Problems Flying Home for Goaliegirl - a cautionary tale...

Prep School Admissions
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<p>Goaliegirl's school let out today for spring break today and she was to fly home today, until a few small problems crept up.</p>

<p>It all started when I booked her flight home about 3 weeks ago. With oil prices spiking, the airfares were going nuts on the carier I regularly book her on (US Airways) with the best fare available being about $450 roundtrip from Boston with the usual transfer in Charlotte. </p>

<p>I've generally booked her on US Airways because of a couple of emergency factors. First of all, if her plane leaves Boston, and she makes it to Charlotte, there are 2 possible evening flights from there to our home town, giving us a certain level of redundancy. And being a minor, she would have first priority in rebooking. Secondly, if worst came to worst, I could drive to Charlotte and pick her up (although it wouldn't be pretty, I'm used to long distance late-night driving as I used to do this stuff every weekend for hockey). So no matter what, I knew she wouldn't be stranded in an airport overnight.</p>

<p>Getting back to the story, seeing the increase in airfare, I start looking for alternatives and I find a $300 fare on Continental from Manchester through Cleveland. I think, OK this is a much better price. And if worst comes to worse, my wife has an uncle in Cleveland who can take her in if she ends up stranded there. So I go ahead and book the flight.</p>

<p>Fast forward to this afternoon. Her school's transportation service drops her off at the airport at about noon for this Continental flight to Cleveland at 2 PM. She goes and checks the board and discover's that the flight has been delayed to 3 PM due to "air traffic problem". She calls me (since I sit at a computer at work) and lets me know that there may be a problem since she only has a 45 minute layover in Cleveland. So, I check the status of the connecting Continental flight in Cleveland, and amazingly it too is delayed by 2 hours due to "equipment being delayed", so I let Goaliegirl know she is OK for now.</p>

<p>Well being the paranoid type, I keep checking on flight statuses periodically and find out that the connecting flight to our city was cancelled, so I call Goaliegirl who had found out the exact same thing from another traveller who had the same itinerary and was monitoring the situation online as well (crafty). She had already gotten in line with this other traveller and shortly aftewards she called back and told me that Continental would now send her from Cleveland to Charlotte and back to our home town by about midnight. So everything is back on schedule.</p>

<p>Her flight to Cleveland is then delayed yet another hour to 4, but it will still make the connection to Charlotte. She boards the plane, they close the doors and the captain announces that he is filing his flight plan to Cleveland. Minutes pass. More minutes pass. She calls me and updates me. Finally, the open the doors and let the passengers off. They still can't get clearance to fly to Cleveland.</p>

<p>So I have my wife, who just got off work, call her Uncle in Cleveland. I knew it was snowing there, but they deal with that stuff all the time. Turns out that they had 12 - 14" down and heavy winds and the roads were a mess. In fact he (at age 74) didn't feel it was safe for him to get to the airport to pick up Goaliegirl even if she made it there.</p>

<p>So I call Goaliegirl. She was already working on the problem. There was one other schoolmate who she knew fairly well who said his parents would take her in if she got stuck in Cleveland. Finally 5 PM rolled around and at that point she wouldn't make her connection to Charlotte, so she got the ticket agent to send her to another airlines for rebooking. </p>

<p>At this point, the last chance to get routed from Manchester to our home town was with United flying through Dulles (DC). They had a 7 PM flight with a 10:30 connector to our home town (1.5 hour layover). Great! I checked the weather online and it showed that the rain over the region was thinning out and it looked to be clear flying. Even Better!</p>

<p>But, being the paranoid type, I felt the need for yet another backup plan. So, I call the school. Darn! 5 PM before a break and of course, everyone has left the office! But Goaliedad has hockey-coach's cell phone on speed-dial (no, I don't call her that often, but just in case of a game emergency - injury). So, I call hockey-coach and explain the situation. She calls math-teacher/basketball-coach who has family business to tend to this evening near Manchester. Math-teacher/basketball-coach is available if necessary. Terrific!</p>

<p>I get home from work and call Goaliegirl. She is boarding her United flight to Dulles. Great! I check online a few minutes later, and the site reports that the plane left the gate at 7:10 (a little late, but fine) and breathe a sigh of relief.</p>

<p>At 7:45, Goaliegirl calls again. They taxied to the runway and had to bring it back to the gate because of a mechanical problem. They were now waiting in the boarding area to see if the plane could be fixed. She was OK as long as the flight left by about 8:30.</p>

<p>Minutes pass... At 8:25, she calls again as she is now in line to rebook for tomorrow. I call Math-teacher/basketball-coach and pass along Goaliegirl's cell phone. I call back Goaliegirl. She has rebooked for tomorrow on United leaving about noon (Math-teacher/basketball-coach can get her back to airport by 10). There are at least 3 connecting flights to our home town she can catch from there tomorrow, without changing airlines once again. I hope she will make it tomorrow.</p>

<p>As I finish this note, she should be on her way back to her school (dorm parent knows she is coming back as well). I should be getting one final call tonight when she gets back to school.</p>

<p>Well, I've been well rewarded for good planning and redundancy. I've had to pull every trick out of the had short of driving up there and picking her up myself. For all of you other parents whose kids will fly to boarding school, planning for this type of situation is essential. Plan your connecting flights around redundancy and weather if at all possible. Have emergency cellphone numbers. And always have the next backup plan in place.</p>

