When a $500 trip turns into a $5000 trip. Lessons learned.
 

As a background, I see myself as an expert when it comes to travel. With many years of AA Executive Platinum, Delta Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Hallmark Crown Rewards Platinum Member, Hotels.com Gold Member, AMC Stubs Premiere Member, SamsungPay Platinum Member, and Long Island Rail Road Loyalty Member, I always thought I was the "big deal" when it came to traveling.


On that particular trip, I was booked on a really good fare to Zurich from New York City. I remember paying around $500 to celebrate the 4th of July weekend in the Swiss Alps. And what do you know? Despite my travel occurring in one of the most busiest travel seasons of the year, my AA systemwide upgrade cleared for both of us, for each direction.

Round-trip confirmed business class seats to Europe for $500 each – sounds pretty sweet right?


Going back to my travel habits, let’s say I’ve been getting a little cocky with arriving at the airport as close to the departure time as I could. Sometimes, I arrived right at the boarding time to fly through the security using my TSA Pre Check or Flagship Check-in (for JFK). But many other times, hearing "PAGING PASSENGER SAMWISE6222. THIS IS YOUR FINAL BOARDING CALL" became something I hear on my every flight.

I hated spending time in the airports and in the plane, so that's how I coped with it.


For years and years, it worked fine. Despite many many close encounters, missing your flight was something that only happened to other people.


Until they didn't.



It typically takes about 45 minutes to the airport from my home in Queens, NY but I gave myself an extra 30 minutes (scheduled to arrive 30 minutes before check-in cut off) as the online check-in system told me to SEE CHECK IN AGENT. On that fateful day, something was wrong with Grand Central Park on my way to JFK. There was a pile up on the way to the airport and my google map showed another accident on Van Wyck Expressway.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0d36044799.png
Different city, but this is how I felt in the traffic.

After agonizing 1.5 hours in the car, I missed my check-in deadline by 15 minutes.


But there is a flat-tire rule where the airline will try to get you on the next flight, right?

NOPE

It didn’t work for us as (1) JFK-ZRH flight runs once a day and (2) the flights were sold out at least for the following three days. As you can imagine, it was the 4th of July weekend: one of the busiest travel times of the year.

At that point, my options were (1) to forget about the trip altogether and forfeit any non-refundable bookings I’ve made in Switzerland or (2) buy a walk-up fare ticket to another city in Europe and try to find my way to Switzerland. I thought real hard about cancelling the trip altogether and move on with my life. But I couldn't. So I called AA EXP line and asked us to rebook to London.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d81b05b761.png
(that’s an additional $2,153 per person)
OK. It's ok. Breath in and breath out. That's extra $4,306 I didn't plan on spending but look on the bright side. I used American Express Platinum Card and earned 21,530 Membership Rewards Points!

I try to cheer myself up with all this MR points I am earning on top of AA Miles I will be earning, but... it didn't help.

But it's ok. We can still salvage this trip. We can still have an awesome time in Switzerland. I just need to find tickets from London to Switzerland. That should be simple, right?


(to be continued)

As many people know, it's not that expensive to buy inter-Europe flights. On most days, you will find Heathrow to Zurich flights for well under $100. But trying to book a last minute flight presents a completely different problem.

For Heathrow to Zurich, my options were:
British Airways direct flight for $500/ person
Swiss Air direct flight for $600/person
Iberia with connection in Madrid with 8 hour layover for $150/person
blah blah blah.

Oh wait. I see a direct flight from London City Airport to Zurich for $120/person. Sold!

I mean this is Europe. They should have an easy train that would connect Heathrow to City Airport.

W R O N G

The next morning, as we touched down in London I cursed at myself while waiting 2 hours for the infamous Heathrow Immigration.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...40b568a071.png

Phew. As an expert traveler, I gave myself plenty of time to connect off-airport/ separate ticket connections. I wasn't going to miss this flight.

But here I encounter another problem. UK Immigration is suspicious of me.

How can it be? I come to London all the time. I am a model American citizen with Global Entry, NEXUS and TSA Pre Check. I am a "Trusted Traveler" you know?

Immigration> Why are you coming to the UK?
Me> So that I can transfer to my flight leaving from the City Airport?
Immigration> Why are you going to Switzerland?
Me> Vacation
Immigration> Why did you buy the ticket last minute?
Me> Because I missed my flight
Immigration> Fine. Here's a stamp for 24 hour entry permit to the UK. <<-- This still gives me trouble all the time. Every time I go to the UK, they look at the 24 hour entry permit stamp and ask me if I have been deported from the UK. Ever since this stamp, I always get secondary inspection there. What!?!?

