AC 833: ATC over Belgium Closed due to power failure
May 27, 2015, 4:48 pm
#16
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: YYC
Posts: 35
AC 833 should be departing at 1AM according to the website, though who knows what sort of stuff is actually going on at the airport
. Hope you're able to get back quickly!Also, they really can't reroute a lot of the passengers since Air Canada serves Brussels only from Montreal, though as mentioned above some passengers could reroute through Frankfurt or London.
May 27, 2015, 5:48 pm
#17
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Flight delayed. Again.
According to Air Canada's Flight Status page now 01:40 local time, expected to arrive YUL 03:56, May 28
Except, it still has not departed.
According to Air Canada's Flight Status page now 01:40 local time, expected to arrive YUL 03:56, May 28
Except, it still has not departed.
Last edited by 24left; May 27, 2015 at 5:54 pm
May 27, 2015, 8:02 pm
#20
Formerly known as tireman77
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,517
Getting a Hotel in Brussels tonight would have been impossible. As for UA... EVERYONE was in the same boat. Nothing was landing or taking off and no one knew exactly when.
In hindsight, it was a good decision.
Oh and edit: How exactly do you want AC to plan for a situation like this? And since Swissport operated the AC counter... the reaction was theirs. But I still think they made the right choice.
Last edited by PLeblond; May 27, 2015 at 8:08 pm
May 27, 2015, 8:29 pm
#21
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: YUL
Programs: AC SE (*A Gold), Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Hilton Gold, Amex Platinum / AP Reserve, NEXUS, Global Entry
Posts: 5,691
Assuming one manages to get a hotel room, any idea if it would be covered under a typical credit card trip interruption insurance?
May 28, 2015, 2:59 am
#22
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 546
I am surprised at the Swissport comment though. I wasn't there when AC833 was cancelled on May 14, but according to my wife everyone was queuing up at the AC ticket booth next to passport control for the B gates, not at check-in. Given that it's AC's passengers, I'd expect the airline to be dealing with re-routing, not Swissport which has no authority on AC seats.
@ffsim: I'd expect so, yes. Worthwhile calling in to you your CC before making any expenses though so there is a claim and you can confirm coverage.
@PLeblond, I expect/hope you weren't among the 500 passengers that slept in the terminal....
May 28, 2015, 4:09 am
#23
Formerly known as tireman77
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,517
I agree that this is pretty much unplannable. And the offer made is probably the best possible in that timespan. Was the offer in the lounge made by the concierge?
I am surprised at the Swissport comment though. I wasn't there when AC833 was cancelled on May 14, but according to my wife everyone was queuing up at the AC ticket booth next to passport control for the B gates, not at check-in. Given that it's AC's passengers, I'd expect the airline to be dealing with re-routing, not Swissport which has no authority on AC seats.
@ffsim: I'd expect so, yes. Worthwhile calling in to you your CC before making any expenses though so there is a claim and you can confirm coverage.
@PLeblond, I expect/hope you weren't among the 500 passengers that slept in the terminal....
I am surprised at the Swissport comment though. I wasn't there when AC833 was cancelled on May 14, but according to my wife everyone was queuing up at the AC ticket booth next to passport control for the B gates, not at check-in. Given that it's AC's passengers, I'd expect the airline to be dealing with re-routing, not Swissport which has no authority on AC seats.
@ffsim: I'd expect so, yes. Worthwhile calling in to you your CC before making any expenses though so there is a claim and you can confirm coverage.
@PLeblond, I expect/hope you weren't among the 500 passengers that slept in the terminal....
It was done in the lounge. I do not believe it was an official 'concierge'. The official one had taken the day off (Good decision on their part). I cannot imagine trying to explain this at the gate with 200 people all asking 100 questions. They had a printout with about 10 names on it.
Either way, great job on their part.
And no, I did not sleep in the terminal.
May 28, 2015, 6:49 am
#25
Formerly known as tireman77
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,517
Honestly, I'm not sure. I know a few were SE's and some just paid J, not even AP.
We deplaned and I was talking to an SE who decided to try and get to the nicer A lounge for the (probable) long wait. I did not see hm again, so people probably dispersed. I assume some of them also called the concierge office, but what can you do? One person cannot take calls from 30 people, and do their job. I assume they may have done a walkthrough at the gate looking for specific people but the Terminal B area was a Cluster-You-Know-What, because the 3 UA flights (IAD-EWR-ORD) were boarding at that time too. It was an absolute, zoo, as you can imagine.
People in the lounge were complaining to the agents at the desk in the lounge. The lounge people were very polite and some flyers did not get it. I actually 'intervened' a few times to a group of people just to say: "Hey... There are No flights. To anywhere, from anywhere, and no one know when they will be able to resume. Your only alternatives are a car or a train. Period."
These things happen when you fly. Not much you can do about it, and I certainly can't blame anyone for how this was handled.
We deplaned and I was talking to an SE who decided to try and get to the nicer A lounge for the (probable) long wait. I did not see hm again, so people probably dispersed. I assume some of them also called the concierge office, but what can you do? One person cannot take calls from 30 people, and do their job. I assume they may have done a walkthrough at the gate looking for specific people but the Terminal B area was a Cluster-You-Know-What, because the 3 UA flights (IAD-EWR-ORD) were boarding at that time too. It was an absolute, zoo, as you can imagine.
People in the lounge were complaining to the agents at the desk in the lounge. The lounge people were very polite and some flyers did not get it. I actually 'intervened' a few times to a group of people just to say: "Hey... There are No flights. To anywhere, from anywhere, and no one know when they will be able to resume. Your only alternatives are a car or a train. Period."
These things happen when you fly. Not much you can do about it, and I certainly can't blame anyone for how this was handled.
Last edited by PLeblond; May 28, 2015 at 6:56 am
May 28, 2015, 9:36 am
#26
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,002
http://atwonline.com/air-traffic-con...lgian-airspace
An air traffic control technical failure closed Belgian airspace Wednesday morning, which caused hundreds of flights to be either canceled or diverted.
The problem began at 0945 local time Wednesday morning. Eurocontrol recently tweeted there will be a “gradual restarting of systems that will start at 12UTC with some flights to/from Brussels.”
An air traffic control technical failure closed Belgian airspace Wednesday morning, which caused hundreds of flights to be either canceled or diverted.
The problem began at 0945 local time Wednesday morning. Eurocontrol recently tweeted there will be a “gradual restarting of systems that will start at 12UTC with some flights to/from Brussels.”
May 28, 2015, 11:22 am
#28
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,830
Belgium isn't in the CET timezone right now it's in CEST (Central European Summer Time). Much in the same way Toronto is currently EDT and not EST.
May 28, 2015, 2:28 pm
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YYC
Posts: 23,803