Ceiba

Hi FTers,

I've been a near-daily reader here on the AA forum for almost a year, but have mostly been in learning mode. I've been amazed at the depth of knowledge shown by so many community members, and am hoping someone might be able to help me out.

My husband and I moved from Boston to Santa Barbara 10 days ago. We flew out on the Friday before the Hurricane hit, and our belongings were to meet up with us the next Friday.

Unfortunately, our moving van was swept away in a flash flood caused by Irene's rains and most of everything we own(ed) was destroyed due to water damage or having been crushed. (The van was parked at the time, so the driver was unhurt.) The van was swept several miles away -- along the way overturning, rupturing in several places, and filling with water. Our impression is that the water drained out through ruptures in the bottom, so hopefully the water drained out after the flood subsided.

Our possessions have been moved to a warehouse in Albany, where they are just sitting there rotting away. A moving company insurance rep was there for two days and said there are a few boxes which appear to be dry and uncrushed, but that the loss was going to be "substantial". She was unable to tell us much about the fate of some of our more valued furnishings (antiques, items handed down by parents, etc.).

We have now been given permission to go to the warehouse and sift through what's there, sorting out the things we would like them to try to salvage (not likely after all this time) from the things that are just plain unrecoverable. And to search for the things that have sentimental value.

We want to fly to Albany from Santa Barbara or LAX on Thursday (not sure when we'll return) and would like to get there the fastest and least expensive way (not easy with one day advance purchase). We have tons of AA miles we can use, but are willing to fly any airline if the routing and cost are better.

If any of you can suggest possible routings I'd be so very grateful. We are going in six directions at once these days and it's hard to find time to research routes and airlines I'm not familiar with. I have a subscription to EF, so I can certainly look things up if pointed in the right direction. Also, if anyone is familiar with Albany and can suggest a nice hotel at or near the airport (the warehouse is only a few miles from there), that would be great.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions you might have.

Microwave

So sorry to hear about your loss. My family have also had losses, and my sister-in-law has been activated by the Vermont ANG to help with cleanup efforts.

Unfortunately AA do not serve ALB at all. BDL is really the closest AA-served airport to Albany, and it's about a 2 hour drive away, and I found some Mile SAAver availability into BDL tomorrow (although with a rather long layover in DFW). You're really not much further away from LGA, and there are several ways to get there tomorrow, with much more reasonable layovers than the BDL flights. You should be able to find them by using the award search on aa.com. Note that you'll need to schlep to LAX, as SBA has no Mile SAAver availability to LAX tomorrow, and that's the only destination served by AA from SBA. Good luck!

HNL

Sorry to hear about the loss of your household possessions and family treasures.

Being in SBA and trying to get to ALB is going to require a double connect no matter who you fly.
AA does not fly to Albany, NY. You could fly AA SBA > LAX > JFK then transfer to another carrier for the final leg to ALB. Then pick up the one DL flight a day from JFK to ALB, else there are more options on USAir from LGA.

Good luck.

QueenOfCoach

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. At least it's just "things", not people's lives.

The only thing I can add to what the others have said is that there is a shuttle from Santa Barbara to LAX. Have a look at www.sbairbus.com for more information. I have often seen their shuttle busses when I've been at LAX.

Ambraciot

Though I go out of my way to take AA, for this trip I would take UA/CO.

Specifically flights UA 5329 SBA-LAX, UA 694 LAX-ORD, and UA 719 ORD-ALB. Total travel time is a little over 9 hours from 10:38 am to 10:50 pm. Unfortunately it's a Q fare for $518.10 per person each way. If you leave from LAX you save $76.70 per person by skipping UA 5329.

Having all the flights on one reservation with one carrier should simplify things if you run into more weather trouble. Someone more familiar with UA might know ways to bring the ticket cost down a little, but unfortunately I do not.

Ceiba

Microwave, HNL, and QofC,

Thank you so much for your concern and for responding so quickly. My husband just got off the phone with our insurance company and they said they'd pay for our flights r/t SBA-ALB. So, now we don't have to be quite as concerned about the cost. Quickest routing is now the priority.

I'll look into going through BDL, JFK, and LGA and see what looks best. Also, we're perfectly willing to spend the night before we leave at an LAX airport hotel to speed things up, so maybe that'll open up more possibilities, given we'd be able to depart LAX at an earlier time.

Another question: would routing through ORD be advantageous?

Again, many thanks for your help. I appreciate it so much!

NYBanker

What a terrible story. I hope you can recover a few treasures while you're in Albany.

Microwave

If the price of the ticket is no longer a limiting factor, I would probably fly whichever route offers you the most convenient time and call it good. In that sense, ORD is no more advantageous than DFW. Good luck!

Ceiba

Ambraciot, NY Banker, and Microwave,

Thanks for your kind words and suggestions. Our trip has now been pushed back until midweek next week to accommodate the schedules of the insurance reps who will meet us in Albany to evaluate the situation.

So, that gives me enough time and breathing room to figure our travel plans out. You and the above posters have made sorting it out easier, and I appreciate it so much.

With many thanks,
Ceiba

QueenOfCoach

This is a situation where dealing with a competant travel agent would be beneficial. I would suggest asking around and see if you can find a good travel agent nearby, then let that person research flights and connections. You have enough on your plate already!

You would have to pay a fee for the travel agent's services, but it would be well worth it this time.

Ceiba

QofC,

What a good idea. We always arrange our own travel, but you're right that this is a good time to use a travel agent. My powers of concentration are a bit lacking right now.

Many thanks,
Ceiba

mvoight

I don't really see the value add of a TA to get from one US city to another.
Without status, check-in would be easier at SBA than LAX, but it might be easier for OP to drive to LAX, redeye to the East, then take a morning connecting flight to Albany or a city nearby, depending on airlines they might want to fly and the scheduling.