RockNRollCav
Well-known member
So, in a series of unfortunate events (to borrow a title from a cute kids' movie...), I was unable to bring home Corgan today I'm so incredibly sad and disappointed about that, and furious with United airlines. :x Here's the story:
I was on a plane that was scheduled to depart at 6:10 am. After boarding, at about 6:45, they came on the loudspeaker to tell us that we're having a minor delay - it should only take 15 minutes more or so - and that they have to manually refuel the plane, and not to worry about connecting flights. As of now, all passengers should make their connections ("thank God", I think, because I'm supposed to make a connection, and only have an hour layover before my connecting flight leaves.).
At 7:15 they came back on the loudspeaker to say that they were still trying to refuel the plane and there were problems doing so. Should be another 15 minutes. :?
At 8:00, they allowed us off the plane if we were worried about missing connections. About 150 people got off the plane, and stood in line to talk to the lone agent who was "helping" people. I was 5th in line.
At 9:30, 3 people had been helped. I called 1-800-UNITED1 to see if someone there might be more useful. They told me that the earliest I could get to my destination city was 9:00 pm. I needed to be there by 5:00, so that didn't work. They said "Oh, well you could fly out of this other airport - the plane leaves at 10:00 and you arrive at 4:00" That would have been great, except that it takes roughly 45 minutes to get to that airport if I could have left the one I was at right away...remember, it's 9:30 and the plane leaves at 10:00. Ugh!
At this point, the "supervisor" comes on the loudspeaker in the lobby to inform us that they need a replacement part that is currently in another airport 1 hour from here. When it gets here it should take 1 hour, and the plane should depart by noon.
The plane was scheduled to depart at 6:10 am. I had to wake up at 3:30 am to get there in time, and now they're saying it's "delayed"?! :sl*p: That is NOT a delay, it's a rescheduling!
Finally, around 9:45 they bring a second agent to the gate to try to help people. The first woman, by the way, woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something - she was incredibly rude. Anyway, I was the first person in line with the new, friendlier person, who promptly asked for anyone going to Ocho Rio to come talk to her. A mother who needed 6 seats walks up. Great, so they're going to have to find 6 seats to Ocho Rio before she'll help me. Her reasoning for doing this? "For Ocho Rio, it's now or never - if she doesn't get a flight now, she won't go today". Mind you, she hadn't yet asked where I was going, when I needed to be there, etc.
Finally, she found a flight for this woman and her 5 children, and asked me where I was going. I told her, and told her I needed to be there by 5:00 pm. She looked at me sympathetically and shook her head. She checked all the airlines leaving this airport, and said the earliest she could get me there was 5:55 pm. I called the breeder, who desperately wanted to head home by 5:00 to see her girls play in a softball tournament, and she said she could wait. What an angel! However, when I asked for a flight home that same evening, the latest one was at 7:00. There was no way to deboard a plane at 5:55, find my breeder and Corgan, check in, go back through security, and board the return flight by 7:00 pm.
So, in the end, I got a refund for my flight, and called my breeder in tears. She said that everything will be fine, and we'll find some way to get him here. The problem now is that airlines won't ship pets from her location because it's so hot - either we have to go get him and carry him in the cabin, or we have to find another way to get him.
My breeder's dad may be going out to visit her in 2 weeks, and may be able to drive Corgan back with him, and we are "on his way home". So, at the latest, assuming her dad agrees, we should have him in 2 more weeks.
Anyway, sorry this is so long. I'm incredibly bummed, and just start crying every now and then when I think about it. I was SO looking forward to meeting him today. If only I had called the United number earlier, or if they had more people trying to help us, I could have gotten a different flight, but alas, it didn't work out.
So anyway, please send good thoughts/prayers/etc our way that our boy gets here safely in the not-too-distant future.
Jenni
I was on a plane that was scheduled to depart at 6:10 am. After boarding, at about 6:45, they came on the loudspeaker to tell us that we're having a minor delay - it should only take 15 minutes more or so - and that they have to manually refuel the plane, and not to worry about connecting flights. As of now, all passengers should make their connections ("thank God", I think, because I'm supposed to make a connection, and only have an hour layover before my connecting flight leaves.).
At 7:15 they came back on the loudspeaker to say that they were still trying to refuel the plane and there were problems doing so. Should be another 15 minutes. :?
At 8:00, they allowed us off the plane if we were worried about missing connections. About 150 people got off the plane, and stood in line to talk to the lone agent who was "helping" people. I was 5th in line.
At 9:30, 3 people had been helped. I called 1-800-UNITED1 to see if someone there might be more useful. They told me that the earliest I could get to my destination city was 9:00 pm. I needed to be there by 5:00, so that didn't work. They said "Oh, well you could fly out of this other airport - the plane leaves at 10:00 and you arrive at 4:00" That would have been great, except that it takes roughly 45 minutes to get to that airport if I could have left the one I was at right away...remember, it's 9:30 and the plane leaves at 10:00. Ugh!
At this point, the "supervisor" comes on the loudspeaker in the lobby to inform us that they need a replacement part that is currently in another airport 1 hour from here. When it gets here it should take 1 hour, and the plane should depart by noon.
The plane was scheduled to depart at 6:10 am. I had to wake up at 3:30 am to get there in time, and now they're saying it's "delayed"?! :sl*p: That is NOT a delay, it's a rescheduling!Finally, around 9:45 they bring a second agent to the gate to try to help people. The first woman, by the way, woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something - she was incredibly rude. Anyway, I was the first person in line with the new, friendlier person, who promptly asked for anyone going to Ocho Rio to come talk to her. A mother who needed 6 seats walks up. Great, so they're going to have to find 6 seats to Ocho Rio before she'll help me. Her reasoning for doing this? "For Ocho Rio, it's now or never - if she doesn't get a flight now, she won't go today". Mind you, she hadn't yet asked where I was going, when I needed to be there, etc.
Finally, she found a flight for this woman and her 5 children, and asked me where I was going. I told her, and told her I needed to be there by 5:00 pm. She looked at me sympathetically and shook her head. She checked all the airlines leaving this airport, and said the earliest she could get me there was 5:55 pm. I called the breeder, who desperately wanted to head home by 5:00 to see her girls play in a softball tournament, and she said she could wait. What an angel! However, when I asked for a flight home that same evening, the latest one was at 7:00. There was no way to deboard a plane at 5:55, find my breeder and Corgan, check in, go back through security, and board the return flight by 7:00 pm.
So, in the end, I got a refund for my flight, and called my breeder in tears. She said that everything will be fine, and we'll find some way to get him here. The problem now is that airlines won't ship pets from her location because it's so hot - either we have to go get him and carry him in the cabin, or we have to find another way to get him.
My breeder's dad may be going out to visit her in 2 weeks, and may be able to drive Corgan back with him, and we are "on his way home". So, at the latest, assuming her dad agrees, we should have him in 2 more weeks.
Anyway, sorry this is so long. I'm incredibly bummed, and just start crying every now and then when I think about it. I was SO looking forward to meeting him today. If only I had called the United number earlier, or if they had more people trying to help us, I could have gotten a different flight, but alas, it didn't work out.
So anyway, please send good thoughts/prayers/etc our way that our boy gets here safely in the not-too-distant future.
Jenni
