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When it rains......it pours

Today is the day I head back to Europe. At least that was on the calendar.

The plan was to fly into JFK yesterday and catch a morning flight today to London. On AA.

The flight into JFK yesterday was 90 minutes late due to air traffic control staffing issues. Okay, not too bad.

This morning I head to the airport and look to see if my flight is on time. The arriving flight was early and everything was good. Surprisingly, the morning BA flight and the morning VS flights to London were both cancelled. But mine was on time.

We boarded on time and pushed back early. And then we stopped. And stayed. The pilot announced there was a slight maintenance issue and it shouldn't take long. Our scheduled departure time of 9:30 would be slightly delayed. And delayed. Every hour we were told it's almost done and got a message from AA with the new departure time. Finally at 12:15 we were told it can't be fixed and we would all have to deplane.

It was suggested that we hang around the gate for new updated information. Sure enough, we got messages that the new departure time was 5:00. I headed to the lounge figuring I might as well be comfortable. I had some lunch and then got the email that my flight was canceled. I headed towards the AA reps at the lounge and while waiting got a message I was rebooked on the 6:30 PM BA flight. So I had to talk to a BA representative. It's a shared Oneworld lounge so there was a BA rep there. She said I may not actually have a seat but was able to snag the last one in busness class.

So instead of arriving at 9:30 PM on Tuesday, I'll arrive at 6:30 AM on Wednesday. I contacted my hotel at Heathrow and told them to hold my room and give me a late checkout. (I'll be exhausted as I don't sleep on planes.)

So why the "When it rains...it pours" headline. Thunderstorms are expected in the NY area around my departure time.

Isn't travel fun?

Oh, I forgot to mention. The BA rep asked to see proof of my ETA.

Posted by
17384 posts

"The BA rep asked to see proof of my ETA."

Well, that last line shocked me. The delays...not so much....but the BA rep asking for that from a very frequent traveler in the ONeWorld Lounge? Wow.

Posted by
1062 posts

Hope things get better from here out Frank! Try to exhale when you get there and have fun!

Posted by
13722 posts

Oh, I forgot to mention. The BA rep asked to see proof of my ETA.

Don't stop there, tell us 'the rest of the story'

Posted by
19283 posts

I will tell you the rest of the story when--or if--I get to London.

What's really bumming me out is that on my AA flight, I had ordered a special Beef Wellington only available for pre-order. I have no idea what is being served on BA or if anything will be left when they get to me. I'm in the back of Club World.

I should say that AA was very generousl Without asking, for my delay, they sent me a meal voucher worth $12. At JFK, that wll cover a cup of coffee.

It's 4 pm in NY and JFK has just issued ground stops due to thunderstorms in the area.

I wonder if I'll get to London by Thanksgiving.

Posted by
1187 posts

Frank, this one of those "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" travel experiences. Good luck.

Posted by
12656 posts

Frank, good luck—I hope you make it this time and have a decent meal. And AA should be ashamed for trying to palm off a cheap meal voucher.

I also hope the thunderstorms hold off. That's definitely adding insult to injury.

Posted by
6742 posts

I had ordered a special Beef Wellington

If the reviews on flyertalk are accurate, you won’t be missing anything special.

Posted by
19283 posts

That note about "Beef Wellington" was actually tongue in cheek.

I had it earlier this year and I scracthed my head because it didn't look like any beef wellington I''ve ever had.

I will say my hotel in London is great. I've been messaging them about the changes and they noted when I'm scheduled to arrive. They've also granted me a late checkout at 2 PM and I can extend that until 4. (High status with the chain.)

My plan, as of now, is to check in, grab a quick breakfast--it's free thanks to my status--and then get a few hours sleep.

That's the plan. We'll see what the gods have in store for me.

Posted by
140 posts

CarolnowRetired just posted this morning about ETA and mentioned that some airline agents are asking for it at airport preboarding. She provided a link to a new site where you can verify your ETA.
Frank - WOW - you are getting hit hard this trip. Good luck and great that hotel is so very accomodating!

Posted by
13722 posts

The Feds are doing a rain dance to keep you in the country for your jury duty appointment? :-)

Posted by
9008 posts

So the morning BA flight had gotten cancelled, but AA put you on the P.M. BA flight. Glad that it wasn’t full from BA passengers who’d gotten bumped from the A.M. to P.M.!

It probably won’t continue to “pour,” once you make it to the U.K. In Wales the past two weeks, it was exceedingly hot and dry the first week, both in the far south and the southern mountains. Along the north coast this week, it’s been considerably cooler and windy, with continual light rain on Saturday, but just cloudy the past two days. Forecast for the next week, Wales and London, says warm and almost completely dry.

Posted by
11517 posts

Gosh -- hang in there Frank !! Hope you are done with the delays.

Posted by
13722 posts

BA shows they had 3 flights depart JFK for LHR between 605PM and 640PM.

I wonder how backed up the immigration line is gong to be.

Posted by
714 posts

Hope you take off soon. I was in your shoes a few weeks ago (though not on first class) with a flight connecting at JFK that was on holding at arrival because of storms and had to land in Syracuse to refuel. Made it to JFK in time for next flight (a miracle) to then learn our flight was delayed to next morning, and then had flight canceled due to lack of crew. Thank you Delta. I got a $15 voucher which was laughable for JFK.
I won't go into details but we eventually left JFK and I just got reimbursed for my hotel night and meals. I booked on my own instead of waiting for vouchers or designated hotel.

Posted by
19283 posts

Greetings from London. I made it.

AA put me on the 6:30 pm BA flight from JFK to LHR. It was full. We actually pushed back early and landed about 40 minutes early.

The BA plane was the same type as the AA plane but a lot newer and nicer. The food was better as well.

Arriving into T5 was a zoo. I had to push to get on the tram from the B gates to immigration. The walk, the escalators, everything was packed.

Luckily, however, it seemed that the majority of the arriving passengers went to the regular immigration lines. I went to the egates, there was no one in front of me, and I was through in seconds.

I then took the Piccadilly line to T2/3 where my hotel is and went up to my room. It's going to be in the low 90's here in London today so the a/c is going in my room.

I guess I shouldn't feel too bad. I was talking to a guy on my AA flight. He was originally on the Virgin morning flight. It was canceled and he was put on the AA flight. Then it got cancelled. I don't know what happened to him after that as I went to the lounge and he was waiting for his family to come back from the loo.

I hear about the AA issues once I landed in London.

Posted by
1062 posts

Got up this morning and thought, I must check to see if Frank got there. lol Glad you made it through. Chalk it up as a less than lovely travel experience now, right? Hope the rest of your trip is wonderful!