpls. I had a small wheeled bag that I was made to check outfitted with TSA locks. Upon arrival I couldn't help but notice the lock and zipper pull had been cut off the bag. Now I fly enough to know they have a master key to open those locks and that's fine with me since I have nothing to hide. Why then was it necessary to cut off the lock and why the zipper pull? This bag became garbage since it's useless. Has anyone ever tried to file a claim with the TSA? What a joke! Who has pictures of their bags not to mention the receipt for the purchase of said bag? So in addition to cramped quarters (is it me or do they get smaller every year!), rude treatment, paying to check a suitcase (who goes on vacation without a suitcase?), buying your own beverage (what happened to free beverages and even something to eat not just peanuts?), now the fact that you may have your perfectly legal lock removed in such a way that they ruin your bag is a distinct possibility.

Whoever said the customer is always right was dead wrong. It's gone from bad to worse in the air and customers seem to have no recourse.

by dab on Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Yikes! Another country- no passport. What were they thinking?

by tlhanger on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Once when my friends and I were flying to Hawaii on Northwest, from Southbend my friends were rerouted to fly through Toronto (instead of Detroit, due to a mechanical problem) on Air Canada. Lo and behold to their horror they had no passports and there was no holding area. They had to wait for Hawaii to come back from Lunch to agree to let them back in the country. Of course the one person who had checked luggage, didn't get hers.

I in the meanwhile was trying to get to Hawaii from SFO. They had an engine that needed to be handstarted. That engine sounded very bad to me (not a mechanic). As we were heading out, we were routed back to the gate because our engine was on fire per the plane behind us. It took another 8 hours to get a new plane.

by Connie on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

This happened years ago but we still laugh about it. I was flying home with my 2 small children from MSP to Sitka, AK. For those who haven't been to Sitka, the airport is located on an island across from downtown. In those days, there was no bridge from the airport so you had to take a small ferry (called the "Duck") to the AS office in town to claim your baggage. At that time we lived on a remote island about 30 min out of Sitka by float plane. Upon arrival in Sitka, one of our bags was missing. We were scheduled to leave in 2 hours for our float plane flight home. Alaska Airlines assured us they would send our lost bag out to us as soon as it arrived. Long story short, our bag arrived 2 months later, bearing a SAS tag. Apparently it had been to Copenhagen and a few other European spots. That particular bag was lost & found twice more. Once left in Tonga on a flight from American Samoa to SEA & once from SEA to Buffalo. We call it our "adventure bag."

by tootsie2 on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

We have the misfortune to live just outside Charlotte NC - a US Airways hub. A couple of years ago I went to check in for a return flight from London Gatwick only to be informed that my booking had been canceled as I had failed to check in for my connecting flight. I protested that I had, in fact, flown non-stop from Charlotte to London with no connections but was still sent to ticketing to purchase a new return ticket. At ticket the discussion was repeated and the passenger manifest for my outbound flight was, supposedly, checked and I was informed that I wasn't on the manifest therefore I must have flown over with a different airline! Fortunately after searching through my flight bag I was able to find my boarding pass which I had kept in case the miles weren't credited. No apology - no surprise there! I was then put on standby and given the last seat on the plane. Sitting next to me a contractor returning home from Iraq who delighted in telling me how much money he had made and spent the first half of the flight consuming the free spirits provided by the crew to "one of our brave boys back from the war"! Eventually I was forced to go and suggest that they quit with the free drinks as the guy had told me he hadn't eaten since leaving Kuwait 15 hours earlier and was getting totally drunk. The crew reaction - that I was somehow un-American for not delighting in having a drunk contractor (not serviceman) sitting next to me for an 8.5 hour flight! Two lessons learnt - ALWAYS keep your boarding pass in your credit card wallet 'til you reach home - and AVOID US Airways if at all possible!

