airline rant

[beertruck]

So I'm sitting here in the centurion lounge in Sea Tac, wondering what when wrong, and what I'm going to do besides drink.

The day started as normal, I had a 4:20 flight on Jet Blue from Sea to Boston. Saw that the flight was delayed until 6:20, and called a audible.
Found a flight on Alaska ( I just achieved their highest status Gold 75 a month ago) and booked a aisle seat in coach. Normally will only fly aisle in extra leg room, but desperate times call for desperate measures. On the way to the airport I notice on my app, they changed me to a middle seat.
Thats not going to work, so I log on, and there is a window seat available. I book that, and snap a copy of my boarding pass with my new window seat. Not great, but doable I guess. About 15 minutes later I notice my seat has been changed again, and I'm back in a middle seat WTF!!

Talk to customer service at the airport, and they are zero help, then I call the MVP hotline ( as I'm a MVP, or so I thought) After about 15 minutes they said I do not know what happened but there is only middle seats available now. I told her I booked a aisle, and got confirmation of my aisle seat, Then I ended up changing to a window, again have the boarding pass with this seat, and they could not tell my why they fucked me a MVP Gold 75 twice in the same flight. I told her to cancel my flight, and I will book a flight on Jet blue.

Booked my flight on Jet Blue, cost me $100 more than the original flight I had canceled earlier that day, but got a aisle seat, extra leg room.
You would think the story would end there, but you are wrong. My delayed flight departing at 6:20 now is delayed to 7:19, then 9:59, and finally 10:55. (this is what I feared this morning when I looked for another option)
So now I'm at the lounge, trying to kill another 5 hours, thinking WTF, it seemed like a good day when I woke, what happened.

Feel free to share your own travel horror stories. I wish I could say this is the worst thing travel wise that has happened to me, but not even close.
The airlines, and airports are crazy again. Amazing what 6 months can do

 

[Gonefishin5555]

I am going from John Wayne to Raleigh NC next Wednesday on Frontier. Change of planes in Denver. Please pray for me.

 

[gqchris]

Damn. I dont miss those days at all. Its a true shit show traveling right now. Im laying low and going to tell my company aint happening if they want me to travel.

Im also debating on canceling my amex platinum because no need for the perks these days. And the lounges were crowded as fuck the last few times I traveled so not even worth it.

Hope your day gets better sir. Fuck middle seats!

 

[gqchris]

I am going from John Wayne to Raleigh NC next Wednesday on Frontier. Change of planes in Denver. Please pray for me.

Holy shit you are one brave man! Please do let us know how that works out

 

[The Prisoner]

So I'm sitting here in the centurion lounge in Sea Tac, wondering what when wrong, and what I'm going to do besides drink.

The day started as normal, I had a 4:20 flight on Jet Blue from Sea to Boston. Saw that the flight was delayed until 6:20, and called a audible.
Found a flight on Alaska ( I just achieved their highest status Gold 75 a month ago) and booked a aisle seat in coach. Normally will only fly aisle in extra leg room, but desperate times call for desperate measures. On the way to the airport I notice on my app, they changed me to a middle seat.
Thats not going to work, so I log on, and there is a window seat available. I book that, and snap a copy of my boarding pass with my new window seat. Not great, but doable I guess. About 15 minutes later I notice my seat has been changed again, and I'm back in a middle seat WTF!!

Talk to customer service at the airport, and they are zero help, then I call the MVP hotline ( as I'm a MVP, or so I thought) After about 15 minutes they said I do not know what happened but there is only middle seats available now. I told her I booked a aisle, and got confirmation of my aisle seat, Then I ended up changing to a window, again have the boarding pass with this seat, and they could not tell my why they fucked me a MVP Gold 75 twice in the same flight. I told her to cancel my flight, and I will book a flight on Jet blue.

Booked my flight on Jet Blue, cost me $100 more than the original flight I had canceled earlier that day, but got a aisle seat, extra leg room.
You would think the story would end there, but you are wrong. My delayed flight departing at 6:20 now is delayed to 7:19, then 9:59, and finally 10:55. (this is what I feared this morning when I looked for another option)
So now I'm at the lounge, trying to kill another 5 hours, thinking WTF, it seemed like a good day when I woke, what happened.

