Through my travels, I remain flexible because a lot of the happenings during a trip are beyond my control. As a matter of fact, the only thing that I control are my actions during said trip. My missed flights to Tampa on United Airlines 737 MAX and Costa Rica on American Airlines are a great example of this. A majority of my trips are uneventful, except for the insane amount of pictures I take for this blog. Well…all of this changed last weekend during a lounge run to Los Angeles International Airport. Everything that you are about to read occurred within a 36 hour period from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. Here is the list of things that went wrong on my trip to LAX, in chronological order.
Snow storm. I wrote at length about the winter storm that would affect most of the United States last weekend. I did not prepare to encounter the snowstorm enroute to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The snow forced me to drive 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit of 75 miles per hour. The trip to the airport was extended by more than 30 minutes.
Terminal Parking. I always park at one of the two Remote Parking Lots at DFW. The lots are convenient and are only $10 USD per day. Due to the 30 minute delay, I decided to park at the terminal for a whopping $24 USD per day. I ended up being charged for two days since the vehicle was parked for 34 hours at the terminal. Note to self, leave earlier.
Car Accident. Over the course of those 34 hours, my car was damaged. The damage is easily repairable and the car is still operational. I found it to be a hassle to contact my insurance company over the weekend. Another issue that I encountered was due to the fact I did not contact the police at the airport after discovering the damage. Now, I have to wait for Risk Management at DFW to contact me so that I can complete a report.
Lazy/Rude Flight Attendant. I have had my share of rude, lazy flight attendants between DFW and Houston Intercontinental Airport, but this one was definitely the worst. We boarded early and most seats were occupied. In first class, United Airlines offers a predeparture beverage while the gate agents complete paperwork, not this one. As a matter of fact, she did not interact with passengers at all. She stood in the doorway talking with the pilots. To make matters worse, we were obviously delayed, but the pilots nor the flight attendant gave us a reason. I asked for a coffee during the lengthy delay to which she responded, “sorry friend”. I was done with her at the moment and live tweeted United.
@united we are delayed on UA6040 and your flight attendant turned down my request for coffee and water. She said, “sorry friend”, and went back to talking with the pilots. And no drinks for customers in first class. #UA6040 #unitedairlines #sorryfriend pic.twitter.com/3Kc73RfnRT
— Rob S. (@phillipsloopllc) January 19, 2019
Involuntarily Moved to Middle Seat. After finally arriving in Houston, I made my way over to my next flight. I chose the flight for the sole purpose of reviewing United Airlines 777-200 on a domestic route. When my waitlisted upgrade did not clear, I was happy that I had chosen an exit row aisle seat, after originally having an aisle seat on a different aircraft configuration. My elation was quickly tempered, as I had been reassigned to a middle seat in another exit row. I called United’s Premier line and spoke with a gate agent, both said they could not do anything for me. As a matter of fact, the person in my seat was a lower status that myself…or so I was told. I think the seat was given to an employee.
Missed Reviews. I left the airport to meet up with one of my military friends. After making my way back to the airport, I went to Terminal 2 to try to access the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. Security told me that I could not enter since I was flying United. I went to Terminal 1 and the same thing occurred. I do not know if this was due to limited TSA manning, but I thought I could access any terminal as long as I have a valid boarding. Maybe it was because my boarding was after midnight?
Lost Debit Card. During my travels, I misplaced my debit card. It could have been left at the In and Out near the airport or fell out somewhere else, either way, it was gone. I ordered a replacement card through the USAA app and it was delivered two days later. At least something was rectified quickly. LOL.
Final Word
This trip was definitely not the end of the world, but it did suck as everything was unfolding. I get it, stuff happens, but I really did not happen in one and a half days. There was a bunch of things that went right on the short trip (more to come later). I did not write this post to whine, but to share my adventurous trip to LAX. Stay tuned, there will be a lot more from this trip.
Rob this sounds like a rough trip. I love how the flight attendants here in the Middle East are polite, warm and helpful. Ditto for flight attendants in SE Asia.
It was definitely rough but it comes with the territory. Hope all is well.