by DG on Monday, March 23, 2009

In the late 1990s I got on a Northwest Airlines (Northworst) flight from LGA to MSP. The plane was on the runway for over four hours, and the crew threatened to call security and have passengers arrested should we get up, even to use the restroom. We were not fed during this time. We arrived at MSP and I had missed the flight to my final destination, of which there wasn't another one until the next day. Northworst claimed that there were no hotel rooms available in Minneapolis, saying there was nothing they could do to help. I spent the night in what was then the green consource. One of our bags did not make it on that flight, so the next day it wasn't on the baggage carasol.

by Msef on Monday, March 23, 2009

I used to live in Grand Forks, North Dakota, whose sole airline is Northwest. Some of my family still lives there, and I would much rather drive than fly because my experiences (over 45 years worth!) have led me to renaming the airline "NorthWORST". The last 10 (yes, 10!) times I have flown there I have not had a single flight depart or arrive on time. Just so you all understand how bad this is, I have to switch planes in Minneapolis/St. Paul to get to Grand Forks, so we are really talking about FORTY late flights, not twenty. The last time I went up there was when my father died, and all four pieces of our luggage were damaged so badly we had to replace all of the cases. It was amazing that nothing was broken inside them, considering what terrible shape they arrived in--torn zippers, rips in both outside and main compartments, broken wheels and supports, and one of them had part of its frame snapped in half. The baggage claim people refused to do anything at all about it, and implied that our cases were like that to begin with. My husband had to go up there recently for family business, and drove 15 hours each way instead of flying. Even though he was driving on the interstate between two blizzards, it was still a superior experience compared to flying up there.

by NoMoreNoDak on Monday, March 23, 2009

Hah! You deserved that drink!

by tlhanger on Monday, March 23, 2009

Two interesting things happened to me on the way from Boston to San Juan last month. 1). Like everyone else, I checked a number of sites starting here at airfarewatchdog, and ended up booking thru Hotwire (best fare for our travel days). In my excitement at finding very short layover times for the connecting flights, I failed to detect that the outgoing trip had a layover of only 35 minutes. My beef is that Hotwire's software did not block this from being sold to me, though even with no delays, it is unlikely that I would have made the connection (in Baltimore). Of course, it would be easy for them to set up the software to make it impossible to buy such an unworkable trip, but I guess they have better things to spend their money on than simple fixes which could help their customers. Interestingly, agents at both Delta and American (the carriers involved in my trip) said I would never get steered into such a sink-hole on their websites, but that it occurs regularly with the web-sellers such as Hotwire, Expedia, and all the rest. Hotwire assures me that their website would never sell an impossible trip, but that is just spin, and the fact remains we lost many hours due to their lousy software. Next time I will know better than to book any layover of less than 45-60 min, so the ultimate responsibility rests with me.

In any case, we never got to Baltimore, as there was a problem with the plane in Boston and when we checked in the agent went straight to work trying to get us to San Juan on a busy Friday before Feb school vacation week (E Coast). She spent a full 45 minutes slogging heroically and skillfully thru one virtual maze after another, but finally found a way, though it would mean our 6 hour trip would become 16 hours!

This brings us to part 2). After a 2 hr wait, we flew to Cincinnati, where we spent a couple hours before winging to Atlanta. On the plane from Kentucky--how many of you knew Cincinnati's airport is not in OH?--my ears pick up several horror stories of missed flights, etc, and a lightbulb goes off in my head that we are on a flight, only added to Delta's schedule that morning (BOS agent told me that), which is FULL of folks with blown connections: my guess is Delta collected us in a quiet backwater--Cincinnati--and is now shuttling us to the hub to finish sorting us out to final destinations. It took me 50 yrs of flying, but I finally got myself on a real "loser" flight! Has this happened to anyone else? It seems clear to me that all the airlines must do this sort of thing, since on a given day there must be hundreds of such losers in the airline lottery. By the way, Delta was great thruout, and even put us in 1st class for the last leg, (where I confess I broke my rule about not drinking when flying). But it could have been worse: we only had carry-on bags!

