Longest layover spent at an airport
Feb 23, 2015, 8:50 am
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: MUC
Programs: Compulsory Traveller
Posts: 305
Nearly 48 hours in Calcutta. Flew in on SQ and they had changed their schedule which left me without a visa. (In those days an American could get a 48 hour transit visa on arrival. The schedule change meant I would be more than 48 and Immigration wouldn't let me in.) Had to wait for the next SQ flight to take me back to Singapore.
How did you spend your time there? No way to catch an earlier flight out of there?
Feb 23, 2015, 10:38 am
#17
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wonderful Weald of kent
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 989
10-12 hours at London Gatwick due to our plane going tech!
Grumpy husband and excited 10 yr old daughter over ruled me and decided to stay at the airport for the duration despite us only living 30 mins away from the airport..... Believe me after 10 hours, grumpy hubby was even grumpier, and excited daughter was bored to tears!
This was in the South Terminal before its refurbishment few places to sit and wait comfortably, food vouchers went nowhere given costs in airport restaurants, and it ended up being a very very long and expensive wait indeed.... And don't get me started on the disruption it caused in our destination..... A mid afternoon arrival turned into a post midnight one, and we were renting a villa!
Next time my two idiots WILL listen to voice of sense and go home to wait in peace and comfort - if not, I'll see them on the plane!
Grumpy husband and excited 10 yr old daughter over ruled me and decided to stay at the airport for the duration despite us only living 30 mins away from the airport..... Believe me after 10 hours, grumpy hubby was even grumpier, and excited daughter was bored to tears!
This was in the South Terminal before its refurbishment few places to sit and wait comfortably, food vouchers went nowhere given costs in airport restaurants, and it ended up being a very very long and expensive wait indeed.... And don't get me started on the disruption it caused in our destination..... A mid afternoon arrival turned into a post midnight one, and we were renting a villa!
Next time my two idiots WILL listen to voice of sense and go home to wait in peace and comfort - if not, I'll see them on the plane!
Feb 23, 2015, 12:31 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SEA
Programs: AF Plat a vie, EK Gold, SQ PPS
Posts: 758
Nearly 48 in DXB in the J lounge with my 16 and 4 yr olds. I accidentally took a double dose of medicine so the EK dr didn't want me to travel. After spending sometime getting checked out in the medical center we spent the rest of the time in the lounge. We were flying SIN-DXB-LYS and unfortunately DXB-LYS didn't operate daily so we had to wait for the next flight.
Feb 23, 2015, 2:14 pm
#19
Join Date: Aug 2013
Programs: Platinum, HH Diamond
Posts: 335
About 20hrs at Changi - if you are going to have a layover, that's the place to do it.
Had a swim & a shower, had dinner, walked 3 terminals-checking out the gardens, had a massage, got some sleep then back on the plane. Could have taken a free tour of Singapore but done that before
Had a swim & a shower, had dinner, walked 3 terminals-checking out the gardens, had a massage, got some sleep then back on the plane. Could have taken a free tour of Singapore but done that before
Feb 23, 2015, 3:18 pm
#20
Formerly known as caveruner17
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: ORD
Posts: 432
14 hours in Denver last August. I had a very last minute change in my plans (I was in the boarding area when my plans changed due to work) and had to switch from flying to PHX to flying to BOS. 1st BOS flight was canceled and the next one was the red-eye. DEN is not convenient to anything (almost $100 cab into the city) so I just stayed in the Admirals club and occasionally went out for a walk around the terminals so that I didn't drink myself stupid.
Feb 23, 2015, 9:08 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bangkok or San Francisco
Programs: United 1k, Marriott Lifetime PE, Former DL Gold, Former SQ Solitaire, HH Gold
Posts: 11,886
India wanted to put me on a flight to Dhaka just to get me out of the country. I told them I wouldn't resist. But when they asked for my credit card to pay for the flight, I declined. So I had to wait for SQ's next flight.
Feb 24, 2015, 12:32 am
#25
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
It's $12 now, $22 if you buy a round-trip.
It does drop you right off Pearl in Boulder, so not a terrible option. OTOH, it's over an hour from the airport. I think I'd just take the bus to Union Station, that area is a lot more interesting than it used to be now that the renovation is complete and the bus is more frequent. Boulder is only hourly.
It does drop you right off Pearl in Boulder, so not a terrible option. OTOH, it's over an hour from the airport. I think I'd just take the bus to Union Station, that area is a lot more interesting than it used to be now that the renovation is complete and the bus is more frequent. Boulder is only hourly.
Feb 24, 2015, 10:42 am
#27
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
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Thankfully, never a real long one where we were snowed in or otherwise couldn't escape the airport.
Only time I've ever been in a transit zone without the ability to enter the country was DEL: we did an overnight there in the international terminal. Thankfully there's a bare-bones hotel inside the transit area, so we had a bed and a shower. About a 9-hour layover, with 5-6 hours of sleep.
I've spent a few long afternoons/evenings at ORD back in the day, thanks to a sequence of VDBs. Sometimes with lounge access; sometimes without. Best I ever did was show up at 1PM, take three successful VDB's, and fly out at 10PM that night. (Back when AA would waaaaaay overbook a 727 on a Friday afternoon...and then give out $500 vouchers for each bump.)
Only time I've ever been in a transit zone without the ability to enter the country was DEL: we did an overnight there in the international terminal. Thankfully there's a bare-bones hotel inside the transit area, so we had a bed and a shower. About a 9-hour layover, with 5-6 hours of sleep.
I've spent a few long afternoons/evenings at ORD back in the day, thanks to a sequence of VDBs. Sometimes with lounge access; sometimes without. Best I ever did was show up at 1PM, take three successful VDB's, and fly out at 10PM that night. (Back when AA would waaaaaay overbook a 727 on a Friday afternoon...and then give out $500 vouchers for each bump.)
Feb 24, 2015, 10:04 pm
#28
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Denver
Posts: 451
About 16 hours at IAH a couple years ago. Arrived around 5 pm and missed the flight out that night. Flight in the morning was fairly early and for me it always seems like leas of a headache to just sleep in the terminal than having to worry about waking up, checking out, getting to the airport, going through security, etc. And of course the cost factor as well.
I've spent the night on the floors of many airports in my day. IAH, DEN, LAS, LAX, SFO, JFK, BOS, and SEA just off the top of my head. If nothing else its always an interesting experience to see the airport completely dead in the middle of the night. Feels like a completely different world!
I've spent the night on the floors of many airports in my day. IAH, DEN, LAS, LAX, SFO, JFK, BOS, and SEA just off the top of my head. If nothing else its always an interesting experience to see the airport completely dead in the middle of the night. Feels like a completely different world!
Feb 25, 2015, 2:35 am
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Programs: No programs & No Points!!!
Posts: 14,222
Did 11 or 12 hours in the Doha First Class Lounge.
Got a Qatar visa, paid the fee, walked outside the airport.. lasted 2 minutes and walked back in to the terminal and checked in and went back to the lounge!
Got a Qatar visa, paid the fee, walked outside the airport.. lasted 2 minutes and walked back in to the terminal and checked in and went back to the lounge!
Last edited by Annalisa12; Feb 25, 2015 at 2:37 am Reason: Added last paragraph.