HALLIE EPHRON: Timing is everything, and my recent travel timing has been dismal.
This was my tenth time traveling to San Francisco to teach at a wonderful mystery writing conference at Book Passage in Corte Madera. I get to teach fantastic, committed aspiring writers and hang out with faculty that includes Cara Black and Rachel Howzell Hall and Tim Maleeny and Rhys Bowen (remember her?)… to name a few.
And the bookstore and its staff are divine.
This year I flew into SFO on Delta. Departure delayed by thunderstorms.
When they finally let us board the plane, I discovered that my “window seat” had no window. When they tightened the space between the seats in steerage, they seemed to have added a row with its own half-sized overhead luggage bin and NO WINDOW.
I had a meltdown. I mean, you pay for a window seat, you expect to sit by a window. Not a wall. Six hours in what felt like a flying coffin? No way.
I admit, I burst into real tears. A steward took pity on me and switched me to an empty middle seat elsewhere.
Otherwise the plane did not inspire confidence. There were supposedly two bathrooms in (crammed to the gills) economy but one had red tape across the door with the message OUT OF ORDER. The other bathroom (notaroom-sized compartment) was SO TINY that seriously, anyone even slightly overweight could easily end up wedged inside. Certainly there was NO possibility of going in with a child.
Then the bathroom door jammed when I tried to get OUT (I had to bang and holler) and the male steward who sprang me thought that was funny.
It was on the return trip that things really got ugly. I was supposed to fly out at 7:30 AM. So I got to the airport at 6.
The SFO airport did not spark optimism. The seating area…
The bathroom sinks…
The message boards…
And of course as the departure time neared, no gate attendant.
Tick Tick Tick.
Finally a gate attendant arrived and stewards boarded the plane. But no pilot.
Tick tick tick.
Still no pilot. All through the terminal flights were being cancelled. Lines at customer service snaked down hallways. Airport staff seemed to go into a protective crouch, and who could blame them? They were as stymied as the passengers.
What we all slowly realized was that we were caught in a computer malfunction that affected anyone flying just about anywhere that day, and particularly anyone flying domestic and on Delta.
At 11 pm, with the message board still only admitting to a DELAY, I got out my cell phone, cancelled my ticket, and booked a red-eye home on United, leaving the next evening.
I did eventually get home (thanks, United - thanks to the pilot who showed up, and thanks for the window seat that had a window) two days after I intended, and at least I hadn’t checked luggage (NEVER CHECK LUGGAGE!) But I’m left convinced that the world of air travel, not to mention anything that relies on computer technology, is truly broken… and if it isn’t, it’s soon going to be.
What was it that the ad used to say? “Getting there is half the fun.” Not.
Have you had a recent travel adventure that you wish hadn't?
Oh, what a mess . . . I feel for anyone caught up in that horrific nightmare . . . .
ReplyDeleteWe don't usually have travel issues because we drive [well, John drives] but we are going to visit our daughter and her family in Colorado Springs, so we're counting on the airline to get us there and back again [fingers crossed] . . . .
I do think that on average things go well... it's just that when they don't, it's [rhymes with well].
DeleteHALLIE: So sorry you were caught in that Delta fiasco at SFO. I wonder why they had so much more trouble than the other airlines? Good thing you booked another flight with United.
ReplyDeleteSo far, my 6 flights this year were problem free.
Saying that, I have probably jinxed next Tuesday's flights to Nashville. Connecting via Chicago O'Hare is not one of my favourite choices but there's limited choices flying out of Ottawa.
Wish me luck!
My travel agent says she flies AIR CANADA whenever she can.
DeleteUgh. What a horrible day(s) you had, Hallie. Did you find somewhere close to the airport to stay? If I'd known, I'd have had my cousin and his wife put you up in Foster City. It's just down the freeway and their house is on a canal!
ReplyDeleteMy flights have been all right lately, thank goodness. Just before the pandemic (and I'm talking March 2, 2020, so JUST before), my older son and I were meeting at the airport in Orlando to fly on to Puerto Rico together to visit my younger son. Allan didn't show and didn't show and the attendant was very close to closing the door. I was panicking - did I get on without him or wait? We would arrive in the wee hours of the morning and have to pick up our rental car and .... he came sprinting up! We made it and had a great visit, and even made it home on the 9th without getting sick.
I do have a friend who lives near the airport who not only put me up overnight but picked me up from the airport. So I was spared the hunt for overnight accommodations.
DeleteWhew!
DeleteWe've had some travel incidents. Some at airports, with unexplained delays and missing (hiding) support staff. But we also spent 3 hours at the exit tolls of the NJ Tpke when repairs to the bridge ahead of us took 9 lanes down to 1. Or again, NJ Tpke, 2 hours sitting still, both lanes south of exit 4 dead stopped for an accident near exit 2.
ReplyDeleteIt is annoying, frustrating and maddening. However, I say a prayer before every trip. And at this age, some of my biggest concerns include, will there be a bathroom?