by air-dale on Monday, March 23, 2009

I love your site. I am not crazy about American Airlines, but, I have to say they are the easiest airline to use your miles with - getting upgrades or free tickets. The seats are cramped, they have no food, they have the worst flight times and I have been on a few with no movies - I usually fly international - but, I have never had a problem with using my miles. Can't say the same for Delta! I also Love Continental - they have roomy seats and they still serve food!! We try to fly them whenever we can.

by Ma on Monday, March 23, 2009

Found a USED FULL airsick bag in the seat pocket in front of me on a United flight. The flight attendant was all "ewwww" and went to get her rubber gloves.

by ng on Monday, March 23, 2009

Guess that would be an airline cleaner problem. I would of probably put on gloves too. Ya think the smell would of given it away before you got on. Think I would of offered you a free drink or something.

by tlhanger on Monday, March 23, 2009

Although my family refuses to fly United because of so many bad experiences, my mom has had a couple of bad experiences with Northwest.

1. A few weeks after she had shoulder surgery, she was flying to visit me in Indiana. Because she couldn't lift anything over her head, she called Northwest to ask what she should do about bringing a carry-on. The agent told her that one of the flight attendants would help her lift her carry-on in the overhead storage. When she got on the plane, my mom explained to the attendant that she had just had surgery and asked if she could get some help stowing her carry-on. The agent very rudely told her that it wasn't part of her job description and if she couldn't lift the bag, she shouldn't have brought a carry-on. My mom was left dumbfounded. Luckily, a kind passenger offered to help her.

2. The second time my mom had troubles was on a NW/KLM flight returning home from Budapest. (Budapest-Amsterdam-Minneapolis). She had a carry-on packed with fragile gifts. The agent told her that she couldn't bring both her purse and the small rolling suitcase on the plane. My mom tried to tell her that the suitcase had valuables, but the agent didn't listen. She whisked it off to the checked baggage. She told my mom that the carry-on would be available planeside in Amsterdam. That never happened. When my mom finally got her bag back in Minneapolis, many of the things in it were broken. When she went to file a claim, she was told that she shouldn't pack valuables in checked baggage!

by rils on Monday, March 23, 2009

I think I can top these.

When I was 8 years old we were flying out of Atlanta back to Cleveland. We left around 7 PM. We got all the way up to Cleveland and discovered that the landing gear would not lock. We flew all the way back down to some Air Force base. They foamed the runway while we burned off fuel for another hour or two. About 2 AM we bounced a landing and luckily locked the landing gear. We sat in the plane for another two hours until they flew another plane in to get us home. We arrived in Cleveland at 6:30 AM to find it was in the middle of a horrible snow storm - about 8 inches on the ground.

The kicker is that the airline did not compenstate anyone for being late or offered anyone a hotel room so we didn't have to drive home in the snow. My Mom had my brother and I to deal with.

Worse yet, we still had to go to school that day - late, but we still went!

by Mikey on Monday, March 23, 2009

Hmmmm. I get so totally upset that the airlines charge for taking your bags and the purpose for flying is you are going on a trip. Seems like it is the ultimate screwing of the customer when things go wrong, I hope the airlines read all these horror stories. I remember leaving my glasses in the seatback of a US Air plane and was walking away and my name was called and the glasses returned. I know I always get to the airport early and so far I have had no trouble. But these are awful stories. Sort of prepping me for disaster. Sure hope these folks were compensated in some way.

by tlhanger on Sunday, March 22, 2009

Flying for business from Hartford to Philly and then Denver. Ironic thing I live in Philly but had to meet my boss in Denver after traveling to CT. I won't be in an office all day so jeans, tee & sneaks for the flight. First leg US Air, second United. I arrive in Denver. Head for the Admiral's lounge for a beer & a ciggie. I have plenty of time, head downstairs for my suitcase. No suitcase. Go talk to baggage staff they say Oh US Air never switches bags it will come in on a later flight tonight. Phew I think, file my claim, meet my boss and head for our hotel. Next morning no suitcase. Yep I spend a day in business meeting in Jeans a old jail tee shirt and sneaks. Baggage shows up in time for me to fly home with it.

