The joys of travel... thanks for letting me vent!

seadoug

seadoug

Well-known Member
Location
Texas
Last weekend we returned from a cruise. We were scheduled to fly out of Ft. Lauderdale on Friday. Our flight was canceled due to severe thunderstorms in Dallas (not the airline's fault). We were originally on a direct but the only flight American could accommodate us on was out of Miami (so we had to take an Uber there and get a hotel room). It was connecting through Pensacola and scheduled to arrive in Dallas at 5:30pm. No problem. We just wanted to get home.

On Saturday, we waited in what I can only describe as a "hellish" gate area that accommodated all the regional flights so it was jam-packed and difficult to understand which announcements were being made for which flight and which lines went to each. American called us to board, but instead kept us outside in a walkway in the heat for almost 30 minutes.. No one would tell us why we couldn't board, but finally they told us we were waiting for the crew to arrive. Why did they ask us to leave the gate area? Did they not know there was no crew there? We boarded, and during the flight we were asked what we wanted to drink. The flight attendants simply served the cans with no cups of ice!

So, we made it to Pensacola with plenty of layover time. The flight kept being delayed but finally they called us to board. We were standing on the flight bridge for some time when we were asked to go back to the gate. We were told there was a quick mechanical fix but Maintenance was not on site and it would take them 35 minutes for them to get to the airport. Long story short, we board 1 1/2 hours late and arrived in Dallas at 7pm. There were people who had tight connections so we let them go ahead.

We felt like we have been traveling for days! The cruise was great, but all the relaxation we experienced was long gone. We were just happy to arrive home. Air travel is miserable these days.
 

I've never liked flying. I would have to leave home 2 hours before take-off. Stand in the queue for ages and then be told to go to gate 32 and wait for instructions. Waited there for at least half an hour only to be told to go to gate 16, where we were originally in the first place. No excuses
just orders. Some poor people were in wheelchairs, and they were totally confused. Give me the good old reliable trains which usually ran on
time, and got to your destination 12 hours later. At least you could get a coffee and something to eat on your journey.
 

seadoug said:
Last weekend we returned from a cruise. We were scheduled to fly out of Ft. Lauderdale on Friday. Our flight was canceled due to severe thunderstorms in Dallas (not the airline's fault). We were originally on a direct but the only flight American could accommodate us on was out of Miami (so we had to take an Uber there and get a hotel room). It was connecting through Pensacola and scheduled to arrive in Dallas at 5:30pm. No problem. We just wanted to get home.

On Saturday, we waited in what I can only describe as a "hellish" gate area that accommodated all the regional flights so it was jam-packed and difficult to understand which announcements were being made for which flight and which lines went to each. American called us to board, but instead kept us outside in a walkway in the heat for almost 30 minutes.. No one would tell us why we couldn't board, but finally they told us we were waiting for the crew to arrive. Why did they ask us to leave the gate area? Did they not know there was no crew there? We boarded, and during the flight we were asked what we wanted to drink. The flight attendants simply served the cans with no cups of ice!

So, we made it to Pensacola with plenty of layover time. The flight kept being delayed but finally they called us to board. We were standing on the flight bridge for some time when we were asked to go back to the gate. We were told there was a quick mechanical fix but Maintenance was not on site and it would take them 35 minutes for them to get to the airport. Long story short, we board 1 1/2 hours late and arrived in Dallas at 7pm. There were people who had tight connections so we let them go ahead.

We felt like we have been traveling for days! The cruise was great, but all the relaxation we experienced was long gone. We were just happy to arrive home. Air travel is miserable these days.
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Glad at least, your cruise was great. Sorry you had such a lousy flight.
 
seadoug said:
Last weekend we returned from a cruise. We were scheduled to fly out of Ft. Lauderdale on Friday. Our flight was canceled due to severe thunderstorms in Dallas (not the airline's fault). We were originally on a direct but the only flight American could accommodate us on was out of Miami (so we had to take an Uber there and get a hotel room). It was connecting through Pensacola and scheduled to arrive in Dallas at 5:30pm. No problem. We just wanted to get home.