Feel free to share your own travel horror stories. I wish I could say this is the worst thing travel wise that has happened to me, but not even close.
The airlines, and airports are crazy again. Amazing what 6 months can do

Sounds like this guy.

 

[The Prisoner]

Or

 

[Nordie]

It was a rough trip with delta yesterday.

I fell asleep and my mask fell down and I didn't get yelled at.

 

[DWC]

My coworker left Seattle to OC at 4ish today. He said it was pretty damn busy. Said something about people acting like people again. He’s Southern so I’m guessing it’s a bless their heart deal.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

I am going from John Wayne to Raleigh NC next Wednesday on Frontier. Change of planes in Denver. Please pray for me.

Denver sucks , land at gate 80 need to get to 5 in 15 mins

 

[beertruck]

looking like 11:19 now, I know they are going to cancel it. Im trying to get on another flight at 9:35 that will set mr back another $300 more

 

[beertruck]

Ok now on a 9:30 Jet blue flight, only 1 mint seat left on the flight, but cost me a additional $350 on top of my previous ticket.
At least I'm feeling better about getting home now.
time for another drink

 

[LHCBOY]

I started using Minute Suite while waiting, tied to my AMEX. First hour free each additional 28 bucks. No screaming kids cheap drinks and quiet.


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[Hypnautic]

Must be a JetBlue and BOS thing.
Co-worker traveling back to BOS tonight from LAS and also delayed

 

[Done-it-again]

Will let you know. Leaving Houston in the am to lax. Should be good if no T storms roll in. It’s been pouring on and off all day.

Did get bumped to 1st on Delta too. So starting out ok.

 

[Nordie]

Must be a JetBlue and BOS thing.
Co-worker traveling back to BOS tonight from LAS and also delayed
View attachment 1025973

JetBlue loves going through Boston, I used them to fly to Fort Meyers in May. From Vegas to RSW my layover was JFK, from RSW to LAS my layover was in Boston. All in all JetBlue was a good experience though

 

[SoCalDave]

My older sister and bil were out here from Nashville in early June, took them 47 hours to get back to Nashville...

 

[beertruck]

Well fuck me again please. I get to the gate as it won't allow me to check in online, and they tell me they overbooked my $884 mint seat. They could offer me a fucking middle seat, or book me on the flight I have been on, and off two times already, that everyone knows will not fly out at the new 11:30 pm delayed time.

Jet blue is usually good, but they have really sucked since this Covid thing. No flys, and BS like this.

Ill let you know in a couple hours when they tell me the plane has arrived, but the crew is timed out, and they can't get a new one after midnight. Wont that be a surprise.

 

[4Waters]

Had a flight to Vegas on southwest. Plane arrived on time but they wouldn't board because they were waiting for a failed engine part coming in on a different flight for our plane, well that flight delayed 3 times so they allowed us to board 2.5 hours late and fly to Vegas where they also had the part

 

[bowtiejunkie]

If I never have to fly again, I’ll be happy. Fly out of FAT (Fresno) for 15 years and you’ll get screwed every which way out and in that is possible. Or DFW or DEN. The cumulative time wasted not getting paid (salary) was huge.

Fly home Friday night, only to not get home until Saturday at noon. Then do it all over again the next week.

Fly home via SFO on a Friday, only to have the connector to FAT cancelled and next available seat is Sunday. Rented a car one way, paying by the mile.

How about the time in DEN. On standby list. Name is called and handed a ticket. Boarding complete. Get situated in my seat. Sweet, I’ll be home for dinner. Agent comes on, says sorry sir the passenger with your seat made it to gate, you’ll have to get off the plane. Lol. F-me. People around me were like “damn, that’s messed up!”

The stories are endless. Fortunately, no real horror stories. Never got pissed off as I just expected the flying experience to suck.

good luck getting home OP!

 

[beertruck]

never did I think I would get fucked out of a seat I bought, and had a ticket for 3 times in one day by two different airlines

 

[grumpy88]

Right now my wife is picking up my 16 year old niece and friend who had there plane delayed leaving san francisco into las vegas . So they missed there connector to colorado . Next flight available tommorrow . Luckily we live in this town . What would 2 teenage kids do ? Cant rent a hotel room or car . Co worker sat on the tarmac for 4 hours last friday trying to leave las vegas . Airlines are a mess !