Last August flying to Moline, IL via Chicago, our Chicago flight gets in 5 hours out we actual diverted to Dayton for fuel. No connections available Chicago on and off shut down. We decide to drive; stand in an unmoving baggage kine for 25 minutes then call co-worker and ask him to fight with them so I can get on the road in our $500 one way rental. They assure him my bag will be on a flight later today. It shows up 24 hours later soaking wet. I guess since they didn't have another plane to put it on it just sat on tarmac in rain. I had to use the laundry bags to separate my new (24 Walmarts are your friend) clothes from my wet ones.

and my favorite. Flying out of Vegas connecting in Denver 30 minutes between flights. Flight is delayed 45 minutes, I approach the desk and ask for assistance rebooking only to be told that will be handled in Denver because "you don't know you will miss your flight" Well unless this plane can defy all laws of time and physics I was pretty sure it was a done deal. Get to Denver, no connection, threatened by staff with "Ejection from the airport", put on a flight to Baltimore arrive after the airport is closed, janitor had to direct us to rental car counter, drive home to Philly. Call the next day and am chastised by customer service for not reporting it at the airport. Bags eventually show up next day, never actually figured out where they went.

by lagurl on Sunday, March 22, 2009

When we travel I use small black cable ties on all of my checked luggage and pack a scissors in the outside zipper. When we arrive at our destination I check the cable ties and if they have been cut I open the suitcase then and there. If there is not note from TSA I would immediately go to the airline and in even if there was I would take the time to check the contents. Gratefully, none of the ties have been cut at this point.

by blondie on Friday, March 20, 2009

I don't understand, I thought they were always able to check in your checked lugagge?

by tlhanger on Friday, March 20, 2009

This story is way too long to tell here so I'll make it short. We were flying to the Middle East from Los Angeles through Denver and then Paris to Qatar. Didn't make it to Denver on time (Thanks United!) and missed the connection to Paris so we waited a few hours and got a connection to London instead. Eventually got to Qatar on Qatar Air but minus one important piece of luggage that a very nice handler at Heathrow walked down himself to stow beneath the plane--a wheelchair. We were traveling with a family member who has cerebral palsy, he's virtually immobile and cannot go anywhere or do anything without it. And we arrived in a non-English speaking country at 3am with no wheelchair that is specifically outfitted for my brother. It took the staff about an hour before they actually realized the gravity of the mistake that had been made, what with the language barrier and cultural differences. It was almost so ridiculous that I just laughed and cried. We couldn't leave the airport to find the car that was supposed to pick us up because that would mean going through customs again and there was no customs. And, well, there wasn't anyone waiting for us anyway because we were supposed to have been on the Paris flight.
Finally somebody started making some calls, we borrowed an airport wheelchair to go outside to a taxi, borrowed the hotel wheelchair to go up to the room and the wheelchair arrived the next day on the next flight from London.
Oh and of course, leaving Qatar proved equally difficult since the return legs for two of us were cancelled as we were no-shows on that original Paris flight. Perfect!

by Hilary on Thursday, March 19, 2009

Airline blunders? Where to begin? Well, like many frequent fliers, I have many tales to tell, but I think this is the winner of them all. A few months ago, I had to fly to Hawaii on business, econ-class on United. I decided to redeem 30,000 for a round-trip first-class upgrade. Now, if you've ever seen "first class" on United domestic flights, you already know what a dunder-headed move and waste of miles that was. I've never seen such a pathetic, uncomfortable excuse for "first class." Anyway, I had red-eye flights both ways. On the outbound flight, those of us in first class were served breakfast. Cabin was still dark, with shades drawn, for those sleeping. So I spread some cream cheese on my cold, stale bagel. It had a musty, earthy smell and odd flavor that I didn't like. I took another bite. Tasted weird. So I turned on the light to see what I was eating, and discovered the cream cheese container was covered with fuzzy black and green mold.
Oh, but wait, it gets better on the return flight. Another red-eye. I settled in my so-called first-class seat and decided to try to get some sleep. Wrapped my blanket around me. Ugh, it stunk. I tried to ignore the stench, but ugh, it was gross. So I took a closer look, and . . . yep. Vomit. My blanket was dribbling with vomit.
I asked the flight attendant for another blanket -- and can you believe she said NO. Said there weren't any. So I loudly said, "This blanket stinks! It's full of vomit!" And she rushed over to grab it from me and gave me another, nicely wrapped in plastic this time.
OK, folks, just so you know. That was UNITED. And PS -- yes i did inform United. And no, they wouldn't refund the miles. They said I cashed them for an upgrade, and I got my upgrade.

