Made any travel mistakes lately?

[Deleted member 29185]

Don't they say "it's the thought that counts" ??

 

[JohnK]

Don't they say "it's the thought that counts" ??

For some things. Not on this occasion though....

 

[HockeyMonkey]

Had a close call on a recent trip to Canada via LAX. Had my ESTA ok but didn’t realize Canada has also implemented a similar eTA program.

Frantically applying on my phone near the checkin desk with the confirmation email arriving 15 minutes before checkin closed.

 

[SandyS]

Had a close call on a recent trip to Canada via LAX. Had my ESTA ok but didn’t realize Canada has also implemented a similar eTA program.

Frantically applying on my phone near the checkin desk with the confirmation email arriving 15 minutes before checkin closed.

Been there, done that! Except I was only in the transit area in Vancouver for an hour, en route to New York with Cathay.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

More recently than I'd care to admit, I set myself up overlooking the aerobridge away from the gate lounge (actually upstairs from it). There was no plane at the scheduled boarding time and I didn't hear any boarding calls for my flight.

I eventually wandered down to investigate the situation near departure time and found out that it was final call, just prior to closing. The empty aerobridge I had been monitoring was adjacent to the actual gate.

I was obviously dead last to board and wanted to uppercut myself out of existence!

 

[cove]

I have seen a very,very late passenger board and was clapped in. Never happened to me ......

 

[Strategic Aviation]

I would have deserved it!

Or like the Game Of Thrones walk of atonement:- "Shame ... Shame ... Shame ..."

 

[cove]

I did fall asleep in the olden days when the QF plane would stop in Honolulu so I was the last passenger to re-board. Np clapping but I never told Mrscove that story. In those years I flew in economy so it was quite a few hours of torture. I decided after that to fly on the 747SP which flew direct SYD-LAX so I didn’t get steamed in Honolulu. That smaller 747 did get bounced around in turbulent weather but was faster so I liked it. I would go for the exit aisle for extra leg room.
After my health event in 1994 I started flying in business class and later I figured out how to earn Qantas points which must have been about 1998.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I've was caught once by watching the wrong aircraft departure times. I'd forgotten to which city I was actually flying that day!! Last to board and only just before they closed the doors (luckily I heard my name called). No clapping, just stares of utter contempt!

 

[cove]

I have never clapped the last person to board but I have sat near someone who did the clapping. Made the late person feel the shame for holding up so many DYKWIAs.

 

[blackcat20]

Fortunately no one clapped when we were last to board our HNL flight this year through no fault of our own (immigration computer issues), given I was already stressed and in tears. Clapping would have been the end of me.

 

[RAM]

WARNING WARNING

For first timers and even more frequent flyers - just in case you do not know - Abu Dhabi does not make boarding calls - EVER.

Even worse - their flight information signs are NOT run from the same central system but run separately in each terminal (time for music from Tales of the Unexpected).

Even if it is an Etihad flight there are no announcements outside of the lounge itself.

Just like most airports, if your connection time is 60 or more minutes then the gate allocation may not have been set (like Gatwick in the extreme instance). This particular journey our flight had just under a 3 hour gap. According to the latest online itinerary we were due to leave from the other terminal to the one we arrived at. Knowing how slow security can be we did not go to the airline lounge for snacks but went through to the other terminal. The departure flight signs did not have a gate listed just the other terminal.

So security took us close to 70 minutes to go from one to the other terminal.

Still no gate allocated but the sign in that terminal now said 'Delayed'. So we waited and waited. After another hour no change so I went to the terminal flght info desk and asked. Told the plane has not landed yet so no gate allocated. Keep checking back.

Another hour. No change to the board. Check at the desk. No change.

Another hour. No change on the board. Check at the desk. "Why haven't you gone to the gate, it is about to close?"

WHAT! But your sign, (straight in front 15 metres away) still says flight delayed.

"That's wrong, we have no control over the sign. Your flight is leaving from the other terminal."

So I rush back to our family, rousing the two youngest, grab our things and notice several dozen familiar faces (from the inward leg) and tell them what's happening. All-in-all around 60+ passengers came hurtling after us. We got to security and I called over one of the uniformed 'seniors', explained what had happened and she called out to some workers to open another lane just for us and she made a call to the queue for passengers on our flight.

BTW once through (in record time) the sign in that terminal showed a gate number for that terminal along with final call. I checked the gate location on a map and took off to encourage the gate not to close while my family and the mass of passengers behind us came through.

Once additional slight problem. The gate was closed for renovations. All hoarded up and no airline (or any staff there).

Some days just make you appreciate other days so much!

