Weary traveller or just silly mistakes

[ozmille]

Most recent one - Melbourne to Chennai via Singapore.
I'm in Singapore, standing in line for the preboarding area, and saw a sign that said Delhi. Oops, this isn't my flight. I checked my ticket. It said Delhi. I had booked myself to Delhi when I wanted to go to Chennai, and didn't realise until half-way through the flight in SINGAPORE!??? Waiting to board??????!!!

ROFL

Reminds me of a little mistake a ticketing agent I worked with at the airport in BRU made, passenger wanted to go to Dhaka and agent understood Dakar, funny thing is pax only noticed when he got to Dakar and complained to the ground staff he wasn't in Dhaka :shock:

 

[ozmille]

I should also add that I left an iPhone in the Y+ toilet and my wallet in the J toilet on two different A380 flights with QF. Both returned quickly to me.

Now Tony... why would you need to take out your wallet in an airplane toilet?

 

[TonyHancock]

Now Tony... why would you need to take out your wallet in an airplane toilet?

It was Y+, I thought I'd have to pay for toilet(sand) paper!

 

[jetlagger]

The times I have woken up in the night and searched google on the iPhone "what is the time in ..." to try to find out where the hell I am, last time this happened was actually back home here in SYD and I had no idea where I was and why the bathroom was in the wrong spot

I usually ask Siri more often than not.. this & similar questions - responding with varying answers :shock:

 

[Old Dynamite]

I left my Bberry in a London cab at Victoria Station. The next passenger found it, and used the contacts list to call my office. I was staying out of London overnight before departing. The cab driver got the address and decided to go for "a drive in the country" in his Austin-Healey the next day, to deliver it to me. Would not take any compensation. Revived my faith in the human race.

 

[Vix]

Left my leather coat in the closet of a hotel in Whistler. Called from Aus. when I returned home and arranged to have it posted home to me (at great expense). When the package arrived, customs wanted to charge me duty on it. Fortunately it had a hood which was detachable and I didn't like so had left at home. When I took the hood and proved it went with the jacket, I was able to collect with no duty payable.

 

[wingspan]

Was about to catch a bus from Prince Edward in Hong Kong through to Kaiping in Guangdong. I was getting changed into some more comfy clothes in a cubicle in a public toilet. Didn't realise that I forgot to grab my wallet again on the way out until I was nearly ready to board the bus. Suddenly realised, ran back to the cubicle and found a cleaner about to relieve me of around 700 renminbi. When he saw me approaching though, he put the money back and gave me my wallet and, rather angrily, told me to be more careful with my wallet. I made it to the bus on time, with all my possessions.

When I was about 17, I was flying from KIX to Australia. It was one of my first times flying. I was in a bulkhead row and so put my carry-on up in the locker for take-off. Later in the flight I wanted to get my bag down and realised that my passport was missing. I was rather tired and stressed and got rather worked up about my missing passport. I didn't know what to do. I asked the crew if anyone had turned in a passport. No luck. After what seemed like a very long time (but was probably not that long at all) I realised that the passport had slipped out of my bag into the overhead locker and had been there all along.

 

[browski]

Story 1
DXB-BOM
I was working in Abu Dhabi for the week. Hotel reception took passport for usual copying and said they'd bring it to my room. They didn't.
End of week, I checked out and drove the 90mins to Dubai. Spent the night there and was booked on the 11am flight to BOM. Before leaving for airport, I noticed passport missing.

Extremely hungover, unpacked everything twice, panicked, became depressed and then after the fog lifted, retraced my steps. Called hotel in AUH. They had passport.

Fired up laptop, ITA matrixed a AUH-BOM flight on Air India Express that departed in 4 hours.
Hailed a taxi to take me to Abu Dhabi then AUH airport. Enroute to AUH, booked ticket by phone. Collected passport and then went to ticketing desk at AUH, purchased ticket.
Flew to BOM, only arriving 4 hours late, but much relieved. Browski 1 UAE 0

Story 2
JNB-PER
Sitting in a airside cafe at Johannesburg Int'l airport awaiting flight to Perth. Working on laptop, drinking a beer, making calls. Ask for bill and waiter brings bill, takes money and (I suspect) departs with my phone. I leave for boarding gate, very far away. One of the last to board, I discover phone missing. Too far and too late to go back to cafe. Africa 1, Browski 0

Story 3
LAX-BNE
New all-body scanners at LAX. Remove my brand new Ray Bans and place them in tray so the TSA staff can perv on me. In Qantas Club, realise sunnies missing, but flight boarding.
USA 1 Browski 0

Story 4
BOM-SIN
In BOM, staying at hotel only 5km from airport. Depart for airport 3 hours early. Due to rain, road constructions and traffic jams (otherwise known as normal Mumbai traffic conditions) arrived at airport with flight departing in 30mins. Approached Kingfisher check-in, the lady said, "Sorry, you are too late". I said "Ok, but is there anything I can do?"
I turned to leave and whilst serving the next customer she said "You could always chat to my supervisor". She pointed to the lady immediately to her left.
I asked "Is there anything you can do, to get me on my flight?"
She said, "Sure, no problems":shock:
Checked in luggage, issued BP and I sprinted away through immigration and customs. Made flight and baggage arrived in SIN.
Browski 1 India 0.

