Disclaimer: Is long, but worth it.
Here’s where my story begins.
After a wonderful surprise trip home to Antigua for two weeks, on Saturday 11th August I began my trek BACK to New Zealand (for those of you who don’t know I’m living in NZ for a year because, why not?).
As this trip wasn’t quite ‘planned’, I booked on an airline I’ve never flown on – United.
And I’ll get this out of the way now – me nar pass back.
Anyways, NZ is far so of course it’s a trek (approx. 2 days of flying/ layover each way). Getting to Antigua was another story in and of itself but hey, I had made it. Let bygones be bygones.
My original flight back to NZ involved a simple 4hr flight to New Jersey, then a 5.5hr flight the same night over to LA. I would layover for 20hrs in LA then make my way over peacefully to NZ. Easy right? So I thought.
Hear da drama. I left Antigua and landed in New Jersey at night (after a minor 25min delay in Antigua). I rechecked my bag, strutted upstairs, cleared security only to find my flight to LA was delayed by three hrs. So instead of leaving at 10pm, I was now leaving at 1am. I originally had a 2 hr. layover so now the number gone up to 5. I say aight. I have wiggle room, 20hrs layover in LA. I good. Cya miss da flight dey (my NZ flight).
I sat down next to some women (all traveling separately) and overheard them talking about issues with their flights – one delayed by plenty hrs, the other’s flight completely cancelled, re-booked for the next EVENING, with only a pillow and a blanket as a sorry.
Not even half an hr. in, something tell me go check the flight board (a screen displaying all flights and their departure/arrival times), see what ma flight saying. Boom. My flight to LA cancelled. Dry so.
An email comes through shortly after saying the cancellation was caused due to “inboard issues”. Do I even know what dat means up to now 🤷🏽♀️? Nopeeee 🙅🏽♀️.
I got into discussions with the women and they told me about the number of flights that had been cancelled, people put out, no hotels available, weather issues, operational issues, pilot issues. Even If I didn’t want to believe it, the signs were all there – at least half of the flights due to depart on the flight board were either delayed or cancelled, attendants on the intercom saying this flight cancelled, this flight still on, this flight waiting for the crew to arrive from elsewhere. People were on the phone arguing with United about missing vacations and children etc. The lines at customer service and baggage were long from here to kingdom come.
It was a mess. Just a hot mess.
But guess what? I just came from carnival in Antigua.
Some seriousss pace (as Trini people would say) as I’d been going straightttt over the last two weeks.
I had to save what ever likkle energy I had leff back to get my butt over the international dateline and arrive in NZ – if not to go do the people dem work then at least to mek something go right.
In any event, here’s what happened next:
- I re-booked via the United app on standby for 8.30am the next morning (as prompted by an email from United – convenient and I could skip the lines).
- I used the free WIFI in the airport (amen) and sent out a distress signal to my family and friends in the area. Family comes through first and confirms someone will pick me up and I’ll have a place to sleep and wash my skin tonight (amen).
- I mentally told my checked in bag goodnight and see you tomorrow, cause I wasn’t in no line fight up dat night.
- I went by lovely Aunty Dawn who picked me up at about 11pm, gave me a wonderfully large bed and bathroom and dropped me back at the airport at 6am.
- After over an hr in the customer service line, a positive attendant tells me I was on standby for the 8.30am flight and gave me my boarding pass.
- I proceeded to chase THREE flights that left for LA that morning, and made none of them. I did however move from about 36/97 on the standby list to about 10 by the third flight.
- By this time though, I gave in. I gone go join the long customer service line with all the other unhappy customers to try beg a confirmed seat – I didn’t care which day. I just wanted out of NJ.
BUT, it pays to be patient and nice.
My girl Mauriella, a staff member from the Chicago branch, flown in by United airlines JUST to help (as were many others cause it was actually crazy) found me a flight to LA – FROM Chicago. So now I needed to get to CHICAGO. But she found me one leaving NJ to Chicago boarding in the next 10 minutes, AND it was in first class!
Yall. God is good. I felt like I had the Golden tickets from the Willie Wonka factory in my hands. I thanked her as much as appropriately possible under those circumstances and I rannnnnn for my plane.
After overnighting in NJ (instead of LA), coordinating with my LA connect (I may make it by 9am. No, I not on dat fight either. Might see you at 1pm. No, I didn’t make that either) being at the NJ airport from 6am chasing planes, at 12.30pm I finally made it on a plane to cross the USA. I landed in Chicago (first time there), span around twice then jumped on a plane to LA.
Got to LA, found my bag that made it on a plane over before me (I should’ve packed myself in it) and marched over to a smaller international airport located on the property of the larger international airport (TBIT is on LAX, check it and see) and checked in.
I then marched to the VERYYY end of that airport with about 25mins to spare before I boarded a bus that transported passengers to the NZ plane which dey parked rightttt at the end of the tarmac too. (As though they wanted to demonstrate how far New Zealand is in the world to the passengers via the airport).
I made it on the plane (Air New Zealand NOT United so it was leaving on time), got myself a seat with no one next to me, and FINALLY sat and enjoyed my 12hr stress free flight.
I landed. Got myself to the house. And people lemme tell you, I sleeeeeeep. I slept from breakfast till dinner. I slept so much no one even realized I was back in da house.
MORAL OF THE STORY
1. Don’t fly United airlines.
2. Be patient, positive and persistent.
3. Be nice when you can.
4. Be eternally grateful that you made it in the end, no matter the struggle to get there.
I had a BLAST in Antigua. Click here to see what made all dat run around worth it.
Till next time,
(Exhausted and trying to recover as I was sick)
Global Gyal
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