When You Fly Frequently, Travel Going Awry is Inevitable
Our most recent travel snafu was on a flight back to Pittsburgh from Zurich, Switzerland. Why we were in Zurich, via Lucerne, via Mannheim, Germany is an entirely different story. The Zurich airport is amazing. Itās too bad Tom Hanksā character in TerminalĀ wasnāt stuck thereāheād have been stranded in style.
My husband has learned to allow a lot of time between connections on international trips. When the flight out of Zurich was delayed by an hour, we werenāt concerned. Not thrilled, but oh well, right?
One thing I look forward to on transAtlantic flights is indulging in my love of movies. I can overdose on films guilt-free (even though, yes, I should be writing or reading or wisely sleeping). We boarded this plane and I groaned. The old 757 had the big TV at the bulkhead and one further back. I hadn’t been on one of these in decades.
I could already see our travel going awry!
The Real Travel Issues Began
But for the TV’s, I swear this was the same plane Jackie and I flew to Italy on in 2007. The condition of the seats had not improved. At 5ā2ā, I was cramped. At a foot taller, Alex was squashed. Still, what are you going to do? We settled in, commented on how sparse the plane was with flyers and prepared for take off.
When the plane headed down the runway, I thought to myself, man oh day, this plane sounds old and rattly. If it were a car, I would opt to walk. I read, did some work, then tuned in to the end of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Alex popped onto the channel where you can listen to the pilotās talk. He turned to me and said, āThereās a plane without navigation. I donāt know if itās ours.ā A few minutes later, the pilot announced, āFolks, weāre having a computer issue. Itās not an emergency, but weāre going to head back to Shannon, Ireland and get it looked at.ā
Everyone Collectively Groaned
Some passengers were hopeful it would be a quick fix and weād be airborne again in no time. We knew better. Figure the repair time and re-fueling the plane since the pilot burnt off a bunch so we could land. The crew would have been flying for more hours than theyāre supposed to. Restocking the galley would have been required. You get the idea, right?
No sooner did our tires hit the pavement and we came to a stop when the pilot told us we would be disembarking and spending the night in Shannon. The flight attendants came through assigning hotels to some people, not telling others, handing out a card for us to call customer service and that they were already rebooking everyone, providing another paper with a one-shot calling card for people to call a family member/friend.
We retrieved our suitcases, went through passport control (they are a pre-site for the USA, so that was helpful), (āGood for you to visit Ireland with your last name–Griffiths are plentiful here.ā) and wandered out to the front of the airport. Now what? Oh, a bus would be coming. Okay, where was it taking us? No idea. Other passengers meandered off across the parking lot to the hotel where they were staying. There we were. Waiting. Having another new experience.
When Alex saw the crew come out, he went over to chat with the pilot. In typical Alex fashion, he said, āYou know you could get antique plates for that plane, right?ā The pilot laughed, āI think this plane is older than that!ā
How We React When Travel Goes Awry
I always pray when I fly and ask that God give the pilot the courage, strength, knowledge and skill to get us safely to our destination. This pilot and crew handled the situation calmly and professionally. Out of the 200+ people on the plane, one woman cried and that was more because she wasnāt getting to the USA when she wanted than out of fear.
I talked with a young Swiss man sitting behind us. He was en route to Santa Barbara, California, so obviously this was going to add some chaos up his trip. I said, āSince 9/11, it all comes down to the plane going up and landing properly. If that is okay then everything else is a bonus.ā It took a moment for what I was saying to register for him. Iām only guessing, but I think it was a combination of the language (although his English was very good), the cultures of our nations, and the fact that he was probably five years old when 9/11 happened.
Accommodations in Shannon
Our hotel was old. The beds were hard and the pillows flat. There were separate faucets for the hot and cold water. The old hairdryer was bolted inside a drawerāwho would steal such a thing? And the TV had tubes.
The attached pub was fantastic. The food was greatāthey had all meat main course items, my husband said I am a vegetarian, so they offered to stir fry me something. Wow. The service was impeccable. They were friendly and charming. The desserts were five star. The Guinness was good.
Breakfast could not have been more inviting. They provided a vast amount of food with staff who twittered about making sure everyone had everything they need.
The Shannon airport has the best duty free shops and prices weāve seen. It was, ahem, hard to limit myself to a scarf (a fetish akin to my love of socks) and two books (buy one, get one half off!).
This time our plane was from the 21st century, had TVs at each seat with seats that hadnāt been crushed to uncomfortable by sumo wrestlers, and home we headed. Tada, travel issues resolved.
