USA to Australia...the extremely long way

[Febs]

Ah, don't we all love hearing of travel stories that don't quite go to plan?

As per a previous thread, I moved my flights from Kansas City to Sydney (MCI-DFW-LAX-SYD) 2 days back, and purchased a separate MCI-ORD-MCI fare (points/cash) to spend the weekend in Chicago. Long story, but that was the easiest way to do it.

So my trip home from the States on Sunday was to be: ORD-MCI-DFW-LAX-SYD. Long trip (33hrs including stopovers), but them's the breaks.

I get to LAX and find 2 of 3 LAX-SYD flights (QF12 and 150) have been cancelled for various reasons, and some pax are being put on QF108, some pax on QF94 to MEL, and some pax sent via BNE. The others are spending the night in LA.

I managed to get a seat (J) on QF94 to MEL, and a J seat MEL-SYD soon after. Bit of a pain (getting into SYD ~5hrs later than expected), but oh well.

Then, mid-flight we find that MEL is closed due to fog, and the flight has been re-routed to SYD. Great, right? I can jump off in SYD and be on my merry way?

Haha...no. Currently sitting here on QF94 in Sydney, awaiting our departure to MEL, at which point I'll clear customs, grab my bags and head straight back to SYD. All you can do is laugh really. (Plenty of others in the same boat too.)

Anyway, as always with my travel stories that don't quite go to plan, I thought I'd share. Actually while I'm here - anyone know if there'd be any chance of getting SC's/FFP's for the SYD-MEL flight? Guessing not. I have a BP for the MEL-SYD flight, so as an upside, at least that's an extra 40 SC's.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[winetraveller]

Ah, don't we all love hearing of travel stories that don't quite go to plan?

As per a previous thread, I moved my flights from Kansas City to Sydney (MCI-DFW-LAX-SYD) 2 days back, and purchased a separate MCI-ORD-MCI fare (points/cash) to spend the weekend in Chicago. Long story, but that was the easiest way to do it.

So my trip home from the States on Sunday was to be: ORD-MCI-DFW-LAX-SYD. Long trip (33hrs including stopovers), but them's the breaks.

I get to LAX and find 2 of 3 LAX-SYD flights (QF12 and 150) have been cancelled for various reasons, and some pax are being put on QF108, some pax on QF94 to MEL, and some pax sent via BNE. The others are spending the night in LA.

I managed to get a seat (J) on QF94 to MEL, and a J seat MEL-SYD soon after. Bit of a pain (getting into SYD ~5hrs later than expected), but oh well.

Then, mid-flight we find that MEL is closed due to fog, and the flight has been re-routed to SYD. Great, right? I can jump off in SYD and be on my merry way?

Haha...no. Currently sitting here on QF94 in Sydney, awaiting our departure to MEL, at which point I'll clear customs, grab my bags and head straight back to SYD. All you can do is laugh really. (Plenty of others in the same boat too.)

Anyway, as always with my travel stories that don't quite go to plan, I thought I'd share. Actually while I'm here - anyone know if there'd be any chance of getting SC's/FFP's for the SYD-MEL flight? Guessing not. I have a BP for the MEL-SYD flight, so as an upside, at least that's an extra 40 SC's.

Cheers,
- Febs.

I had a good one late last year. I had been in the US for three months, and at that time was on a normal visa waiver visa (prior to me getting a traders visa). I was due to fly out the day before my visa ended, JFK-LAX-MEL on UA839.

I rang LH to use some points to upgrade to F, and was told by LH that the ticket had been cancelled due to some failure by my soon to be ex travel agent. I only use agents for RTW fares.

So a couple of frantic hours the agent got me on a flight, UA from BOS to DEN then LH from DEN(J)-FRA-BKK in F and then TG in J to MEL.

I had a night in FRA compliments of the agent, and her company (I won't mention them), and then another in BKK. So all up it took, oh god I can't recall how many hours and a lareg amount of money later, the agent got me home. They gave me $1000 compensation for the cough up, which I used for personal travel of course.

Anyway lesson learned, never trust anybody else when it comes to travel plans.

 

[Optics]

Ah, don't we all love hearing of travel stories that don't quite go to plan?

As per a previous thread, I moved my flights from Kansas City to Sydney (MCI-DFW-LAX-SYD) 2 days back, and purchased a separate MCI-ORD-MCI fare (points/cash) to spend the weekend in Chicago. Long story, but that was the easiest way to do it.

So my trip home from the States on Sunday was to be: ORD-MCI-DFW-LAX-SYD. Long trip (33hrs including stopovers), but them's the breaks.

I get to LAX and find 2 of 3 LAX-SYD flights (QF12 and 150) have been cancelled for various reasons, and some pax are being put on QF108, some pax on QF94 to MEL, and some pax sent via BNE. The others are spending the night in LA.

I managed to get a seat (J) on QF94 to MEL, and a J seat MEL-SYD soon after. Bit of a pain (getting into SYD ~5hrs later than expected), but oh well.

Then, mid-flight we find that MEL is closed due to fog, and the flight has been re-routed to SYD. Great, right? I can jump off in SYD and be on my merry way?

Haha...no. Currently sitting here on QF94 in Sydney, awaiting our departure to MEL, at which point I'll clear customs, grab my bags and head straight back to SYD. All you can do is laugh really. (Plenty of others in the same boat too.)

Anyway, as always with my travel stories that don't quite go to plan, I thought I'd share. Actually while I'm here - anyone know if there'd be any chance of getting SC's/FFP's for the SYD-MEL flight? Guessing not. I have a BP for the MEL-SYD flight, so as an upside, at least that's an extra 40 SC's.

Cheers,
- Febs.

Ahh, the glamours of the jetset lifestyle . I am suprised though that you are able to post to AFF while sitting in the a/c. Are you just using a 3G connection? I suppose that if you can use mobile, this is no different.

 

[Febs]

Update - QF came to their senses (after it was apparent that the EARLIEST we might possibly leave SYD would be well after midday) and let us off in SYD. Just waiting for my baggage now.

Ahh, the glamours of the jetset lifestyle . I am suprised though that you are able to post to AFF while sitting in the a/c. Are you just using a 3G connection? I suppose that if you can use mobile, this is no different.

Yeah, Telstra NextG (expensive, but an excellent service and paid for by work). I usually don't travel internationally with it, but my new laptop has an Internal WWAN card, so it's always in my laptop ready to go.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[trooper]

I had an "FT" response to your thread title.. I thought you were talking about an intentional wacky-mileage-optimising routing!!! :mrgreen:

(Like my SYD-CEZ next monday.... actually SYD-(AKL-HKG-MNL-ICN-SFO-YVR-DEN)-CEZ) )

Glad it all worked out!

 

[simongr]

I was also thinking about my routing home from teh US one time - jfk-dfw-lax-jfk-nrt-hkg-syd....

 

[moa999]

Well given QF came to their senses and let you off the plane guess I can now post this item.

but reminded me (situation wise only) of a series I saw (Air Crash Investigators or something) on the Tenerife disaster
( Tenerife disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

where the only surviving passenger had not reboarded at Tenerife to fly to Las Palmas collect luggage and then fly back to Tenerife