Anonymous wrote:How do you fly to the US annually for 25 years, have an English speaking daughter, and still speak NO English?? Not even a little? I took 4 years of HS French 20 years ago and I can still bumble my way through France!

Wow, you're nasty and stupid.

First, this person might never have had formal training in English.

Second, they might have, but with age comes significant learning loss, particularly in skills that are not practiced regularly.

My parents lived in the UK for 4 years as adults, decades ago, and had a couple of years of formal English classes for foreigners... but now in their 70s have forgotten a lot of words and the correct way to accent them. They can barely make themselves understood in English when they come here to visit.

Are you saying that if your children become fluent in a foreign language you've never studied, and you go visit them in that country, we should all excoriate you if you don't speak well? In your old age, no less?

How do you fly to the US annually for 25 years, have an English speaking daughter, and still speak NO English?? Not even a little? I took 4 years of HS French 20 years ago and I can still bumble my way through France!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the last leg of her trip on a US airline?

My 74 year old parents live in Paris, and have gone back and forth using Air France for years, from Charles de Gaulle to Dulles, without any plane cancellations or rerouting. I was under the impression that international flights, particularly ones from non-US airlines, usually are not rerouted.

But I guess it can happen. I'm sorry, I hope everything goes well.

It is a US airline. Maybe that was a mistake. She usually does not fly US airlines. Never again!

PP you replied to. Aha! Yes, I think that increased her risk of last-minute changes, the US airlines tend to do that a lot more than European ones (not even sure it's legal in the EU).

Illegal to cancel flights?

Airlines have to pay a lot of money for no good reason cancellations, up to 600 Euros per passenger. It's a pretty good incentive not to do that.

Agreed, but that's quite different from illegal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the last leg of her trip on a US airline?

My 74 year old parents live in Paris, and have gone back and forth using Air France for years, from Charles de Gaulle to Dulles, without any plane cancellations or rerouting. I was under the impression that international flights, particularly ones from non-US airlines, usually are not rerouted.

But I guess it can happen. I'm sorry, I hope everything goes well.

It is a US airline. Maybe that was a mistake. She usually does not fly US airlines. Never again!

PP you replied to. Aha! Yes, I think that increased her risk of last-minute changes, the US airlines tend to do that a lot more than European ones (not even sure it's legal in the EU).

Illegal to cancel flights?

Airlines have to pay a lot of money for no good reason cancellations, up to 600 Euros per passenger. It's a pretty good incentive not to do that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the last leg of her trip on a US airline?

My 74 year old parents live in Paris, and have gone back and forth using Air France for years, from Charles de Gaulle to Dulles, without any plane cancellations or rerouting. I was under the impression that international flights, particularly ones from non-US airlines, usually are not rerouted.

But I guess it can happen. I'm sorry, I hope everything goes well.

It is a US airline. Maybe that was a mistake. She usually does not fly US airlines. Never again!

PP you replied to. Aha! Yes, I think that increased her risk of last-minute changes, the US airlines tend to do that a lot more than European ones (not even sure it's legal in the EU).

Illegal to cancel flights?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the last leg of her trip on a US airline?

My 74 year old parents live in Paris, and have gone back and forth using Air France for years, from Charles de Gaulle to Dulles, without any plane cancellations or rerouting. I was under the impression that international flights, particularly ones from non-US airlines, usually are not rerouted.

But I guess it can happen. I'm sorry, I hope everything goes well.

It is a US airline. Maybe that was a mistake. She usually does not fly US airlines. Never again!

PP you replied to. Aha! Yes, I think that increased her risk of last-minute changes, the US airlines tend to do that a lot more than European ones (not even sure it's legal in the EU).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She is physically limited
She can't turn Wi-Fi on her own phone
She doesn't speak English
She is older
Airplane travel is an unknown right now

What could possibly go wrong?

She needs someone flying with her from now on. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

It sounds like it's already happening. So hope OP is able to get in touch with good help over the phone at all the airports, including a translator. And that she can get in touch with her mom's cell phone to tell her what's happening and that she needs to tip the helpers.

Anonymous wrote:I know of two London to Dulles flights on United that were cancelled two weeks ago. In one case, the person was put on a British Air flight leaving the same time. The other was bumped a day and had to spend the night at a hotel at Heathrow.

My friend's BA flight to the US was delayed, then the plane was switched to another one. The flight the second plane was supposed to take to Asia was cancelled.

Anonymous wrote:She is physically limited
She can't turn Wi-Fi on her own phone
She doesn't speak English
She is older
Airplane travel is an unknown right now

What could possibly go wrong?

She needs someone flying with her from now on. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

I know of two London to Dulles flights on United that were cancelled two weeks ago. In one case, the person was put on a British Air flight leaving the same time. The other was bumped a day and had to spend the night at a hotel at Heathrow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe your mother's plane was only 40% full and they decided to redistribute the passengers to other flights.

The others on the list were reasonable, this one is not. Major airlines do not cancel flights the day before (or even the week before) because of low bookings. It's too disruptive to operations. Cancellations/changes months in advance, yes that is very common.

https://onemileatatime.com/insights/airlines-cancel-empty-flights/

Maybe, but if one plane goes out of service, l wouldn't be surprised if the company cancels the flight with the fewest passengers who are the easiest to reroute versus a completely full flight to another destination.

I usually buy tickets many months in advance, especially if going to Europe, and I swear ... it is so frustrating ... I think about half the time they cancel the flight I purchased and switch me to a different flight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the last leg of her trip on a US airline?

My 74 year old parents live in Paris, and have gone back and forth using Air France for years, from Charles de Gaulle to Dulles, without any plane cancellations or rerouting. I was under the impression that international flights, particularly ones from non-US airlines, usually are not rerouted.

But I guess it can happen. I'm sorry, I hope everything goes well.

It is a US airline. Maybe that was a mistake. She usually does not fly US airlines. Never again!

With airline alliances, you need to double check which plane will be flying. My cousin said she was flying to France on Delta. She had a Delta ticket but it was actually turned out to be an Air France plane.

She is physically limited
She can't turn Wi-Fi on her own phone
She doesn't speak English
She is older
Airplane travel is an unknown right now

What could possibly go wrong?

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe your mother's plane was only 40% full and they decided to redistribute the passengers to other flights.

The others on the list were reasonable, this one is not. Major airlines do not cancel flights the day before (or even the week before) because of low bookings. It's too disruptive to operations. Cancellations/changes months in advance, yes that is very common.

https://onemileatatime.com/insights/airlines-cancel-empty-flights/