Made any travel mistakes lately?

[Simsy85]

The taxi rank is right outside the baggage belts?

Was tongue in cheek mate - you get a Hire car now and you have to walk ages....

 

[yo yo ma]

We'd booked an apartment at The Ikikai in HNL through VRBO after our 7 nights in Maui so were meeting up with the folks who got in a couple of nights before us. When I'd booked their apartment (also through VRBO) I didn't realise I'd booked Mum & Dad into the Ilikai Marina which is a separate property still in Kalakaua Ave but across Hobron Lane. I didn't realise there was more than one property with the word 'Ilikai' in it.

I have done a similar thing when staying in HKG - turned up at "The Langham Place" hotel and had a welcome drink, balloons for the kids etc and then they had no record of the booking. Turns out we were staying at "The Langham" which was basically back where we started catching the MTR.

I was not the most popular with the wife and kids but it was an adventure!

 

[erkpod]

There's been a couple of times where I went to the wrong hotel - once in New York (got my chains mixed up) & once in Hong Kong (same company, different locations).

 

[brzbnkr]

I've just booked 2 hotels in Poland for July instead of June - with Accor's current 50% discount promotion - which has no changes allowed!!
One of them (which I'm sitting in now) was nice enough to change with a charge leaving the total cost at about 75% of standard price.
The Warsaw one however wanted the additional cost to be 200% of what I paid!! So have just booked elsewhere!

 

[Mal]

Didn't check fare class before buying a domestic ticket on a single class BA flight... Oops.
It didn't credit as Economy. It was a Business class bucket and I ended up with J sc etc.

 

[boomy]

Booked BNE-MEL instead of MEL-BNE.
Arrived 30 min before departure to discover my mistake. Had to brake a WP shadow and sit at 4B...

Booked MEL-SIN right day but wrong month. Discovered my mistake the day before departure, very helpful P1 attendant helped me to fix it with no extra charge.

 

[Skyring]

- once in New York (got my chains mixed up)

Ooooh. Sounds painful.

I think my worst was in 2006 when I had to get to Frankfurt from Shrewsbury. Got on the right platform for the train to Birmingham, train pulled in on time, got in the carriage nearest me and settled back. I had arranged plenty of time to kick back in the lounge before getting BA to Frankfurt where I was being met and hosted at a dinner in the Romer. BookCrossers were coming from all over Germany to meet this crazy Aussie. I had Tim Tams.

We pulled out of the station, past the abbey, and they made an announcement: this is the train to Holyhead, stopping at a whole bunch of stations with Welsh names. Hor, hor, hor, I think, silly buggers have put on the wrong tape!

Then it dawned on me. Nobody else was laughing out loud.

They have this weird system in Shrewsbury where the platforms ar divided up. Platform 4A, 4B, 4C. The train had pulled in, been split in the middle, another engine hooked on at the far end and I'd gotten on the wrong bit.

Bugger. I couldn't afford to miss that flight.

Got off at Welshpool, studied the time table. Next train going east to Birmingham would get me there just in time to watch the plane take off. And there were a couple of transfers to be made.

Ulk. Rang up the local cab company. Good Friday it was, too. Could they get me to Birmingham Airport in forty minutes? "We can try!"

Fair enough. I stood outside the station and hopped from one leg to the other until a minicab showed up. We loaded up my big bags, and off we went, my eyes not on the green and pleasant land but on the speedo, working out the time and the distance from every road sign.

Then I realised that this cab had no EFTPOS. And I had no UK currency left. Ran me pounds down before heading off.

"Ah, can we stop at an ATM?"

So we found a services, and I ran around like a crazy thing until I found the cashpoint, ran a card or two through it, got out £90, and ran outside to the waiting cab. Off we went again and there were roadworks and there was traffic and there were increasingly frequent airport signs. Finally we pulled up at departures. The fare was £75 and I gave him the full £90. I still had a few minutes.

Went through checkin, where they goggled at my big wodge of paper tickets, but checked me in. I raced through security in a flurry of shoes and computers and cables and metal bits flying everywhere, ran to the departure gate.

And found the flight had been delayed. The passengers were sitting around bored and sleepy. At least until a sweaty mad Australian jogged in.

Elhamisabel met me at the far end in Frankfurt and she must have been surprised to be hugged so ferociously by someone she'd never ever met before.

 

[Buzzard]

Before I stumbled on to this site, I booked Y ADL - SIN - LHR - TXL - BCN - LHR - SIN - ADL.
Used points for a J upgrade, and got all the upgrades requested (ADL LHR ADL) for Mrs Buzzard & I.
I then find by virtue of this site I could have purchased JASA for similar $$$ and points but then you get the bonus SC.