by maryann on Thursday, March 19, 2009

12/23/2008 I was on my way to Victoria BC Canada. Everything was going smoothly until I reached Denver. There was a delay of 40 mins plus once boarded, the pilate decided to wait another 20 mins for the arrival of other passengers coming in from Mexico. Once I got to Vancouver and through the redundant customs procedure, then security, I had missed my connecting flight by 11 mins. Air Canada then cancelled all outgoing flights, even though other airlines were flying to Victoria. My fiance waited for me, but took his connection to Victoria, hoping I would be on the next flight out. We both ended up spending the night in the airports. I was offered a discount on a local hotel, but after what I went through in Vancouver, I wasn't going to leave the airport and go through customs and security again. I was unable to contact Air Canada and later found that their switchboard was closed. The next day, all Air Canada flights to Victoria from Vancouver were cancelled. I finally got through to the Air Canada operator. The only flight I could confirm would have been on the afternoon of Christmas day, and I would have to spend another day and night in the airport. I was finally able to contact my fiance and since I was unfamiliar with Vancouver, he came back from Victoria to rescue me, and we then took the ferry, which involved more currency. Air Canada did refund the portion of the fare that I was unable to use, but when other airlines are flying the same route, Air Canada could have offered the services of another airline for the convenience of their passengers. All of the other passengers on the flight that was cancelled were furious, and it was not a good review for Air Canada's customer service.

by Incognito on Thursday, March 19, 2009

OMG, Puravida's description was almost deja vu for me. Much like Puravida, on a Friday in February, my wife and I flew USAIR from our home in Virginia through Philadelphia to Barbados. Our bags didn't make it. Saturday we flew on from Barbados to our final destination (a much smaller island).

We each had a change of clothes and a swimsuit in our carry-on when we left home but we were now wearing those, and the previous days clothes needed washing and were for colder weather. Our first order of business was to wash clothes and obtain new ones but it was now Saturday evening and what few shops were on this island had already closed.

Sunday - no bags, all shops closed.

Monday - no bags. My wife and I each bought a t-shirt and another swimsuit, and she bought some shorts. No footwear of any kind is sold on the island. Washed clothes again.

Tuesday - no bags. Everybody on the island knows our predicament. We were actually given t-shirts and offered other clothing. The only time we have been in a taxi was to get from the airport to the hotel, but every cab driver knows who we are and all are trying to be the ones to bring us our bags.

Wednesday - washed clothes again. My bag arrives as the sun is setting.

Thursday - wearing some of my clothes and my flip-flops, my wife is informed at lunchtime that her bag will arrive shortly.

Friday - first full day with everything we packed for the trip.

Saturday - fly home. We have to connect through Philly again. When we arrive home in Virginia, our bags are not there. Two days later they show up on our doorstep.

