Having just returned from St. Petersburg this morning for a 9-day journey, the following trip transcript could resemble something more from the movie "The Out of Towner's". This report could probably be best utilized by those less-than-seasoned foreign travelers, like I am. This installment only entails the details of trouble one might & can easily expect with airline delays, etc. Again, this report only entails my travel woes.
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--- Friday 8/17---
I parked my car at the Sarasota/ Bradenton Int'l. Airport, and proceeded to lug 2 large suitcases & a carry-on duffel bag. I weighed each piece on my bathroom scale, and was astonished to find that I was attempting to lug 80 pounds total of luggage with me to St. Petersburg, Russia. I was wearing a very dark 2-piece suit, and carrying these pieces several hundred yards to the terminal in almost 90 degree Florida heat & humidity. By the time I got to the check-in desk, I was sweating bullets!
To my amazement, a lady I know (Colleen) from previous employment, is now employed as a ticket counter agent, and gleefully motions me to her counter. She informs me that she believes my checked baggage can be transferred from Delta Airlines to LOT Polish at JFK for my trip to St. Petersburg. Having just realized what a pain it was dragging these 2 anvils around with me, I decide to let her check my baggage all the way through, even though I AM a bit leery.
Inside my luggage, I have 3 bottles of wine, peanut butter, jam, coffee, teddy bears for 3 ladies, 2 hard cover pictorial books about America, and enough personal toiletries to open a drug store.
The flight from Sarasota, Florida to Atlanta was uneventful, but it took me almost an hour to cool off after my late morning "exercise".
Upon arrival in Atlanta, I proceed to the gate where my flight to JFK has a larger than usual crowd standing around the gate ticket counter. Turns out, the flight is running about 15 minutes late, and they are re-checking boarding passes for possible seat re-assignment. After finally getting boarded, and now being over 30 minutes late, the Captain informs us that a crew is affecting brake repairs & tire changes, and we will not depart for still another 45 minutes. Bottom line here is, we get to JFK about 6:00pm instead of the originally scheduled 4:00pm, and I have a 6:40pm flight on LOT Polish Airlines to Warsaw to catch.
Not having been to JFK in almost 35 years, I remember absolutely nothing about the layout, but I do know that I need to go from concourse 2 & 3 to concourse 8. I'm amazed at how many employees at JFK don't know where or how to get from one concourse to the next, but finally someone points to what looks like a city bus stop, and tells me it's "over there". I board the free shuttle bus en-route to other concourses, when I realize it's 6:20, and we're not past concourse 5 yet! I decided to jump off the bus & take a taxi from concourse 5 to concourse 8, and I gladly hand the driver $15.00 for a $5.00 fare.
By now, it's 6:35pm, and I'm not feeling too good about catching this flight, especially when I see that the front counter of LOT Polish is now deserted. I'm literally running through the concourse, and explaining to the X-ray security officers that I'm about to miss my flight. I arrive at the gate at exactly 6:40pm, only to be told that I am now considered a "no-show", and my seat has been given up. I inquired if there were absolutely no seats available, to which they coldly stated that there weren't.
Feeling dejected, I decided to utilize my cell phone & make a call to Delta to see if they have any provisions in such a case. Unfortunately, being the cheap ba$tard that I am, I booked two totally separate tickets with each airline, thus not legally able to hold Delta liable for what I considered their screw-up. Each airline expected me to deal with the other when I explained the situation to each of their phone representatives. Deciding I'm not getting any satisfaction on the phone, I get back on the concourse shuttle bus, and go back to concourses 2 & 3 so I can haggle this out with Delta face-to-face. The first agent I talk to has a somewhat careless attitude, and picks up the courtesy phone & dials LOT Polish Airlines. When they answer the phone, the agent hands it to me. After explaining the situation again, the LOT representative tells me that it's up to Delta to help me straighten-up the mess. I proceeded back to the desk with 2 agents, and there's a lady there arguing her point in the same situation as mine. I decided to join-in the now 3-way conversation with the lady & other agent. The agent then leaves his desk to locate a supervisor. When the agent returned with a supervisor, he just looked in our direction & shrugged his shoulders. This lady was on the same flight I came in on from Atlanta, and she missed her connecting flight to Helsinki on Finnair Airlines. She was supposed be part of a tour to Moscow. I have a conversation with this lady, and we are discussing possible accountability that we might be able to hold Delta Airlines to. Her name is "Nelly", and she calls her travel agent, and tells me that she thinks that Delta will reimburse her expenses, etc. After attempting to plead my final case with these 2 Delta agents, Nelly returns & tells me that she went ahead & booked a room at the Ramada Crown Plaza for $140.00/night. Realizing this is New York, and that's not an overly-exorbitant rate, I decided to book a room too, and will continue my fight on the phone.
Officially being a "no-show" with LOT Polish Airlines, I decided to give them another call to see what the situation now calls for. "Ela" with LOT Polish has a beautiful Polish accent, and is seemingly very patient of my situation. I'm in love with her voice already! She tells me that my entire ticket itinerary is now no good, since I am considered a "no-show".
(NOTE: I have been writing to 2 ladies in St. Petersburg, who are aware of each other, and both know I am expected to arrive on Saturday. Also, another lady has been setting the stage for my arrival by planning for my airport transfer, apartment accommodations, etc., and I am determined NOT to disappoint them.)
Ela now informs me that the only option is to make another reservation and pay another full fare. She tells me that the LOT flight to Warsaw for the following night (Saturday @ 10:20pm) is fully booked, but there are available seats on the Sunday night flight. Ela quotes me a fare of about $880. Since it is now close to 9:00pm, and LOT will close for the evening, she tells me that I should wait & book the flight tomorrow morning. I agree to wait, as I would like to haggle again with LOT face-to-face in the morning. I still don't know where my luggage is, at this point.
In the meantime, I get checked-into the hotel, and start to look for someplace to grab a bite. The hotel restaurant looks like a decent choice, so I decide to have the soup & salad bar. While dining on a bowl of lentil soup, I scoop out a big piece of hard lexan plastic from my soup. I bring this big plastic object to the waiters' attention, to which he apologizes profusely and states that he will waive the check. Hey, Hey… my first break of the day!! He invites me to have the hot buffet instead if I'd rather. The restaurant manager also offers me a drink, shakes my hand, and apologizes profusely. I thought, gee maybe Delta could take a few lessons here!
After dinner, it's back up to the room, and I'm on the phone again with Delta. This time, I reach a highly sympathetic C.S. rep. in Dallas, and I'm on the phone with her until after 1:00am on Saturday morning. She's been going back & forth between her supervisors, and I'm beginning to feel as if I'm finally getting somewhere. In the meantime, I'd like to know where my luggage is, as I stupidly forgot to pack extra underwear, socks, even my electric shaver, which is all packed & inside my hard luggage. After spending over an hour with her on my cell phone from my hotel room, she tells me that my situation has been "signed off" and I need to contact a Delta Airlines "coordinator" in the morning. Delta luggage control has already closed for the evening, so I must contact them in the morning as well.
Deciding there's nothing more I can do tonight, I decide to take a hot shower & hit the rack.
--- To be continued ---
