phieaglefan

Hi all! I'm still in transit as I write this - at an internet access booth at DFW. Yesterday morning, we arrived at the OKC airport 1.5 hrs before our flight to FRA via Minneapolis and Detroit.

The flight before ours had lots of people not make the flight due to the fact that Northwest had only two agents working the desk and there were perhaps 75 people with tons of luggage trying to get places. They had to close out the flight because they couldn't proceess them. Instead of then pulling those people to the side and beginning on our flight, they simply took the next people in line. Finally with 30 minutes to spare, we got our boarding passes.

Well, my husband and daughter got theirs, but they told me there was a problem with mine. Bad sign! We go to the gate and they tell me I don't have a seat! For the record, I had seat assignments for months. I tried to check in on the internet the night before. It told me I couldn't which I attributed to the fact that they had re-routed us (Originally was OKC - DTW - FRA).

Apparently sometime during the night, they changed aircraft and the new one was smaller so some people got bumped. What really bugged me is that they yelled at my husband to get on the plane! I was trying to hand him his boarding passes for the next two flights and they barely allowed us to do that!

At this point I assume I can still get to Detroit by 5pm and meet up with him - wrong. But back to the splitting up - we had no time to figure anything out. He ended up with the toiletries carry on and I ended up with the one with the maps and emergency clothes. I also had his international drivers liscense, the rental car info, and the international cell phone!

Northwest was able to get me on a flight the next day (today) out of DFW. They shuttled me and 5 other people from OKC to DFW in a van, and put us in a hotel for the night. I will arrive (hopefully) exactly one day late into FRA. Since hubby took the rental car, I'll hop a train to Regensburg from the airport and meet up with them there.

I learned a few lessons from this. If it's an important flight - get to the airport early. Northwest can be understaffed. And most importantly, make sure you have the stuff on your person that you need!

Hope everyone else's travels go better for them! I'll post back when I can to let you all know how things turned out!

H

mcnyc

Oh no! Good luck getting in touch with your family when you get to Frankfurt. Sorry it's not starting out well, but here's hoping the rest will be a wonderfully memorable trip.

Intrepid1

I'm sorry but you DID "get to the airport early" as far as I am concerned...this whole situation raises many, many questions and I'm sure you don't want to hear any of the hindsight-influenced "solutions" at this point.

I hope your trip turns out OK...I do wish, however, that your husband would get to the nearest land-based phone and call YOU on your cell phone..keep it turned ON!

Robespierre

Enjoy your free trip to Europe! Can you say "Denied Boarding Compensation"?

But use it quick! Northworst may not be long for this world - and deservedly so.

Neopolitan

I know that American says you SHOULD be at the airport TWO HOURS before international flights, so yes, 1.5 hours would make me uncomfortable.

I'm not excusing Northwest for their incompetence, however! This indeed sounds like a nightmare. Splitting up families on international flights? That's horrible!

phieaglefan

Thanks for all the nice thoughts. I knew you guys would be supportive. mcnyc - I was able to get in touch with my husband. He was able to call my cell from my Aunt's house in Germany.

Intrepid - usually 1.5 hrs in OKC is about an hour too long. Who knew? I talked to a lady that got to the airport at 5:10 for the 7:20 flight and she got bumped also, but she didn't have a seat assignment.

Robespierre- no free trip to europe for me! They gave me a choice between a $300 travel voucher and a free domestic round trip! I may write a quick note to Northwest when I get home to see if they might up that a bit when I give them the details. On the up side - I've got to look for something- I'm in First Class from DFW to DTW and in Business class from DTW to FRA.

Thanks again!
H

Intrepid1

Here's some info for your consideration.

Overbooking and Involuntary Bumping on U.S. Airlines
U.S. airlines are allowed to overbook flights to allow for "no-show" passengers. However, if passengers are involuntarily bumped, airlines are required to do ask for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for compensation. Most involuntarily bumped passengers are subject to the following minimum compensation schedule:

* No compensation if alternative transportation gets the passenger to the destination within one hour of the original scheduled arrival.
* The equivalent of the passenger's one way fare up to a maximum of $200 for substitute domestic flights that arrive between one and two hours after the original scheduled arrival time or for substitute international flights that arrive between one and four hours after the original scheduled arrival time.
* If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles to a maximum of $400 maximum.