Our Zurich friend was able to get all his transfers and connections rescheduled and we were able to get back to Pittsburgh via Chicago.
So, what do you do when travel plans go awry? You sigh, say a prayer that youāre safe, and dive into making the best of it. We got to set foot in Ireland, collect a green passport stamp, take photos of the road-notes intended for pedestrians, and talk with people we would otherwise never have spoken with. All in, it was a good trip home.
PS. I sure wish we had more time to explore in Shannon, Ireland.
I did get to explore Wales ….
**
Read: Leaving Traces
ow, sounds like quite a trip, somehow, when a business trip goes awry, I don’t get terribly wound up – its part of doing business, however, when a vacation trip goes upside down, Doreen says my reactions resemble Koko the Monkey……just hate wasting vacation time….
it does sound like you and Alex made the best of the situation, which, at the end of the day, is the best thing you can do!
I must ask Doreen about when Koko makes an appearance! Ahem. Nah, there’s just no point in letting these issues make us crazy. I’ll save that for Pittsburgh drivers and their inability to get through the Squirrel Hill tunnel in under 20 minutes. Bet you’ve never had a reason to make that trek, Todd. Advice? Don’t! š
I am impressed with your good cheer through this incredibly screwed up trip. Doubt that I could have been at all upbeat about it.
Heck, I’m betting you’d have indulged in a game of darts and called the day good!
Hi Rosemary,
This reminded me of a number of travel misadventures I have had. One of the most interesting was on a trip to Kenya with a group of teenage Girl Scouts. We made it to London without a problem but then the only plane flying to Nairobi was sent somewhere else because the plane that was supposed to fly to that place was broken! We ended up having to stay overnight in an old hotel with our girls scattered throughout. We managed to round everyone up the next morning and eventually got to Nairobi a day late. That was only the first step in what became a daily adventure! In spite of numerous misadventures, that trip was life changing for all of us and definitely the most memorable.
That sounds like an amazing trip, Flora! Even with the plane getting sent elsewhere. What a journey–I’ll bet it left an impact on those girls (and you!) forever.
I know I’ve been lucky for the most part. Once, on the way to a nephew’s wedding in NY, we had to make an emergency landing in Knoxville, TN. Our rapid descent created excruciating pain in my ears, but fortunately, that faded as soon as we landed. However, it took a couple of days for me to get all my hearing back … lol. I wouldn’t say that was the worst experience, though. The pilots and attendants were professional and helpful, and we were quickly put on the next flight out. For me, the worst experiences are when you sit in the plane on the runway for three hours, not knowing what is going on. And then the same thing happens on the next leg of the journey. I hate being in limbo, especially in a plane š
Oh yes, Marie. That being stuck on the tarmac–crazy-making for sure. I never quite understand why they don’t just take us back to the gate and start over. (Or better yet, take off!)
and I learned long ago that traveling is not glamorous. The delays are inconvenient but not worth getting upset over. Southwest is the bestā¦as they say they are in the business of customer service and just happen to fly planes. So glad we had a fun adventure in Florida!!
What would the world be like if more companies–more people–had that motto? Florida was a great time!
You have to make lemonade out of lemons!!! I was taught, long ago, that I am on vacation the moment my feet are out of the door of my home so I might as well enjoy every second. (That was difficult returning from Wales and going through Dulles airport…what a nightmare.)
That is great advice! Oh, my that was one of the most horrendous examples of government ineptitude. But hey, all the rest of our journey was amazing and full of God-moments!
Hi RoseMary. Like you, I am an optimist, and try to find good in every situation. For the most part, long haul travel is no longer fun. There are almost always unwelcome surprises and delays. But very often, there can be joy mixed in that if we look for it. I’m glad your meal at the local pub and the Guinness helped get you and Alex through that unexpected delay and provide you with some fond memories.
I’m actually more surprised with as much travel as you and I do that more things don’t go wrong. And it all comes down to the plane rising and falling properly! That means everything. Then we just have to take the odd things as treats instead of issues.
Sounds like quite an adventure RoseMary! I’ve never been to Ireland, though I’d love to correct that one of these days. Having spent a large part of my career traveling around the world I couldn’t agree more with your attitude about dealing with unexpected snafus. Glad it worked out for you both!
I wouldn’t have minded a couple of days layover in Ireland. It’s definitely on the destination list. With all the travel you did and my husband does, you develop a pragmatic attitude about the delays (he had two yesterday, getting done two hours late) and make the most of them.