The first rule of Flight Club is: you talk about Flight Club.

jfb

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Cancelled flights. Delayed Flights. Bumpy flights. Missed flights. Many of us have had them. The first rule of Flight Club is: you talk about Flight Club. So let's hear them.

I once missed a flight to The Vault. I got to the airport too late. They were calling my name as I approached the security line. Southwest was able to get me moving in the right direction without much hassle, but I had to wait and wait some more. I got the Tsunami party a bit late, but managed to catch up. Thankfully O'Callaghan's is walking distance from the bars.

On the way to Experience this year my flight was cancelled while I was driving to the airport. After I returned home and reviewed options I selected a new flight. After the switch the cancellation was cancelled...yeah I just said that...and my original flight was back on. I switched flights again only to have that flight delayed twice. The return flight was also delayed. It's also bumpy enough that typing this is taking way longer than it should.

Not the best stories, but stories none the less. I know we have some pretty serious road warriors out there. What do you have for us?
 
Obviously didn't make it to Experience this year, but flight cancellations seem to have become more and more prevalent especially in the last 2 years or so. The logistics of air travel have become so complex, especially with some planes flying multi-destination routes, bad weather in a totally different part of the country can delay your seemingly unrelated flight plans. For example, a flight from Chicago to Atlanta is delayed with clear skies in both cities and everywhere between... but your plane is coming to Chicago from Houston, where there's a raging storm. Boom, flight delay or cancellation.

In February my wife and I flew Delta from Grand Rapids, MI to Portland, OR with a layover in Minneapolis. Our flight out of GR was delayed due to whatever reason, so we got to Minneapolis with a very, very narrow window to make our connection. Our connection was in a different terminal, which required a short tram ride, which didn't help. We sprinted from our arrival gate to the tram, then sprinted to our next gate when we got off, and the smug desk agent told us when we got there, "Oh, too bad, you JUST missed it, they just pulled away from the gate." My wife was irate, I tried to hold it together because it was spilt milk at that point. I asked why they couldn't hold the plane for just a couple minutes, and of course she said they "can't delay flights for any reason because it affects other flights and schedules throughout the day." To a degree, yes, but at the same time they have very complex computer software, I know that front desk agent knew we weren't on the plane and that our connection had just landed, and she probably also knew that if they waited 5 minutes we would be there. But, I thought, I guess policies are policies, I didn't love it but again, spilt milk. The very unhelpful agent then directed us halfway down the terminal to guest services to receive a new itinerary, because she clearly didn't want to do jack for us. So we go there, and I'm pretty sure the young guy at the desk fabricated a phone call to avoid having to answer any questions for us, he typed away and handed us new boarding passes without hardly a word.

Fast forward to a few weeks later, my wife was flying Delta to Charlotte, NC to visit family. Wasn't she surprised, and irritated, when Delta delayed their flight's departure 15 minutes because one of the passengers left his cell phone at security!!! So, Delta, you can't wait for two passengers one day, but you can wait for someone to deliver a guy's freakin cell phone to the gate???

On the other hand, we recently flew Southwest from Chicago to Pensacola for a family vacation. On the way home, weather delayed our departure, and we would miss our connection. The gate agent moved heaven and earth to get us another flight with a connection that would get us to Chicago that night, and also printed us some back up passes that would get us to an alternate route that would get us there first thing in the morning if plan A failed. We made it home that night! Southwest really has their act together.
 
When you said flight club, I was thinking...well, y'know...the mile-high club.

I was all set for a different kind of story. :p
 
I started driving to work after consecutive weekends with a four hour trip taking over 12 hours. Weekend one my 7pm flight got delayed by an hour 4 times until they decided to cancel it at midnight. They did find me a flight leaving at 6am, but with an hour drive between home and the airport and an hour to clear customs and security again it didn't bode well for being in the best shape for business meetings the next day. The following weekend, my connection out of Cinncinati was sent early without me - I was the only one missing and it was going to be the last leg for that plane that day. I still have a couple of free flights to take with that airline, but otherwise am reluctant to give them any more business.
 
My best 'good' flight story is being given a complementary upgrade to first class by British Airways for a trans Atlantic flight. This meant I got a seat you could expand to a bed, a guest chair - you know, so you could invite some poor sucker in coach to marvel at what they could never have. The coolest part for me though as when they asked me how I would like my eggs and when. Oh...and a privacy screen.

