Stuck in LA
I'm sitting in the LA airport waiting for the next flights to Auckland and Sydney. I have standby tickets, so no guarantee I'll be there anytime soon. This is so frustrating.
I got to my Boston->Chicago flight over 2 hours early, and it boarded like fifteen minutes late. Then we spent 45 minutes sitting on the tarmac, waiting to be cleared for takeoff, and still had to wait in a holding pattern over Chicago for the snow to clear before we landed. Even though it was clearly too late for my 5 o'clock flight, I ran to my gate just in case that flight was also delayed. Turns out it was, but not quite enough. They had just closed the doors and I watched the jetway pull away from the plane, which then continued to sit there for 45 minutes (just to spite me). I looked on the monitors and saw there was a Sydney flight from Chicago, and I went to talk with the people at that gate, but they were frantic and mobbed, and waived me off and said I'd have to go through customer service. There was a 6:30 flight that had been delayed to 7:00PM that I could get on if nothing else worked. After waiting 40 minutes in line, I asked them about the Sydney flight, but not only had it left but they said they couldn't rebook me anyway since I had Air New Zealand paper tickets. I'd have to take a bus to the international terminal. I asked him to just put me on the 6:30 LAX flight because I might till make it for my original Auckland flight. I then went to wait at the gate. I called Air New Zealand on the phone and asked them about releasing the tickets to United, which they said was fine. I then called United on the phone rather than wait in line another 40 minutes, and they made a tentative reservation for the LAX->SYD united flight for me which was 15 minutes after my Auckland flight. As it turns out, it was all in vain, because (through an excruciating series of small delays) the 6:30 flight didn't leave till 8:55. It reminded me of the days I'd spent trapped in Chicago to and from Putney.
I got in to LAX groggy and tired, and still had to make a reservation for the next day. I exited the aircraft and looked across the terminal at the Customer Service, only to find my eyes following a snaking line of angry travelers that dwarfed the one in Chicago. It was nearing 11:30 as I decided to try the ticketing/baggage check counter outside security. There were only 2 people in front of me, but I still had to wait 15 minutes for the woman to tell me that ticketing was closed and I'd have to come back tomorrow. Undeterred, I went down to the other end of the counter and waited in a different line. The woman there was very sweet and attentive, but there weren't many options. She booked me as STANDBY on the two NZ flights that leave at about 8PM and 9PM (these are the only ones available, making me wait another 24 hours if I miss them). She checked for several days ahead and all the seats were sold, so she couldn't get me a ticket. She also gave me the time (10PM) of the United LAX-SYD flight, but said it was even less likely for me to get on that one. I was just grateful to find someone who would work with me. Then she gave me hotel and meal vouchers (warning me United would only offer one night) and said the shuttle would pick me up outside. After waiting for another half hour I decided to get a cab with a few other stranded travelers I had been talking to that were going to the same hotel, but there were no cabs. Just as one finally came and we were about to get in, the shuttle came, and we ran to catch it. Whew. After a refreshing night of sleep, I came back to the airport around lunchtime and found no Air New Zealand employees in the ticketing/baggage check counter, customer service counter, or any gates, which brings my saga to the present. Waiting. So I went to Wolfgang Puck and got a salad, pizza and beer to pass the time. At least I have good books, magazines, and the internet.
Hopefully I'll get there before my return ticket says I have to come back.
I got to my Boston->Chicago flight over 2 hours early, and it boarded like fifteen minutes late. Then we spent 45 minutes sitting on the tarmac, waiting to be cleared for takeoff, and still had to wait in a holding pattern over Chicago for the snow to clear before we landed. Even though it was clearly too late for my 5 o'clock flight, I ran to my gate just in case that flight was also delayed. Turns out it was, but not quite enough. They had just closed the doors and I watched the jetway pull away from the plane, which then continued to sit there for 45 minutes (just to spite me). I looked on the monitors and saw there was a Sydney flight from Chicago, and I went to talk with the people at that gate, but they were frantic and mobbed, and waived me off and said I'd have to go through customer service. There was a 6:30 flight that had been delayed to 7:00PM that I could get on if nothing else worked. After waiting 40 minutes in line, I asked them about the Sydney flight, but not only had it left but they said they couldn't rebook me anyway since I had Air New Zealand paper tickets. I'd have to take a bus to the international terminal. I asked him to just put me on the 6:30 LAX flight because I might till make it for my original Auckland flight. I then went to wait at the gate. I called Air New Zealand on the phone and asked them about releasing the tickets to United, which they said was fine. I then called United on the phone rather than wait in line another 40 minutes, and they made a tentative reservation for the LAX->SYD united flight for me which was 15 minutes after my Auckland flight. As it turns out, it was all in vain, because (through an excruciating series of small delays) the 6:30 flight didn't leave till 8:55. It reminded me of the days I'd spent trapped in Chicago to and from Putney.
I got in to LAX groggy and tired, and still had to make a reservation for the next day. I exited the aircraft and looked across the terminal at the Customer Service, only to find my eyes following a snaking line of angry travelers that dwarfed the one in Chicago. It was nearing 11:30 as I decided to try the ticketing/baggage check counter outside security. There were only 2 people in front of me, but I still had to wait 15 minutes for the woman to tell me that ticketing was closed and I'd have to come back tomorrow. Undeterred, I went down to the other end of the counter and waited in a different line. The woman there was very sweet and attentive, but there weren't many options. She booked me as STANDBY on the two NZ flights that leave at about 8PM and 9PM (these are the only ones available, making me wait another 24 hours if I miss them). She checked for several days ahead and all the seats were sold, so she couldn't get me a ticket. She also gave me the time (10PM) of the United LAX-SYD flight, but said it was even less likely for me to get on that one. I was just grateful to find someone who would work with me. Then she gave me hotel and meal vouchers (warning me United would only offer one night) and said the shuttle would pick me up outside. After waiting for another half hour I decided to get a cab with a few other stranded travelers I had been talking to that were going to the same hotel, but there were no cabs. Just as one finally came and we were about to get in, the shuttle came, and we ran to catch it. Whew. After a refreshing night of sleep, I came back to the airport around lunchtime and found no Air New Zealand employees in the ticketing/baggage check counter, customer service counter, or any gates, which brings my saga to the present. Waiting. So I went to Wolfgang Puck and got a salad, pizza and beer to pass the time. At least I have good books, magazines, and the internet.
Hopefully I'll get there before my return ticket says I have to come back.