Huge Thanks to United for Turning My Bad Luck into Good!
Dec 15, 2009, 9:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: YYZ
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Posts: 1,033
Huge Thanks to United for Turning My Bad Luck into Good!
There is an old saying that if you never miss a flight then you’re arriving at the airport way too early. A couple of days ago I came close to proving (for what would have been the second time in my life) that I definitely don’t arrive at the airport too early…
11:25am We pull into the San Francisco Airport parking garage for what I thought at the time was a 12:45pm flight to Vegas. It’s all good.
11:26am While unpacking our luggage from the trunk, I realize my purse isn’t with us (containing our passports, boarding passes, and all of my ID). We make a snap decision that Mark should proceed to the flight (he has his driver’s license in his pocket and can get a new boarding pass from the airline), while I’ll drive home like a madwoman, retrieve my purse, and try to make the flight. This way, I figure, at least one of us will make it to our destination in time to attend our conference. Mark later tells me that at this moment he was thinking 'there is NO way she is going to make it back in time'.
11:27am The car was in the parking garage so briefly that there’s no charge – bonus! I’m on the road and briefly worry that I forgot to get the house keys from Mark then quickly realize that they are on the same keychain as the car keys, which of course I’m using. Scattered much?
11:35am I’m making good time back to Palo Alto, and then the gas indicator light comes on. I have sufficient gas left to travel 60km. A quick call to Mark confirms that this will not get me home and back to the airport, so now I need to find time to squeeze in a pit stop. Mark also tells me that if I don’t manage to make this flight, I’m in a bit of a pickle. The 4pm flight is already totally sold out. Another airline may have space, but I’d have to pay out of pocket for a new ticket on another airline. That’s if they have a seat…
11:38am I exit the freeway and just have a couple of miles to travel back to our place. Naturally I hit every single red light. I run only one. Honest.
11:45am Arrive home. Park in fire zone. (If this doesn’t qualify as an emergency, I don’t know what does!) Grab purse. Dash off.
11:48am Stop to put 3 gallons of gas in the car. I haven’t spent this little on gas since I was in high school.
11:49am Back on the highway. I am travelling at 150km/hour, taking advantage of two police cars in front of me that are attempting to apprehend a speeder. (Sucker!) I tuck myself a safe distance behind them for as long as the opportunity lasts.
12:15pm I approach the San Francisco Airport and realize that my flight leaves at 12:35pm, not 12:45pm. Time to REALLY hustle. I wonder if they actually radar enforce the 15 miles/hour speed limit in the parking garage. (Yes I realize I’m switching between metric and Imperial but who has time for conversions at a time like this?!)
12:20pm Car is parked. After accidentally going DOWN a flight of stairs when I should have gone UP, I finally get to the security gate. Moments like this it pays to have airline status. I get to bypass the main line, and so there is only one gentleman in front of me waiting to have his ID checked. He is kind enough to let me go in front of him.
12:21pm I get to the x-ray machine, and there is a woman taking her time putting her belongings on the conveyor belt. I place a couple of my items on the empty space in front of her bags, explaining that I’m about to miss my flight and that I’m very grateful for her help. She sneers that I didn’t really give her a choice, and announces that next time I should get to the airport at least 45 minutes before my flight. (Helpful at this point, no?) I thank her profusely.
12:22pm RUNNING!!
12:23pm RUNNING!!
12:24pm RUNNING!! I commandeer the help of a kind young man on the moving sidewalk, and he very cheerfully carries my roller board to the gate. Why is my gate the farthest one at the very end of the terminal?!
