Another day of mess, so I thought of reviving this "thread of all nasty commuting histories".
Actually this history started on a Thursday, but as it ended only today I guess it fits in here.
So. It all started at check-in at OSL. I was on my standard OSL-FRA/MUC-NCE route, and as I was receiving my boarding pass I heard from the counter next to mine that LH3145 OSL-MUC was 1:15 delayed. Ooops. Meant that LH4158 MUC-NCE would leave without me. I cancelled check-in and headed over to the ticket counter to find some other solution. Already a serious line was forming as most pax on LH3145 were connecting to far places, and needed a reroute to reach their destinations. The *G card-reader was out of order, so I was told to push the "overweight" button to get the correct priority. After some searching and calling Lufthansa the agent found the route OSL-FRA-NCE, the connection was shorter than the MCT by 10 minutes as well as FRA-NCE being oversold. Anyways she said that if I got there in time LH would offload someone and get me on. So, all set...
... not yet. Just as she got off the phone with LH we discovered that the LH flight to FRA was actually delayed as well. Back to square one. I was back on my original route with a backup confirmed reservation on the morning flight at 0650. It wasn't too bad as LH4148 to NCE was also delayed it seemed.
LH3145 departured on "time" 1:15 after original schedule. Just crossing the Danish-German border the captain announced that the delays where due to massive thunderstorms in MUC. He could also tell that there was a problem with the automatic de-icing, and that we had to divert to DUS to replace our 737-500 as without de-icing it would not be allowed to fly in clouds. Great. So no chance of making it home tonight. Estimated arrival in MUC around 22:30. Considering that the airport had been closed for a while I expected mayhem so I started to think of solutions.
Looking in the LH timetable I saw that LH4160 DUS-NCE leaving DUS Friday morning at 08:55 would be a nice choice. I asked the purser for permission to disembark in DUS and be rebooked to LH4160. I would get to bed at a reasonable hour and continue onwards to NCE at a godly hour. I had no checked luggage so I wouldn't create any extra work. After a little while I was told that a bus would pick me up at the aircraft to take me to the terminal. Two minutes later a new message; "we will not reroute you or give you a hotel, so you will either have to argue your case with DUS ground crew or buy a new ticket". (Later in the evening I saw that LH4160 was wide open with my booking class B showing 9 or more seats for sale...)
So after a reasonable quick A/C change (they were parked next to eachother) we took off and arrived in MUC between 22:30 and 22:45. LH4158 had left gate at 22:21. Without the divert to DUS I would have made it. At the transfer desk there was a huge line (several hundred pax) waiting to be rerouted and put in a hotel. In the lounge life was more civilized as they came around and served drinks in the queue.
The lounge agents were calm but rather busy. After 10 minutes one came in and announced proudly she had been able to aquire 20 more hotel rooms (oh oh, that means they are running out...). After 30-40 minutes I was given a room.
Best Western Hotel Holledau near Geisenhausen. (Geisenhausen? Where is that?)
30 minutes of taxi, 20-30 minutes of check-in queue I was in my room at 1am.
In theory I had a flight at 0650, I would have to leave at around 0530. Considering the time I called LH and asked for to be changed over to LH4154 at 1045. I was waitlisted and given a confirmed reservation at 1300. Good. Sleep. Atleast I tried. The air condidtion didn't work. Opened the window and fell asleep with the Autobahn as ambient noise.
Woke up, went to the airport, found the First Class check-in. Was told that I was still waitlisted (huh, doesn't these things clear overnight for SENs?), and was also told that it didn't look too good as the plane was full. I complained and said that when SENs are abandoned they are always allowed on, and that some other pax is sacrificed. Well, no, obviously not. But the check-in agent offered me to buy a C seat.
Buy? Ticket? Me? Non! I told him that I did not stay in Geisenhausen for fun, and if I'd be happy to be on the 0650 if they had put me up somewhere near. When they chose to drive me to Ingolstadt and give me 3 hours of sleep I would assert the right to change flights without loosing status as abandoned. After some hefty clickety-click on the terminal a C boarding pass came out. I guess I won...
Arrived in NCE at 12:30... only 14 hours delayed...
(A letter will go to LH Customer Relations complaining about the lack of support in DUS. One less pax in MUC would have helped them, and it would have made my life a whole lot more comfy...)