VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCES-A Learning Experience

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 15^th, 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

·    0   Always check airline departure schedule before leaving for airport

·    0   Keep van/limo service informed of flight delays and cancellations and confirm quoted fee

·    0   Keep in touch with airline gate attendant regarding options available for alternate travel plan, if needed

·    0   When packing, consider time away and availability of washer/dryer to lighten luggage load

·    0   Be sure to bring extra  regular medication and also those needed in event of allergic reactions