I would never pay for all that, but it sure was nice to get it for free.
 
I've had pretty good luck with flights. Meaning no delays, no cancellation stories. I've had some, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, I've got two to add. First is back in 1990. Heading to an annual company meeting in St. Louis. The entire Chicago office (75ish employees) is on a flight from O'hare to St. Louis. Take off...trucking down the runway, trucking down the runway, nose gear off the tarmac, trucking down the runway, nose gear off the runway, shouldn't we be off the ground? We've been nose up too long! All of a sudden nose slams down and we came to a screeching halt. Alarms going off, taxi back to the gate. "Sorry folks, we had an alarm and had to abort takeoff." No sh!t Sherlock. We'll just be a few minutes as we think this was a false alarm. Sorry folks, we'll need to get you another plane due to technical issues. What?! Get me on a bus!! New plane gets us to St. Louis 4 hour hours late. Missed the meeting kick off , but not Happy Hour.

Second one: 2007, I'm flying from Chicago to Phoenix for a week long business meeting. Somewhere over the mountains in Colorado or northern Arizona we experience an "updraft." It's one of those 3 seat wide small regional jets (really, Chicago to Phoenix on a tiny plane!). We hit that "turbulence" and go perpendicular to the ground. Crap is flying every where. Stewardess says, "that's the worst turbulence I've ever experienced in 20 years on the job." No sh!t lady! Check my drawers. I crapped myself! Not really, but it was pretty scary. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled when my flight out of Phoenix almost got canceled because it was too hot. Apparently, when the temp is, like, 120, it f@cks it's the updraft and planes can't take off.
 
I travelled a lot back several years back. The coolest experience was flying on the upper deck first class of a Boeing 747 (yay for free upgrade!) with only (I think) 4 other people. It felt like my own private plane.

Worst experience was missing several connections and having to spend the night at the Amsterdam airport.

Most interesting experience was being taken out of the security line while at the Amsterdam airport and taken to what I presume is their "bomb room" due to my check in bag -xray looking a little suspicious. This room was a metal room a couple floors down with just one desk in the middle of the room and an x-ray machine. The "bomb" in question was most likely me wrapping my guitar cables around my guitar pedals that were in my check in bag.
 
I have not flown since before the TSA and waiting in lines started. The last flight I took was from SW Florida to Nashville for a recording session. We sat on the plane at the Florida air terminal for 4 hours till they decided to finally take off.

I don't envy all of you who have to fly and go through the lines and BS as it is now.
 
Bodia reminded me of a 'fun' flight. I was flying on a smallish Beechcraft with a guy from the office who had never flown before, and didn't really want to. About half an hour into the trip we hit some turbulence and then got struck by lightening. The coolness of the effect was completely lost on my companion who was certain he was dead, and looked a lot like a ghost.

He bought a car so he could drive the next trip.
 
I forgot another fun story on that same St. Louis trip. We were there for an annual company meeting. This would have been 93ish, so no super security. We're at the airport for the flight back to Chicago, getting ready to board or checking in at the gate, and one of our managers is getting harassed about his bag. He's had enough, and spouts off, "What? You think I got a gun, or something?" He may have said bomb instead of gun. Too many years ago. Either way, I've never seen so many armed men, come out of so many places, in such a short amount of time. The look on his face when he realized what he'd gotten himself into was hilarious. Probably not so much for him. Needless to say, he missed the flight.
 
2009, I had a business trip to London. Fly out to Dulles on Thursday afternoon, over the ocean to London to arrive Friday morning. Thursday afternoon, get to the airport - the flight is cancelled because of storms. "Is there anything else available that will get me to Dulles for my connection?" "No." "Well, I'm supposed to be there in the morning for a meeting, is there another option?" "You can fly to Denver, then Denver to London."

That's right - 2/3 of the way across the country in the OPPOSITE direction to get where I'm supposed to go. I call the secretary in our area who set it up to see what my options are, but in the end, I end up rebooking to leave the next morning, thus missing the meeting (not an important one, but it would have given me an extra night in London).

While I'm in London, it occurs to me that I haven't checked my voicemail in a couple days.

You know what's coming.