On Saturday, we waited in what I can only describe as a "hellish" gate area that accommodated all the regional flights so it was jam-packed and difficult to understand which announcements were being made for which flight and which lines went to each. American called us to board, but instead kept us outside in a walkway in the heat for almost 30 minutes.. No one would tell us why we couldn't board, but finally they told us we were waiting for the crew to arrive. Why did they ask us to leave the gate area? Did they not know there was no crew there? We boarded, and during the flight we were asked what we wanted to drink. The flight attendants simply served the cans with no cups of ice!

So, we made it to Pensacola with plenty of layover time. The flight kept being delayed but finally they called us to board. We were standing on the flight bridge for some time when we were asked to go back to the gate. We were told there was a quick mechanical fix but Maintenance was not on site and it would take them 35 minutes for them to get to the airport. Long story short, we board 1 1/2 hours late and arrived in Dallas at 7pm. There were people who had tight connections so we let them go ahead.

We felt like we have been traveling for days! The cruise was great, but all the relaxation we experienced was long gone. We were just happy to arrive home. Air travel is miserable these days.
Click to expand...
I think this is probably why meditation and whiskey were invented.
 
I used to travel frequently for business. I traveled all over the world. I reached 2 million miles on American Airlines.

Hubby was surprised I was so calm when our flight was canceled and then through all the hassles, but I've been through so many hassles it isn't worth getting upset. There was a Brazilian couple in Miami who had apparently missed a flight and they were yelling at all the gate agents and the guy was walking around on his phone talking about Instagram. I guess he was going to have someone post something about American Airlines. All the hysterics in the world won't get you anywhere with the airlines.
 
It’s just horrible to travel these days. Don’t travel. Stay home. Avoid any place full of travelers.
 
We have few options when it comes to travel. Most of Britain's railways were closed in the 1960's so that we could enjoy congested roads instead. There are some trains, but they are often crowded and expensive. Being an island, travel travel from Great Britain requires travelling by boat or plane. I almost forgot the channel rail tunnel, which is OK if you live in the south of England and want to go to France.

Fortunately our local regional airport is not too bad, although international flights are limited.
 
Capt Lightning said:
...... Being an island, travel travel from Great Britain requires travelling by boat ...
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Oh, how the channel ferries are missed. The bustle, the disco, the never-ending jokes about the Welsh.
Capt Lightning said:
I almost forgot the channel rail tunnel, which is OK if you live in the south of England and want to go to France.
Click to expand...
Once in France you can actually continue deeper into the continent, did you know?
Capt Lightning said:
Fortunately our local regional airport is not too bad, although international flights are limited.
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I wouldn't say they are limited: Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Manchester, plus, plus ...
 
I haven't been anywhere in about eight years now. I always traveled by road, on a motorcycle. It was always enjoyable .... is road travel still enjoyable ? or has that been screwed with as well ?

Other motorcyclist tell me that crazy drivers, cell phones & such have raised the danger of it, one guy I know even sold his motorcycle , saying it is just stupid/crazy out there anymore.

But I was wondering about hotels/motels these days , I have heard somewhat that they have just become so over the top expensive ??
 
jujube said:
What makes me want to scream .....
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What doesn't make me want to scream but does make me shake my head is when people start queuing up at the gate before it's open. And then there are those who stand up in the isle of the plane before the door opens at the destination. Do none of them realize that the baggage won't be at the pick up point until long after all the passengers have disembarked? If you want to find me just watch for the person who’s last to board and the last to leave the plane. And yet I am never the last person to get my bags and exit the airport. Doesn’t seem fair does it. :)
 
OK, my turn to vent.

My trip last week was on Spirit Airlines. Why Spirit Airlines when their reviews are so bad? Well, Allegiant let me down monumentally (but I will fly them again because they gave me a nice voucher and a check, along with a speedy refund because they KNEW they did us wrong....) and I didn't have any other choice for a cheap flight.

Well, it's cheap because it's the "Greyhound Bus of the Skies". The seats are so uncomfortable (about as much padding as a wooden church pew during a long, boring sermon). You'd better have short legs, too. They won't even give you water for free. The bathrooms are disgusting. The planes are so old that there are still ashtrays in the bathroom. Taking off on time is about as likely as hitting the grand jackpot on a penny slot in a gas station in Pahrump, Nevada.

