Sometimes I PLAN those little incoveniences - I try to book a flight where the connecting flight is the LAST flight out of that airport that night. <BR> <BR>On weekdays when there's allot of business travel, the airlines (or at least Continental) overbooks the flights and takes volunteers to get booted from the flight. <BR> <BR>And I try to be first to race up to the counter. <BR> <BR>I get a free nights stay at a decent hotel in a nice city and I get travel vouchers to boot. <BR> <BR>So I'm not complaining...but then I don't have a rigid schedule to adhere to either.

Yesterday I got done a bit early at work so I had an hour to kill before going to Mass. I decided I'd have something to eat at McDonald's. Since I needed cash I headed over to the ATM. It would only be 5 minutes. I waited behind some old fart who couldn't seem to operate the machine. It took them almost 10 minutes to do whatever they were doing. Finally it was my turn. After punching in all my answers to all the different questions...Omigod!!! It was out of money. I then had to drive another couple miles to the next closest bank. Another 5 minutes. This must've been the only cash machine in town that was still working. Everyone in town seemed to be waiting in line to get money out. It took me 15 minutes to get my money. Then I discovered I needed gas to get back into town to Micky D's and then to church. This cost me another 10 minutes. When I got to McDonald's the lines were really long. After 10 minutes it was finally my turn to order. They told me that they were out of Chicken Nuggets so I had to wait 10 more minutes for them to be ready. When I eventually sat down to eat, I discovered I was too late for Mass. <BR> <BR>My question is, now that I'm going to Hell for missing Mass, can I seek compensation from the old fart who held me up at the bank; from the company that built and installed the clumsy interface on my bank's ATM; from my bank that didn't provide sufficient funds in the machine; from the bank I eventually went to (not my bank so I will have to pay $1.50 service charge which I would like to be reimbursed for) because they only had one machine despite the obvious demands of the public; from the gas station owner and his parent company because they required me to walk from my car to their kiosk to show them my credit card, walk back to fill my car, then go back to the kiosk to sign the receipt when instead they could've installed one of those pay at the pump thingys, from McDonald's for not having adequate pimple-faced high school kids on hand to <BR>take our orders and not enough steaming vats of grease to fry my nuggets; from my church and the Vatican for having these crazy holiday schedules and finally, my city council and the zoning commission for not putting all these places in the same section of town. I think I at least entitled to an upgrade to a Supersize Big Meal.

If you go to Hell, it won't be for missing Mass. What a pointless, over-done little troll. Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, you lonely little bigot.

Monsieur Dershowitz, <BR> <BR>Clearly, you should sue. <BR> <BR>And I trust that you will use the proceeds to reimburse your learned employer for that hour you ditched work. <BR>

oh JD and everybody else, easy. <BR> <BR>OK, here's how the airline industry works; XYZ airlines advertises 4 daily flights out of one city to another city...say, Dallas to Atlanta. The first flight leaves at 7 a.m., second at 12 noon, third at 5 p.m. and fourth at 8 p.m. They will ALWAYS have the 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. flights (save weather or mechanical difficulties). Period. If the 12 noon and 8 p.m. are not full or at least at a capacity to make a profit, they will cancel those flights and bump 12 noon-ers to the 5 p.m. flight and the 8 p.m.ers to the following morning in order to fill seats and turn a profit. Therefore, I always try to make my flight times the first of the day or late afternoon. Except for a 2 hour delay for fog once, this has seemed to work out very well. Just FYI. <BR> <BR>

If the cancellation was not weather related but due to poor airline/pilot union relations, and if my the choice seats I'd booked months before were not available you're darn right I'd be a "squeaky wheel". A year ago, on a flight from DFW to FRA we developed an engine problem and had to circle Long Island Sound, dumping fuel to get us down to a safe landing weight, and change planes at JFK. On my next AAdvantage statement I was given 5000 miles for the inconvenience. (My wife, not a "Gold", received nothing).

Hello everyone. I started this board and my first post was a bit trivial but...once I got to JFK (from DFW and Cinn) we were ready to board the 8:10 flight 76 to Munich. Well, that flight was cancelled. There were only two pilots and they needed three (one was off because of the whole overtime thing) Delta put us up in the Airport hotel for the night and gave us food vouchers. They told us that they were going to add a flight on December 26th at 4pm (flight 9610). We were furious because we lost a whole day on our 10 day excursion). There was another problem, however. Flight 9610 was supposed to leave at 4:00 but it didn't leave until 7:30 because of some bogus water problem. I did get an upgrade but Delta cost me a day and a half. I had to rearrange hotel and train reservations and you can't put a price on the fact that my 18 year old brother was alone for Christmas. We finally arrived on December 27th. Now I know when to complain...I don't think I am being a brat this time!

