It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I’m sorry to add it wasn’t New York times.
Allow me to fill you in.
The game plan was for a week in New York. I’ve not been there except for a brief one day visit when I was 8. All I remember was a gigantic billboard boasting a picture of a huge coffee cup that puffed “hot” steam. Quite magical at 8. However it was now time to create new memories.
My journey to New York included one four-hour layover in a major Canadian city. Fine. Once there I ambled over for a peak at the departures board to see the gate number for my next flight. It was too early for it to be posted so I settled into a nearby plastic chair and read.
After an hour I toddled over for another look at the board. My flight number was up but it was flashing orange instead of solid green. That couldn’t be good. No. Horrors. “New York JFK – CANCELLED.”
Excuse me? Cancelled? That was impossible. I had to get to New York. It couldn’t be cancelled. Immediate answers and explanations and alternative suggestions were needed; I headed over to the airline’s flight information counter. There were already six people ahead of me in line.
Twenty minutes later I approached the counter with its exhausted looking employee. He handed me a pamphlet with info on where to catch the hotel shuttle bus along with two hotel meal vouchers. One for a $15.00 dinner and one for a $7.00 breakfast.
“No flights out tonight Ma’am. You’re staying overnight here. We’ll put you up for one night only. I doubt if you’ll get out tomorrow either. Flights are overbooked due to the backup. Call this number to rebook. NEXT!”
Choking back my rising anger at being so summarily dismissed I made another stab. “Seriously? That’s it? Nothing available tomorrow at all? What about my bag? It was going to go directly to New York. Where is it now?”
Huge sigh from the gent, followed by the waving of a lime green highlighter pen.
“Call this number for baggage retrieval. NEXT!”
Sorry but this was huge. I wasn’t about to be brushed aside.
“My good man. You must be so very tired from dealing with this all day. However, it would really help me if I had my bag tonight. Could you kindly call them for me? I’m more than happy to report in person to look for the bag myself.”
Realising I wasn’t about to leave he grabbed for the phone and made the call.
“Go to baggage on level one. Talk to someone at carousel 10. NEXT!”
Stunned, I moved slowly away from the counter. Good lord. Not only did I have to deal with that unscheduled overnight stay and a potential two-day delay in getting to New York but I had to break the news to my two fellow travellers. They were arriving tomorrow from their respective cities to meet me in the Big Apple for a fun-filled week. Would they want to be there without me?
I reluctantly fired off a heads up alert to them that my arrival was now uncertain and asked them both to stand by for further updates. It was difficult knowing I was releasing cataclysmic concerns to which I currently had no answers. I headed off to sort out the baggage dilemma.
The fellow on baggage retrieval could not have been kinder.
“Head out to the blue clock through those doors. We’ll send someone from US Customs to meet with you. Show him your passport and he’ll take you into find your bag.”
Sadly, despite mammoth efforts from Pablo of US Customs, my bag was nowhere to be found. However, he did unearth a promise from the baggage retrieval folks to work tirelessly on my behalf and got the airline to produce an emergency toiletry bag that more than covered my immediate needs. Bless him.
New York Times
After checking into my airport hotel I faced my phone and its plethora of texts. Long story short due to unpredictable weather in the New York area for the immediate future my fellow travellers and I settled on another option. We’d forget New York and all meet up in my current city. The main thing was to spend the holiday together.
Once this decision was reached my path was clear. Cancel the NY hotel and all associated theatre and tour plans. Book a new hotel and above all find my suitcase.
I’m delighted to report all New York related items were dispatched with great success.
The suitcase concern? That was another story.
It began with a difficult conversation with a chap with little English. My first issue was getting him to believe I was actually in the same city as him. Then a lengthy discussion ensued in which I tried to make clear that I wasn’t going to New York, nor did I need my bag to be delivered to my home address.
“So you want bag at hotel?”
Finally.
“Yes. However, I will be at hotel for one night. I will phone tomorrow with new hotel name.”
“New hotel? What is new hotel? You want bag to go to New York new hotel?”
Enough. I hung up with a less than polite good-bye.
The saga continued. In my next post I’ll treat you to the further delights that abounded regarding the luggage and enlighten you to the highlights of piecing together a dinner on a $15.00 chit at a hotel restaurant that offers appies for $16.00. Yes, it just got better and better. Just typikel.