There's a voicemail from the airline. Timestamp is about 10 minutes after I left the office that Thursday, 20 minutes or so before I got to the airport. This is important info.

The message? "Your flight has been cancelled due to weather." Yeah, I knew that. "We have booked you on an alternate flight that will allow you to make your connecting flight and arrive at your destination on time."

Come again? I was rebooked BEFORE I got to the airport and they couldn't tell me that while I was AT THE AIRPORT???? AT THEIR COUNTER???

On the flight back, we were delayed at Heathrow because some yahoo checked a bag then never got on the plane, so they had to find his baggage and remove it. As a result, it's very touch and go to make my flight out of Dulles because I have to go through customs again and recheck my luggage through the security line. I have to take a tram to the terminal. Dulles has a helpful countdown clock at the tram door. I got on with less than 10 seconds to go. Next tram would have been five minutes or so later, and would have gotten me to the gate just in time to watch the plane pull away. As it was, I made it just before they closed the door, so I got home on my original flight and not a couple hours later (which would have meant about a 1 AM pickup).

My luggage made it the next day.
 
As an airline captain, I have more stories than you'd care to hear. Only a few are fit for public consumption...
 
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I don't fly a bunch but my trip home from the Vault last summer was fairly terrible. At least it wasn't on my way TO the Vault. Flight on Delta out of BWI to Milwaukee, WI with a short layover in Detroit. Everything moving as planned outta BWI, til we were in the plane, on the runway. Delayed for a reason I can't remember. Pilot announces we'd be clear for takeoff shortly...until another delay. I think it added up to an hour and a half sitting in the plane before we took off. Hardly any air movement, sucked. Finally we take off, then land in Detroit. Had I remembered the 20 minute locked door thing, I wouldn't have wasted any energy. But, somehow I'm thinking I can catch the flight home. Naturally, my gates are opposite sides of the airport...which is loooooooooooong. I take off sprinting on the moving walkways. Luckily, pretty much no people cause it's late. So I miss the flight after running across the airport. Not a huge deal in itself. My better half, back at home, is on the phone with Delta. She tells me where I'm supposed to go to get info/pass for a new flight early the next morning + a hotel voucher. I go there and they look at me like I'm crazy. They say they can't give me a hotel voucher and I had to go somewhere else for the new flight. So I start walking to where they directed me...nobody there. Call her back and tell her the story and she calls Delta back, raging. I'm super hungry, tired, hot and sweaty and cranky because I feel like the airport and airline are giving me the run around and nobody knows what the hell they're talking about. She calls me back and tells me Delta told me to go back to the place I started. They will give me the new flight, a hotel voucher and a meal voucher. Great! Of course that didn't happen. I'm told by the airport to go to yet another location. I say, "I've already been there." Finally I had do get Delta on the phone and hand my cell to the airport employee, who of course had to get her manager. Hours have gone by, I feel like I can barely stand. I feel weak and tired, just need to eat and go to bed. I finally get everything I need from the airport person. Aaaaannnnd every place in the airport that serves real food is CLOSED. I'm fed up and decide to head to the shuttle to get me to the hotel. I figured vending machine food was the only choice anywhere since I had no transportation and would fall asleep before any late night delivery would show up. Waiting for the shuttle, and waiting and waiting and waiting. Every hotel on the face of the earth besides mine.:mad: There was another couple that showed up who were very nice, they could see my weary frustration. Their shuttle came and I asked the driver if he knew anything about my hotel/shuttle. He said he knew where it was and he would drop me off after taking the couple to the hotel. It was only a couple blocks out of his way. Super nice guy. I think I tipped him like $40 for taking me. At this point, I'd only get 3-4 hours of sleep before I had to be back at the airport. Get to the hotel, hand them the voucher and they set it up and respond with "That'll be $XXX, please." I was assured the hotel voucher would not be a pay/reimburse situation. I explain it to the poor woman at the desk. She did give me a discounted price and I didn't have the energy to talk to anyone anymore. I got a bag of chips, a diet Coke and off to bed I went. Upon arriving in Milwaukee the next morning, I had to take a bus back to Madison because all my ride options were either working or outta town, so that tacked another 4 1/2 hours on the next day. But I ended up getting reimbursed for everything and a free flight to Experience this year and of course my PS.
 
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