Flew in from Europe the other day via Newark. After landing a little late, we taxied for 1 1/2 hours before getting to the gate because of flight delays. This caused us to miss our connection home. It was the last flight to LA. <BR> <BR>They put us up in a hotel, and gave us meal vouchers. It wasn't so bad but three (my brother was with us also) of us did miss an extra day of work and my wife, child and I were all separated on the plane. My daughter looks around five and the person who rescheduled our flight saw her with us. <BR> <BR>Also, my daughter and I must order special meals which obviously were not available for the changed flight so we had to bring food on board. <BR> <BR>The biggest problem is that my 8 year old daughter is diabetic and was not seated with my wife or myself. She must be monitored, she does have insulin problems every 2.5 to 3 hours, and this was a 2hr 45 minute flight. No one would move to allow her to sit with one of us. She stood in the aisle crying. Finally, the stewardess had one person move across the aisle, (same row, same aisle seat) so that my daughter could sit with my wife. <BR> <BR>Any comments on the airlines actions, were they reasonable? Is it fair to ask for some sort of voucher for a discount on our next flight? How would this be handled? <BR>

JD you can complain all you want but your not going to get anything. Call me cynical but i had a terrible experience two years ago coming back to the US. I had purchased a hosted vacation package (basically includes air, hotel, some meals, and an orientation tour) which was on a chartered plane and was scheduled to come back on a Sunday. Of course <BR>there was a problem with the airline and they didn't get me home until Tuesday night. Get this, the airline wouldn't even put me up at a hotel! i was on my own to find a hotel in the middle of the high season and was charged outrageous rates for 2 nights! Also I had a very important court date on Tuesday which I missed. I complained and got nothing! Now i have had some flight problems over the years, but htis one took the cake. Now I just expect there will be a problem and if there's not, then there's something good for my day and I take it in stride. <BR> <BR>I don't really think you have anything to complain about, I mean the airline did put you up for the night and stuff. Just don't let these things get to you!

Just had to respond to someone who said air travel is the "most miserable, punishing, humiliating, and unpredicatably disorienting experience of modern life". I think being a woman in Afghanistan is worse. Maybe being an AIDS orphan in Africa. Let's have a little perspective - we're getting on AIRPLANES and travelling to A DIFFERENT CONTINENT. We're very lucky people, compared to much of the world...

Is it possible to get some sort of "compensation" for some of the above-cited experiences? From my experience, I say yes. But, you don't do it by being irrational and/or irate. Instead, you do it by writing a letter that is strongly worded in a positive, civil, rational tone. not in an irate manner. I've done it and received vouchers after complaining about being mishandled by airline personnel.

I know these things are so upsetting when they happen but later thay make great stories (you can tell I come from Irish stock!). Last summer I missed a flight while waiting in line to check in-go figure! The airline then gave me vouchers for a free meal and for a hotel room for the night (I live 3 hours from LAX). This is after the airline had originally cancelled my first flight from another airport! So, we go to get something to eat and all the airport restaurants (fast food and all) were closed-no dinner. Then, when we got to the hotel there were no rooms! <BR>I have not heard of that happening to anyone (with a voucher from the airline!) We begged, we pleaded, we begged again! No rooms. We were 2 couples together. So, we said even ONE room would be OK-after a little more checking the man at the desk came up with ONE room! (2 min. earlier there were no rooms!) Then, after the first couple went up to OUR room I asked the man again-very sweetly, begging actually for our own room. He DID find one! I think the airline should have confirmed the rooms ahead of times or something. I should not have had to beg for a room-do you think? But, as I said-it makes a great "trip from Hell" story! <BR>Patti

I don't blame JD for being miserable about losing 1.5 days of his 10 day trip, I would be too. It's even worse if you are to join a tour and miss your connection (say he was to leave Munich the day after arrival for another place by tour) - that would stuff up the whole trip and you'd have to try to catch up with the tour somehow. I agree that you are probably not due any compensation due to the small print on airtickets, however, a nicely worded letter to Delta might be worthwhile - cc'd to a major newspaper travel letters section or some such. <BR> <BR>I find it hard to relax when going for flights and would certainly hate to have your experience. Usually I have at least the first night's accommodation paid for so would expect to be compensated for same by the airline, failing that, from my travel insurance.

Back to the original post...Delta canceled our flight home on Dec 31 (Dallas Atlanta Munich). Period. No alternatives were given. They gave us ample notice so we rebooked on the 1st. It never crossed my mind to ask them to pay for the extra day of vacation we had to take. As it turns out, they probably would've had to cancel it anyway because of bad weather in DFW on the 31st.

When you have time to spare, <BR>Go by air.

I suppose it's all down to how you were brought up. If you brought up pampered, spoilt, and demanding, then you will want compensation. If you were told to behave respectfully, and politely, then you will probably accept that these things happen, and there are far worse things that can happen in life.

hansman <BR>your quip is cute, but going by air sure beats walking from US to Germany.

...and to think much of the U.S. was settled by people who travelled in horse-drawn wagons...... <BR> <BR>I'm sorry about your disappointment. Years ago an air traffic controller's rotating strike at Heathrow caused my flight to be delayed by 36 hours. Because the circumstances were beyond the airline's control, I had no recourse but to lose my first night's hotel reservation in London, not to mention vacation time. My insurance also did not cover such events. <BR> <BR>I did learn from my experience, though, and hopefully you will too. I was most fortunate in that I had scheduled 2 nights in London before my tour began; as a result, I didn't miss the beginning of my tour. I realized that to plan travel arrangements too tightly is asking for trouble. I now travel independently, but I always consider the possibility of flight delays in making both my outward and return plans. I also consider alternatives in the event of missed train connections, etc. <BR> <BR>Suitably prepared, I now consider the possibility of airline compensation as 'icing on the cake.'