Catman
Feb 22, 00, 12:30 pm
The lesson of the day: WAITING PAYS OFF!
This will be a TWO PART TRIP REPORT because this one is going to be LLLOONNNNGG!!!
Friday, February 18th: All Morning from work checked with United that FLIGHT 7537, THE ONE THAT DEPARTS AT 1:30P, was going to work. Well, as I left work at 11a, it was.
Grey Line Bus ride with another rude driver to EWR. Check-in at The RCC and I noticed flights starting to get cancelled. One of the four lady RCC angels who know me so well sensed I was stressed and said "We'll put you on standby for the 12:30p and STAY on the 1:30p FLIGHT 7537 (which was already delayed.)
So off to the bar and my bar angel (who's name a really really need to write down) walks past and says in anormal voice "what will you have?" Then I turn and she laughs and say "it's the CATMAN!" She said she didn't recognize me with my new Georgio Armani glasses. So have a Sams and she tells me of screaming and angry travelers who started drinking more than PEPSI early.
Off to the gate and teh 12:30 flight is oversold. So I run to the snack place and have a hot dog and a beer with the other lovely lady behind the bar who like me hates tabloid T-V shows like that filthy Jerry Springer. So we watched "the View" and then the 12p newscast and talked our experiences in NAWLINS.
Head back to the gate. The 12:30 flight is not there. Then 12:45 comes. Then 1p. Then the flight disappears. then the agent says it's nto coming for awhile.
So I go ahve ANOTHER SAMS at teh RCC CLUB. Head back to the gate. 1:30 goes by. 1:40, then 1:50, then 2pm. Get to the front of the line. First agent passes me to the second who tells me that the plane is in the air and I should WAIT!!!
Rather than wait in a line of angry passengers run back to the RCC Club hoping for a better answer.
Ellen with the lovely smile and patient attitude tells me she will put me as many flights as possible. Puts me on the 9:30pm out of IAD to MSY and tells me three times "just wait. The plane is in the air but we don't know when it will land or if it will cancel."
I in my somewhat panicked state say "I really need to get to NAWLINS." She tells me to try the gate and if there are problem sto come back.
Go to the gate. Flight disappears from monitors. THAT'S FLIGHT 7537 FOR THOSE KEEPING COUNT.
Call United PRemEx reservations. the woman sees the 9:30p booking from Ellen and tries all kinds of routing. I said I would go to LAX or SFO and earn more miles to get to MSY.
She spends the next 20 minutes trying to reroute me to every possible combination. She apologizes and says the earliest I could get into NAWLINS is very late, Saturday night.
She tells me to wait and if the Flight cancels U-A would refund my ticket money.
Back to RCC to see if they could reroute me. Ellen tells me ALL the flights to NAWLINS are booked on Saturday and once more I am told to wait.
So I go back to the gate and park myself between the t=v monitor and a socket where I charge my cellphone. (is this illegal? My cell phone battery was almost dead and I needed to recharge so Flyertalkers can contact me! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Then the 2:30 flight cancels and all heck almost breaks loose. I go up to some dudes waiting for the 1:30 FLIGHT 7537 and they say it hasn't cancelled yet.
About 95 minutes later, around 3pm, the agent says "FLIGHT 7537 will start boarding shortly because the plane has arrived." So MAYBE my luck holds out and I'm able to get the ONLY plane out of EWR.
She looks at me and says "See, I told you to wait."
The pilots come off the plane wet and wont' say if they are coming back. They do about 10 minutes later with hot dogs and the dudes and I appauld them.
So the gate agent says "flight 7537 with service to Washington Dulles will board now."
I apologize to the agent for every questioning her and she said "You will get to NAWLINS. Have a nice weekend."
The three dudes, myself, an Aussie couple, a good looking French looking woman and another couple all run for the plane. Then we wait as there are eight seats open. A guy going to Costa Rica, another woman, and this family of four all board. The Costa Rica traveling man and I agree to move to the Exit row (In my case because the good looking F-A Jennifer who I've flown with before was on board and she said "nice to see you again Mr. Blanchard.")
It's scarey to be KNOWN by so many U-A employees.
After some more deicing, and another 20 minute delay, we finally head for Washington Dulles.
SO FLIGHT 7537 DID TAKE OFF THAT DAY, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18.
Jennifer would only serve soft drinks and water, saying it would be "dangerous" to serve alcohol. She also tried to brighten everyone's spirits and apologized for the long delay (I think she was surprised they were taking off.)
I had a Coca Cola (she said "sorry no PEPSI for you again!") and passed out from extreme exaustion. The Traveling Man also passed out and Jennifer had to wake us up before landing.
SO about five hours after it scheduled departure, FLIGHT 7537 lands at IAD.
Everyone rushes to make their connections. I miss my IAD-MSY flight by about 2 minutes. (I can't believe the plane did NOT wait for us!)
SO stay tuned for the Four hour tour of IAD!
