I will see Spokane again someday
Thank God Denver airport has free wireless.
Aer Lingus sucks more than I remember. Or possibly the O'Hare baggage system.
In addition to coming in something like two and a half hours late (although that's Chicago's weather's fault, not Aer Lingus, since the plane that picked me up in Shannon runs a continuous loop of Shannon-Dublin-Chicago, and it was late since the Chicago weather kept it from leaving on time), they then lost our bags for two hours.
First it was "okay ladies and gentlemen, it's going to be a few minutes". Then it was "Sorry, it's taking a while because the cargo bay doors are frozen shut". Then more waiting. And waiting. They told us to move to another carousel, so we did. The carousel started up, circled around for a while, then stopped. They told us to move back to the first carousel so we did. They said "okay, it'll be another ten minutes".
Fifteen minutes later it started up and we all cheered. 30 seconds later the P.A. went "Aer lingus passengers please move to Carousel 8". We stopped cheering and moved.
Forty-five minutes later a small selection of baggage came off. By some good fortune both of my bags were in that batch, so I grabbed them and went through customs.
Original arrival time: 3:50
Actual arrival time: 6:00
Time I actually got my damn luggage: 8:10
Time I found Nicolai amidst the giant throngs of people waiting for their delayed relatives: 8:30
It didn't help that
1. my phone is retarded and can't comprehend that it needs to connect to a U.S. network now, and
2. That apparantly they BLOCK ALL CELL PHONE COVERAGE IN THE BAGGAGE/CUSTOMS WAITING AREA. Which means poor Nicolai was stuck waiting for me with no clue where I was or why I wasn't coming out for four and half hours until about eight and the nice girl I met on the plane lend me her phone and I found a distant side wall that was just inside coverage range, at which point I managed to get a garbled-half message to Nicolai's phone before a policeman started yelling at me about no phones being allowed in the area.
And that was last night.
Today the Chicago traffic delayed us by an hour and a half, just enough to make me miss my original flight to Denver, since I couldn't get my bags checked in time due to MORE HUGE THRONGS of people who'd been delayed from the last few days' crappy weather.
After that was a lovely two-hour wait in the "additional assistance" line. Even though the line itself wasn't that long, United in its infinate wisdom decided that TWO PEOPLE were enough to handle the mass of people who had missed their original flight. Or, as in the case of the poor hysterical girl behind me, people who were checked in on their new flight but due to the check-in kiosks being stupid couldn't get their boarding pass, and while waiting in the "additional assistance" line for someone to listen to them and print out their boarding pass missed their new flight.
Also, that poor girl had a 45-minute conversation with what had to be the most retarded airline personnel ever.
"No, I'm already checked in, I just need my boarding pass, but they moved me to this other line and my flight leaves in 20 minutes!...No, I told you I'm still in line...Yes, I'm checked in!....BECAUSE THEY WON'T LET ME PRINT OUT MY BOARDING PASS!...I JUST WENT to the kiosk...no, my orignal flight was yesterday but it got canceled, so they put me on this one...I TOLD YOU I'm standing in line! I tried to print out the pass, but they told me I needed to move to the assistance line so I did, but my flight it boarding right now and all I need is my pass...ARE YOU NOT LISTENING TO WHAT I'M SAYING? I'M ALREADY CHECKED IN..."
and so on for a good half-hour or so.
Fortunatly, The guy I talked to when I finally got to the assistence booths was really nice, and got me second place on the waiting list for seats. I was able to make the noon flight to Denver (where I am now).
Now I'm waiting to see if I clear the Standby list for the last flight to Spokane. If not, then I'll just have an extra day with my dad (My original plan was to fly to spokane tonight, have an early Christmas dinner with my mom, stepdad and siblings, open Christmas presents with them, drop off my 90 lbs. of Ireland luggage and repack, and fly out the next day (tomorrow) to spend actual christmas for my dad followed by going straight to Kentucky the day after Christmas.
Since I didn't know back in Chicago if I would make it to Spokane, I only checked my luggage through to Denver, so at least I'll have clothes for Denver/Kentucky. Either I won't make it to Spokane tonight and I'll have them here, or I'll fly back tomorrow and pick them up here then.
Despite Holiday travel being a complete pain in the ass this year, there are several good things.
1. I found a bag of Jolly Ranchers in my seat pouch on my flight in from Ireland.
2. I got to see Nicolai. Who was Trollishly wonderful and amazing and waited for me for so long.
3. I'm actually kind of in a relazed Zen mode right now. Maybe it's only having had about eight hours sleep total since nine-thirty Friday morning (Ireland time), or maybe it's the fact that at least I'm as far as Denver and will at least be spending the night with one parental unit or the other. Also that I finally got to see Nicolai for the first time in four months.
Okee-day. Time to go to the gate and try and see if I can get my cellphone to work while waiting to see if I clear the Standby list.
See you all later! ^_^ Hopefully next time will have less bitching and more "yay family holidays!" stuff.
