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By JOE SHARKEY
Published: October 19, 2009
I WOULD rather be whacked upside the head with a baseball bat than make a trip to either the state motor vehicle department or the federal passport office.
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Chris Gash
Related
Frequent Flier: Exiting Uzbekistan Through the Wrong Door (October 20, 2009)
But I see a potential problem coming up that may require such a trip. A new federal initiative called Secure Flight requires that the name on the ID you use at the airport security checkpoint precisely match the name on your airline ticket. Secure Flight takes effect for domestic passengers early next year and for international passengers by the end of 2010.
So if you use your driver’s license and it says John T. Smith, your ticket must also say John T. Smith — not John Thomas Smith, not Jack Smith, or any other name variant.
Usually, a driver’s license uses first name, middle initial and last name, and that’s generally how someone books a ticket. But it can vary. On one airline, my boarding pass always says Sharkey/JosephMMr. and on another I am just Joe Sharkey. Still another airline insists that my name is Sharkey/Jose P.
But my passport declares that I am Joseph Michael Sharkey.
The government and the airlines assure me that this will work. All I have to do is make sure to reserve a ticket under the name on the ID I use, and also to make sure that my other airline data, including frequent-flier program information, matches up. Meanwhile, I just got e-mail from Avis reminding me that my name in their profile account should be “consistent across all your travel reservations” to ensure “a stress-free experience.”
The Transportation Security Administration is starting the program to deal with a problem that has haunted it for years: innocent passengers being delayed and questioned at airport check-in because their names match or approximate the name of someone on the terrorist watch lists. As part of the new initiative, you will also need to provide your birth date and gender when making a reservation.
Some airlines are already preparing customers. Last month, for example, American Airlines began requiring customers making reservations to provide their name exactly as it appears on the government-issue ID they will use for travel, as well as gender and date of birth.
Travel agents and corporate managers have been working with airlines and the T.S.A. “I’m not picking up much confusion from travel managers,” said Kevin Mitchell, the chairman of the Business Travel Coalition. He said that the biggest potential for confusion is the need to make sure all of your data match up with the name you travel under.
Under Secure Flight, the federal government will have a single version of your name on file, along with your gender and age. That same information is supposed to be on your boarding pass. The problem could be if your passport or driver’s license has a different version of your name, which could delay you while your identity is verified against the watch list.
So “it could be in your interest to ultimately change your driver’s license” to match the name on your passport, said Paul M. Ruden, the senior vice president for legal and industry affairs at the American Society of Travel Agents.
Travel agents are working to update clients’ data to head off problems once Secure Flight takes effect. “We’re training our people on things like, how do you respond when the customer says, ‘Why do you want my date of birth? You never asked me that before,’ ” he said.
Mr. Ruden added, “You’ve got to get the information in the records and get it right.”
Easy enough when your name is something like Mary Jones. But someone like Deborah Weixl, a frequent traveler who is on the staff of the American Bar Association in Chicago, has to be prepared, as does her boyfriend and frequent travel companion, Greg Sztatman.
“We booked a flight for next month and we made sure we have everything matching,” she said. “I’ve changed my Orbitz account for work, and with my American Airlines and United mileage, and I have to do Delta next. Now I’m Deborah Gail Weixl and he’s Gregory Sztatman.”
Let’s not even consider the potential for data-entry typing mistakes there. What has Ms. Weixl concerned is that the last time they flew together, a clerk gave Mr. Sztatman the wrong boarding pass, yet he sailed through security until it was discovered at the gate that the name on his ticket said Brandi Szablewski.
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Top Five Travel Horror Stories of 2009
Top Five Travel Horror Stories of 2009
by Carl Unger, SmarterTravel.com Staff - October 13, 2009
Photo: IndexOpen
What's scarier, a bloodthirsty ghoul or an overnight tarmac delay? Obviously, the answer is "overnight tarmac delay," which crowns our list of the top travel horror stories of the year. Read on to discover the most terrifying stories from the travel industry in 2009, and then submit your own!
And now, without further ado, the freakiest of the freaky:
* Trapped Overnight! In August, 47 passengers were trapped overnight aboard a regional jet on the tarmac in Rochester, Minnesota. The plane, destined for Minneapolis, was diverted by thunderstorms. Once on the ground, a nightmare of errors ensued, as passengers were denied access to the airport and forced to suffer through the night with one bathroom and nary a pretzel to be found. The Department of Transportation (DOT) ultimately laid blame on Mesaba Airlines, which erroneously told ExpressJet the airport wasn't accessible when, in fact, it was.
