Summer 2022 Travel nightmare thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends just got back from Greece. Their flight in Athens was cancelled to due an equipment issue. They spent the night in Athens & were offered flights connecting through two European airports or a non stop to JFK. As screwed up as everything is, they figured getting their feet on US soil was a good thing (they were headed half across the country, but they could drive from there, if absolutely necessary). At JFK, there was a storm delay, and then their crew “timed out” so they ended up spending the night in chairs at JFK.

The problem is a lack of backup crews and equipment. There used to be crews and equipment in standby at major airports, but that doesn’t exist anymore.

Why couldn’t they book a hotel near JFK?

There may not have been time. Our 8 PM flight was delayed and delayed before being canceled around 12:30 AM. By the time we were rebooked it was 2 AM (massive line). Our flight out was at 5 AM. By the time we'd gotten to a hotel it would have been time to come back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends just got back from Greece. Their flight in Athens was cancelled to due an equipment issue. They spent the night in Athens & were offered flights connecting through two European airports or a non stop to JFK. As screwed up as everything is, they figured getting their feet on US soil was a good thing (they were headed half across the country, but they could drive from there, if absolutely necessary). At JFK, there was a storm delay, and then their crew “timed out” so they ended up spending the night in chairs at JFK.

The problem is a lack of backup crews and equipment. There used to be crews and equipment in standby at major airports, but that doesn’t exist anymore.

Why couldn’t they book a hotel near JFK?

There may not have been time. Our 8 PM flight was delayed and delayed before being canceled around 12:30 AM. By the time we were rebooked it was 2 AM (massive line). Our flight out was at 5 AM. By the time we'd gotten to a hotel it would have been time to come back.

This is the worst! I am sorry this happened. I am taking a 9:30 pm flight in a month (connecting from another flight) and will probably ask to be rebooked on a way later flight if something like this happens… and get some rest before

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I flew from DCA today (Saturday) and it was relatively empty. No security lines at all, flight left on time - American Airlines.

Everyone probably cancelled scared by the news lol

[Anonymous]

Good luck to those going to Scandinavia on SAS.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/sas-ceo-says-pilots-strike-talks-break-down-2022-07-04/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I flew out of DCA at noon today on AA. I forgot it was a holiday weekend (duh) until two hours before my flight, rushed to pack, and got to the airport.

I know this is supposed to be a nightmare thread but I cleared security in about 15 minutes and my fully booked flight left on time with my hardcase carry on in the overhead compartment.

Just saying that not all flights will be a disaster.

That said, I'm sure our next flight (Alaska with a tight connection) will be a complete disaster.

We had an easy flight out to LA and picked up our car in no time. Our flight home was just as uneventful. It's not all chaos out there.

Sometimes things do go right. My extended family took a total of 5 separate flights on 3 different airlines. Only one connecting flight has issues on the way out. Every other flight there and back was fine. This was last week returning July 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not as much of a nightmare as many of these but we waited for our rental car (that we reserved months ago) for 4.5 hours, all the time thinking we may not have a car at all since no one working there ever could confirm that there were in fact cars available and the line we were in moved so slowly that no one else in line w us had any confidence of actually getting a car either.

Which city was this? Also which car rental agency?

Phoenix, Hertz.

I was a PP about Hertz as well - they seem to have no idea what their actual car inventory is, anywhere.

Lol, Hertz at Midway is the stuff of nightmares

[Anonymous]

Our enterprise rental car broke down on us on I-75 in Georgia causing us to miss our flight and have to rebook to another airport and take a $150 Uber to Dulles to get our bags and not only did enterprise not waive the rental fee they tried to say we were responsible for the damage to the car and they claimed we put diesel fuel in it. Every single company is absolutely out of their minds right now so good luck to all of us trying to navigate travel this summer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I flew from DCA today (Saturday) and it was relatively empty. No security lines at all, flight left on time - American Airlines.

Same thing for us on Sunday. No checkin or security line. Plane departed on time. Bags arrived with the plane.

[Anonymous]

I made it to Seattle and back—four flights total plus a rental car—with absolutely zero issues. It can happen to you, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Missed our connection to Lufthansa flight to Dulles in Munich yesterday… We got a hotel and made it back today, but so far without our luggage. …

… and today, ten days later, we’ve been fully reunited with our two bags. (The first one arrived four days ago.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck to those going to Scandinavia on SAS.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/sas-ceo-says-pilots-strike-talks-break-down-2022-07-04/

UGH, we are supposed to fly SAS to Oslo (from London) in two weeks.

[Anonymous]

A minor thing but we checked in to a hotel and they neglected to tell us the AC wasn’t working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck to those going to Scandinavia on SAS.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/sas-ceo-says-pilots-strike-talks-break-down-2022-07-04/

Check your reservations if you have intra-Europe flights on KLM or Lufthansa for this summer.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-08/klm-to-cancel-european-flights-every-day-through-end-august

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I made it to Seattle and back—four flights total plus a rental car—with absolutely zero issues. It can happen to you, too!

Family visiting from west coast had both flights arrive 15 minutes early, and departing from Dulles at 6 PM on Friday, took 20 minutes to get from curb to gate (no checked bags, but also no PreCheck). Flew Alaska Airlines,which seems to be having fewest issues of the major airlines.

[Anonymous]

We’re currently stuck in Italy. We arrived without any issue. A few days before our return from Florence, I received an email that our flight home had been moved from 10:30 a.m. to 6:05 a.m. The Florence airport doesn’t open until 5:00, so I set the alarm for 4:00 a.m., only to wake up to a text stating that our flight had been canceled but they would be reaching out shortly with alternative arrangements. I immediately called United. After being on hold 20 minutes, spoke to someone who asked several questions before telling me he didn’t work on international flights (annoying bc the first thing I did was explain that we were in Florence, Italy). Transferred me and I was on hold another 15 minutes before the United rep told me they had transferred our ticket to Lufthansa and no longer could help. I then called Lufthansa and was told I needed a confirmation number but the only confirmation number I had was from United. Called United again and they gave me the Lufthansa confirmation number. I went online with this new confirmation number only to find out that our newly scheduled flight on KLM was departing in 10 minutes. I had never received a text, email or any notice that we had been put on a new flight. Apparently, this was due to the fact that the airlines’ systems don’t communicate with each other.

We were rebooked for a flight 4 hours later. While waiting to board after now being at the airport for 6 hours, they announced that due to wind/weight issues, they had to remove 25 of us from the flight. Unfortunately, we were selected. We waited in line to be rescheduled for 3 more hours only to be told there are no available flights with room for 4 people until two days later. We’re in Economy Plus, but there were passengers in first class that were taken off the flight with us and has the same issues rebooking. I think they only way to avoid this is by traveling private.

We better not have issues getting off tomorrow or I’ll lose my mind!