Continental experience
Jul 17th, 2006, 04:19 AM
#41
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Wow, what a nasty experience that must have been for the OP!
I just have one question:
What about those who are prone to *panic attacks* or *claustrophopia*?
My cousin suffers from both and an experience like this could put him over the edge.
Aren't those major issues the airlines must deal with during such lengthy delays?? Better question: how *DO* they deal with passengers like that??
I just have one question:
What about those who are prone to *panic attacks* or *claustrophopia*?
My cousin suffers from both and an experience like this could put him over the edge.
Aren't those major issues the airlines must deal with during such lengthy delays?? Better question: how *DO* they deal with passengers like that??
Jul 17th, 2006, 06:05 AM
#42
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This was, truly, a nightmare. To be kept on a plane for 7 hours with no recourse is insane, even allowing for CO's policy of going to great lengths to avoid cancelling a flight.
We'd have to take a poll, but I'd make the cutoff time 3 hours. All I can think of as an explanation for the 7 hour deal is that airports might have regulations about deplaning into buses during a thunderstorm??
As it is, I suspect that the long period of confinement in the plane had already stressed out passengers to such a degree, that when they found themselves subsequently confined on a crowded, stuffy bus, it was almost intolerable - even for those who don't normally suffer claustrophobia.
This would be the substance of my letter to CO - to change their policy. It is one thing for an airline to be powerless to affect this or that, or to be not obliged to do this or that, but it is another thing to make anyone a prisoner such that they cannot even make their own arrangements, at their own expense.
Truly horrible, laustic, I think the gods now owe you a lifetime of trouble-free flights.
We'd have to take a poll, but I'd make the cutoff time 3 hours. All I can think of as an explanation for the 7 hour deal is that airports might have regulations about deplaning into buses during a thunderstorm??
As it is, I suspect that the long period of confinement in the plane had already stressed out passengers to such a degree, that when they found themselves subsequently confined on a crowded, stuffy bus, it was almost intolerable - even for those who don't normally suffer claustrophobia.
This would be the substance of my letter to CO - to change their policy. It is one thing for an airline to be powerless to affect this or that, or to be not obliged to do this or that, but it is another thing to make anyone a prisoner such that they cannot even make their own arrangements, at their own expense.
Truly horrible, laustic, I think the gods now owe you a lifetime of trouble-free flights.
Jul 17th, 2006, 01:31 PM
#43
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Sue, I totally agree.
To the OP laustic or anyone - As a not so frequent flyer, I've thankfully not encountered such a scenario!
In the event of such a lengthy delay, there must have been people *losing it* - again, I would like to know how is this situation, and those passengers, handled??
To the OP laustic or anyone - As a not so frequent flyer, I've thankfully not encountered such a scenario!
In the event of such a lengthy delay, there must have been people *losing it* - again, I would like to know how is this situation, and those passengers, handled??
Jul 24th, 2006, 01:25 PM
#44
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In this situation I was surprised at the calmness of my fellow passengers. I think most people just realized that there wasn't much we could do about it so panicking wasn't going to help anything. I am not prone to claustrophobia, thank goodness, but my knees do start to hurt when I sit down for such a long time.
Additionally, this was not my first flight of the day. I had already been on an international flight from London which I realize contributed to a lot to my exhaustion and emotional state. Once all was said and done I was up for over 36 hours straight.
Now, like I say I am not prone to claustrophobia, but I did start to feel very upset and panicked on the shuttle when we were not allowed off. This was partially due to being closed in and smelling the fumes and the fact that some other passengers started to become unhinged. It was very scary and I was very afraid that the situation was going to get out of hand and that even those of us staying calm were going to feel the consequences.
I have had a while to think about this whole scenario and I think the biggest mistake that CO made was to keep us on the plane for that long. I wish that they would change their policy so that this won't happen to anyone else. I think 3 to 4 hours is a reasonable cut off point.
I realize now that anyone could have experienced the low level of customer service that I experienced and that there probably isn't much I can do about that. It was just a bad series of circumstances. I know that a lot of people have received exceptional service from CO, so my experience clearly was not the norm. However, I think after 2 consecutive bad experiences with CO I would be a fool to fly with them again. I think I am going to start trying American and Jet Blue.
Additionally, this was not my first flight of the day. I had already been on an international flight from London which I realize contributed to a lot to my exhaustion and emotional state. Once all was said and done I was up for over 36 hours straight.
Now, like I say I am not prone to claustrophobia, but I did start to feel very upset and panicked on the shuttle when we were not allowed off. This was partially due to being closed in and smelling the fumes and the fact that some other passengers started to become unhinged. It was very scary and I was very afraid that the situation was going to get out of hand and that even those of us staying calm were going to feel the consequences.
I have had a while to think about this whole scenario and I think the biggest mistake that CO made was to keep us on the plane for that long. I wish that they would change their policy so that this won't happen to anyone else. I think 3 to 4 hours is a reasonable cut off point.
I realize now that anyone could have experienced the low level of customer service that I experienced and that there probably isn't much I can do about that. It was just a bad series of circumstances. I know that a lot of people have received exceptional service from CO, so my experience clearly was not the norm. However, I think after 2 consecutive bad experiences with CO I would be a fool to fly with them again. I think I am going to start trying American and Jet Blue.
Jul 25th, 2006, 09:04 AM
#45
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just happened upon your post when I was looking for something else. Egad! what a terrible experience. We have travelled for many years and have never experienced anything like that. On the other side, we did have a very moving and compassionate experience with CO when we had a sudden death in our family, and we just showed up at the airport with tickets for some other day, and explained that we needed to get home. A very kind lady called to halt the departing plane, then we were put in 'first class' and immediately escorted on. She put our luggage behind her counter and told us it would be on the next plane, then delivered to our address when it arrived; she arranged it all. A nice touch to a very sad day. So I hope that your terrible series of negative experiences won't deter you from further travels. Maybe that was just a day when you should have stayed in bed. !! Good luck in finding some redress.
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