 

[Angler]

LAX to Chicago next Thursday. Non stop red eye on Frontier. Hoping for the best.

 

[beertruck]

The saga continues.
Plane arrives about 10pm, pilots about 10:30 finally the flight crew. We board at 11:30, and the pilot says we need to make this fast. if we are not in the air in 24 minutes the crew will time out. They start going thru there stuff quickly, the door closes, and I start to relax. about 10 minutes later the pilot says we have a very small mechanical issue, but now the crew has timed out, and we are going back to the gate.
Next flight jet blue has is 4:20 pm, 24 hour after the flight we were on was suppose to leave.
As soon as the pilot said time out, I was on my phone and got a window seat on the 8:00 am Alaska flight. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if Alaska will screw me again and change my window to a middle. If they do, I will take it like a beat dog and sit there.
I am currently at the hotel they gave me for being such a good contestant in the screw Don show.

Ill keep you posted

 

[Done-it-again]

Screw that. There is a higher power telling you not to fly.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Screw that. There is a higher power telling you not to fly.

No shit. I'm inclined to agree.

COVID has really screwed up the airline industry. I've flown quite a bit and have never had the number of delays and cancellations in bulk as I have in the past 1.5 years. Towards the beginning, nobody was flying so it seemed like they'd cancel a bunch of flights to cram everyone together on one flight later in the day. In the past 6 months, people are traveling again, and it seems like airlines are WAY WAY understaffed so you have crews rushing from one plane to another, which causes delays, and more cancellations because they don't have the pilots/planes. It's insane. I saw an article where AA was asking their staff to VOLUNTEER to help them out. lol

 

[bilz]

Buy a car and drive. Screw the airlines. Wasn't there some type of coalition for fliers?

 

[530RL]

It's bad and going to get worse before it gets better. No workers as so many simply retired or found better jobs when they were furloughed.

Even the private guys can't keep up. The FBO's look like a Super Bowl parking lot with no place to park and hour long waits to get fuel.

NetJets Pauses Light Jet Sales as Flight Demand Booms | AIN

NetJets has “temporarily paused” fractional share sales and leases for the Citation XLS and Phenom 300, and sales of all jet cards, due to high demand.

www.ainonline.com

 

[jeteater1]

Flying to Denver next week. Hopefully get a tour of the tunnels,our son works for Delta. If you have any kids that want to work at an airport nows the time. Almost all airlines have openings, TSA too. They need people.

 

[Done-it-again]

Flight was all good. Even arrived 25 min early but had to wait cause our gate was still occupied for 15 min.

Lax was packed in terminal 2. Crazy amount of people and a different group of people that are traveling.

 

[Evo]

I had a fun one about two years ago. I fly almost strictly American and am Executive Platinum with them. I fly out of Ontario airport and there are two airports they fly to from ontario, Phoenix or DFW. I was flying to Connecticut for work and had a meeting early monday morning, so had to fly out at noon on Sunday. Everything seemed fine when we took off, but in the air as we got closer to the airport, we were in a holding pattern for an hour and a half, and finally allowed to land. When we landed, we got in line for a gate because there wasn't enough gates. I thought, I'm ok because I had an hour before my connecting flight was taking off and it kept getting delayed. As I sat on the tarmac for 30 minutes, I got on my phone and found out that a tornado had just touched down 10 minutes before we landed and all flights were grounded. We sat on the tarmac for almost 4 hours and by law they have to let you off the plane after 4 hours on the tarmac. When we finally got off the plane the line to change your flight wrapped around the terminal and people were pissed! I was able to call into the Executive Platinum line and within an hour and a half got on a flight first thing in the morning to Boston and had to rent a car to drive the rest of the way. I was on the plane for 7 hours and they did not have enough food or drinks for the people on the plane and people were getting so pissed. I fly a lot so I have learned ways around these kinds of things and to be prepared. 30 percent of my flights that year were delayed and I missed several connections because of them, but status helps for sure.

