I need to upload that anger icon. Actual, the tired icon works too.
Nightmares with United, the sequel. Actually I think it's the sequel to the sequel.
Well, this time it wasn't as bad as the last, but man I am so tired. Probably cuz' I didn't sleep enough last night/dawn.
So, when I booked my flight in April (or around that time), my flight back out of LAX to ORD was at 11:00am. However, last night when I was trying to check-in online, I found that 1) I couldn't check-in online, and 2) the reason for that was because they changed my flight (without notifying me via phone nor email, like they did the first time) to 9:56am. An hour earlier. Well, there goes my sleep, my sister's sleep, and her fiance's sleep. But hey, at least my connecting flight from ORD to MSN was still the same, and I still arrive in Madison at a decent time right? WRONG.
I arrive at LAX early-ish, one bad experience with waiting in too long a line and thus missing the flight I could have gotten on was enough. The line was okay, a very long row of self-check-in kiosks, with United people helping out if you got stuck and to give you your baggage tags. Luggage is checked in, didn't have to pay the $15 because I booked this flight way back when we were still allowed 2 free pieces of checked baggage, it passes the scale at 49.5~50.5lbs, and I go and wait at the gate. Didn't bother buying McDonald's breakfast along the way.
So I'm at gate 74, feeling sleepy and trying very hard not to fall asleep when they announce that they're having mechanical problems with the current plane, and are either trying to fix it, or find a new plane to use.
Okay, fair enough. I'm too sleepy to try and find another flight to get on. Plus I have like, a 3 hour layover in ORD due to them changing my flight. I continue trying to stay awake. The people at the counter have no idea what's going on and are like "So.. they're checking the plane... and we'll figure out if you guys need to be rebooked in like, 30 minutes."
Three hours pass.
At one point an announcer says something along the lines of "I think we have a new plane, but you can go to customer service and try to rebook, the next flight is at 4pm." ...What? Much confusion is had, at this point I managed to feel awake enough to get up and walk around/wait in line. Luckily a guy in front of me gets a call from his wife back at the gate saying that they found a new plane and the new time is 12:30. We all walk back.
By this point I have this horrible headache either from lack of sleep or dehydration. And I'm hungry. I buy a Neutra-grain bar, or whatever they're called, and a box of strawberry mentos.
I get in line at the gate's counter to try and ask the dude whether or not the delay has managed to screw up my connection. The guy's not taking customers because he's apparently confused over what flight it is that he's supposed to be covering for (we moved to gate 75). On the screen I finally catch sight that says we'll arrive in ORD at 6:39. ...well sh*t. My flight departs at 6:03 or something.
So I'm line hoping he'll rebook my connection, but he continues not helping anyone, so I walk back to the customer service counter. Some 20 minutes later, the flight's starting to board, and I'm finally at the counter. The person there just tells me out right that I won't make it (which I knew) and tells me to just get rebooked after I get to ORD on the next available flight, which is at 9:53pm. Then tells me to run along and get on the plane before it's too late.
Got on the plane, sat down, I'm all set to just pass out and sleep for the whole 3 hours or so to ORD, when the pilot(?) or someone gets on the intercom and apologizes for the earlier delay, then explains how they have to check the plane before they fly everytime, and that they found that something had got sucked into the right, second engine. They were gonna work on fixing it.
More time passes, yay! But we finally arrive in ORD at 7:30 or so Central time. With a bit of math, we may have sat on the plane for another hour or so.
Stand in line some more, got rebooked, considered just taking the bus, but taking the bus and waiting would actually get me to Madison at about the same time. Bus might take longer too actually, and I'm not sure where the buses are and didn't feel like dragging luggage that is over half my weight around.
Walked from B to F, and pulled out my laptop. Gave in and paid for internet. At this point the only thing I have to sustain myself are the mentos. Sat around for another 2 hours or so. 24 minute flight to Madison, the end.
Actually not that eventful or horrible now that I typed it out. Being tired really makes things 1000 times worse. It's not like they made us get out of the plane and onto a third one. I have a vague recollection that that happened before.
