Greetings from New Yuck, Darn autocorrect
My transatlantic flight with Virgin Airlines was outstanding! Everything was over the top.
Full service, water juice coffee offered about every 90 minutes, choice of 3 hot meals for lunch included your choice of red or white very nicely done. High tea was served complete with sandwiches, lemon tart, scones with coddled cream and strawberry jam. and we even got a tropical fruit lolly somewhere in between.
Flight attendant chatted me up asking if I was going “home” and I told her I was nomadic. She absolutely loved hearing a bit of my adventures.
My 3 hour layover in New York, where I had thought to visit the lounge was completely consumed with going through customs, reclaiming my case and checking in again. Long long crazy lines/ queues. Super crowded and a bit stifling in JFK.
First in to board, with boarding card in hand I am notified that “there is no seat”. 34A clearly printed on my pass he continues to deny me entry and directs me to customer service.
There I am notified that I have been rerouted to Baltimore tomorrow.
(Insert deep breaths, tears, 3 additional hours at counter)
The airline managed to rebook me on a new flight this morning, actually two separate to get me to my final destination.
They provided me with a hotel in Brooklyn
View from my window
Round trip voucher with Lyft and two meal vouchers.
At the moment I have a ticket, no seat assigned and have already been notified the flight is overbooked.
The Air con is working, I slept 4 hours, showered and had an English Cadbury bar for breakfast.
Life is good.
A place to lay your head, and a chocolate bar…what more could a person ask for?!?!?
Sorry to hear of your crazy day in New Yuck On the other hand your transatlantic flight sounded amazing. I’ve flown with them, and loves everything, right down to the little socks in the goodie bag.
Sending good vibes, hugs, and hopes @Amparo for a smooth trip to your final destination!
@Amparo Sorry to hear of your experience. The airline industry seems a bit crazy at the moment in many parts of the world.
Pleased they sorted out a hotel for you. Onwards and upwards.
Yes, customs at JFK are beyond a joke. We stood in line for over 3 hours. We now have Global Entry to get through immigration. Yet to use it but it might be quicker.
Because of the queue we missed our connecting flight. I only have praise for Delta and the lady on the desk who went above and beyond and managed to get us where we wanted to go that evening. Thank you. Because of the situation all travellers are facing we have decided to only book direct with mainline carriers. Going by the stories told it is far easier to deal with them than the agents.
Fingers crossed everything works out today. We face it all in October/November.
The new or not so new world. I got used to flying during Covid. Empty middle seats or sure thing upgrades, few lines. People calm and relaxed except the antimaskers.
At least you were fairly well cared for! Love the view!
Oh no, what an absolute nightmare! Hope you’ll make a proper complaint when you get to your final destination…
Does all this mean that you’re late for your housesit or is there some wriggle room in between?
Ooh, glad I booked my flight to NZ direct with Air New Zealand then, although I had an email this morning saying my flight from Singapore to Christchurch has been cancelled and they’ll let me know when they know what flight I’ll be on!
OMG…@amparo, sounds like a half dream, half nightmare travel time. I am so glad your first stint of the trip went well…its great when airlines take care of flyers on the plane. We have always had great luck when traveling internationally. Now, the next stint of trying to get through customs is another thing! I have heard all the horror stories of late and do sympathize with you regarding the wait times and loss of seats. Missing luggage is another big one right now…I certainly hope you don’t have to deal with that!
Fingers crossed the remainder of your trip and then your time afterwards are smooth sailing.
@ElsieDownie Damn! That’s not good.
It took me over an hour to get through ‘fast track’ security at Heathrow terminal 5 a few weeks ago. Fortunately I’d allowed a lot of leeway.
Funny as when I flew back from copenhagen airport on Wednesday I allowed 4 hours but got through security in minutes. They had 10 security gates available.
I agree @ElsieDownie that booking direct at the moment with airlines makes more sense and can offer certain rights certainly in Europe under the law.
Hopefully things will start to get better sooner rather than later.
Thank you for another good reminder for my flight to jfk in a few months and why we’re def using a travel agent this time . I was wondering how long it may take to get through customs & if I could make it to x or y afterwards. Hopefully I can stick to Plan A or B & not resort to C or D…
If anyone is travelling through airports in Canada, this is a handy site. It shows you the current wait through security. If you check at the approximate time you expect to be at the airport a week before and a few days before, it’ll give you an idea of what to expect. (obviously you also have to be aware of stat holidays and other days that might be extra busy).
Also, It does not tell you how long the lines are the check in or drop bags etc - it’s for security only.
and we even got a tropical fruit lolly somewhere in between.
On the other hand your transatlantic flight sounded amazing. I’ve flown with them, and loves everything, right down to the little socks in the goodie bag.
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