They charge you an arm-and-a-leg for a carry-on to stow in the luggage compartments. When the flight is booked full, they'll start announcing that you can now check your carry-on AND IT'S FREE!!! Free? Haven't I already PAID for my carry-on? Now, apparently you're telling me that you won't charge me for the inconvenience of having to wait for my carry-on (which, as I mentioned, I have ALREADY paid for) at the baggage carousel? Free, my aching a$$. Bah, humbug!

Don't fly Spirit. And if you do, don't say I didn't warn you.
 
'Once in France you can actually continue deeper into the continent, did you know?' Well, yes I did know, and France got in the way of my travels to Germany. I never used the tunnel, always preferring the ferry via. Dunkirk and through Belgium.

A small rant, I don't like the misuse of 'momentarily' which means FOR a moment, not IN a moment. Well it does in the UK. Why can't they just say 'Soon'?
 
Capt Lightning said:
We have few options when it comes to travel. Most of Britain's railways were closed in the 1960's so that we could enjoy congested roads instead. There are some trains, but they are often crowded and expensive. Being an island, travel travel from Great Britain requires travelling by boat or plane. I almost forgot the channel rail tunnel, which is OK if you live in the south of England and want to go to France.

Fortunately our local regional airport is not too bad, although international flights are limited.
Click to expand...
I live close to a canal and I'm surprised that more people don't use canals for travelling. The river Thames used to be as busy as the modern motorways. There are rivers and canals all over the country but most are used for leisure.
 
seadoug said:
Last weekend we returned from a cruise. We were scheduled to fly out of Ft. Lauderdale on Friday. Our flight was canceled due to severe thunderstorms in Dallas (not the airline's fault). We were originally on a direct but the only flight American could accommodate us on was out of Miami (so we had to take an Uber there and get a hotel room). It was connecting through Pensacola and scheduled to arrive in Dallas at 5:30pm. No problem. We just wanted to get home.

On Saturday, we waited in what I can only describe as a "hellish" gate area that accommodated all the regional flights so it was jam-packed and difficult to understand which announcements were being made for which flight and which lines went to each. American called us to board, but instead kept us outside in a walkway in the heat for almost 30 minutes.. No one would tell us why we couldn't board, but finally they told us we were waiting for the crew to arrive. Why did they ask us to leave the gate area? Did they not know there was no crew there? We boarded, and during the flight we were asked what we wanted to drink. The flight attendants simply served the cans with no cups of ice!

So, we made it to Pensacola with plenty of layover time. The flight kept being delayed but finally they called us to board. We were standing on the flight bridge for some time when we were asked to go back to the gate. We were told there was a quick mechanical fix but Maintenance was not on site and it would take them 35 minutes for them to get to the airport. Long story short, we board 1 1/2 hours late and arrived in Dallas at 7pm. There were people who had tight connections so we let them go ahead.

We felt like we have been traveling for days! The cruise was great, but all the relaxation we experienced was long gone. We were just happy to arrive home. Air travel is miserable these days.
Click to expand...
Interesting story. I think the problem is that just too many people are traveling. As for cruises well, there are also too many of them. With the high number of travelers things are going to go wrong.

I am also flying to Fort lauderdale just before Christmas and coming back in the middle of January. I bet something will go wrong. We all know travel is not what it used to be but it sure is a big money maker to a lot of people!
 
oscash said:
I've never liked flying. I would have to leave home 2 hours before take-off. Stand in the queue for ages and then be told to go to gate 32 and wait for instructions. Waited there for at least half an hour only to be told to go to gate 16, where we were originally in the first place. No excuses
just orders. Some poor people were in wheelchairs, and they were totally confused. Give me the good old reliable trains which usually ran on
time, and got to your destination 12 hours later. At least you could get a coffee and something to eat on your journey.
Click to expand...
What about having a dog sitting in the seat next to you? Apparently, here in Canada there seems to be more and more of these people taking their "emotional support" animals to grocery stores, events and even on air flight. If that don't take the cookie, then what will?
 
These stories are why we stopped traveling some years ago. If you just look at the pictures on the news to see shat it is like now.
 

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