 

[IrishPete]

Short Story 1: in Sydney airport a couple of years ago, after checking, in, dropped my boarding pass. Nice person behind me noticed and stopped me from going too far.

Longer story 2: Flew to Dublin a couple of years ago from Oz on my Irish passport. Checking in with Etihad at Dublin Airport for return trip, the computer said no. After a bit of investigating we discovered that my Permanent Residency visa had expired. Not that Customs in Sydney Airport had told me on my way out (thanks guys). PR visas actually only last 5 years, though renewing them is a just a form and some $$$. Note the $$$.

Anyway, Etihad phoned someone from Australian customs, who gave special permission for me to board, on condition that I'd get a stern talking to in Sydney. Arrived in Sydney, made myself known to Customs. Nice man asked me some questions, told me there's a special type of visa I could get to allow me back into Oz (where I live), while I apply for a new PR visa. I dropped into conversation that I was actually now an Australian citizen, but had not yet applied for a passport. He looked concerned, disappeared into the back office for a few minutes, came back out and said that as I'm an Australian citizen he could not issue me with a visa, but also he could not refuse me entry. Weird. So apparently you don't need an Australian passport to get back into the country! (I now have one anyway.) Blood pressure suffered a few times during that return trip from Dublin to Sydney.

IP

 

[fresherbill]

I am forever forgetting to collect my duty free at the gate in SIN. When I've done that it's always been delivered to me in my seat by one of the gate agents (with suitable amount of eye rolling... must happen a lot).

I have also left my rollaboard - my entire life for a week - at the gate x-ray machine and wafted onto the plane, somehow not noticing that something's missing.

Some years ago I flew into DPS from KUL, ready to check in for a connecting flight to BNE when the checkin agent tells me I'm too early for my flight. Two days early. A USD50 change fee sorted that out, but in retrospect I could probably have done with two days on the beach.

 

[Hvr]

When I checked out of the Conrad last week after I my first visit I was waiting outside for a taxi when I realised I had left my passport in my room safe. A quick trip back to reception and i was escorted upstairs to get it. When we got back to reception there was a phone call telling them I had left a shirt in the room.

Leaving my passport behind was scarey.

 

[hardtolose]

Currently in DFW, here two weeks ago after flight from LHR, changed time on watch, but tiredness and jetlag obviously made me mistake by an hour. On way to Tucson for a reunion dinner that evening and husband sent message saying that I should be boarding by then - he was doing taxi service at other end - checked board, it was loading. Gate was at opposite end to lounge of course. Made flight and would certainly have qualified for Seniors Olympics!!!!
PS Just received txt from Q - notification flight leaving at 2200 instead of 2155. Why did they bother when they had already changed it from 1800 just before we left BNE leaving us no time to change other plans. GRRRRRRR!!!!!

 

[Awesom Andy]

PS Just received txt from Q - notification flight leaving at 2200 instead of 2155. Why did they bother when they had already changed it from 1800 just before we left BNE leaving us no time to change other plans. GRRRRRRR!!!!!

It's the "my time is more important than yours" attitude... where you end up with the effect of: hurry up... and wait.

 

[auspal]

We had travelled from Cairo via London to meet friends in Las Vegas, after a 30 hour journey managed to get our heads down for a few hours and our friends rang the hotel room so we were up and off. It was all go for the next few days. We were travelling back to Aus via a stopover in LA on the way back, so we headed with takewaway to our room on the last night in Vegas, after killing a bit of time.

To my surprise the door wouldnt open with the card and I was just about to get up the hotel staff when I paused for breath , and realised that I had lost track of dates and should have been flying out of Vegas that morning to LA. Thanks to kind and understanding staff in the hotel and Qantas reps, we were able to stay in our room and make the same flight the next morning. The hotel even gave us $50 credit on our hotel room bill. Think they felt sorry for me.

 

[Julesmac]

2 of my yarns involve the good old 24 hour clock which I still can't get my head around (you'd reckon by my 60's it would have sunk in....) Travelling in the US with adult kids on their first o/s trip, they were lkeaving a few days before us and had to catch their flight from SFO - LAX to return home to MEL. Oh says I, it's a 6pm flight. Just as we were having a farewell drink some bright spark looked at the ticket and said, no it's 16 o'clock - that's 4pm. Had to hurriedly re-book, thankfully they got on an hour later flight to LAX and even more thankfully managed to get on their QF flight. Consequently now I always make sure I leave a good 'cushion' of time between connecting flights.

