[IanFromHKG]

Well, what a weekend. We were in Phuket, en famille, staying at a Marriott in which we have a form of timeshare (and accordingly were booked to stay until Saturday, although we intended to leave on Friday). Come the end of our stay, we pile into our hire car to go to the airport. Just as we are driving out of the property (literally as we are turning onto the road), my phone pings with a text from Cathay Dragon saying our flight back to HK is delayed. So we turn around (much to the bemusement of the security guard) and drive back in. Some time later, we go to the airport. Where we wait, as there is a further delay. Eventually there is an announcement saying boarding will commence shortly so we go to the gate. And wait some more, until eventually the flight is cancelled. After some considerable discussion with ground staff they escort us (and a few others) out of the airport and we take a taxi back to the hotel, and spend 45 minutes on the phone with KA who eventually confirm us on the next day’s flight. Next day we head to the airport again. Where there is another delay. We eventually arrive home about 24 hours late.

On Sunday, Senior Offspring flies back to Nanjing. Yes, you guessed it – flight delayed. She doesn’t arrive back at her room until after 2am.

Last night, Junior Offspring heads back to London, and sure enough, flight delayed – until 3am. Which means (unless they hold the onward flight) she is going to miss her connection, and all other flights on that route are full, which doesn’t bode well.

So our weekend has been:
Flight delay
Flight cancellation
Flight delay
Flight delay
Flight delay
Possible missed connection

Are we cursed?? Has anyone had a worse experience in such a short space of time??

[LuganoPirate]

I can’t quite match that Ian, but earlier this year we flew GRJ-JNB-ZRH, and then I was due to fly MXP-JFK.

Flight ex George was delayed an hour, but not really worried as we had a 4 hour wait at JNB before leaving with Swiss on the LX289
Pushback on time and then we waited and waited, to be told one of the five flight management systems was down and they had to do a hard reset which meant going back on stand.
Back on stand and after 40 minutes (as promised) the captain announced this had failed and he was now seeking instructions from Zurich and would revert in 10 minutes.
10 minutes on the dot (Swiss precision!!) we’re told we can go with just four but must take the East Coast route as they have bases (DAR/NBO/CAI) en route just in case! Gulp!!!! But this will add 90 minutes to the flight.

Then we’re told we have to take on more fuel, but as the wind is not strong enough, we have to take off freight, though we are assured all our baggage will go with us. Sigh of relief all round the cabin.

Finally we can go, 3.5 hours later and arrive in Zurich just 4 hours late. Problem for me was though, I had to get home, dump my summer clothes, pack my suit and tie and winter jackets, then get to MXP for the EK flight. By the time we picked up the car and got home, it was too late to make the flight so I had to cancel my attendance.

The only good news was I could join the meeting by ZOOM, which was fantastic and saved me around USD 3,500 in travel and hotel costs.

[IanFromHKG]

That’s quite an adventure too, LP!

The good news is that Finnair took the only sensible course of action (since, we have been told, there were over 100 pax booked to connect on to London on the first flight, and all other flights that day were full) and delayed the onward connecting flight to London. Junior Offspring therefore not only made it to London, without too much of a delay, but was also upgraded to business class on the connecting flight! Since she is heading back to exams, we had paid about EUR450 to upgrade her on the LH sector (which seemed a bargain!), and as the onward flight was also on the A350, she has had a flat bed all the way. Wonderful! Now we just need to manage her expectations for her next flight! LOL

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K1ngston, tomwjsimpson

[LuganoPirate]

[quote quote=930476]Now we just need to manage her expectations for her next flight! LOL[/quote]

And therein lies the difficulty Ian, as I’m finding out to my cost. 😉

[GivingupBA]

[quote quote=930387] Has anyone had a worse experience in such a short space of time??[/quote]

No Ian, I can’t match that, despite my last 47 years of endless journeys by air! I could trot out various tales of woe (some pretty bad), but they’re generally single events, not multiple like yours. ***I like your punchline in your later post about the good journeys to London, though. Sometimes you win. I’ve done that too***

[MartynSinclair]

Ian, I recall your baggage once had a similar number of curses, when travelling through London… .. must make sure we are not on the same flight 🙂

[K1ngston]

Ian, as I am now living in Phuket, should this happen the next time a call and I will gladly put you up and we could discuss at great length over a Gin or two the issues of the day! If you need my information Martyn will gladly pass them on… Hope you had a good time in Phuket apart from the delays?

