joemu@nsc-pdc.UUCP (Joe Mueller) (03/11/86)
This is similar to an Eastern Airlines flight I had from Ft. Lauderdale Florida to Portland Oregon. I boarded the flight at 4:45 pm and expected to leave at 5:00; they encountered mechanical difficulties (one of the flaps wouldn't work) and tinkered with it while we begged to have our tickets back (flights were leaving all over the place). Finally they let some of us off the plane to catch a Delta flight leaving at 6:00. The stewardess tells us that someone will meet us in the concourse to take us to the Delta flight. No one shows up. We scramble to the Delta desk (in another building in a galaxy far, far away ... ) and the person at the desk hasn't heard anything about us. After some calls to Eastern they let us to board the plane. We now are sitting and waiting for no apparent reason. Finally the stewardess tells us that they are waiting for some passengers from Eastern. I notify the stew that we're here. She calls the desk and they tell her that we now need to wait for our baggage; the Eastern baggage handlers forgot to pull our bags. Finally we take off and land in Atlanta Georgia. It's now 8:00 pm. We board the underground subway to go to the Eastern desk and the subway breaks down. We now have to run to the desk. We get to the desk and there's only one person there and the line is clear down the concourse (there has been more than one screwed up flight). I must wait in line as I watch all available flights leave for the west coast (they wouldn't service people out of line). I get to the head of the line at 9:30, there are no available flights out until 1:00 am. I ask for them to put me up for the night. They refuse to pay for the room. I must spend the night in the airport or get my own room. I decide to take the 1:00 flight. I get hassled about my carry on luggage at 12:45 am because the flight is a "no luggage" flight and the people at the ticket booth neglected to tell me I may have problems with my carry on stuff. I promise to kill the entire staff of the airline unless they let me board and they let me on. While on board the stew asks if I want a drink, I ask for a soft drink and the stew trys to charge me for it! I give it back. I now arrive at Dallas Texas. I must wait for another "no luggage" special that leaves at 4:30 am. While there I ask the status of my luggage and the person at the ticket counter tells me it was left behind (no luggage means no luggage - no exceptions; this was after the people in Atlanta assured me that it would follow me). I arrive in Portland at 8:00 am the next day without luggage. My luggage shows up the next day late in the afternoon. I never plan to fly on Eastern again. /* Life's a bitch and then you die */