Arrrrgh stupid stupid (agent at MCO book poor connection)
 

So I've just looked at the boarding passes I was issued for my flight MCO-xORD-LHR. It shows that my MCO-ORD segment will be delayed - the flight departure time shows 8pm, whereas the flight was scheduled to depart at 7pm. My connection leaves ORD at 9:50pm, and that is also printed on my boarding pass.

This means that I was checked in onto a flight which the person checking me in *knew* I had no chance of making my connection. I checked in at 4pm - I was at the airport early. In addition, I *asked* if there were any problems with the Chicago flight, and I was told that the only problems are with flights to Dallas, Texas.

Now my bag has been checked in, and I'm being told that there is no way to get it off. I have a flight direct to Gatwick with Virgin, but if I can't get my luggage from AA then I clearly can't get on there.

Damn stupid lying check-in lady :-(

-simon

You are actually departing at 7pm ORD time. With a flight of about 2 hours you will be in Chicago around 9pm, plenty of time to make your LHR flight. Relax.

He's not going to get to Chicago until 9:55pm according to AA.com, flight time is more like three hours.

Anyway that stinks, I guess you can hope the connection will also be delayed? Good luck.

Did you interline the bags ? :confused:

It's 1000 miles. Is AA using a prop job on this route:confused: (it's 1005 miles)

I fly TPA-ORD all the time (about 1012 miles) and the flight time is about 2:15 minutes.

Maybe you know something I don't know....

If the MCO flight leaves at the new scheduled time of 8pm (local time, 7pm ORD time) then the TA did not lie to anybody. YMMV.

Flight schedule is 7:00pm EDT landing at 8:55pm CET. If it leaves at 8:00pm EDT it will probably land at 9:55pm CET. My connection leaves at 9:50pm CET.

Bag is checked in to Heathrow. Guess I just have to hope the ORD-LHR leg is delayed.

-simon

I'm not claiming to know anything special I was just citing what the arrival time for flight AA860 MCO-ORD is shown as on AA.com. Its shown as 9:55pm I'm not saying it can't or won't get there faster.

According to AA's system they checked him in for an inbound leg that arrives 5 min. after the outbound leg. I'd have some issue with this. Whether the GA had knowledge of this and "lied" about it I don't know.

It is currently scheduled to leave at 8 pm, arriving in ORD at 9:55. The ORD-LHR flight is still on-time at 9:50 pm, so it doesn't look like the connection is going to work.

The scheduled time (gate to gate) is 2:55.

It departed at 8:06PM yesterday and arrived at 9:57PM. Uninformed speculation aside, looks like you're taking AA90 tomorrow morning as opposed to 98 tonight if they can't get your bags to you. Of course, if you made VS16 you are now on the plane and won't see this until you get there. ;)

Descriptive header. Does OP want people to skip over the thread?

So, I got to ORD at 9:50. The GA at gate K18 said to me as we were disembarking "you have five minutes to make your connection - you need to run, don't walk, to gate L8". I told her I am asthmatic, and asked if there's any chance she could call them and let them know I'm coming, and she said that no if I don't make it I'll miss the flight.

I wanted to get home to see my kids, so I ran. I'm not sure how long it took, but I got to the counter and basically collapsed. This being the US, they called a paramedic, but I was OK - I just needed a rest and my inhaler. So, I made it onto the flight. Actually, I would have made it onto the flight even if I had strolled - the flight was listed as delayed by half an hour outbound. I'd have probably seen that on the signs if I'd looked, but the lady with her computer had said I need to run, so I didn't stop.

Now, remember the reason I was on this flight was because AA had held my luggage to ransom - telling me that if I don't fly with them but rather with Virgin, they can't offload my luggage and that it will get to Chicago and stop there. Well...I get to LHR, and despite the fact that there was an extra half an hour delay to this flight - my luggage stayed behind at Chicago. They'll deliver it as soon as they can.

Thoroughly disappointing experience all told.

-simon

While not to throw stones .. fly.faa.gov last night was predicting 2 1/2 hour delays on flights ex-ORD due to winds.

Only 30 minutes late was a minor miracle at ORD!

As far as the luggage, it missed the connection that you ran to make .. all too common an occurrance at ORD.

Glad to hear at least your body made it! Too bad the luggage didn't follow, but it could have been worse.

That's not accurate at all. If the inbound flights are delayed, then the outbound flights are often delayed, as well. Her experience may have told her that there was a high chance that the connecting flight would be delayed enough for you to make it (not an uncommon situation by any means).

Should she have told you that there was a problem and that in her opinion you had a good chance of making it, anyway - and then offered you options? Sure. But the fact that she didn't do so doesn't make her a 'damn stupid lying check-in lady'.

Indeed, it could - I'm looking at the kids asleep on the sofa right now and I'm glad to be back. But it could also have been so much better if they had either not checked me in for this connection while lying about it being on time, or if they had managed to get my luggage back in the FOUR HOURS before the flight so I could get on another flight (which had availability), or if they had offered to get my luggage to its destination and let me get on the Virgin flight (they said if I refund my ticket my luggage will be stuck in Chicago and will not be their responsibility).

I don't blame AA for the weather or earlier cancellations. I do blame them for the state of their customer service!

-simon