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=930549]we could discuss at great length over a Gin or two the issues of the day[/quote]

..as if an excuse is needed K1ngston… 🙂

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K1ngston

[canucklad]

I’ve had many delays and adventures resulting from delays ., and like LP, my most memorable was also an African adventure.

Pre-dawn hangover check out from our Malindi hotel for a bumpy 2 hour trek to Mombasa Airport.
Then a hot muggy wait outside the small terminal, because our inbound flight has been delayed.
3 hours later get checked in and through to the open air departure lounge.
Our Caledonian jet finally appears 2 hours after our scheduled departure time and parks up on the apron 50 yards away , our airconditioned relief only a shrubby piece of grassland away.
Hour, by hour, by hour pass as we watch what appears to be perplexed mechanics from the local cut and chop shop scurry up the wheel wells, scramble across the wings , with no communication from anyone as to what’s going on with our transport home.
Continuing the stereotypical adage of Mad dogs and Englishman a pot bellied pink and red skinned ,string vested gent vaults the little brick wall that separates the departure lounge from the shrub land and sprints like a 3 legged cheetah towards the captain who’s now done a Mr Benn appearing act!!
As the blistering hot African sun starts to set , we are f shepherded on-board., finally escaping the oppressive humidity.

Sitting in our seats, our cool as a cucumber captain , probably called Nigel informs us that they haven’t resolved the problem with our dodgy flaps , but London has given us the all clear to have a go !!
“if we manage to take off, and all’s well we’ll continue to Athens, if not we’ll need to land in Nairobi, a BA base with experts on hand…
Chocks away and off we go hopefully into the wild blue yonder.

As we taxied, there was a definite anxious silence throughout the cabin, broken only by the loud cranking of our dodgy flaps being put through their paces. After what seemed like an age our Boeing left terra firma and more importantly stayed there until our landing in Athens .

Nigel informs us our refuelling stop in Athens was deliberate because they have the crucial part that will allow us to take off safely again!
But, if we want to get back to Blighty the change of parts will have to happen quickly, due to time limits placed on the crew.

At this point a night in an Athens hotel sounded like bliss !!

A rush job done and with fingers and toes crossed we take to the night skies again.

Lorraine and I finally arrived in a deserted Gatwick, and spent the early hours of the morning in the arrivals hall after a heated discussion on the merits of forking out £100+ for a hotel room whilst awaiting the Air UK desk to open and hopefully give a free rebook up to EDI ……Which they did !!

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ASK1945

[TominScotland]

Lovely story, Canucklad

Given the carriers you refer to here, I must say that I did not know that biplanes could manage the Nairobi-Athens leg without further stops!! Was this is 1921?

[canucklad]

Morning Tom, you might want to go back further in time than that for my outbound flight to Mombasa…

As I recall I flew with Excalibur Airways with an enroute stop at Luxor : )

[ASK1945]

canuklad wrote: “……………. Pre-dawn hangover check out from our Malindi hotel for a bumpy 2 hour trek to Mombasa Airport.
Then a hot muggy wait outside the small terminal, because our inbound flight has been delayed.
3 hours later get checked in and through to the open air departure lounge………………. ”

Wow, that brought back memories for me.

I spent a week in Malindi exactly 50 years ago and still recall that trip back to Mombasa and the airport there. I flew from Mombasa to Murchison Falls (in Uganda) via Nairobi and Entebbe and our plane landed at a small grass strip at the Falls.

Going back to Entebbe, out from the tiny hut serving as the “airport terminal”, a guy brought out a mechanical set of bathroom scales to weight each person’s luggage and check us in. Then we had to wait out in the hot sun for ages, for the incoming aircraft to land; it circled around and around whilst a team of young men from a nearby village used sticks and whatever to get the wildlife from the runway. Each time it was cleared another set of zebras, antelopes or whatever returned to the grass strip.

Eventually the animals gave up and we took off with a delay which did not stop me catching my ongoing flight to the UK.

[K1ngston]

[quote quote=930585]

K1ngston wrote:

we could discuss at great length over a Gin or two the issues of the day

..as if an excuse is needed K1ngston… 🙂[/quote]

Not with you Martyn that’s for sure ….. 🙂

[Author]

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