You and me both, Judy!
DeleteAh the bathroom hunt. I can totally relate. But what a nightmare on the NJ pike. 9 lines to ONE?!?! Aaagh.
DeleteThe days of "the glamour of travel" are long long gone, aren't they. What a horrible experience, Hallie. I'm glad you rescued yourself via United. Why is it that airlines feel they can get away with such atrocious customer service? Without customers, planes would be empty and there would be no profit for them at all. It's about US not them. Isn't it? And when things go wrong, it would be so great if they had enough staff with good communication skills to, well, communicate with the inconvenienced customers...
ReplyDeleteAmen Amanda!!
DeleteI actually felt sorry for the airline staff IN the airport. Woulda made me want to go home and take a shower and pour myself a stiff drink.
DeleteHallie, what a terrible ordeal! But consider perhaps that your experience might wind up in a book! Not saying it was worth it in that case, but you never know. I haven't flown in years and you have given me no reason to look forward to doing it anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteFor his work, my son flies just about every week. He refuses to fly on Delta and prefers Southwest. I'm not sure why his preferences are what they are but I am guessing he has had a few bad experiences.
So interesting. Southwest?!? Wondering how he feels about them changing their boarding process.
DeleteI keep meaning to ask him about that and keep forgetting. My guess is he will like it.
DeleteSo sorry this happened to you Hallie! How terrible! The airlines (and other corporations) just want to squeeze as much money out of us as they can--look what happened to Boeing when it got taken over and "streamlined" by financial vultures. And we live in a technology-dependent world where the technology will fail sometimes. I'm sorry it happened to you.
ReplyDeleteSqueeze: the perfect verb for it.
DeleteGlad you made it home with your luggage, and with your temper intact, Hallie. That no-window, no-bathroom situation should be out of bounds for a flight. A working toilet for 300 people seems a small thing to ask.
ReplyDeleteThe airlines in the US are atrocious, and they seem to be determined to make the experience as awful as possible for the passenger, which as Amanda points out, is their CUSTOMER. It's demeaning to be treated like cattle, jammed into ever-smaller seats, and thrown tiny bags of carbohydrate-laden "snacks" to sustain us for hours. Ugh.
My globetrotting daughters fly with United, Southwest, and Frontier. Even if the service isn't tiptop with the last two, at least the flight wasn't priced as though it would be. I have accumulated enough SkyMiles with Delta to be a Silver Medallion customer, with a hairs' worth of miles between that and Gold status, but big, hairy deal. Delta makes it so difficult to use the miles, which is why they've been sitting there so long. Such a hollow promise. The only good thing about "status", as we learned when we flew from Athens to Warsaw with our daughter and son-in-law, is that you get priority boarding, and free bag checks, and a couple other perks. That amount to a whoopy-do in totality. What I really want is for everyone to be treated with the same respect, which seems like a vain hope these days.
I think status DOES matter if you get bumped or cancelled... you're more likely to get better treatment.
DeleteWhich is really unfair.
DeleteKaren, your “really unfair” raises a “why?” for me. If I have flown enough (read spent enough money) to earn status getting better treatment is part of the package. While every customer deserves courtesy, not every customer has earned points. Just cynical old me. Elisabeth
DeleteBecause I think every customer, a word I want to emphasize, deserves courtesy, value for their money, and an expectation of service. Paying extra these days doesn't even guarantee that, and the airlines play games all the time.
DeleteFor instance, now they want to charge extra for families to book swats together, for exit row seats--even though those seats require a real responsibility in case of an emergency, and levels of "comfort" that are worth far less than the charge for them. I booked us seats to Greece in Delta's Comfort Plus, which two years ago meant very nice seats with extra services. More money, but I was able to sleep. This time Comfort Plus meant three inches more legroom, period. Oh, yes, it did include a fairly useless "amenities kit", but that was in no way worth the couple hundred bucks more that we paid for each seat. It reminded me of the old days, when the no smoking section was the next row forward of the smoking seats, just another phony designation that insults our intelligence.
Oh Hallie - sorry you had to put up with this. Ugh. . You were smart to have cancelled the return trip. More people should do just that. After all Delta depends are customers and they are taking advantage of them.
ReplyDeleteI normally fly Southwest and recently Alaska which was a good experience.
To their credit, Delta did process my expense reimbursement finally... they paid for my uber back to the airport and the difference between my united and delta flight.
DeleteWhat a mess, and how frustrating to be caught up in it! It also shows you the fragility of the air travel system, doesn’t it? One thing goes wrong, and systemwide the computers, crash, and as a result, every single human beings, What a mess, and how frustrating to be caught up in it! It also shows you the fragility of the air travel system, doesn’t it? One thing goes wrong, and systemwide the computers, crash, and as a result, every single human being’s life crashes.
ReplyDeleteYou’re very wise, I agree, to get out of Dodge and start again. . you’re very wise, I agree, to get out of Dodge and. start again.
