airline horror stories

[chinacat46]

Most people who travel sooner or later have problems with flights or luggage or TSA or ... I know this group must have some good stories so lets hear them. I've had baggage problems a number of times but the worst was when I went to the Caymans and was doing the Aggressor. We got there but our bags didn't luckily the airline knew where they were and the Aggressor hung out around Grand Cayman for a day so that the bags could catch up with us. We had to borrow some gear for a day but both of us had carried on our computers, regs and masks. We did have to borrow fins, BCDs and wetsuits though. The boat had BCDs and fins and some of the other passengers had extra wetsuit parts. Enough so we could dive for a day. Our gear showed up during dinner. We left right after the gear showed up for Little Cayman. The other times I've had baggage problems were all on the way home and the gear showed up the next day. Whats happened to you?

[deepdiver47]

How about an airport horror story?

I often travel thru Hong Kong in order to get to my dive destinations. Several years ago I was checking in for my Hong Kong to Guam flight and they were conducting a deep dive in all baggage. They began to check my checked dive bag when they found my Akona 8" fixed blade knife on top of my gear as you opened the lid. Now here is when the fun starts

They immediately called the HKG police, 6 guys showed up (with machine pistols) and surrounded me. They took pictures of the knife asked for 3 forms of id. This all happening at the checking counter, you should have seen the looks. They detained me for 30 minutes (no big deal I was early anyway)

Afterwards we all joked about. Though this whole process they were all extremely polite.

[DivingsInMyBlood]

The only one i have was when my wife and myself went to England to see my family and we flew back with the flu. I thought i was going to die on that flight back.

[gtjason2000]

On my last dive trip to the dominican republic we were delayed taking off because there were some lights not working in the back of the plane so we lost our spot in the take off lane. While waiting in the take off lane a storm comes in stopping all traffic out of the airport. We are stuck on the runway no ac and we get this announcement from the pilot that we have used too much gas sitting on the runway and won't make it to our destination. So we go back to get gas losing our place in line again but they cannot get gas because of the lightning. The storm finaly dies down after we have been on the plane for 3 hours! While getting gas they open the doors so we can get some food and all the business people that have missed their meetings can call off their trips. We get back on the plane and wait in line and finally take off 4 hours late. Luckily we had an overnight layover in atlanta (ff tickets) but I went to college in atlanta so had friends to hang out with. Delta used to have 2 flights from DR to ATL but they canceled the one we were coming home on in the afternoon and pushed our flight from ATL to DFW back a couple hours so our 1 hour layover in atlanta becomes an 8 hour layover. We asked to get put on an earlier flight but they inform us they have no frequent flyer seats on the earlier plane and it will be $50 each to get seats. So we are being punished for flying frequently on delta and using our miles. Lastly on our way home due to the new restrictions on liquids I have to put my souvenir liquor in my checked baggage. A bottle of rum is broken somewhere between atlanta and dallas so now my clothes are soaked with rum and glass shards. Also they broke off part of my dive bag that helps it stand up. I write delta to complain and all they do is say sorry. American has given me miles and money vouchers when I complain.

[chinacat46]

Delta what does that stand for?

Don't
Expect
Luggage
To
Arrive

or is it:

Doesn't
Ever
Leave
The
Airport

[scubaguy4409]

Mobile. AL best place to lose luggage. Lost it both getting there (3 days late) for a business meeting and didn't make it home after retruned (2 days)..

[georoc01]

Well, I am glad that Denver finally dumped its automated luggage system. Talk about a nightmare. Bags disappearing into nowhere or getting eaten by the system and have your stuff some up sans bag. This actually happened to a friend of mine and United was nice enough to give her a trash bag to put her stuff in.

[namabiru]

Heh. I guess the only horror story I can share was my recent interview trip to Doha, Qatar.

I flew United from Missoula to Chicago, then on United to Paris, where I would connect to Qatar Airways. I was supposed to have 2.5 hours layover in Paris. There was mechanical failure in Chicago, so we were an hour and a half late taking off. We get to Paris, and it turns out it's Bastille Day, so they're having an air show over Paris. Long and short of it is our 10-minute circle out of Paris air space turns into 25. I now have 30 minutes in Paris. I don't have a boarding pass for Qatar Airways yet either. Charles de Gauille Airport is terrible. Don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ever, ever (ad nauseum) fly through there. No signage. No information desks. No terminal maps. No United desk clerk on arrival at the ramp to assist you. I am still thankful I found an Air France clerk, and the Air France clerk was kind enough to assist me with calling the boarding counter behind the security counter (you go through security twice in Paris) so they could send someone out to meet me and escort me through, since I had my ticket but no boarding pass, and no time to go back out to get one.

I somehow got to Doha. My luggage didn't show up, which I fully knew it wouldn't. I expected it to be in Paris, though. United idiots left it in Chicago. Thank god I had clothes in my carry-on.

On the way back, I flew Lufthansa from Munich to Denver, changing at Denver to go to Missoula on United. I had a full 2 hours in Denver. I got my suitcase in Denver and rechecked it with United. I get to Missoula, my suitcase doesn't. Again. Lazy bvstards don't even put it on the plane in Denver. And there was *plenty* of time. It wasn't at all like my Paris fiasco, which as it turns out my bag didn't even go to Paris with me. I was a little vexed.

I'm thankful they're flying me with Northwest/KLM back to Doha when I move, as I'm more than confident now that United wouldn't deliver my bags. What's the point of even checking luggage with them when you're going to have to go shopping for stuff anyway? At least I carry stuff in my carry-on, like a day of clothes, toiletries, etc. But still...

[loudgonzo]

My only airline horror story is being on a layover, and my second flight from Miami to Costa Rica was delayed by 2 hours, then delayed an additional 2 hours, and finally canceled. Finally the airline "found" a spare plane and we left 11 hours after originally scheduled. But they were nice to give us a $10 voucher for food. To top it off, our flight to Costa Rica left at the same time as another flight that was scheduled that night, result was we arrived about 10 minutes behind that flight, and had about 200 people ahead of us in line for customs, plus the 100 or so that exited my plane before I did.

[namabiru]

Originally Posted by loudgonzo

But they were nice to give us a $10 voucher for food.

How generous of them. $10 goes quite far in the airport... $2.50 bottles of water, anyone?