12:25pm I arrive at my gate, which is CLOSED!!!! I thought if I got to the gate 10 minutes before my flight, I’d still be able to sneak on board, but it turns out the departure time is 12:32pm, not 12:35pm!! I call Mark’s cell phone, and he tells me the airplane doors have just been shut. I’m standing at the window at the gate, and notice that the bridge is being retracted from the plane, which seems to reduce to zero my chances of getting on that plane. I catch the eye of the co-pilot. I wave, smile, and look pathetic, clasping my hands into a pleading position. The co-pilot must say something to the pilot, as he now looks over at me as well. I continue attempting to look as worthy of sympathy as I can manage. Meanwhile, Mark convinces the flight attendant to ask the pilot if he would consider reopening the door.
12:27pm The bridge is reconnected to the plane, and I make my way on board. I’m standing at the door thinking this all seemed like a great idea before I saw the glaring faces of everyone on the plane to my right. I smile sheepishly and shrug my shoulders, mouthing “sorry” and “thanks”… I turn to my left and notice the cockpit door is open. The pilot makes eye contact with me, turns on the public address system, and proclaims “Welcome aboard!” I feel embarrassed and holler “Thank you sooooo much!!!!” as I take my seat in Business Class. I realize that everyone on board must think I’m someone famous.
2:05pm Touchdown! At the gate in Las Vegas in time for an on-time 2:16 arrival!
I can’t believe I made this flight. I wouldn’t have managed if not for the kindness of strangers, and several very, very helpful United Airlines employees! The story should have ended here, but things got still more bizarre…
2:20pm After stopping at Starbucks so Mark could get his caffeine fix, we are sauntering through the terminal toward the exit when I see the pilot walking toward us. I wave and smile, and as he approaches he asks me “What is your name?”
I reply with my first name.
He then states my full name.
I’m thinking to myself, OK, is it just me or is this a little weird?
He says “I thought it might be you. You were sitting in 5A, right?” as he hands me my credit card.
When I had stopped for gas on the way back to the airport, I didn’t have time to put my credit card in my wallet, so I stuffed it in my back pocket and didn’t think of it again. And then evidently it slipped out of my pocket on the flight. How bizarre that it would be found so quickly after I lost it (before I even noticed I lost it, as it turns out). But even more bizarre is that it would be handed back to me by the very same pilot who had already saved my skin once that day!
After these experiences, my feeling was that I should head straight to the nearest casino and put $1000 on black. But I decided not to press my luck!
My sincere thanks to everyone at United who helped save my day.
11:25am We pull into the San Francisco Airport parking garage for what I thought at the time was a 12:45pm flight to Vegas. It’s all good.
11:26am While unpacking our luggage from the trunk, I realize my purse isn’t with us (containing our passports, boarding passes, and all of my ID). We make a snap decision that Mark should proceed to the flight (he has his driver’s license in his pocket and can get a new boarding pass from the airline), while I’ll drive home like a madwoman, retrieve my purse, and try to make the flight. This way, I figure, at least one of us will make it to our destination in time to attend our conference. Mark later tells me that at this moment he was thinking 'there is NO way she is going to make it back in time'.
11:27am The car was in the parking garage so briefly that there’s no charge – bonus! I’m on the road and briefly worry that I forgot to get the house keys from Mark then quickly realize that they are on the same keychain as the car keys, which of course I’m using. Scattered much?
11:35am I’m making good time back to Palo Alto, and then the gas indicator light comes on. I have sufficient gas left to travel 60km. A quick call to Mark confirms that this will not get me home and back to the airport, so now I need to find time to squeeze in a pit stop. Mark also tells me that if I don’t manage to make this flight, I’m in a bit of a pickle. The 4pm flight is already totally sold out. Another airline may have space, but I’d have to pay out of pocket for a new ticket on another airline. That’s if they have a seat…
11:38am I exit the freeway and just have a couple of miles to travel back to our place. Naturally I hit every single red light. I run only one. Honest.
11:45am Arrive home. Park in fire zone. (If this doesn’t qualify as an emergency, I don’t know what does!) Grab purse. Dash off.
11:48am Stop to put 3 gallons of gas in the car. I haven’t spent this little on gas since I was in high school.
