Ever fly to the wrong city?
May 8, 2012 | 3:40 pm
#17
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT (2MM), HH DIA, IHG PLT
Posts: 497
Flew into Los Angeles on American via a connection to San Diego. Didn't realize American had an American Eagle terminal separate from the main airport. I called the shuttle to pick me up to no avail. Took me forever to realize I was not at the main airport. Should have know when I thought to myself...this is pretty small for an airport.
May 8, 2012 | 4:08 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,934
May 8, 2012 | 9:49 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 88
Not myself, but I actually saw the Bloomington IN/IL problem happen to some folks! I was at a conference in Bloomington Indiana (which I can drive to) and a carload of folks arrived quite late for the conference because they had flown to Illinois. They didn't catch it until they piled into the rental car, plugged the conference hotel address into the GPS, and it told them it was a 4+ hour drive. they went back up to the rental car counter, "uh, is this thing right?" 
May 8, 2012 | 10:31 pm
#21
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Seattle
Programs: Costco Club
Posts: 1,610
I can see this happening,
Just last Feb I was flying Horizon Air from SEA and they have it where you walk down to some weird walkway and like outside lane 1 is portland, lane 2 is Kalispell or something and the signs aren't always visible or are confusing and a few people on my plane (not the one to Kalispell) got off when they realized it wasn't going to FCA!
In the 90's my dad was flying from Vegas home to LA and got a flight, was in his seat when the flight attendant walked up to him and said "Where are you going?" He replied "Los Angeles." Her reply was "Well we're going to Phoenix!"
Just last Feb I was flying Horizon Air from SEA and they have it where you walk down to some weird walkway and like outside lane 1 is portland, lane 2 is Kalispell or something and the signs aren't always visible or are confusing and a few people on my plane (not the one to Kalispell) got off when they realized it wasn't going to FCA!
In the 90's my dad was flying from Vegas home to LA and got a flight, was in his seat when the flight attendant walked up to him and said "Where are you going?" He replied "Los Angeles." Her reply was "Well we're going to Phoenix!"
May 8, 2012 | 10:41 pm
#22
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,655
About 20 years ago, I remember a story about a woman who was flying to San Jose, Costa Rica but ended up in San Jose, California. Apparently she didn't speak English and wound up at a hotel where she spent the night. The next morning, she was speaking with one of the hotel staff when she realized her mistake.
I was trying to find the story in an archived newspaper but haven't located it.
I was trying to find the story in an archived newspaper but haven't located it.
May 9, 2012 | 2:01 am
#24
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Flying Blue, easyJet Plus (!)
Posts: 1,762
Wouldn't surprise me if the names were of similar origin, but the places definitely aren't!
Neil
May 9, 2012 | 3:15 am
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
I ended up once many years ago in Wenzhou rather than Ningbo.
I was coming off a longhaul flight at Guangzhou and there was an attendant waiting for me that rushed me to a plane. Very good service. Unfortunately she rushed me to the wrong plane. I ended up driving to Ningbo (where my meeting was) from Wenzhou. It is quite a long drive.
I was coming off a longhaul flight at Guangzhou and there was an attendant waiting for me that rushed me to a plane. Very good service. Unfortunately she rushed me to the wrong plane. I ended up driving to Ningbo (where my meeting was) from Wenzhou. It is quite a long drive.
May 9, 2012 | 6:48 am
#26
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: ABZ/NCL
Posts: 2,943
Not me but I know somebody who was flying Iberia from London to Johannesburg with a layover in Madrid. The Lima and Johannesburg flights leave from neighbouring gates and were both the same type of plane right next to each other. He arrived in Madrid late so the Iberia agent ran with him to the plane and accidentally put him on the Lima flight instead. By the time he realized the plane was taxiing and it was too late so he had to fly all the way to Lima. He got compensation and was put up in a hotel at Lima airport, the next day he had to fly all the way back to Madrid and then arrived in Johannesburg 2 days late 
.
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May 9, 2012 | 7:10 am
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
Not me but I know somebody who was flying Iberia from London to Johannesburg with a layover in Madrid. The Lima and Johannesburg flights leave from neighbouring gates and were both the same type of plane right next to each other. He arrived in Madrid late so the Iberia agent ran with him to the plane and accidentally put him on the Lima flight instead. By the time he realized the plane was taxiing and it was too late so he had to fly all the way to Lima. He got compensation and was put up in a hotel at Lima airport, the next day he had to fly all the way back to Madrid and then arrived in Johannesburg 2 days late .
.
May 9, 2012 | 7:32 am
#28
Join Date: Apr 2010
Programs: UA Primier Gold, DL nada, HHonors Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 185
Didn't fly the wrong flight either but had a very hard time convincing the foreign government for whom I was contracting that leaving from Jackson Hole (JAC) was going to be very inconvenient since I live in Jacksonville (JAX) when they sent me a ticket.
May 9, 2012 | 7:48 am
#30
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 842
It wasn't me, but I witnessed a woman in tears who had accidently flown to Lafayette, IN (LAF) rather than Lafayette, LA (LFT).
There isn't commercial service to LAF anymore so it couldn't happen today. I wonder what was on her mind at DTW when she stepped on to a Northwest SF3. DTW to LFT would be quite a long ride in a Saab.
The GAs at LAF were very accomodating to her. They provided her with shuttle service down to IND and put her in first class for her onward journey to LFT.
This wasn't a case of getting on the wrong plane, but rather she had actually booked her flight to LAF. NWA accomodated her on her onward journey and changed her return flights so that they departed from LFT free of charge.
There isn't commercial service to LAF anymore so it couldn't happen today. I wonder what was on her mind at DTW when she stepped on to a Northwest SF3. DTW to LFT would be quite a long ride in a Saab.
The GAs at LAF were very accomodating to her. They provided her with shuttle service down to IND and put her in first class for her onward journey to LFT.
This wasn't a case of getting on the wrong plane, but rather she had actually booked her flight to LAF. NWA accomodated her on her onward journey and changed her return flights so that they departed from LFT free of charge.