I wrote a scathing letter to USAIR about the experience. They sent my wife and I each a coupon for $200 off the price of a round trip ticket with an experiation date that I can't recall. I threw them in the trash. This happened 3 years ago. I have traveled to the Caribbean 3 times since. Not once on USAIR and never had a baggage problem. When I told the story at work, a woman here in the office told a similar story. Apparently USAir's Philadelphia baggage system is a black hole.

by McSlaughter on Thursday, March 19, 2009

My parents recently flew from LAX to Hawaii to help me celebrate my wedding. They flew American Airlines and brought 4 pieces of luggage with them; all matching with wheels. When they picked up their luggage at the baggage claim, they found the wheel of one of the pieces of luggage not only broken but totally destroyed. The wheel and the assembly (entire corner of the suitcase) was cracked and broken. When they approached the airline, they were told that the wheel is just an accessory and they had no recourse. It was so frustrating. They weren't helpful; didn't even try to be helpful. Of course, they had to spend $$ to even bring the luggage here in the first place. :(

by keliana on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

On Southwest Air, Jacksonville to Seattle, I packed my laptop in my luggage, completely padded and protected. I was carrying my mother's cremains to bury in Seattle and did not want any other carryons. In Seattle, at my hotel, I immediately noticed a TSA note in my bag and that the contents were well-rifled through. My laptop was now unwrapped, dented and the display cracked. It had obviously been dropped hard, by some over zealous inspector. I took it back to the Seattle airport that day to report it to Southwest Air. They said they would make a note in their computers but I would have to file the claim paper in Jacksonville. So you can guess, at home in Jacksonville a week later, they had no record and would do nothing. By the way, technically on Southwest, you have only FOUR hours to make a claim. So ALWAYs inspect everything at the airport if you want to be sure to get covered.

by Lifelister on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My son was going on his first holiday... with his girlfriend of one year. They chose the Dominican Republic and booked for a week all-inclusive with flights through Air Transat. Being somewhat inexperienced at this travel thing, he didn't put his essential meds (including perscription anti-depressants), birth control, swimming gear, a change of light clothing, toiletries, etc. in his carry-on. I'll bet you already know what happened... the daily promises that the luggage was on its way never materialized. He was strongly discouraged from leaving the isolated resort (they had guys with rifles in trucks on the perimeter) so he couldn't buy some summer clothes to replace the ones that didn't arrive. The clothes he had been wearing were winter items, so he was able to buy a souvenir t-shirt from the resort, and they lent him a pair of shorts. Daily calls to Air Transat were frustratingly ineffective, and because the luggage was always going to arrive momentarily, he never took drastic action.
To top it all off, he chose this particular week to quit smoking!
When he returned, he went straight to Lost Luggage and retrieved his missing bag immediately, where it had sat undisturbed for the full seven days! Rarely has a person been so grateful to come back to deep winter and the prospect of work the next day.

by Divad on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I had a flying horror story right before Christmas flying United. I was returning from Australia, so you already know this was a long flight. Long story short, we arrived in SFO on time to make our connection (a once weekly) into my small town. Unfortunately, our baggage did not make our flight in Australia which delayed us getting upstairs to go through security again. Despite the fact that we still had 30 minutes before the flight (and now no baggage) the gate agent refused us our boarding passes. Because of some bad weather and many other delayed flights within the US, we were not able to get another flight to ANYWHERE for 3 full nights. Bear in mind again that our luggage was lost and we had already been traveling (and wearing the same clothes)for a full 24 hours already. The airlines refused to pay for our hotel or meals and did not even offer toiletries. Additionally, we were scheduled to arrive home on the 20th and leave again the 24th. Because we got home late in the evening on the 23rd I then had the pleasure of trying to cancel another international flight the night before we were scheduled to leave. I still have no idea what fees we are going to incur for that cancellation. Our luggage (including a $6000 triathlon bike) were missing for 9 (yes, nine) full days! The airlines still refuse to accept any responsibility for this mess. If I had a choice I would NEVER fly United again, but sadly I cannot do this. Oh, and we paid $300 extra to ship the bike and it was lost for 3 days on the way to Australia!