Advertisement
Click here to find out more!
* Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't European low-cost carrier Ryanair spent most of 2009 adding expensive and sometimes exploitative fees that devoured its customers' cash. Notably, Ryanair added a £5 online check-in fee, then removed its airport check-in desks and threw a £40 penalty at customers who came to the airport without checking in online. So either pay the £5 fee or get slapped with a £40 punishment. Scary indeed.
* We're Going Down! Wait, Never Mind In August, an Aer Lingus crewmember accidentally played a recorded message in French that instructed passengers to prepare for an emergency landing. Confused Anglophones looked on as the French passengers descended into panic, thinking the plane was about to crash in the ocean. The intended message simply asked passengers to buckle up in advance of turbulence. Oops!
* Cross Those Legs, Or Pay! It wouldn't be a comprehensive list of airline horror stories without at least two entries from Ryanair. The airline caused a panic earlier this year when it suggested it may start charging to use the bathroom. While obvious legal issues immediately reduced this to little more than a publicity stunt, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary sent chills down our spine with his apparent eagerness to send customers "scurrying to the toilet before the departure gate."
* Switched at the Airport In June, Continental Express sent two unaccompanied minors to the wrong destinations. It's every parent's nightmare, and quickly turned into a publicity disaster for Continental, especially since the airline was entirely responsible for the mix-up. Fortunately the mistake was noticed quickly, and the children were found safe and sound.
Okay, so none of these will (or should) keep you up at night, though you have to admit it's pretty scary stuff if you're a traveler. But what we really want is to hear from you. Have you been stranded at the airport? Lost your suitcase to the airport baggage abyss? Share your story in the comment field below. We'll collect the best submissions and publish them in our annual Reader Horror Stories feature just before Halloween. Thanks!
Find Related Stories: Aer Lingus, airfare, Carl Unger, Continental, ExpressJet, flight cancellation, flight delay, health and safety, Ryanair, taxes and fees
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DRB Round the World - October 14, 2009
We began our 18 day trip to Peru/Ecuador on a very bad note. On our connection from LaGuardia to Guayaquil, Ecuador our luggage was lost. Makes you wonder if LAN knew what they did because we were unexpectedly upgraded to First Class. After 2 days of being told many times by LAN that our luggage would arrive at any moment and we were leaving for a 5 day Galapagos cruise the next morning, we took matters into our own hands. We frantically hired a private driver and headed for the local mall at 7:30PM on a Sunday when the mall closed at 8PM. All the mall stores were closing their doors except one - Tommy Hilfiger. They of course obliged and remained open while we frantically shopped for 4 people. 15 items - $818 dollars later we had the bare minimum to get us through. My credit card was rejected so another in our party offered to put it on her card. Luckily when we returned to Guayaquil our luggage had finally arrived but everything was sopping wet! Turns our our luggage somehow was misdirected to Amsterdam!! Lessons learned - only take carry on luggage, waterproof your luggage and always purchase travel insurance. Luckily we had travel insurance.
*
nadya troche - October 14, 2009
A few years ago, my elderly motherwas traveling alone to visit her now departed sister. She was traveling on American Airlines. We were not allowed to go to the gate with her , The wheelchair attendent said all will be fine , we will take care of her. Mom did not have a cellphone ,so we relied on them to get her on the plane. We paid for first class to insure a comfy flight. We stayed in the airport untill the plane took off, and when it did , we left for home confident in the fact mom was on her way to california from New York.. When we arrived home about 2 hours later we recieve a call from a stranger . The woman was a kind soul who found an elderly woman crying at the gate . Apparently what happened was the attendant parked mom at the designated gate and left. Mom fell asleep after a long wait ti depart, and didnot hear the call for boarding I guess the sight of a woman in a wheelchair at the gate did not alarm the flight attendents! Well the plane took off without her. and there she sat alone at the gate . we managed to get her on a later coach flight after 15 exhousting hours 21 hours to california.