I saw so many people on TV missing weddings, and funerals and life-changing events… What a complete debacle. So incredibly frustrating, but, like a true writer, you made it into a great essay! I glad you are home and safe. With windows.
Hallie, glad you made it home and was able to switch carriers.
ReplyDeleteThe only major snafu I've had on a flight was several years ago when I was trying to attend my father's funeral. Delays upon delays until they finally said the flight was canceled. Otherwise, I'm not saying anything negative since I need to get on a plane in a couple of days.
What a debacle, Hallie! I haven't traveled since before the pandemic. By choice, yes, but not by preference, if that makes any sense. Yet, part of me thinks I'm better off not traveling. One of my friends says she loves to go places but hates the travel. I guess the answer would be Star Trek-style direct beaming, but that only works on TV.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, what a debacle, Hallie! I am so sorry about your travel tribulations. I've never flown on Delta, so I have no idea what the airline is like. So glad that you made it home! I never check my luggage these days. I have seen many people post about flight delays on social media. This comment is going to be long!
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be happening a lot recently. I remember Liv Ullman's daughter Linn Ullman was supposed to come to California for a Book Festival before the pandemic and all of a sudden, the Scandinavian Airlines pilots went on strike and Linn had to cancel at the last minute! At least you were able to make it to Book Passage in California and that you made it back home to the East Coast. Hope we can bring back cross country train travel so there is another option.
However, I have flown on United many times. As a child, I think it was the Smiley plane. I cannot recall the name of the airline. I think it was PSA? I remember the face of the plane looked like a smile was painted across the front. Going to Europe, I've flown on Pan Am then Virgin Atlantic. Going to Canada, it was Air Canada, I think.
About 24 years ago, I remember my plane from Chicago was delayed several times. Yes, I was flying on United. My plane was scheduled to leave in the morning. However, when I arrived at the airport, I saw that my plane was delayed until the evening. I did NOT want to travel from the airport in the evening. Then I saw another United plane going to my destination within an hour so I decided to see if I could get on the plane. It was risky. Remember this was before 9/11. I walked up to the gate and gave the ticket agent my ticket. The ticket agent stamped the ticket and I walked on the plane. It looked different inside. I looked at my row number and seat. I went to my row and sat there. I was nervous, hoping that no one else had my row /seat number. No one came up to me and insisted that my seat was their seat. My prayers were answered. The plane left without incident and I made it home. And the biggest surprise was that my seat was in FIRST CLASS! Everyone was kind.
Not lately, but one might be coming up soon. Airline travel has sure changed, hasn't it?
ReplyDeleteDelta seems to be an ongoing disaster.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you went through that nightmare. it was certainly all over the news at the time. And I can't help wondering if Delta will ever recover from the damage to their reputation. Who wouldn't think twice about flying with them now? As to a recent trip of horror....not mine but my family's. My daughter was in Israel on a work trip this summer. Her husband and younger daughter made plans to meet up have a few days of family vacation. (we helped them pack!) Wrong summer for this plan and a scary time to be in that part of the world. Our daughter's improvised trip home involved around 10 hours at the Bucharest airport and a connection in Rome before she was back in US. There were some sleepless nights.
ReplyDeleteI have never had a good experience on Delta. Years ago, I was trying to get to a friend's funeral and had to fly Delta. There were 4 legs to the trip and not a single one went smoothly. I never flew it again.
ReplyDeleteYikes, Hallie, such a nightmare! I don't ever fly Delta and am even less inclined after the recent debacle. Because Dallas is an American hub AA is my airline of choice, and so far, knock wood, I haven't had a major issue. Last summer when I was flying to London we had a weather delay (Dallas thunderstorm) which meant we eventually got rerouted through New York, but it all went pretty smoothly and I arrived in London with me and my luggage intact. (I do check for a three week trip but am starting to wonder if I could possibly manage with carry-on...)
ReplyDeleteNot flying, but driving. We took an unexpected trip and spent most of the time just driving. We left home (TN), drove to Durham, NC to our daughter's new house and dropped off our dog for them to watch. Left the next morning and spent the night in GA just before the Florida border. Drove to Orlando the next day via back roads. I despise I-95 and I-4. Getting there late afternoon, we visited my husband's brother and his wife. Next day we drove to a 99 year old family friend's south of Tampa. He moves to assisted living the 27th and wanted to see us first. We spent 2 hours visiting with him and headed North spending the night in the same hotel we did on the way down. Next day, back to Durham. A quick visit and a bit of help unpacking with our daughter. They have not been in the house long, she has been super busy at work, and they have barely started unpacking. Next morning we took our dog and headed home. No real time to get out and walk, just drive and sit for short visits. We don't travel as fast or as well as we used to. We have a conference coming up next month in Oklahoma City and some traveling afterwards. We need to make more time for stopping, walking around, and doing a bit of site seeing.
ReplyDelete