VICTIMS OF
CIRCUMSTANCES – A Learning Experience
My wife and I spent two wonderful weeks in Florida in April.
However, that is where the good part of this story ends.
On April 15th, Tuesday, we were scheduled to fly
back to New York. Shortly after our arrival at the airport in Florida, airline
passengers were notified that there would be a delay in departure due to strong
winds at JFK. Subsequently, there were several more delays at which point seven
hours had passed and still no firm direction on departure time. It was now
early evening, when we began to notice luggage being removed from our plane. We
followed the lead, had our luggage removed and rescheduled our flight for 9:55
am on following day (Wednesday).We called a relative who lived in the area and
asked if she would pick us up and stay at her home for the night. She came to
the rescue. There were two drawbacks to this arrangement, however 1) two cats
reside in house and 2) relative is a chain smoker. I am allergic to fur bearing
animals and smoke. I thought I could bear it for a night but experienced
discomfort.
The following morning (Wednesday), we checked the airline
and learned that our 9:55 am flight was cancelled due to windy, icy and snowy
conditions at JFK. We then rescheduled for 9:55 am flight (Thursday) to JFK. We
stayed another night at our relative’s home. On Thursday, we departed on
schedule and the flight was smooth (finally a positive to our travel).
For each flight cancellation, we informed our reserved limo
service to postpone transportation back home. Upon arriving at home via limo,
we paid the driver including a tip. Oh, but the driver had a higher charge on
his smartphone which absorbed his tip. He approached me while I was pulling
luggage to my front door and said: “You didn’t give me a tip”. At this point, I
pulled out my reservation printout and showed him the amount quoted to me weeks
earlier. The problem: limo service had considered my “postponements” as “cancellations” and rates had increased.
After arguing on the phone with the limo office, I hung up in a huff and gave
the driver his tip.
On top of getting home two days later and other
inconveniences, we had to lug four pieces of luggage, two weighing 40 lbs each
and two carryons. What a trip!
As I said at the outset, we had a wonderful vacation in
Florida but then………….
HELPFUL TIPS ON AIR TRAVEL
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Always check airline departure schedule before
leaving for airport
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Keep van/limo service informed of flight delays
and cancellations and confirm quoted fee
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Keep in touch with airline gate attendant
regarding options available for alternate travel plan, if needed
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When packing, consider time away and
availability of washer/dryer to lighten luggage load
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Be sure to bring extra regular medication and also those needed in
event of allergic reactions