Enough about me and my interrupted New York times. I’m curious about you. Have your travel plans ever been thwarted? How did you deal with it? Have you ever lost your bags? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
18 Responses
Dear Kelly,
I’m so sorry that your plans’ve been changed. Hope you have great time with H & M.
I have a story for you about V, A, & I being stuck in Prague while T & J are in Vancouver watched by V’s brother who was supposed to leave for Prague a day after our arrival. Enjoy your new destination!
Oh that must have been a delightful time for you. Can you say “stressful?”
Ok I will try to keep this story short as this isn’t my blog post its yours.
The very first time I left my kids for more than a day I flew the almost four hours to Perth on the other side of Australia for 4 nights. I was catching up with a friend. The morning of my flight home I arrived at the airport to discover my flight was cancelled due to an ash cloud from some volcano in some other country. Did they not know my kids were expecting me? I waited in line for 1 hour to be told nothing. There were no flights leaving that day to anywhere and all flights to melbourne were booked out for the next 3 days anyway. Keeping this short, I buckled at the knees and broke down with torrents of tears as I tried to explain this over the phone to my husband. I was then asked to please move out of the way of the ever growing line. 2 days, and after an uncountable number of calls, I flew to Sydney and then caught another flight to Melbourne, a total travel time of 10 hours. Arriving home vowing never to leave my babies again. This eventually wore off.
Noooooooo! That must have been never ending for you. How helpless you must have felt Karen! And of course it happens the very first time you leave your kids for more than a day. Yikes!
Though I have to say I loved your last sentence …
Oh Kelly so very sorry things did not go as planned. Mother nature can be a right b&@$h at times. Oh ya and so can dealing with airlines!
Whereever you are atleast you M &H will be together. Be well,have fun and have fun making memories together.
You know your adventures make the best stories – canot see what you all get up to.
Hugs all around.
Janice
Weather, airlines and baggage – the perfect storm let me tell you. Oh I have stories. How many times and how many different ways can you explain to the nonEnglish speaking baggage chap that you do NOT want your suitcase, once found, shipped merrily home to await your return? Just %$#@* typikel.
Kelly, I am so sorry to hear of your disappointment, I know how much you were all looking forward to New York ! However, knowing you, you will make lemonade out of lemons and have a wonderful time wherever you are !
Thanks Jane. Steeping the lemonade.
Hi, loves! Does this not remind you (luggage part) of our trip to England when I lived without my suitcase for three months – and had to buy underwear at Marks and Spencer with a strange man holding up bras acroos the store floor and yelling “Is this your size, madam?” Never did find shoes that fitted except for those plastic orange ones – which were the hit ln Paris later on. Jeez. Love to all three. You are survivors. Gaga.
It was so very like that! Thought of nothing else.
Oh goodness Kelly – you have to stop having these typikel moments! When I’m appointed Empress of the world I will make sure the no-luggage-is-ever-a-moment’s-notice-away-from-your-side rule is in effect. And that everyone has wonderfully patterned and delightly non-boring luggage as well.
Excellent Deborah. I shall eagerly await your appointment.
I love the way that you and your travel companions made lemonade out of lemons. And just think, you still have a future trip to NYC to look forward to! Maybe in springtime so the weather is slightly less risky!
Yes – as my mom said “NY will always be there for you!”
Oh man, Kelly, that is just THE WORST!! My hubby and I were once meeting friends in Boston for the weekend. I think our total trip was going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of about 40 hours. We spent the first 18 hours being delayed at our home airport. Good times! ;)-Ashley
Good Times indeed. So, so frustrating Ashley. 18/40 at the home airport? Be so much better if it was at the other end – if you’ve no deadlines to get home for that is. No fun either way I suspect!
Oh that sounds so frustrating! I think the only time that I’ve lost a bag was when Shleisel and I were flying back from Germany and our flights were delayed to the point where we kept missing them and being routed all over the states. We had four domestic flights that traversed the country before they got us home and our baggage was lord knows where… it eventually arrived about a week later after it’s own mysterious adventures. I can’t imagine losing baggage while still out traveling… agh!
Yes – that was a bit tricky. At least I was marooned in a city with a similar climate. How delightful to be marooned wearing shorts and a t after losing a bag in an icebound snowy land. No thanks. Glad you finally managed to get yours back – don’t you wish they could talk and tell you where they’d been?