I'm sure I wouldn't have, either, but with a confirmed seat I would have been very tempted to "make a scene" especially when some unfortunate employee was yelling at my loved one to "get on the plane."

phieaglefan

Thanks Intrepid. I really wasn't expecting anything more. I took the domestic round trip since I have family in Allentown, PA and if you've ever priced a flight from OKC to Allentown, it's generally in the $500 range.

I understand that people get bumped. My main two complaints are:
1. They split my family on an international trip
2. They didn't give us 10 seconds to sort our stuff, even though they didn't close the door for another 8 minutes or so.

BTW, I truly felt sorry for the two agents at the desk and the poor guy who didn't let me on the plane. It wasn't their doing. And to their credit, when I went back to the desk, there was a new gentleman there who worked diligently to get me to FRA as quickly as possible.

Thanks again. Can you tell I'm bored sitting here at the gate? Maybe I'll send NWA my bill for this internet access!
H

suze

wow- what a story! People always complain how bad NWA is... but sheez this is ridiculous. I guess that's a good lesson learned about packing so each person could be self-sufficient with their carry-on bag, I'm not lecturing you... who would have thought they'd separate a family!

WallyKringen

Thanks for the heads-up, phieaglefan, we all need a kick in the pants now and again about what it means when they say 2 hours before the flight for international departures. Even if it's a domestic leg at first.

By your own math, the extra thirty minutes it took, tacked on to your self-confessed 90 minutes, would have been two hours, probably time to sort out who goes and who stays, or some other constructive moves.

Sorry to hear about your nuisance, and thanks for sharing. I hope you can maximize the compensation, be tenacious, polite but insistent, this should be worth about 800 bucks if my similar experiences count for anything (not with NWA but with AA where I didn't even have to haggle).

All the best

WK

Robespierre

Yeah, Wally - but as strapped for cash as NWA is, they'll probably arm-wrestle her right into the ground

mcnyc

Glad you were able to contact your husband! What a nightmare. I thought most airlines have a policy of not separating families.

With what seems like a full flight, they should never bring in a smaller plane. Then again, I don't know how airlines are run.

Robespierre

Neither does Northwest &gt

Tiff

Oh phieasglefan ~ What a disappointment. I am very sorry that your journey has begun this way. Hang in there! We feel your pain.
Be safe, Tiff

Scarlett

How awful, phieaglefan! The rest of the trip can only be wonderful after that kind of beginning!

DeirdreStraughan

FYI on arriving early: after what happened to me trying to get out of Las Vegas after CES in January, I will never again assume that someone rushing through a line is necessarily doing so because they didn't get to the airport on time. I got to the airport 2.5 hours before my (domestic) flight, spent all that time in line to rebook because my flight was cancelled, then had to stand in line again to get a boarding pass for the flight I got rebooked on. When we realized that we were going to miss that one standing in line, and America West refused to pull us out and send us ahead, we started asking people in the line if we could pass. Some tried to ignore us with a "this is all your own fault" look, and one guy told us flat out that we should have come earlier. I would have decked him, but was in a hurry....

The whole painful story is at http://www.beginningwithi.com/travel/ces2006.html , FWIW

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com (personal)
www.tvblob.com (work)

Tulips

I always wonder about the safety issue when airlines are this disorganised. Luggage is not supposed to be on the plane if the passenger is not. If they do not even leave you time to sort out things with your husband, how do they have time to properly follow safety rules?
Hope the rest of your trip works out alright!

Intrepid1

Tulips: I honestly think that "luggage flies with you" notion can be somewhat mythical. There have been several instances since 9/11, etc., when I've been booked on a flight that was not the "next" one flying to my destination and in each case when I have arrived my luggage was already there waiting for me.

logos999

I'm wondering if it's possible to check-in the evening before you leave, as it is on many carriers here in Munich. Is this generally not an option in the US? I feel a lot safer already having my boarding pass on me when I arrive at the airport.

AnselmAdorne

About the baggage rule ... as far as I can see, it works this way: as a passenger, you can't choose to put your bag on a different flight. However, once the airline has your baggage, they can choose which flight to put it on--the one you are on, a flight before yours, or the flight after. They can even decide to send it to Beijing when you're on your way to Paris.

And all the while you assume it is in the baggage hold just below your feet.

Anselm