Had another time I was flying home from Seattle and we had to divert to Portland because of an unruly passenger and we had a marshall on the flight that had to tackle him because he was running towards the cockpit while we were landing. That one was fun.

Also landing at ontario is always fun with the wind.... Thought we got hit by another plane one time when we were trying to land.

 

[DWC]

Also landing at ontario is always fun with the wind.... Thought we got hit by another plane one time when we were trying to land.

Back when when the Southwest waitresses did their job the Vegas to Ontario flight sucked in Santa Anas. People would milk their drink the whole way. Soon as the plan got to Arrowhead your screwed until landing.

 

[DWC]

Had a flight to Vegas on southwest. Plane arrived on time but they wouldn't board because they were waiting for a failed engine part coming in on a different flight for our plane, well that flight delayed 3 times so they allowed us to board 2.5 hours late and fly to Vegas where they also had the part

Failed engine part always makes me pretty patient. Really makes me want to drive home.
We did a trip from Salt Lake to Jackson Hole. We got 2/3rd’s of the way there and turned back. Turns out the Rudder was broke and easier to fix in Salt Lake. My vote was to drive..

 

[SoCalDave]

Ill let you know in a couple hours when they tell me the plane has arrived, but the crew is timed out, and they can't get a new one after midnight. Wont that be a surprise.

That was part of the equation my sister had on the 47hr flights to get from LAX to BNA...

 

[4czn10]

I am going from John Wayne to Raleigh NC next Wednesday on Frontier. Change of planes in Denver. Please pray for me.

Denver is pretty bad for weather this time of year. Good luck!

 

[BajaMike]

The airlines have received billions of $ from the government to keep flying, but they all seem to have de-activated so many pilots and aircraft, they all suck now. Every flight is full, or overbooked. Not one empty seat.

I flew to Huntsville, Alabama on American on July 2nd. Three of the four segments were totally screwed. The 2nd flight 5 hour delay at DFW, got in at 3 am to Huntsville so the rental cars not open. Huntsville to DFW return flight my girlfriend and I had first class seats reserved, four of the first class seats were “inop”, one of us had to fly coach. No refund. DFW to Palm Springs, delayed overnight, the put us up in a flea bag hotel 20 miles from the airport…because they didn’t have pilots.

The airlines are getting billions of $ from the government and providing horrible service and high prices.

They need to activate their pilots and airplanes.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

four of the first class seats were “inop”, one of us had to fly coach. No refund.

This would have went over like a fart in church. United stuck us with broken first class seat a few years ago on an HNL to TX flight....they expected us to just take it. Got a full refund on that ticket. You have to go above the minimum skill counter employee.

They all suck ass now though...its a mess.

 

[beertruck]

finally home. Got on a 8:am Alaska flight, got to keep my window seat. only a 30 minute delay. made it in time to sit in Boston traffic, but home now.
Thank god I don't have to do this all again for another 10 days

 

[BajaMike]

This would have went over like a fart in church. United stuck us with broken first class seat a few years ago on an HNL to TX flight....they expected us to just take it. Got a full refund on that ticket. You have to go above the minimum skill counter employee.

They all suck ass now though...its a mess.

Another passenger said he flew in the same plane 3 days earlier and the same four seats were “Inop”. American Airlines doesn’t have enough planes activated and they are not fixing the ones they have.

 

[DrunkenSailor]

Last time I flew was pre pandemic for a conference. Our flight arrived on time to DFW but gate was occupied for an hour. Connector to Miami left without me. Got to the hotel at 2:30 had to be up and ready to go back to the airport at 4:30.

No way I was gonna be able to sleep. Ended up getting hammered with the flight crew who was timed out at the closed hotel bar off of mini bottles they had grabbed off the plane. Hotel night manager was drinking with us. Went up and took a shower at 3:30 put on suit pants and a t shirt. Slept on the plane and threw a dress shirt and tie on in the airport bathroom. Had to push the first meeting but made the rest.

If it's drivable in one sitting I drive. Flying doesn't bother me all the BS that goes with it does...

Airport bars are some of the best places to meet interesting people on the planet.

At least you can smoke at Denver and Vegas.