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ee62d561d2.png

It's 7AM. We are both groggy and tired, so we decide to call an Uber rather than looking for "cheaper option"

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...febaad274d.png

Our flight from LCY takes off with out an issue.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4557cffb08.jpg


[To be continued]

After hours and hours of travel, we are finally in Zurich.

Yes! Finally! Praise the Lord!

That’s good right?

So for that night, we booked our stay in Wengen, a beautiful village in Bernese Oberland.

As soon as we landed, I quickly looked up on Google Map to see where we had to go & what train to take. The time is now 6:40PM.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e652b0bc6f.png

At this point, my heart starts racing. It's 6:40 right now, and I need to clear immigration and customs and be on the train by 7:40PM at the latest, or otherwise I am going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. (Not really middle of nowhere since later trains required overnight stay in Interlaken, but still it would have dropped us in a place where we had no booking).

As we are running, I am crying. Tears flow from my eyes like waterfall as I tell myself "YOU WILL ALWAYS ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT AT LEAST 3 HOURS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. UNDERSTAND?"

My the grace of travel gods, we make it. There was no line for the immigration, and there was no one at the customs desk. Praise the Swiss efficiency!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ce9fab72dd.jpg
(Let's go let's go)

Forgetting the fact that we lost a whole day at this point we were just glad that we were going to get into Wengen today.

At 10:22PM, like a clockwork, our train pulls into Wengen station. Praise the Swiss efficiency!

OK. The town looks a bit empty, but with Google Maps, we can find our way to the hotel. This should be easy right?

W R O N G

What we did not realize was that many hotels in the region didn't have a 24 hour lobby/ check-in system.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e9f3e4faef.png


By the time we got there, the hotel was locked. Closed. Lights off other than a few dim lights in the lobby.

We were dragging our suitcase in the middle of a mountain (well paved road) with the only entrance to our hotel locked, shut.


I desperately look for hotel's phone number from my reservation. I call the number.

No one responds.


As I look for other signs around the hotel, my call to the hotel goes to the voicemail.

"Hi Thank you for calling xxxxx hotel. Our lobby is currently closed at the moment. If this is an emergency, please call xxxxxxxxx"

At this point, I am crying again. Tears coming out like the great Rhine Falls and someone picks up on the emergency line.

"HIII, I AM SO SORRY BUT I JUST GOT OFF THE TRAIN -sniff- AND I CAME HERE AND FOUND THE HOTEL LOCKED -sniff- I KNOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL YOU IN ADVANCE -sniff- BUT WE JUST HAD A HORRIBLE DAY -sniff- -sniff- "

>> it's ok. I am in the building. I will be right there ma'am.

At last, we made it to our hotel in Wengen, Switzerland.

<to be continued>

You lost me on " But many other times, hearing "PAGING PASSENGER SAMWISE6222. THIS IS YOUR FINAL BOARDING CALL" became something I hear on my every flight."

Thanks for making the rest of of us wait so that you can make your grand entrance into the cabin.

Let's say that doesn't happen anymore ;)

I recently posted on El Al forum about being uncomfortable about arriving at the airport 2 hrs before departure.

This is almost as funny as eightblack (who I really miss) !

Ouch:eek:! I guess when you fly too close to the sun you will eventually get burnt:D.

*facepalm*

Wow.

Just wow.

Lessons:
1) dont be a slob like me
2) be at the airport early
3) if you get cocky, it will eventually catch up to you


this incident was from many (2) years ago so I am still tracking down my pictures ;)

The only thing I can say to this is "Oy!"

My one Boss always had this Mantra - " Never run for an aircraft - ensure that you have enough time to enjoy a relaxing drink in the Lounge before you get on that plane". And to this day, that is what I believe in - relax, enjoy the ride - remember that the journey to the airport must be as relaxed as the trip itself.

My credo also. I'm relaxing at the AA Admirals Club at LAX right now, with a cup of java, a toasted bagel and FlyerTalk, with another 45 minutes before we board.

How Russian :)

You basically proven my point about always arriving early at an airport no matter what, despite what many think and say :) lol

I have to ask though, OP, why not just use the subway like everyone else then you wouldn't have got stuck in traffic...