I hope I get to see Spokane before January 6th.
Aer Lingus sucks more than I remember. Or possibly the O'Hare baggage system.
In addition to coming in something like two and a half hours late (although that's Chicago's weather's fault, not Aer Lingus, since the plane that picked me up in Shannon runs a continuous loop of Shannon-Dublin-Chicago, and it was late since the Chicago weather kept it from leaving on time), they then lost our bags for two hours.
First it was "okay ladies and gentlemen, it's going to be a few minutes". Then it was "Sorry, it's taking a while because the cargo bay doors are frozen shut". Then more waiting. And waiting. They told us to move to another carousel, so we did. The carousel started up, circled around for a while, then stopped. They told us to move back to the first carousel so we did. They said "okay, it'll be another ten minutes".
Fifteen minutes later it started up and we all cheered. 30 seconds later the P.A. went "Aer lingus passengers please move to Carousel 8". We stopped cheering and moved.
Forty-five minutes later a small selection of baggage came off. By some good fortune both of my bags were in that batch, so I grabbed them and went through customs.
Original arrival time: 3:50
Actual arrival time: 6:00
Time I actually got my damn luggage: 8:10
Time I found Nicolai amidst the giant throngs of people waiting for their delayed relatives: 8:30
It didn't help that
1. my phone is retarded and can't comprehend that it needs to connect to a U.S. network now, and
2. That apparantly they BLOCK ALL CELL PHONE COVERAGE IN THE BAGGAGE/CUSTOMS WAITING AREA. Which means poor Nicolai was stuck waiting for me with no clue where I was or why I wasn't coming out for four and half hours until about eight and the nice girl I met on the plane lend me her phone and I found a distant side wall that was just inside coverage range, at which point I managed to get a garbled-half message to Nicolai's phone before a policeman started yelling at me about no phones being allowed in the area.
And that was last night.
Today the Chicago traffic delayed us by an hour and a half, just enough to make me miss my original flight to Denver, since I couldn't get my bags checked in time due to MORE HUGE THRONGS of people who'd been delayed from the last few days' crappy weather.
After that was a lovely two-hour wait in the "additional assistance" line. Even though the line itself wasn't that long, United in its infinate wisdom decided that TWO PEOPLE were enough to handle the mass of people who had missed their original flight. Or, as in the case of the poor hysterical girl behind me, people who were checked in on their new flight but due to the check-in kiosks being stupid couldn't get their boarding pass, and while waiting in the "additional assistance" line for someone to listen to them and print out their boarding pass missed their new flight.
Also, that poor girl had a 45-minute conversation with what had to be the most retarded airline personnel ever.
"No, I'm already checked in, I just need my boarding pass, but they moved me to this other line and my flight leaves in 20 minutes!...No, I told you I'm still in line...Yes, I'm checked in!....BECAUSE THEY WON'T LET ME PRINT OUT MY BOARDING PASS!...I JUST WENT to the kiosk...no, my orignal flight was yesterday but it got canceled, so they put me on this one...I TOLD YOU I'm standing in line! I tried to print out the pass, but they told me I needed to move to the assistance line so I did, but my flight it boarding right now and all I need is my pass...ARE YOU NOT LISTENING TO WHAT I'M SAYING? I'M ALREADY CHECKED IN..."
and so on for a good half-hour or so.
Fortunatly, The guy I talked to when I finally got to the assistence booths was really nice, and got me second place on the waiting list for seats. I was able to make the noon flight to Denver (where I am now).
Now I'm waiting to see if I clear the Standby list for the last flight to Spokane. If not, then I'll just have an extra day with my dad (My original plan was to fly to spokane tonight, have an early Christmas dinner with my mom, stepdad and siblings, open Christmas presents with them, drop off my 90 lbs. of Ireland luggage and repack, and fly out the next day (tomorrow) to spend actual christmas for my dad followed by going straight to Kentucky the day after Christmas.
Since I didn't know back in Chicago if I would make it to Spokane, I only checked my luggage through to Denver, so at least I'll have clothes for Denver/Kentucky. Either I won't make it to Spokane tonight and I'll have them here, or I'll fly back tomorrow and pick them up here then.
Despite Holiday travel being a complete pain in the ass this year, there are several good things.
1. I found a bag of Jolly Ranchers in my seat pouch on my flight in from Ireland.
2. I got to see Nicolai. Who was Trollishly wonderful and amazing and waited for me for so long.
3. I'm actually kind of in a relazed Zen mode right now. Maybe it's only having had about eight hours sleep total since nine-thirty Friday morning (Ireland time), or maybe it's the fact that at least I'm as far as Denver and will at least be spending the night with one parental unit or the other. Also that I finally got to see Nicolai for the first time in four months.
Okee-day. Time to go to the gate and try and see if I can get my cellphone to work while waiting to see if I clear the Standby list.
See you all later! ^_^ Hopefully next time will have less bitching and more "yay family holidays!" stuff.
I hope I get to see Spokane before January 6th.