Travel woes

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:19 pm

As some of you know I have not had the best luck with luggage transfers to and from Portugal. Well today I had great luck with my luggage but ... arriving in Newark from Portugal (clueless about the US weather) I arrived and scurried through Immigration, got my bags and had 30 minutes to get through US Customs, recheck my bags, take a train to another terminal and get through security before dashing to my gate.

No way in hell, right?

I tried the nonetheless and actually was amazed to find an airport personnel who let me get to the front of the security line as I had a 1st class ticket. That said, when I get off the inter-terminal train I find my flight has been canceled due to the snow here in Newark. The runways are a mess but it is not snowing now.

Fortunately I was able to get into the Continental Lounge and they found me a flight to Vegas later this evening and a last flight out from there to Seattle. The GOOD news, I will make it home sometime after mid-night. It will be highly unlikely my wine and luggage will but I might as well keep my finger's crossed.

So I have a chance to check some emails and post silly stuff like this.

I hope those of you in the storm zones are home and safe, watching football and drinking Port. TAP had a very nice VP on board and I was happy to indulge in the purple nectar.

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:42 pm

To bad you couldnt get a transfer to LAX...I'd come by and refill that port glass for ya

Derek T. · Post by **Derek T.** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 5:50 pm

Roy,

As I have told you many times I look forward to sharing many experiences with you in the future. However, I never, ever, ever wish to travel with you as you seem to be the unluckiest man in history.

Have you thought about wearing a St Christopher pendant every time you leave the house? It might help

Derek

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:39 pm

Derek,

I give up and will give in. Tell me where to buy and I'll be happy to make the investment.

I land in Vegas at the moment my next plane is supposed to take off. I am rebooked on a midnight flight to Seattle which gets me in at 3 a.m. only to find my wine bag present, but my suitcase not. I got home at 4 a.m. which was over 24 hours (not counting time changes) from the moment I boarded my first flight in Oporto.

Pay attention: avoid traveling on the same plane with Roy!

I feel like that character in the Charles Shultz comic strip: Charlie Brown ... if you remember his friend that always had that cloud following him around.

Alex R · Post by **Alex R** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:04 am

[quote=I feel like that character in the Charles Shultz comic strip: Charlie Brown ... if you remember his friend that always had that cloud following him around.[/quote]

Pigpen

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:08 am

At least you've been able to put my problems into context. I'm sitting in a traffic jam in pouring rain with chaos all around me and should be at the airport by now to make my flight that gets me home at 9:30pm.

Thankfully there is a later flight that will get me home just after midnight.

Que sera.

Alex

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:44 am

The torture never stops.

Today, along with the family we are heading to my inlaws for the holidays. We board the plane in Seattle and just before they close the front door, they ask us to take our things and disembark as their is engine trouble. Well at least they were honest.

They lead us to another gate with the same configuration on the jet so we all have the same seats. How they swung this, I have no idea (Northwest Airlines) but when we get to Minneapolis (to transfer planes) we can't get off the thing. Somehow, a luggage toting truck on the tarmac hit the ramp that extends to the door of the plane. It is bent out of shape and we have to wait 20 minutes before we can finally get off.

Of course we must run like the wind in order to catch our connectiing plane (we orig. had 2 hours between flights!!!). We were the last to board but we made it along with a couple from our last flight. My wife is thrilled to see from the window our bags being loaded on the plane which was quite a feat given the time issue. However she noticed on bag was not there. Go figure!

We land at our destination and lo and behold, one of four checked bags was missing. I figured she'd have better luck, so I let her fill out the report. She returns to tell me that our bag is arriving in 1.5 hours on the next flight in from Minn. We sit and wait and I notice Pigpen's cloud all around me.

Do not fly with Roy Hersh!

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:19 am

Yes, do remind me not to be on the same plane as you next time

:joker:

Have a good trip and a great holiday season.

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 7:55 pm

Thanks Andy. On my four flights over the past week or so, not one bag was lost. Then again, on our way home from the Detroit airport we wound up headed through Houston (which is like a trip from OPO to Newark that first goes to Rome before heading across the Atlantic). Two consecutive planes we boarded there were deemed to have engine trouble and we did not take off until a 3rd could arrive from some other destination, which made for a very long day into night into early a.m.

That did not stop our daughter from wanting to open every single present under the tree when Doe and I staggered in at 3 a.m. (fifteen hours after our first departure).

Don't board the same plane as Roy!

Todd Pettinger · Post by **Todd Pettinger** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:53 pm

Roy Hersh wrote:Thanks Andy. On my four flights over the past week or so, not one bag was lost. Then again, on our way home from the Detroit airport we wound up headed through Houston (which is like a trip from OPO to Newark that first goes to Rome before heading across the Atlantic). Two consecutive planes we boarded there were deemed to have engine trouble and we did not take off until a 3rd could arrive from some other destination, which made for a very long day into night into early a.m.

That did not stop our daughter from wanting to open every single present under the tree when Doe and I staggered in at 3 a.m. (fifteen hours after our first departure).

Don't board the same plane as Roy!

What is it with Houston? The two times I have flown through there I have experienced delays... one causing me to nearly miss my connector in Seattle, which should have been four hours after arriving! I was literally that guy sprinting down the terminal with computer bag in hand and trying to figure out which gate my connector was at, making it there JUST as they were walking from the desk over to close the doors to the jetway. (Sadly, this was PRIOR to discovering this wonderful website and forum... had it been AFTER, I would have taken my time HOPING to miss the connector so I could make an excuse to go out to Sammamich to meet up with a certain someone...

)

But yeah, if I ever SEE you in an airport Roy, I'll try to walk the other way!