*
arkansas traveler - October 14, 2009
while traveling with a group of six in 2007 we landed in dallas to change planes. with 1 heart patient and 1 amputee in our group we started the long walk, up and down stairs. and miles of gates with nobody there. finally using the house phone to call for a cart which never showed up faster travelers made it to the gate to ask the plane to please wait. again no one was there. our heart patient could not go any further when a gate with wheel chairs was spotted. when asked could we use one we were told no! and if we took one security would be called. we gladly barrowed the wheel chair anyway, which we returned, got to our gate on time just to be told we didnt have a pilot. what happen to airport curtsy? Really jail for the breif use of a wheel chair? Flying has become such a hard ship that we have stopped doing it but as a last resort.
*
mrtraveler - October 14, 2009
I flew from Los Angeles to Chicago overnighted and checked in at 12 noon for my flight from Chicago to Rome to London. The flight was delayed 1 1/2 hours. When I arrived in Rome there were two airline agents to take me to the gate for the London Flight. Upon arrival my two suitcases did not arrive..I made a lost luggage report and was told that there would be a flight later in the day and my luggage would be on board. I left for Dover for one night and then was boarding my 14 day cruise of the Baltic's. Still no luggage. I boarded the ship and made another report and later in the day after the ship sailed I was told that one suitcase was still in Rome and the other one arrived in London but missed the ship. I did not have any luggage from the 14th of June until it arrived in Estonia on the 24th of June. Needless to say I had to buy clothes on board the ship. Went on the cruise. When we returned to Dover we stayed overnight and the next day I checked in and I flew from London to Rome to Chicago. Arrived in Chicago and no luggage. I was forced to stay a night in Chicago and fly home the next day....I arrived on a Monday and my luggage did not arrive until Thursday evening..... I did not get mad at anyone or yell at any of the agents because it was not their fault. I felt if was the baggage handlers fault. and I did get a new wardrobe at the tune of $980.00 and the airline paid for all of that and all expenses I had.
*
Dawn - October 14, 2009
I planned a trip with my children to visit my husband who was working in Israel for the summer. An Egyptian tour company provided our arrangements, which included travel to Israel through Cairo for a week on our own and then back to Egypt for a guided tour. I got nervous when two weeks before the departure our seats on Egypt Air from JFK were not confirmed. The travel agent assured me that the flights would be confirmed by departure. The day before departure he called apologizing profusely that he could not get the flights confirmed. If we delayed the trip we would lose out on precious time that my husband had taken off, including the weekend. I asked the agent if he thought we had a chance to get on that flight if we went anyway. He said we had a very good chance and told me to ask for his friend at Egypt Air to ensure it. We took the risk and flew from Cincinnati to New York the next day, Tuesday. To make a long story short, the fellow I was told to ask for never came to the desk. We did not get on the flight and I was then told (for the first time) that there was no departure the following day so we had to wait until Thursday night to fly to Cairo. Sigh. We made the best of if, got a hotel close to the airport, took a tour and the kids swam in the hotel pool. Two days later we got on the plane to Cairo and were met Friday morning at the airport by a representative from the tour company who apologetically told us that there were no seats to Tel Aviv that day so we would have to go out the following day. He put us up in a hotel and I was afraid to leave it being alone with my kids. Later he called and explained that there were no available flights the next day either but he could get us on a bus at 5 AM in the morning. Exasperated, I agreed, just wanting to get there! He came back to me later, again profusely apologizing that the following day was the Sabbath in Israel and the border was closed. He took us on a tour of Cairo instead. Sunday, six days after we left Ohio we finally arrived by plane in Tel Aviv to a very relieved husband and father!
*
CA Traveler - October 14, 2009
In July, I flew with my mother-in-law, wife, and 6-month-old daughter from Paris where we vacationed. Our flights, in two segments, were from CDG connecting through Chicago and arriving in San Francisco. The first leg was smooth and easy. Somewhere over Colorado, however, the flight attendant nearest our row smelled something funny, "like burnt Fritos." We were sitting in the rear of the aircraft next to the galley. After a frantic search by several flight attendants and a co-pilot, the source of the smell could not be found. The co-pilot mentioned that new Wi-Fi service has just been installed but, since it hadn't yet been enabled, the router located in the overhead bin one row up couldn't be the source. In fact, as I mentioned to the crew, I had actually been surfing the internet not 10 minutes before the mysterious burning Fritos appeared. Shortly after the search the smell seemed to dissipate. Nonetheless, when a flight attendant stated, "I don't feel safe in this plane," the pilot made an immediate emergency landing in Grand Junction, Colorado. We dropped from 30,000 feet to ground in under 12 minutes. Our plane was met by several fire engines hosing us down and, then, boarded by a fully decked out fire fighting team to find the Fritos. No such luck. We all disembarked and spent the next 4 hours waiting in the terminal for a replacement plane flown in from nearby Denver. Once it arrived, we were ushered onto the new plane to a new smell: Pizza. The local airport had sprung for pizza for all the passengers. This was good because if the burning Fritos did recur it would be masked by pepperoni and sausage. Grand Junction has severe winds and a shortened runaway. As such, the plane could not be loaded with enough fuel to complete the trip to San Francisco. Instead, we had to make one more stop in Salt Lake City. We finally arrived at SFO about 6 hours late, tired, and ready to get on the ground; all except my infant daughter who managed to sleep from Paris and from Chicago, play in Grand Junction, and sleep again to San Francisco. She was ready for the next trip!