by andreafbe on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My worse airline story started with a birthday trip to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival 2009. My boyfriend, myself and 30 other passengers were planned to go to Rio February 19-27, 2009. We left Reagan International Airport on a American Airlines to Miami on Feb 19. WE were scheduled to depart for Rio on AA on 11:10 PM when we were told that there was technical problems detected. AA was supposed to supply all of us with a "new" plane and they moved us to another gate. Around 12:30 AM on 02/20, the "new" plane given had door issues that could not be solved and AA put everyone up in a cut rate hotel at 4:00 AM. All had to return to Miami for a 2:30 PM departure on 2/20, a delay of fifteen hours.
It gets worse. The next substitute plane came in and we left only to turn around and fly back to Miami due to a tracking system issue. We were told that the plane was not "sound of" to fly over international waters! Another four hour goes and AA found ANOTHER plane to fly. This time we did the 8.5 hour to Rio however we missed all of Fridays' events including Friday's Carnival. We missed a total delay of 20 hours from the original scheduled departure time!
I am not an expert in airline procedures or the mechanics of commercial jets but I truly believe it should NEVER four plane to complete one trip and certain things should have been made quicker and better.
We did return without any problems on Feb 27, 2009 however all of us are fighting American to get money or miles for the two days we missed. We should not have to fight for our individual rights but we do. AA has a lot of explaining to do

by lotus on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I arrived at the Jetblue check-in counter prior to 5:00am on 12/31/08 for a flight thru JFK to Denver. Thinking this was a good day and time to fly, I was surprised when the ticket agent told me I might not make my flight. So grabbing my boarding pass, I ran to the security line, only to see the longest line that I had ever seen. I have never waiting more than 5 minutes in line at this small New England airport and did not know there were 6 flights leaving between 6:00 - 6:30am. Also, there were only 2 TSA lines at this end of the airport. Many people were buzzing about the wait and how no one had ever seen lines like this. As I approached the first checkpoint, I finally looked at my boarding pass and discovered it was in the name of a gentleman going to Florida. Wrong gender and wrong destination! This was not good - of course, I had to go back to the counter and get a new boarding pass. (And not even a "I'm really sorry" from the original agent, nothing). I missed my flight by 10 minutes, along with several other people. I rebooked my flight for the same time on 1/1/09, not wanting to wait in JFK for 7 hours for the only other flight to Denver that day. After retrieving my car and on the ride home (45 miles and now snowing) I starting to wonder what happened to my checked bag. After calling my son in Colorado and speaking to Jetblue he found out there was a later flight from my airport to JFK with a much shorter layover time. The flight still arrived in Denver at midnight. With my son willing to pick me up at midnight on New Year's Eve, he changed my flight. Jetblue wanted to charge a $40 change fee, but agreed to waive it. So back to the airport I went (still snowing). I looked at my boarding pass this time and told the very nice and helpful lady at the check-in counter my story and I was wondering where my checked bag was from earlier in the day. After much research, and not knowing if it was in Florida or Denver, it turned up in Denver on my original flight. Of course, we left late going to JFK because of wind in NY and I finally arrived in Denver at 1:30am (3:30am Eastern Time)! So much for babysitting for my kids on New Year's Eve. Moral of the story -- check the name on your boarding pass. (I had printed out my pass at home, but it showed I was not checking a bag, and I was - so the ticket agent gave me another one - the incorrect one!). I'm flying Jetblue again next week, we'll see what happens this time!!

by Elsie on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Nope, no refund! I suppose I could've fought harder on that, but I have already spent hours on the phone with them and frankly have other things to do with my time.

by puravida on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Puravida: And of course, US Air didn't refund your $25 fee, did they! Federal law should require that airlines refund baggage fees if they lose or misplace your bag!!

by George Hobica on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I wonder if given the facts to the ombudsman on Conde Nast Traveler, if they would look into this. It would just be a one time thing.

