Houston. July 22.
Crazy day, running around trying to tie up loose ends. So, before leaving to drop off the car at Carmax, I get online to check in for my flight to Korea. The flight is listed as 1 ½ hours delayed. Good because I am running late. Bad because I had only 2 ½ hour layover, which is now down to 1. Making an international connection in 1 hour? Eep.
So, I go to carmax & sell the car then head to the airport. We get to the terminal and I go in to check the board to make sure I’m at the right terminal before I unload my bags. I am, but my flight is listed as ON TIME!! I have less than an hour to check in and get to the gate. I get in line to check in (I couldn’t pay for bags online because I was connecting to an international flight). One person tells me the flight is delayed. Another says it’s on time. Either way, I’m panicked. I get my bags checked and rush to security. Fortunately the line isn't very long. Once I get through, one of those airport carts is nearby and the driver agrees to give me a ride to my gate. I get there and there is a long line at the counter. That seems strange, but I don’t think too much about it, but instead sit down to rearrange my carry-ons.
After a couple minutes, someone comes on the intercom & announces that they’ve switched out planes and this one has fewer seats, so we all have to re-check in at the counter to make sure we have a seat…guess that’s what the long line was for. I grab my stuff and get in line. In talking to other passengers, I deduce that the flight was delayed, but people were still told to check in on time (I didn’t get that message). Oh well, I was there. By the time I get to the counter, they’re just boarding people and telling them as they scan their tickets whether they have a seat or not (I did). I get on, get seated and wait…and wait… and wait. They’re trying to make sure they get as many people as possible seated. The last two people get on for the two empty seats next to me and we get ready to leave… already about 45 minutes late.
We have pulled away from the jetway when a flight attendant gets on the speaker and says, “Well, it just keeps getting better!” (collective groan). There is a warning light going off. The pilot assures us it was minor and they might not even have to fix it. Wrong. A few minutes later, he tells us that we’re going back to the gate so the engineers can come on and fix the thing.
We finally take off, nearly 2 hours late. The flight attendants assure us that when we land at LAX, someone will be there to help those of us making international connections.
We land in LA at about 11:30 (my Korea connection leaves at 12:20). We get to the gate and those of us with connections rush off. There is NO Continental staff anywhere to be seen, nor are there any arrival/departure screens to check connections on. I decide to follow the instructions I got when I checked in and headed to the international terminal. I got there to find all the Asiana desks closed. By this time, it’s late and I’m tired so I get pretty pissed off. The only person around is a security guy who tells me to go back to Continental. I do.
I get to the ticket counter and there are two people working. I wait for someone to open up, listening to what’s being told to the people ahead of me. I can tell that Continental is putting people up for the night. When I get to the counter, the guy tells me the next flight is 1:40 the next afternoon. (grr) He prints me out vouchers for hotel, shuttle, and two meals and supposedly books me on that 1:40 flight. Before I go, I tell him that we were told on the plane that there would be people to meet us, yet there was no one anywhere. He replies (flippantly, it seems to me... though it is after 1 am at this point), “Well Continental is short staffed. It’s supposed to be my day off.” I don’t care! You’ve got a flight that late with a lot of people making international connections, YOU GET SOMEONE TO THE FLIPPIN GATE TO GREET THEM.
I ask him if my bags will go on to Korea or if I have to claim them. He says I should check because he doesn’t want to tell me something then have it be wrong (pick up the #$@ phone and call someone you twit!). So, I go down to the baggage claim. My bags aren’t there so I get in line at the baggage office. There are only a few people, but each person seems to be taking an eternity. Finally, someone ahead of me asks the same question I have and is told that his bags will be at his final destination. I confirm the same is true of my bags, then head out to find the super shuttle.
I have to walk back and forth for 20 minutes or so before I find a sign for the shuttle. I see 4 men there, including the Korean guy who was ahead of me in line at the ticket counter. They have been waiting for nearly an hour at this point. Every time a Super Shuttle van drives by we flag them down, but they’re scheduled to go somewhere else. We ask several to call and find out when a shuttle will come for our destination. After another hour, we all decide to get a taxi and we’re starting to load up when our shuttle finally comes. We get in and head off. We ask where the hotel is (it’s in San Pedro, but that could be on the moon for all I know). Turns out, it’s 30 minutes or so away. Plus, we have to drop off at another hotel first.
It’s 3 am by the time we get to check in. I’m dead on my feet and a shower and bed are heaven to me. The only catch: this is the ONE time I forgot to pack a change of undies in my carry-ons. Lovely. I wake up earlier than necessary because I have to call Super Shuttle. I try repeatedly, but can’t get through. Finally I have the front desk call and they’re able to connect me. Super Shuttle says they can have someone there at 10:45. That works, I think. If we get there by 11:15 or so, we’ll have plenty of time to check in and get to our flight. What they fail to tell me is that they have to pick up at two more hotels on the way. It takes more than an hour to get to the airport. Once there, I ask to go to the United terminal because the genius who “re-booked” my ticket told me the flight was operated by United. It wasn’t. United sends me to the international terminal because it is an Asiana flight. The Korean guy (who, not surprisingly, was on my flight) gets to the counter first, and in a couple of minutes is checked in an on his way.
Then, I get to the counter. Guess what? The genius at Continental didn’t actually book my flight. So, Asiana insists I pay $100 to reschedule since I “missed” my flight. I argue. I beg. I plead. I cry. I play the “crazy waegook” card. Nothing works. They will NOT put me on the flight unless I pay. I tell them to call Continental and confirm. They refuse because there isn’t much time. I nearly punch the guy when he says, “Why didn’t you get here sooner?” I demand that they waive the fee since it is NOT my fault. They reply that it is company rules and they must follow company rules (damn Confucius!).
Finally, I give up. I pay the $100 and go through security. I get to the gate as they’re boarding. I’m so exhausted/pissed off my hands are trembling. I whip out my netbook to shoot an email off to my bosses to let them know I’m going to be coming in late at night instead of mid-day, only LAX has no wifi. Seriously? No Wifi in a major international airport? I ask a really nice girl if I can send a text to my parents because I know they’re going to expect to hear from me shortly, then get on the plane.
Lessons I’ve learned:
* My loathing of LA is actually justified
* Super Shuttle sucks
* Never trust Continental to get anything right.
* At all costs, ALWAYS pack a pair of clean undies in your carry-ons.
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