 

[72Hondo]

Just so I got this straight, the pandemic hits and the public turns their back to flying. Airlines carrying thousands of people who aren’t working and planes sitting but the airlines still having to fit the bill for the overhead. They cut, furlough, early retire everyone they could to stay afloat (yes including govt handouts). If your not driving your car, you still have to pay the lease, car payment, etc.

Now that everyone is ready to fly, it’s supposed to be like a light switch or a snap of the finger?

For fucks sake..

It’s not like a car, you just don’t get to jump back in. Say it’s a 1-2 week recurrent course, figure 1000 pilots get recalled, do the math. Now the training staff and instructors are thin, training gets backed up, all this on top of new hire classes to replace those that aren’t coming back. That’s a 6-8 week course.

Now let’s talk aircraft. The MX folks were affected as well, senior mechanics with experience let go, retired, etc. those planes that sat, you don’t just get to fire them up and on we go. There’s probably many expired calendar inspections, out of storage inspections etc.

It’s an ultra fragile business. Some didn’t make it. It will get a whole hell of a lot worse before it gets better.


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[Gonefishin5555]

Just so I got this straight, the pandemic hits and the public turns their back to flying. Airlines carrying thousands of people who aren’t working and planes sitting but the airlines still having to fit the bill for the overhead. They cut, furlough, early retire everyone they could to stay afloat (yes including govt handouts). If your not driving your car, you still have to pay the lease, car payment, etc.

Now that everyone is ready to fly, it’s supposed to be like a light switch or a snap of the finger?

For fucks sake..

It’s not like a car, you just don’t get to jump back in. Say it’s a 1-2 week recurrent course, figure 1000 pilots get recalled, do the math. Now the training staff and instructors are thin, training gets backed up, all this on top of new hire classes to replace those that aren’t coming back. That’s a 6-8 week course.

Now let’s talk aircraft. The MX folks were affected as well, senior mechanics with experience let go, retired, etc. those planes that sat, you don’t just get to fire them up and on we go. There’s probably many expired calendar inspections, out of storage inspections etc.

It’s an ultra fragile business. Some didn’t make it. It will get a whole hell of a lot worse before it gets better.


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I’d agree with you except they should not be selling tickets for planes that aren’t ready to fly or they don’t have the staffing. If you sell me a ticket you need to deliver. Its obvious they are selling tickets for routes that aren’t ready yet. Okay I’m leaving Wednesday morning OC to NC with a stop in Denver. I’m always an optimist and I have seating with the extra leg room and I’m not checking a bag. Hope I make it in one day

 

[SoCalDave]

Just so I got this straight, the pandemic hits and the public turns their back to flying. Airlines carrying thousands of people who aren’t working and planes sitting but the airlines still having to fit the bill for the overhead. They cut, furlough, early retire everyone they could to stay afloat (yes including govt handouts). If your not driving your car, you still have to pay the lease, car payment, etc.

Now that everyone is ready to fly, it’s supposed to be like a light switch or a snap of the finger?

For fucks sake..

It’s not like a car, you just don’t get to jump back in. Say it’s a 1-2 week recurrent course, figure 1000 pilots get recalled, do the math. Now the training staff and instructors are thin, training gets backed up, all this on top of new hire classes to replace those that aren’t coming back. That’s a 6-8 week course.

Now let’s talk aircraft. The MX folks were affected as well, senior mechanics with experience let go, retired, etc. those planes that sat, you don’t just get to fire them up and on we go. There’s probably many expired calendar inspections, out of storage inspections etc.

It’s an ultra fragile business. Some didn’t make it. It will get a whole hell of a lot worse before it gets better.


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It's not just the airline industry that have issues... The whole world has changed. I'm glad I'm closer to the tailend of my ride here though I do feel for my grandkids and their generation. God help them.

 

[beertruck]

Agree that the world has changed, and expectations for service have changed as well. Not being able to staff has effected every aspect of our society, and a lot of it will not change until we stop paying people to stay home.
My biggest issues with my travel adventure did not come from the lack of staffing causing the delays on my flight, or the timing out of the crew. My issues that day stem around Alaska Air changing my confirmed seat twice for a aisle, and window to middle seats, and Jet blue selling me the mint seat only to tell me the sold me a seat that was already sold.