by tlhanger on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My husband and I flew US Airways to Costa Rica, only to find that one of our two checked bags did not arrive (after paying $25 per bag!).
Day 1: On arriving in San Jose, we were told the bag was still in Philadelphia, our connecting city, and would come on the next flight the following day. We were given a local Costa Rica phone number to call and a case number.
Day 2: We called in the morning and were told that the bag was on its way, on the flight to San Jose, and would be delivered that evening. Needless to say the bag did not arrive; we called and were told that the bag was in Phoenix (!) but would be in Costa Rica the next day.
Day 3: Again, our bag did not arrive. We called and were told that the bag had been delivered to a hotel we'd never heard of. As we were talking with the agent, the story changed and our luggage was now in Philadelphia again. We were told it would arrive the following day.
Day 4: Again, no luggage. By this time we were pretty tired of wearing only the change of clothes we had on the airplane (underwear and socks included). Spoke to someone who said our luggage definitely would not make it to Costa Rica, possibly ever.
Despite her certainty about this, she was also certain that there was no record of our luggage, our case, or any of our numerous calls.
Day 5: called yet again, and were told that our bag had been in Charlotte since Day 2, but was definitely on a flight to Costa Rica and would be delivered that evening. Called back that evening after the flight landed, and were told that the bag was not on the flight and there was no information in their computer as to where it was or even if it exists. They theorized that the bag was probably in Philadelphia. We logged into their lost bag website and requested that if the bag showed up, it be sent back to our home in the US.
Day 6: Called the local CR office and were told that the bag was still lost. Looked online and the website showed that the bag was being sent back to our house. Left our hotel for dinner, came back, and the bag was in the hotel lobby. The VERY next day, we flew back to the US and had to pay $25 to check the bag for the return flight.

by puravida on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Of course, upon reading Scribe, it seems some are just thiefs.

by tlhanger on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Why did you pack the inhalers in your checked baggage? I always have mine in a clear baggie which I present to security with the rest of my approved liquids and then put them back into my carry-on. What if you were to need them on the flight? In any event, I have never had a problem carrying them on and would suggest that you do that in the future.

by Nia on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I recently returned on Jet Blue to Boston from a month-long trip to Virginia (IAD) to help care for my sister-in-law, who has ALS. I packed my two asthma inhalers (Flovent and Albuterol) in my checked baggage. I had no problem flying to Virginia via JetBlue with the inhalers, but when I unpacked my bags, the inhalers were gone. Though I specifically remember storing them in a zippered compartment in my bag, I double-checked with family to ensure I did not inadvertently leave them in Virginia. I did not leave them behind. J

etBlue told me they never open baggage, that I would have to contact TSA. TSA says there would have been a note left in my bag if they had searched the bag/removed the inhalers. Both tell me I have no recourse. The cost out of my pocked to replace the two inhalers was $65...almost the cost with taxes included of my one-way ticket to Boston!

by Scribe on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

In all fairness to the airlines, the people they hire are actually trained, but sometimes you meet people who can pass tests, but just don't have a lick of sense. That seems to be the case here. Each person that has a function is suppose to follow rules, but some either have memory lapse or just not thinking. It is like that in every customer related business. They don't want to ask anyone "what is the procedure?" when they forget.

by tlhanger on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Dear Jean:

Whenever we get comments like this, seriously, it makes our day, and I hope the days of our fare researchers, real live human beings who hunt all day long for true values that simply cannot be found by the computer-based searches that other fare comparison and listing services use. And not to brag or anything (we would NEVER do that hehe) but by sending you to that BA flight plus hotel deal, we actually lost revenue. Had we sent you to BA through Orbitz or Travelocity for just the airfare, without mentioning the package deal, we would have made a few bucks. But that's not how we do things here. Just pointing this out for any new users to our site who might not be aware. End of shameless self-promotion and thanks for writing!

by on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I've always liked your site. Now I love it! I found out about the British Airways sale on your site. I bought tickets to Rome and not only got a fabulous fare but 2 free nights at a hotel in Rome, easily worth a couple of hundred dollars. Since I am going on a cruise which ends in Barcelona, I am flying Ryanair from there back to Rome so I didn't have to buy an open-jaw ticket. I got this idea from your site, too. This saved me over $600.00 a person! Thank you so much for making my vacation much more affordable and, I hope, more enjoyable. All of you guys and gals are great!!! Jean

by Jean H on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

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