Second time was a few years ago when a girlfriend and I had travelled to Italy, France and the UK. At the end of our four weeks, as you can imagine we were pretty wiped. We had about four hours at LHR to kill. Rather than go to the lounge, we thought well, there are plenty of shops at Heathrow so we were just faffing about buying last minute gifts, playing with perfume and makeup which is always fun. Qantas boarding gates are the furtherest away, I swear. Idly looking up at the board, red lights flashing, final call.....we had to sprint, and I'm not a runner! The lovely CSM (laughing) brought us 2 champagnes as soon as the seat belt signs went off. Resting heart rate took about an hour to return!
My girlfriend still has not forgiven me; possibly because on that trip and totally due to my above mentioned 24 clock issue, we missed our 7pm train from Venice to Bologna, had to wait till midnight and grab two fold down seats in the corridor on a rackety, stopping all stations train. Hearty German backpackers whacking us in the head with ginormous packs as they went past, prostitute plying her trade in the nearby loo......arrived in Bolongna at 3am to see gypsies and other homeless people laying all about the station and environs....man did we run like the wind to our hotel. To cap it off the night manager (younger than our sons!) read us a lecture about being late back.
But as others have said, it makes for a funny tale or two

 

[p9c]

My worst, but far from my only gaffe! Arrived LHR after 30hr flt ex SYD, went to nearest ATM to get some UKP, inserted only card that could access my bank account that had funds. Entered PIN 4 times - card swallowed by machine. Right PIN, but for a different card and account! Lived on very limited money (AUD spare change in my wallet converted to a few UKP) for 3 days until I got a replacement card. Moral: have money in multiple accounts; carry more cash, carry some money of country of arrival and DON'T enter the wrong PIN more than once!

 

[tuapekastar]

A blend of stupidity and youthful coughiness, and certainly a habit-altering experience.

In my early 20s was in a bar at BWI waiting to catch the return leg to MEL of an ultra-cheap (for the time) trip - any missed flights/connections would have seen us (me and a mate) up for a huge bill. My father was with us, but not travelling.

First flight call - "ah, we'll get another beer, plenty of time". Second flight call - "we'll finish our drinks in a leisurely fashion". Third (and final) flight call - "guess we'd better get going now". We downed our drinks and stepped out of the bar, only to discover we could not possibly have been any further from our gate, which was at the opposite end of the airport. We literally ran to the gate, arrived puffing and sweating, and very narrowly made it on board.

Certainly cured me of any casual attitude towards boarding announcements (or not knowing how far away the gate is).

 

[Sprucegoose]

Was about to catch a bus from Prince Edward in Hong Kong through to Kaiping in Guangdong. I was getting changed into some more comfy clothes in a cubicle in a public toilet. Didn't realise that I forgot to grab my wallet again on the way out until I was nearly ready to board the bus. Suddenly realised, ran back to the cubicle and found a cleaner about to relieve me of around 700 renminbi. When he saw me approaching though, he put the money back and gave me my wallet and, rather angrily, told me to be more careful with my wallet. I made it to the bus on time, with all my possessions.

When I was about 17, I was flying from KIX to Australia. It was one of my first times flying. I was in a bulkhead row and so put my carry-on up in the locker for take-off. Later in the flight I wanted to get my bag down and realised that my passport was missing. I was rather tired and stressed and got rather worked up about my missing passport. I didn't know what to do. I asked the crew if anyone had turned in a passport. No luck. After what seemed like a very long time (but was probably not that long at all) I realised that the passport had slipped out of my bag into the overhead locker and had been there all along.

I was travelling with a lovely lass once on BA F. She dropped her passport down into the mechanical part of the seat. 30 minutes and three techies later it was retrieved.

What a waste when you could be the first through customs.................

 

[harvyk]

My worst, but far from my only gaffe! Arrived LHR after 30hr flt ex SYD, went to nearest ATM to get some UKP, inserted only card that could access my bank account that had funds. Entered PIN 4 times - card swallowed by machine. Right PIN, but for a different card and account! Lived on very limited money (AUD spare change in my wallet converted to a few UKP) for 3 days until I got a replacement card. Moral: have money in multiple accounts; carry more cash, carry some money of country of arrival and DON'T enter the wrong PIN more than once!

I very nearly did that once, entered the incorrect PIN in twice. I was getting a little concerned for a few hours there as I had enough cash to buy fuel to get me back to LA (and to pay my bar tab at the hotel), I didn't have enough cash on me to buy fuel prior to returning the hire car. That afternoon I took the card out of my wallet for some reason and had the light bulb moment of realising why the PIN was not working, wrong card - d'oh...

 

[Katie]

I was travelling with a lovely lass once on BA F. She dropped her passport down into the mechanical part of the seat. 30 minutes and three techies later it was retrieved.

What a waste when you could be the first through customs.................

I did that with a heap of jewellery in May in J on QF. Earrings, necklace, and bracelets down the side of the Skybed. Awesome QF FAs retrieved it all without needing an engineer on landing.