11:49am Back on the highway. I am travelling at 150km/hour, taking advantage of two police cars in front of me that are attempting to apprehend a speeder. (Sucker!) I tuck myself a safe distance behind them for as long as the opportunity lasts.
12:15pm I approach the San Francisco Airport and realize that my flight leaves at 12:35pm, not 12:45pm. Time to REALLY hustle. I wonder if they actually radar enforce the 15 miles/hour speed limit in the parking garage. (Yes I realize I’m switching between metric and Imperial but who has time for conversions at a time like this?!)
12:20pm Car is parked. After accidentally going DOWN a flight of stairs when I should have gone UP, I finally get to the security gate. Moments like this it pays to have airline status. I get to bypass the main line, and so there is only one gentleman in front of me waiting to have his ID checked. He is kind enough to let me go in front of him.
12:21pm I get to the x-ray machine, and there is a woman taking her time putting her belongings on the conveyor belt. I place a couple of my items on the empty space in front of her bags, explaining that I’m about to miss my flight and that I’m very grateful for her help. She sneers that I didn’t really give her a choice, and announces that next time I should get to the airport at least 45 minutes before my flight. (Helpful at this point, no?) I thank her profusely.
12:22pm RUNNING!!
12:23pm RUNNING!!
12:24pm RUNNING!! I commandeer the help of a kind young man on the moving sidewalk, and he very cheerfully carries my roller board to the gate. Why is my gate the farthest one at the very end of the terminal?!
12:25pm I arrive at my gate, which is CLOSED!!!! I thought if I got to the gate 10 minutes before my flight, I’d still be able to sneak on board, but it turns out the departure time is 12:32pm, not 12:35pm!! I call Mark’s cell phone, and he tells me the airplane doors have just been shut. I’m standing at the window at the gate, and notice that the bridge is being retracted from the plane, which seems to reduce to zero my chances of getting on that plane. I catch the eye of the co-pilot. I wave, smile, and look pathetic, clasping my hands into a pleading position. The co-pilot must say something to the pilot, as he now looks over at me as well. I continue attempting to look as worthy of sympathy as I can manage. Meanwhile, Mark convinces the flight attendant to ask the pilot if he would consider reopening the door.
12:27pm The bridge is reconnected to the plane, and I make my way on board. I’m standing at the door thinking this all seemed like a great idea before I saw the glaring faces of everyone on the plane to my right. I smile sheepishly and shrug my shoulders, mouthing “sorry” and “thanks”… I turn to my left and notice the cockpit door is open. The pilot makes eye contact with me, turns on the public address system, and proclaims “Welcome aboard!” I feel embarrassed and holler “Thank you sooooo much!!!!” as I take my seat in Business Class. I realize that everyone on board must think I’m someone famous.
2:05pm Touchdown! At the gate in Las Vegas in time for an on-time 2:16 arrival!
I can’t believe I made this flight. I wouldn’t have managed if not for the kindness of strangers, and several very, very helpful United Airlines employees! The story should have ended here, but things got still more bizarre…
2:20pm After stopping at Starbucks so Mark could get his caffeine fix, we are sauntering through the terminal toward the exit when I see the pilot walking toward us. I wave and smile, and as he approaches he asks me “What is your name?”
I reply with my first name.
He then states my full name.
I’m thinking to myself, OK, is it just me or is this a little weird?
He says “I thought it might be you. You were sitting in 5A, right?” as he hands me my credit card.
When I had stopped for gas on the way back to the airport, I didn’t have time to put my credit card in my wallet, so I stuffed it in my back pocket and didn’t think of it again. And then evidently it slipped out of my pocket on the flight. How bizarre that it would be found so quickly after I lost it (before I even noticed I lost it, as it turns out). But even more bizarre is that it would be handed back to me by the very same pilot who had already saved my skin once that day!
After these experiences, my feeling was that I should head straight to the nearest casino and put $1000 on black. But I decided not to press my luck!
My sincere thanks to everyone at United who helped save my day.
