Strandeed in Dallas, Tx. This is no fun. Plane took off late in Phoenix. Why? Because the freaking jetway was STUCK to the airplane. They couldn't dislodge and ordered all passengers off of the airplane. I am not going to try and fix the errors that this keyboard is giving me so that's my excuse in advance. Anyway, a third of the plane FULL of people got off and then they said get back on! Well, you know how people are, some anyway, well a lot, oblivious to the world. Take your sweet old time, take 2 minutes to put a bag into an overhead bin that should take you 5 seconds at most. It cost us in time, we were forty five minutes late leaving.
When we finally landed, I had thirty minutes to get off that plane, get on a tram and get over to the correct gate. Nothing was working. People who didn't have connecting flights were instructed to stay in their seats to let those that didn't have connecting flights off first. No-one cared, of course so since I was near the back of the plane, I was screwed. Got out of that and to the tram and realized my gate was clear on the other side of the airport. Those trams at DFW move fast, but not fast enough. I got to the exit, got off, ran to the gate to find they had just shut it, pulled the jetway away and the plane was sitting there.
They couldn't have cared less. Even if it was their airline's fault that I was late. Nope, we can't do anytihng for you and the next available flight isn't available until twelve thirty today! NO WAY. Valerie was like, nuh-uh, I am coming to get you and she did. Meanwhile I was making endless calls. They gave me the boarding passes and free food voucher and a free night's stay at a Marriot and I got the bleep out of there and got to the hotel . Even if a short stay, FAR better than sitting at that airport for hours. Got my free dinner, got in my room and almost fell asleep. .
Val showed up and we drove back, almost 3 hours drive. Didn't get into town until three am, I knew I would feel like shit today and I wasn't let down. But no way am I missing that job interview, I don't care how I, I am going and that's that. She's all over it too, she knows that getting a job determines when I can move out there.
So, I am \sitting at Denny's in Longview, drinking massive amoiunts of coffee and she is heading over with the 3 little ones, should be here pretty quick. I haven't seen those kids in four months and they like me and I like them, little kids are fun to be around - well no always but usually they can be quite entertaining. The older ones are all at school. We have nothing planned for after the interview so I am guessing I am going to want to take a nap this afternoon. In fact, I may just break down and do a hotel for one night to ensure a good night's sleep cause' tomorrow? It's going to be quite the day starting with pinewood derby in the morning and cruising the rest of the day with activities and getting ready for the bonfire tomorrow night. I just need a good night's sleep for that. Though I don't doubt that I will get on after last night. Just that going to bed at 3 am? It doesn't matter what time you get up, at least me, not going to feel one hundred percent, maybe later on and catch a second wind or something.
Actually, the airline did offer to fly me out to Shreveport last night, which is where the interview is, but she wanted to see me so strike that. Probably would have worked out better for all of us though. I would be there right now and she could come and get me at the appointed time, take her and the kids to that science place and then head over to the store to meet up with the store's manager.
But oh well. The airline wouldn't concede anything, either, until i got a supervisor on the line with whatever department I was on with. She offered me a one hundred buck voucher which I took, better than nothing. Actually, if they would have kept the gate open until they said it would close, I would have been on that plane and none of this would have happened. They did not and now all this garbage.
Well, make the best of this situation and move on.
Gotta get my mind in the right place so I can have a good visit with that manager.
G'day.
ben
3 comments:
And welcome to domestic air travel in the teens. It will only get worse.
I would prefer that no one from FB knows about this blog at least for now, for my own reasons, so if anyone asks I'd appreciate not giving it to them, whoever already knows it's cool, obviously. And yes, a lady sitting in front of me on the flight was telling me a lot of her own personal horror stories, especially about American, frequent traveler. Crazy how the airline industry has changed from the days I used to fly pretty regularly.
I used to keep the jetway working even when parts inside the thing failed. If they don't engage a thing called auto-level then as people board, the plane lowers some and the door assembly presses down on the jetway, preventing it from being able to close. This happens if they did not dock right to begin with--meaning autolevel won't engage even when you try--or the did not engage it. Either way it is not hard to override it to lower it. Their fault and I wish they'd have at least given you a one way voucher if not round trip. Maybe the info will be useful. It was agent error. They got something stuck and had to get weight out of the plane to free it.
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