*
lov - October 14, 2009
travelled fr. ny lga worst nightmare only 1 security line had to ck lugg then take to security stand on line iss flgt stranded for 8 hours in apt other flgt over bk could nod keep app for job lost job 2 mths cannot find anothr. job soon will be homeless cannot pay rent or buy food.
*
csmetz - October 15, 2009
On a recent trip to Vegas with US Air leaving Baltimore and connecting in Charlotte we had one incident happen after another. Our small carry ons did not fit on the plan to Charlotte because the attendents loaded the whole plane at once instead of using zones. So even though we were in row 4 our luggage went on the bottom of the plane. When we got the boarding gate at Charlotte at boarding time we were all in line to board to find that the flight had been cancelled. There was no explanation. We then found out we could not get out of Charlotte that evening...after waiting 1 hour and 40 minutes. We also found out our luggage went to LA and then to Vegas without us...even though we were not originally not going to LA and we were stranded for the night. We did receive a hotel voucher, but when we got to the hotel their computers were down and we could not check into the room for 2 hours and 30 minutes so we were accomodated there with 1 free drink at the bar...whoo hoo! We set up a 5am wake up call the next morning, which we never received. Furthermore, we had to take a connecting flight to Vegas even though we originally had a direct flight from Charlotte. We had a friend already in Vegas the day before so we missed spending time with her and we missed a trip to the Grand Canyon that was supposed to be the next day, but by the time we found out the flight was cancelled it was too late to cancel so there was no refund! Flying is fun...can't wait to do it again!!
by Carl Unger, SmarterTravel.com Staff - October 13, 2009
Photo: IndexOpen
What's scarier, a bloodthirsty ghoul or an overnight tarmac delay? Obviously, the answer is "overnight tarmac delay," which crowns our list of the top travel horror stories of the year. Read on to discover the most terrifying stories from the travel industry in 2009, and then submit your own!
And now, without further ado, the freakiest of the freaky:
* Trapped Overnight! In August, 47 passengers were trapped overnight aboard a regional jet on the tarmac in Rochester, Minnesota. The plane, destined for Minneapolis, was diverted by thunderstorms. Once on the ground, a nightmare of errors ensued, as passengers were denied access to the airport and forced to suffer through the night with one bathroom and nary a pretzel to be found. The Department of Transportation (DOT) ultimately laid blame on Mesaba Airlines, which erroneously told ExpressJet the airport wasn't accessible when, in fact, it was.
Advertisement
Click here to find out more!
* Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't European low-cost carrier Ryanair spent most of 2009 adding expensive and sometimes exploitative fees that devoured its customers' cash. Notably, Ryanair added a £5 online check-in fee, then removed its airport check-in desks and threw a £40 penalty at customers who came to the airport without checking in online. So either pay the £5 fee or get slapped with a £40 punishment. Scary indeed.
* We're Going Down! Wait, Never Mind In August, an Aer Lingus crewmember accidentally played a recorded message in French that instructed passengers to prepare for an emergency landing. Confused Anglophones looked on as the French passengers descended into panic, thinking the plane was about to crash in the ocean. The intended message simply asked passengers to buckle up in advance of turbulence. Oops!
* Cross Those Legs, Or Pay! It wouldn't be a comprehensive list of airline horror stories without at least two entries from Ryanair. The airline caused a panic earlier this year when it suggested it may start charging to use the bathroom. While obvious legal issues immediately reduced this to little more than a publicity stunt, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary sent chills down our spine with his apparent eagerness to send customers "scurrying to the toilet before the departure gate."