Dec 15, 2009, 9:53 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
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Posts: 21,605
Sounds like a great flight!
Can't believe that they reconnected the jetway and opened the door for you. Moments like that help UA keep people flying with them! ^^
Can't believe that they reconnected the jetway and opened the door for you. Moments like that help UA keep people flying with them! ^^
Dec 15, 2009, 9:56 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lahaina, HI & Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 2,403
Wow!! Great story. I was feeling your tension throughout the entire read. Better check your status online......you probably got bumped to GS and don't know it yet.
Dec 15, 2009, 9:57 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: BDL
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Posts: 683
I'm glad you made it to Vegas though! ^^
Dec 15, 2009, 10:07 pm
#5
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Posts: 12,212
great story
Wow, this is great story, thanks for sharing the good work from all UA personnel are. I would go to casino and bet on my black jack.
Dec 15, 2009, 10:14 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Redwood City, CA USA (SFO/SJC)
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Posts: 8,826
Great story! That sort of thing has happened to me twice on UA. Random unexpected acts of kindness? Very cool that the Captain ran you down with your credit card too. A day can't get a whole lot better than that.
Dec 15, 2009, 10:26 pm
#7
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 981
i have NEVER seen the reconnect a jetbridge. what an awesome story. you should be a writer. i wish stories like this would go viral instead of videos of ua breaking guitars.
i still would like to get int he mind of the pilot and ga though. to understand their through process in allowing this to happen. don't get me wrong - i'm glad it did. but what can we learn, cuz i've had situations like that and i knew there was no chance (and i was right) they would let me on. even situations where hte gate door was closed and jetbridge still connected.
and to the pax giving you an evil eye - shame on them. we all have been or will be in a situation like that at some point.
and to the lady at security - i'm glad you butted in front of her. i would always let a rushing passenger go by me as long as i wasn't late, and owuld never make a stink about it. and when i've been late, nobody has made a stink about it either.
i still would like to get int he mind of the pilot and ga though. to understand their through process in allowing this to happen. don't get me wrong - i'm glad it did. but what can we learn, cuz i've had situations like that and i knew there was no chance (and i was right) they would let me on. even situations where hte gate door was closed and jetbridge still connected.
and to the pax giving you an evil eye - shame on them. we all have been or will be in a situation like that at some point.
and to the lady at security - i'm glad you butted in front of her. i would always let a rushing passenger go by me as long as i wasn't late, and owuld never make a stink about it. and when i've been late, nobody has made a stink about it either.
Dec 15, 2009, 10:39 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: CLE/CAK
Programs: UA 2MM 1K, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Premier
Posts: 1,408
I teared up. Great story!
Dec 15, 2009, 10:58 pm
#9
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA GS 1MM
Posts: 693
FAN-TAS-TIC story. I hope you write a compliment letter to UA customer relations so they know what it meant to you.
It would indeed be nice if the good stories went viral instead of the guitar/tracksuit/booze junk.
It would indeed be nice if the good stories went viral instead of the guitar/tracksuit/booze junk.
Dec 15, 2009, 11:01 pm
#10
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Posts: 981
Dec 15, 2009, 11:06 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: retired from SFO Terminal 3
Posts: 7,437
I can't believe you made it to Palo Alto in that quickly. ^
Great job by everyone.
Great job by everyone.
Dec 16, 2009, 12:10 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: central California
Posts: 143
I have had a horrible day...thank you so much for the smile your story put on my face
Dec 16, 2009, 12:23 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Posts: 3,952
I also can't believe you made it to Palo Alto and back so quickly. I should take some pointers from you about dodging all that traffic on 101. Thanks for the well-written story! ^
Thanks for the well-written story! ^
Dec 16, 2009, 12:23 am
#14
Used to be MBS PremExec
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Dec 16, 2009, 1:03 am
#15
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^ GREAT story!
You must be a pretty lady!
You must be a pretty lady!