Looked around and went to the nearest shop to ask and the man there knew all about this gate and said he'd sent many people to the temporary access down stairs, left past the smoking room, right past the prayer room etc etc.

I waited for my family to arrive (overtaken by many others) and tell them what we had to do (now I'm carrying 4 carry on bags and 4 winter/ski jackets) as we make our dash back to the central stairs.

We get to the temporary access, no signs (with or without a number), go through the double glass doors and there are 10 or so EY staff standing alone in the very large room with 6 exit double doors. Outside are 3 buses with a hand full of passengers sitting waiting.

Get into the buses and take one of the longest drives ever. Guess where we get driven to? You got it! Back around to the far side of the other terminal. The plane was not at a gate but a few hundred metres away from it in the overnight parking area. As we walked past the engines they were cold.

We made it, along with most of the passenger load and the flight finally departed around 3 hours late. The pilot made up close to an hour.

After 500+ flights I suppose I was due a "Fawlty Towers" experience. Just hope it is the only one we get.

.... After this experience I have never even had the slightest urge to clap the last passenger..

 

[Buzzard]

I think clapping the last pax is just rude and uncalled for. Somebody always has to be last and how do know the circumstances that led them to be last?

 

[cove]

I don’t disagree with you Buzzard. I have only ever clapped a landing where the weather was awesomely bad and we were all buckled down tightly.

 

[sinophile888]

After a recent flight from PER to SYD on QF, I wondered if I had used up a lot of luck.

As we were about to push back, the pilot informed us that the auxiliary power source wasn’t working, and he had to run a long extension cord from the airport to start the plane. (This may not be completely accurate, but the gist of it is correct). Once we jump started the first engine, we could use it to jump start the second engine. Both engines were duly started so were only delayed by 10 minutes or so.

Later in the flight, we were informed that there were winds of up to 55 knots around SYD with a forecast of a sudden wind change at about our expected arrival time, so the landing could be a bit bumpy.

We were coming in to land the first time when the pilot advised that the wind had shifted suddenly so we needed to land on a different runway. We lined up for the second try and at the last moment up we went at full (to me) throttle at what seemed like an angle of about 450. Landing gear went up and flaps retracted. Seemed we were about to land when the wind reversed directions from a tailwind to a headwind or v.v. plus there was a wind shear factor of 25 somethings above us. This meant a missed approach and a go around. One passenger went into full meltdown.

Third time lucky. It was very bumpy, but we landed well considering the outside conditions. Many passengers clapped the pilot for job well done. My husband and I congratulated the pilot as we disembarked. He seemed quite pleased.

I had been in another go around some years before with 5 out of our 6 immediate family members on board.

 

[marki]

Not being confident enough to speak up or ask a question in time.

Frustrated when unable to manage delays like today’s QF 481. Yet Qantas docks 5000 points when changing flights.

Double edge sword of being P1 you get early confirmation but if you need to change last minute .........the rest is history.

Still delayed unfortunately sitting waiting wanting to depart MEL.

Westpac promised 80K for their Double CC mastercard and AMEX only ever got 35K suppose to get the other 35k never did

 

[Borisdog]

Westpac promised 80K for their Double CC mastercard and AMEX only ever got 35K suppose to get the other 35k never did

Interesting you should say that.

I'm a very regular Credit Card churner for the bonus points offers, the ONLY bank I've ever had dramas with has been Westpac - AND their affiliates/subsidiaries.

They are the reason why I take screen shots for every CC application and T&Cs these days. I fought them for 5 months once, and then spent 3 after that with St G and B of M. Got everything but the whole process was very much a war of attrition

 

[Buzzard]

Interesting you should say that.

I'm a very regular Credit Card churner for the bonus points offers, the ONLY bank I've ever had dramas with has been Westpac - AND their affiliates/subsidiaries.

They are the reason why I take screen shots for every CC application and T&Cs these days. I fought them for 5 months once, and then spent 3 after that with St G and B of M. Got everything but the whole process was very much a war of attrition

I'm uncertain what this has to do with a travel mistake???

 

[Borisdog]

Not a thing Buzzard. Merely commenting to Marki ( The post above mine that you quoted ) that my experience mirror theirs. Conversation by correspondence if you like.

But, to draw a long bow, CC churning get points which get flights which can sometimes end in mistakes. Or create them.

 

[Berlin]

WARNING WARNING
For first timers and even more frequent flyers

I would add to this warning that in many US airports, the departure time announcement and even the electronic boards are extremely unreliable. I've been twice told by AA lounge attendants that "everyone knows that these are not reliable" so I can only suggest to anyone not to solely rely on these.