* Switched at the Airport In June, Continental Express sent two unaccompanied minors to the wrong destinations. It's every parent's nightmare, and quickly turned into a publicity disaster for Continental, especially since the airline was entirely responsible for the mix-up. Fortunately the mistake was noticed quickly, and the children were found safe and sound.
Okay, so none of these will (or should) keep you up at night, though you have to admit it's pretty scary stuff if you're a traveler. But what we really want is to hear from you. Have you been stranded at the airport? Lost your suitcase to the airport baggage abyss? Share your story in the comment field below. We'll collect the best submissions and publish them in our annual Reader Horror Stories feature just before Halloween. Thanks!
Find Related Stories: Aer Lingus, airfare, Carl Unger, Continental, ExpressJet, flight cancellation, flight delay, health and safety, Ryanair, taxes and fees
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Reader Comments:
*
DRB Round the World - October 14, 2009
We began our 18 day trip to Peru/Ecuador on a very bad note. On our connection from LaGuardia to Guayaquil, Ecuador our luggage was lost. Makes you wonder if LAN knew what they did because we were unexpectedly upgraded to First Class. After 2 days of being told many times by LAN that our luggage would arrive at any moment and we were leaving for a 5 day Galapagos cruise the next morning, we took matters into our own hands. We frantically hired a private driver and headed for the local mall at 7:30PM on a Sunday when the mall closed at 8PM. All the mall stores were closing their doors except one - Tommy Hilfiger. They of course obliged and remained open while we frantically shopped for 4 people. 15 items - $818 dollars later we had the bare minimum to get us through. My credit card was rejected so another in our party offered to put it on her card. Luckily when we returned to Guayaquil our luggage had finally arrived but everything was sopping wet! Turns our our luggage somehow was misdirected to Amsterdam!! Lessons learned - only take carry on luggage, waterproof your luggage and always purchase travel insurance. Luckily we had travel insurance.
*
nadya troche - October 14, 2009
A few years ago, my elderly motherwas traveling alone to visit her now departed sister. She was traveling on American Airlines. We were not allowed to go to the gate with her , The wheelchair attendent said all will be fine , we will take care of her. Mom did not have a cellphone ,so we relied on them to get her on the plane. We paid for first class to insure a comfy flight. We stayed in the airport untill the plane took off, and when it did , we left for home confident in the fact mom was on her way to california from New York.. When we arrived home about 2 hours later we recieve a call from a stranger . The woman was a kind soul who found an elderly woman crying at the gate . Apparently what happened was the attendant parked mom at the designated gate and left. Mom fell asleep after a long wait ti depart, and didnot hear the call for boarding I guess the sight of a woman in a wheelchair at the gate did not alarm the flight attendents! Well the plane took off without her. and there she sat alone at the gate . we managed to get her on a later coach flight after 15 exhousting hours 21 hours to california.
*
arkansas traveler - October 14, 2009
while traveling with a group of six in 2007 we landed in dallas to change planes. with 1 heart patient and 1 amputee in our group we started the long walk, up and down stairs. and miles of gates with nobody there. finally using the house phone to call for a cart which never showed up faster travelers made it to the gate to ask the plane to please wait. again no one was there. our heart patient could not go any further when a gate with wheel chairs was spotted. when asked could we use one we were told no! and if we took one security would be called. we gladly barrowed the wheel chair anyway, which we returned, got to our gate on time just to be told we didnt have a pilot. what happen to airport curtsy? Really jail for the breif use of a wheel chair? Flying has become such a hard ship that we have stopped doing it but as a last resort.
*
mrtraveler - October 14, 2009
I flew from Los Angeles to Chicago overnighted and checked in at 12 noon for my flight from Chicago to Rome to London. The flight was delayed 1 1/2 hours. When I arrived in Rome there were two airline agents to take me to the gate for the London Flight. Upon arrival my two suitcases did not arrive..I made a lost luggage report and was told that there would be a flight later in the day and my luggage would be on board. I left for Dover for one night and then was boarding my 14 day cruise of the Baltic's. Still no luggage. I boarded the ship and made another report and later in the day after the ship sailed I was told that one suitcase was still in Rome and the other one arrived in London but missed the ship. I did not have any luggage from the 14th of June until it arrived in Estonia on the 24th of June. Needless to say I had to buy clothes on board the ship. Went on the cruise. When we returned to Dover we stayed overnight and the next day I checked in and I flew from London to Rome to Chicago. Arrived in Chicago and no luggage. I was forced to stay a night in Chicago and fly home the next day....I arrived on a Monday and my luggage did not arrive until Thursday evening..... I did not get mad at anyone or yell at any of the agents because it was not their fault. I felt if was the baggage handlers fault. and I did get a new wardrobe at the tune of $980.00 and the airline paid for all of that and all expenses I had.