 

[Limewood]

Made a mistake at 12.05am Red Eye PER/SYD Monday last, apart from leaving in middle of the night, had few too many scotches with passenger next to me in J. The trip onwards SYD/CNS I slept.

 

[Buzzard]

Another mistake I made was when I recently checked in at the QP Club here in ADL. The machine prints out a little slip of paper & you get an sms with some details. I am certain the sms did not show the boarding gate details only the seat number.
Guess where I went..... to the seat number gate. It's about 10 mins after boarding time and passengers are still alighting so I sms Mrs Buzzard telling her that my flight is delayed. Then..... don't you hate it when you hear your name being called

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Another mistake I made was when I recently checked in at the QP Club here in ADL. The machine prints out a little slip of paper & you get an sms with some details. I am certain the sms did not show the boarding gate details only the seat number.

Guess where I went..... to the seat number gate. It's about 10 mins after boarding time and passengers are still alighting so I sms Mrs Buzzard telling her that my flight is delayed. Then..... don't you hate it when you hear your name being called

You would only get an sms if you checked in at the Q Card reader which is the tower that resembles an icypole & flashes green when successful. This machine does not generate any paper receipts of any kind.

You then scan your ff card at the gate which then generates a docket with your name & seat number which you show the CSM as you board the a/c.

You don't scan your phone as the sms acknowkedement text does not have a barcode unlike mobile checkin.

Did you maybe use a self service kiosk that prints a boarding pass?

 

[Buzzard]

You would only get an sms if you checked in at the Q Card reader which is the tower that resembles an icypole & flashes green when successful. This machine does not generate any paper receipts of any kind.

You then scan your ff card at the gate which then generates a docket with your name & seat number which you show the CSM as you board the a/c.

You don't scan your phone as the sms acknowkedement text does not have a barcode unlike mobile checkin.

Did you maybe use a self service kiosk that prints a boarding pass?

I did check in at the Q Card reader in the foyer of the QP. I might be mistaken when I say it printed a receipt. I then got an SMS which I am certain did not show the gate number, only the seat number. At the gate I used my QC card.
Old age creeping in???

 

[dajop]

Most of my travel mistakes have involved running for metros, trains or buses and chosing the wrong platform (or bus route), or staying on the train past the stop I want. Usually easily to correct though.

My sister recently stuffed up booking return flight on the wrong month - she really didn't want 5 weeks on holidays, only 1 - booked the right date but one month later (picked October instead of September - or specifically Outrobo instead of Setembro ). We noticed fairly quickly, but it still cost $500 in change fees, at it was for a whole family.

 

[Buzzard]

Most of my travel mistakes have involved running for metros, trains or buses and chosing the wrong platform (or bus route), or staying on the train past the stop I want. Usually easily to correct though.

My sister recently stuffed up booking return flight on the wrong month - she really didn't want 5 weeks on holidays, only 1 - booked the right date but one month later (picked October instead of September - or specifically Outrobo instead of Setembro ). We noticed fairly quickly, but it still cost $500 in change fees, at it was for a whole family.

Are we being taken for a ride (flight?) when airlines charge these change fees or are the charges really justified? :?:

 

[dajop]

Are we being taken for a ride (flight?) when airlines charge these change fees or are the charges really justified? :?:

It's a fair (fare) condition so people who want flexibility pay more. It's better than some alternatives on some airlines/some fares -where on the lowest available fares sometimes come with no changes allowed at all. Where it hurts is there is no grace for obvious and immediately notified mistakes. Anyway it doesn't matter so much when the fare is a good deal in the first place - only $440/adult and $330/child for a return 7 hr flights!

 

[NTflyer]

Just realised that I booked accommodation for our Sint Maartin side trip from the US for June 1st -4th not for July 1st - 4th. Only realised when I was sent an email asking me to rate my stay. Expensive little mistake.

 

[Fifa]

Had to brake a WP shadow and sit at 4B...

I bet you were popular :shock:

 

[agentgerko]

Sorry but obviously new at frequent flier jargon. Whats a JASA?

 

[erkpod]

What made my mistake worse in New York was that I had no access to internet when I arrived at hotel A. Had I have had internet access at hotel A, I would have realised right away that I should have been at hotel B in another part of Brooklyn. I couldn't even get onto the hotel wifi. Nor was there a pay as you go internet kiosk like you find at some hotels.

So I paid for a room at hotel A then hotel A gave me access to the internet. Then I confirmed that I should have been at hotel B. As agreed, hotel A then refunded my money & I went to hotel B.

 

[Inver]

Sorry but obviously new at frequent flier jargon. Whats a JASA?

]

Qantas Business class Any Seat Award a really good way of spending your QFF points.

Here is a thread good to keep handy for acronyms.
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ions/abbreviations-and-explanations-5056.html