Oh right, and my classes start at 9:30 tomorrow morning.
g'nite.
Well, this time it wasn't as bad as the last, but man I am so tired. Probably cuz' I didn't sleep enough last night/dawn.
So, when I booked my flight in April (or around that time), my flight back out of LAX to ORD was at 11:00am. However, last night when I was trying to check-in online, I found that 1) I couldn't check-in online, and 2) the reason for that was because they changed my flight (without notifying me via phone nor email, like they did the first time) to 9:56am. An hour earlier. Well, there goes my sleep, my sister's sleep, and her fiance's sleep. But hey, at least my connecting flight from ORD to MSN was still the same, and I still arrive in Madison at a decent time right? WRONG.
I arrive at LAX early-ish, one bad experience with waiting in too long a line and thus missing the flight I could have gotten on was enough. The line was okay, a very long row of self-check-in kiosks, with United people helping out if you got stuck and to give you your baggage tags. Luggage is checked in, didn't have to pay the $15 because I booked this flight way back when we were still allowed 2 free pieces of checked baggage, it passes the scale at 49.5~50.5lbs, and I go and wait at the gate. Didn't bother buying McDonald's breakfast along the way.
So I'm at gate 74, feeling sleepy and trying very hard not to fall asleep when they announce that they're having mechanical problems with the current plane, and are either trying to fix it, or find a new plane to use.
Okay, fair enough. I'm too sleepy to try and find another flight to get on. Plus I have like, a 3 hour layover in ORD due to them changing my flight. I continue trying to stay awake. The people at the counter have no idea what's going on and are like "So.. they're checking the plane... and we'll figure out if you guys need to be rebooked in like, 30 minutes."
Three hours pass.
At one point an announcer says something along the lines of "I think we have a new plane, but you can go to customer service and try to rebook, the next flight is at 4pm." ...What? Much confusion is had, at this point I managed to feel awake enough to get up and walk around/wait in line. Luckily a guy in front of me gets a call from his wife back at the gate saying that they found a new plane and the new time is 12:30. We all walk back.
By this point I have this horrible headache either from lack of sleep or dehydration. And I'm hungry. I buy a Neutra-grain bar, or whatever they're called, and a box of strawberry mentos.
I get in line at the gate's counter to try and ask the dude whether or not the delay has managed to screw up my connection. The guy's not taking customers because he's apparently confused over what flight it is that he's supposed to be covering for (we moved to gate 75). On the screen I finally catch sight that says we'll arrive in ORD at 6:39. ...well sh*t. My flight departs at 6:03 or something.
So I'm line hoping he'll rebook my connection, but he continues not helping anyone, so I walk back to the customer service counter. Some 20 minutes later, the flight's starting to board, and I'm finally at the counter. The person there just tells me out right that I won't make it (which I knew) and tells me to just get rebooked after I get to ORD on the next available flight, which is at 9:53pm. Then tells me to run along and get on the plane before it's too late.
Got on the plane, sat down, I'm all set to just pass out and sleep for the whole 3 hours or so to ORD, when the pilot(?) or someone gets on the intercom and apologizes for the earlier delay, then explains how they have to check the plane before they fly everytime, and that they found that something had got sucked into the right, second engine. They were gonna work on fixing it.
More time passes, yay! But we finally arrive in ORD at 7:30 or so Central time. With a bit of math, we may have sat on the plane for another hour or so.
Stand in line some more, got rebooked, considered just taking the bus, but taking the bus and waiting would actually get me to Madison at about the same time. Bus might take longer too actually, and I'm not sure where the buses are and didn't feel like dragging luggage that is over half my weight around.
Walked from B to F, and pulled out my laptop. Gave in and paid for internet. At this point the only thing I have to sustain myself are the mentos. Sat around for another 2 hours or so. 24 minute flight to Madison, the end.
Actually not that eventful or horrible now that I typed it out. Being tired really makes things 1000 times worse. It's not like they made us get out of the plane and onto a third one. I have a vague recollection that that happened before.
Oh right, and my classes start at 9:30 tomorrow morning.
g'nite.