*
Dawn - October 14, 2009
I planned a trip with my children to visit my husband who was working in Israel for the summer. An Egyptian tour company provided our arrangements, which included travel to Israel through Cairo for a week on our own and then back to Egypt for a guided tour. I got nervous when two weeks before the departure our seats on Egypt Air from JFK were not confirmed. The travel agent assured me that the flights would be confirmed by departure. The day before departure he called apologizing profusely that he could not get the flights confirmed. If we delayed the trip we would lose out on precious time that my husband had taken off, including the weekend. I asked the agent if he thought we had a chance to get on that flight if we went anyway. He said we had a very good chance and told me to ask for his friend at Egypt Air to ensure it. We took the risk and flew from Cincinnati to New York the next day, Tuesday. To make a long story short, the fellow I was told to ask for never came to the desk. We did not get on the flight and I was then told (for the first time) that there was no departure the following day so we had to wait until Thursday night to fly to Cairo. Sigh. We made the best of if, got a hotel close to the airport, took a tour and the kids swam in the hotel pool. Two days later we got on the plane to Cairo and were met Friday morning at the airport by a representative from the tour company who apologetically told us that there were no seats to Tel Aviv that day so we would have to go out the following day. He put us up in a hotel and I was afraid to leave it being alone with my kids. Later he called and explained that there were no available flights the next day either but he could get us on a bus at 5 AM in the morning. Exasperated, I agreed, just wanting to get there! He came back to me later, again profusely apologizing that the following day was the Sabbath in Israel and the border was closed. He took us on a tour of Cairo instead. Sunday, six days after we left Ohio we finally arrived by plane in Tel Aviv to a very relieved husband and father!
*
CA Traveler - October 14, 2009
In July, I flew with my mother-in-law, wife, and 6-month-old daughter from Paris where we vacationed. Our flights, in two segments, were from CDG connecting through Chicago and arriving in San Francisco. The first leg was smooth and easy. Somewhere over Colorado, however, the flight attendant nearest our row smelled something funny, "like burnt Fritos." We were sitting in the rear of the aircraft next to the galley. After a frantic search by several flight attendants and a co-pilot, the source of the smell could not be found. The co-pilot mentioned that new Wi-Fi service has just been installed but, since it hadn't yet been enabled, the router located in the overhead bin one row up couldn't be the source. In fact, as I mentioned to the crew, I had actually been surfing the internet not 10 minutes before the mysterious burning Fritos appeared. Shortly after the search the smell seemed to dissipate. Nonetheless, when a flight attendant stated, "I don't feel safe in this plane," the pilot made an immediate emergency landing in Grand Junction, Colorado. We dropped from 30,000 feet to ground in under 12 minutes. Our plane was met by several fire engines hosing us down and, then, boarded by a fully decked out fire fighting team to find the Fritos. No such luck. We all disembarked and spent the next 4 hours waiting in the terminal for a replacement plane flown in from nearby Denver. Once it arrived, we were ushered onto the new plane to a new smell: Pizza. The local airport had sprung for pizza for all the passengers. This was good because if the burning Fritos did recur it would be masked by pepperoni and sausage. Grand Junction has severe winds and a shortened runaway. As such, the plane could not be loaded with enough fuel to complete the trip to San Francisco. Instead, we had to make one more stop in Salt Lake City. We finally arrived at SFO about 6 hours late, tired, and ready to get on the ground; all except my infant daughter who managed to sleep from Paris and from Chicago, play in Grand Junction, and sleep again to San Francisco. She was ready for the next trip!
*
lov - October 14, 2009
travelled fr. ny lga worst nightmare only 1 security line had to ck lugg then take to security stand on line iss flgt stranded for 8 hours in apt other flgt over bk could nod keep app for job lost job 2 mths cannot find anothr. job soon will be homeless cannot pay rent or buy food.