[This message has been edited by Catman (edited 02-22-2000).]
This will be a TWO PART TRIP REPORT because this one is going to be LLLOONNNNGG!!!
Friday, February 18th: All Morning from work checked with United that FLIGHT 7537, THE ONE THAT DEPARTS AT 1:30P, was going to work. Well, as I left work at 11a, it was.
Grey Line Bus ride with another rude driver to EWR. Check-in at The RCC and I noticed flights starting to get cancelled. One of the four lady RCC angels who know me so well sensed I was stressed and said "We'll put you on standby for the 12:30p and STAY on the 1:30p FLIGHT 7537 (which was already delayed.)
So off to the bar and my bar angel (who's name a really really need to write down) walks past and says in anormal voice "what will you have?" Then I turn and she laughs and say "it's the CATMAN!" She said she didn't recognize me with my new Georgio Armani glasses. So have a Sams and she tells me of screaming and angry travelers who started drinking more than PEPSI early.
Off to the gate and teh 12:30 flight is oversold. So I run to the snack place and have a hot dog and a beer with the other lovely lady behind the bar who like me hates tabloid T-V shows like that filthy Jerry Springer. So we watched "the View" and then the 12p newscast and talked our experiences in NAWLINS.
Head back to the gate. The 12:30 flight is not there. Then 12:45 comes. Then 1p. Then the flight disappears. then the agent says it's nto coming for awhile.
So I go ahve ANOTHER SAMS at teh RCC CLUB. Head back to the gate. 1:30 goes by. 1:40, then 1:50, then 2pm. Get to the front of the line. First agent passes me to the second who tells me that the plane is in the air and I should WAIT!!!
Rather than wait in a line of angry passengers run back to the RCC Club hoping for a better answer.
Ellen with the lovely smile and patient attitude tells me she will put me as many flights as possible. Puts me on the 9:30pm out of IAD to MSY and tells me three times "just wait. The plane is in the air but we don't know when it will land or if it will cancel."
I in my somewhat panicked state say "I really need to get to NAWLINS." She tells me to try the gate and if there are problem sto come back.
Go to the gate. Flight disappears from monitors. THAT'S FLIGHT 7537 FOR THOSE KEEPING COUNT.
Call United PRemEx reservations. the woman sees the 9:30p booking from Ellen and tries all kinds of routing. I said I would go to LAX or SFO and earn more miles to get to MSY.
She spends the next 20 minutes trying to reroute me to every possible combination. She apologizes and says the earliest I could get into NAWLINS is very late, Saturday night.
She tells me to wait and if the Flight cancels U-A would refund my ticket money.
Back to RCC to see if they could reroute me. Ellen tells me ALL the flights to NAWLINS are booked on Saturday and once more I am told to wait.
So I go back to the gate and park myself between the t=v monitor and a socket where I charge my cellphone. (is this illegal? My cell phone battery was almost dead and I needed to recharge so Flyertalkers can contact me! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Then the 2:30 flight cancels and all heck almost breaks loose. I go up to some dudes waiting for the 1:30 FLIGHT 7537 and they say it hasn't cancelled yet.
About 95 minutes later, around 3pm, the agent says "FLIGHT 7537 will start boarding shortly because the plane has arrived." So MAYBE my luck holds out and I'm able to get the ONLY plane out of EWR.
She looks at me and says "See, I told you to wait."
The pilots come off the plane wet and wont' say if they are coming back. They do about 10 minutes later with hot dogs and the dudes and I appauld them.
So the gate agent says "flight 7537 with service to Washington Dulles will board now."
I apologize to the agent for every questioning her and she said "You will get to NAWLINS. Have a nice weekend."
The three dudes, myself, an Aussie couple, a good looking French looking woman and another couple all run for the plane. Then we wait as there are eight seats open. A guy going to Costa Rica, another woman, and this family of four all board. The Costa Rica traveling man and I agree to move to the Exit row (In my case because the good looking F-A Jennifer who I've flown with before was on board and she said "nice to see you again Mr. Blanchard.")
It's scarey to be KNOWN by so many U-A employees.
After some more deicing, and another 20 minute delay, we finally head for Washington Dulles.
SO FLIGHT 7537 DID TAKE OFF THAT DAY, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18.
Jennifer would only serve soft drinks and water, saying it would be "dangerous" to serve alcohol. She also tried to brighten everyone's spirits and apologized for the long delay (I think she was surprised they were taking off.)
I had a Coca Cola (she said "sorry no PEPSI for you again!") and passed out from extreme exaustion. The Traveling Man also passed out and Jennifer had to wake us up before landing.
SO about five hours after it scheduled departure, FLIGHT 7537 lands at IAD.
Everyone rushes to make their connections. I miss my IAD-MSY flight by about 2 minutes. (I can't believe the plane did NOT wait for us!)
SO stay tuned for the Four hour tour of IAD!
[This message has been edited by Catman (edited 02-22-2000).]