So I was flying on Friday UA 846 EZE-IAD....

The first part of the praise is for the ground staff... ALL of them not just one.
I had a couple of very tough days down there and on the last day we were running into some delays at work. Two of my colleagues decided not to risk it and change their flights, I decided to risk it.

As soon as the contract was signed I took my bags and ran down to the driver (who had been waiting for over an hour). The flight leaves at 9:05Pm. Check in closes 60 minutes before ... at 8:05 PM I thought it was 6:45pm -- tight but doable... it was 7:45 PM.
It was also a Friday night - and the beginning of school holiday. On a good day it takes about 35 minutes to the airport. Today everything was blocked.

The driver tried to convince me not even to bother, I said I would try. On the way I tried to reach the check in desk - always busy.

I arrived at the Airport at 8:38 (according to the time in the car). The driver said I should run for the check in and he would handle the luaggage

(Big praise to the hotel driver -- FS)

Of course the check in was deserted, but I saw one United guy cleaning and walking out with the box of ticket stock. I explained that I knew the flight was closed but if he could let me know where I could have the ticket endorsed to AA so I could try them. when I said it was a F ticket he began to walk faster and told me to follow him... he took me to the office (behind the check in desks, and just said that I was the missing F passenger. Three people went into motion, one grabbed the ticket, the second called the gate and the third took my passport. They asked if I had luggage and I said my driver was brining in it. I ran out got the luaggage.. By the time I was back the tag was printed, by BP ready and the security guy was asking the standard question about my luaggage. The person calling the gate said that they thought I will not make it, as the immigration lines had backed up to the security lines and everything was at standstill.

I said I would make it.

I ran upstairs and a UA person followed me. We jumped the lines, and I was at the gate in 5 minutes. I made it.

I am a nobody on UA but they made it happen.

On the plane I had three FA I had flown with 2 weeks ago. They greeted me like friends. After settling in a quick dinner I knocked myself out to sleep.

About 4 hours into the flight the pilot comes on and explains that Brazilian Airspace was closed and we were not able to continue. We went on a holding pattern on the Bolivian Border and circled about 45 minutes. during that time a AA flight from EZE to MIA had to make a emergency landing in Bolivia as they had ran out of fuel.

Finally we were approved a new flight path and we flew along the west coast and Colombia.
This cost us enough fuel that we had to land in Orlando for refueling. By that time the crew had gone over time. But during the flight they already had voted to stay and continue on to IAD.

We arrived three hours late but we were the only plane from EZE to the US that did not turn around. All flights down had to turn around as well. Great Crew!


So all the ground crew bashing and complaining about FA's (as much as they might be true), can be forgotten with one of those experiences. This completely changed my attitude towards UA.