*
csmetz - October 15, 2009
On a recent trip to Vegas with US Air leaving Baltimore and connecting in Charlotte we had one incident happen after another. Our small carry ons did not fit on the plan to Charlotte because the attendents loaded the whole plane at once instead of using zones. So even though we were in row 4 our luggage went on the bottom of the plane. When we got the boarding gate at Charlotte at boarding time we were all in line to board to find that the flight had been cancelled. There was no explanation. We then found out we could not get out of Charlotte that evening...after waiting 1 hour and 40 minutes. We also found out our luggage went to LA and then to Vegas without us...even though we were not originally not going to LA and we were stranded for the night. We did receive a hotel voucher, but when we got to the hotel their computers were down and we could not check into the room for 2 hours and 30 minutes so we were accomodated there with 1 free drink at the bar...whoo hoo! We set up a 5am wake up call the next morning, which we never received. Furthermore, we had to take a connecting flight to Vegas even though we originally had a direct flight from Charlotte. We had a friend already in Vegas the day before so we missed spending time with her and we missed a trip to the Grand Canyon that was supposed to be the next day, but by the time we found out the flight was cancelled it was too late to cancel so there was no refund! Flying is fun...can't wait to do it again!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Taking a Cruise Can Be Less Expensive Than You Think
Because everything including lodging, meals and entertainment are included in the price of most cruises, you are really getting a pretty good deal on a cruise vacation.
Example: For $500.00 two of you can take a cruise to Mexico for 4 nights. Wow, 4 nights lodging in most vacation spots would easily run $400.00. Then the price of food for 2 people for 4 days, conservatively say, $200.00, and entertainment could easily run over $200.00 more. On a cruise, all this is included!
Get all dressed up and enjoy a memorable evening out in the cruise ship’s formal dining room or ordering room service, the choice is yours! On a cruise, you can expect to be waited on hand and foot!
Cruise Ships offer many different forms of entertainment. Dinner and dancing under the stars to live music, games, swimming or relaxing in the hot tub, stroll the deck and enjoy the ocean view with its cool breeze and fresh air, see dolphins and whales, or many of the other cruise activities will keep you entertained while on your cruise.
Most cruise ships have shows, casinos and spas to pamper yourself. Indulge yourself with a soothing massage or facial and try your luck at the ship’s casino slots or gaming tables.
Photography buffs will be thoroughly thrilled by the photo opportunities…imagine the most amazing sunsets!
For the competitive cruisers there are contest and tournaments to join, while the athletic health conscious persons work out at the fitness center.
When the cruise ship pulls into port, you can get off the ship and explore the port city, and shop for souvenirs, or lay on the beach. Shore excursion activities and tours can be arranged, but are an extra charge.
A cruise has something for everybody! All inclusive!
Now doesn’t this make a cruise affordable?
Take a cruise and enjoy the most thrilling vacation of your life!
For Cruise Reservations online go to http://www.chuckscruises.net
Bon Voyage!
Because everything including lodging, meals and entertainment are included in the price of most cruises, you are really getting a pretty good deal on a cruise vacation.
Example: For $500.00 two of you can take a cruise to Mexico for 4 nights. Wow, 4 nights lodging in most vacation spots would easily run $400.00. Then the price of food for 2 people for 4 days, conservatively say, $200.00, and entertainment could easily run over $200.00 more. On a cruise, all this is included!
Get all dressed up and enjoy a memorable evening out in the cruise ship’s formal dining room or ordering room service, the choice is yours! On a cruise, you can expect to be waited on hand and foot!
Cruise Ships offer many different forms of entertainment. Dinner and dancing under the stars to live music, games, swimming or relaxing in the hot tub, stroll the deck and enjoy the ocean view with its cool breeze and fresh air, see dolphins and whales, or many of the other cruise activities will keep you entertained while on your cruise.
Most cruise ships have shows, casinos and spas to pamper yourself. Indulge yourself with a soothing massage or facial and try your luck at the ship’s casino slots or gaming tables.
Photography buffs will be thoroughly thrilled by the photo opportunities…imagine the most amazing sunsets!
For the competitive cruisers there are contest and tournaments to join, while the athletic health conscious persons work out at the fitness center.
When the cruise ship pulls into port, you can get off the ship and explore the port city, and shop for souvenirs, or lay on the beach. Shore excursion activities and tours can be arranged, but are an extra charge.
A cruise has something for everybody! All inclusive!
Now doesn’t this make a cruise affordable?
Take a cruise and enjoy the most thrilling vacation of your life!
For Cruise Reservations online go to http://www.chuckscruises.net
Bon Voyage!
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