<p>And Goaliegirl has managed very well, using other travellers in a judicious manner - I normally don't recommend 16-year-old girls talking to strangers in airports, but she does have a certain street smart about her. She's learned all about dealing with the airlines and never panicked. I guess this is one of those lessons you learn at boarding school. She will be very ready for college life in 2 years.</p>

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<p>And then what happened?</p>

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<p>Just got a call. She is now in Math-teacher/baskeball-coach's car on her way back to campus.</p>

<p>She is tired, but all set for tomorrow.</p>

<p>Will post again when she gets home or if there are any other changes of itinerary.</p>

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<p>Both of my kids travel quite frequently and usually alone and we have had many similiar instances! I think the worst was when my youngest (13 at the time) was delayed at the first airport by 2 hours thus missing his connecting flight, rebooked on another flight through another airport (where he would have to make yet another connection in order to get home). that new connecting flight had to make an emergency landing due to a medical emergency, so he ended up in yet another airport and this went on and on. he ended up spending the night at the Atlanta airport (when he was flying from Chicago to Denver) and catching the red-eye to Denver the next morning.</p>

<p>My advice to my kids has always been to stay calm and know that in the end it will all work out, it will just be delayed. They are safe in the airport (provided they take the normal safety precautions) and the airline usually gives them a voucher for food -- so they are also well fed. They consider flight delays an adventure -- you never know where or when you are going to get home! Of course having a cell phone is great at calming everyone's nerves! After an incident several years ago with my oldest, where we talked so much his cell was running low on batteries, I always have my kids pack their phone charger on their carry-on luggage.</p>

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<p>jeez. That's quite a trip. I'm glad she's ok. Luckily, I have never had plane problems, and I've been flying by myself since I was in the 2nd grade. But I secretly hope that something like that will happen to me. The adventure of being somewhere new with an unclear itinerary is exciting. I just hope that my parents won't worry too much.</p>

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<p>Darn, that will never happen to me! That sounds like, fun, weird!! I live in Manhattan and the school that I applied to farthest from my home is 3 1/2 hours away!!!!! I guess Ill be taking a boring taxi.........GRRR</p>

<p>Gosh, Im talking like I already got in! lol</p>

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<p>You will take a taxi from 3 1/2 hours away??? Some of the areas you applied to might not even have taxi service. I know Deerfield has one taxi service out of Greenfield that serves the entire area. I think they only have one cab.</p>

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<p>I was talking about a taxi service from the city coming to get me, there are plenty here, my dad and mom would most likely be working, so they will call about 2 days in advance and arrange the details.</p>

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<p>Why wouldn't you fly though? Manchester (NH) airport is so easy. Well, it wasn't for goaliegirl, but that was just one big comedy of errors.</p>

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<p>That was going to be my next post, hahaha, I should, shouldn't I!
I'll bring up the idea tomorrow during dinner to my parents.....I wonder if they will take the bait of me getting there in half the time.....they better! I like flying, lol!</p>

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<p>I second that idea: be SURE to have your cell phone charger with you at ALL times when you are traveling. Also, carrying a power strip with extra outlets can be useful when another stranded traveler is hogging the only outlet in the airport that you can find. Also, if you travel with a laptop (I don't know if boarding school teenagers do this), many airports have free wi-fi, and you may get better flight updates on the internet.</p>

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<p>I do! I never leave the country or state without my Presario safely stored in my carry on! lol</p>

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<p>goaliedad - unbelievable! My daughter was also on Goaliegirl's original 2 pm flight to Cleveland yesterday! Because of the snow and awful road conditions, ride with relative fell through. Apart from the cellphone, I made sure that she had more than enough cash so that she could take a cab to her sister's college. Last I heard last night, they were putting the extra cash to good use by munching down on much-needed hamburgers!</p>

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<p>jg0339,</p>

<p>Did that flight ever leave last night??? I read that about 2/3 of the flights into Cleveland yesterday were cancelled and the weather today is supposed to be more of the same.</p>

<p>Goaliegirl is still in Manchester, as her 12:05 United flight to Dulles has been delayed an hour. To add insult to injury, she got randomly selected for "extra" security. The full patdown and swabbing of everything. Fortunately her helmet (in her carryon bag) didn't set anything off. LOL</p>

<p>The saga continues...</p>

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<p>Wow. That must have been miserable but also kind of fun.</p>

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<p>Whenever I go to the airport the most the security gives me, other then the norm, is the metal detector wand.</p>

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<p>Well, the adventure is finally over, although not without other hiccups, or should I say worse....</p>

<p>Goaliegirls flight from Manchester to Dulles was a bit stormy. The radar showed lots of shades of dark green the whole ride. And Goaliegirl, veteran of many a amusement park rides didn't enjoy this ride. Let's say they have those little bags in the seat pouches for a reason.</p>

<p>And of course to be consistent with everything else her last leg home was delayed 2 hours as well.</p>

<p>The good news though is that the drive home from the airport was quick and the family is back home together again for a couple of weeks.</p>

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<p>We live in snowy New England and almost always hosted one of D's friends during spring break since we live less than an hour from the school. Flying in or out of the northeast (and I'm including a hefty portion of the country in here) or connecting through Chicago in winter is a recipe for delay.</p>

<p>I learned about the phone charger the hard way and now am sure to keep it in the bag with my laptop. A toothbrush and some food is also a good idea! And make sure your kids have a credit card so they can eat, pay for transportation, or a hotel room. </p>

<p>Hotels supposedly only rent to 18 or over, but I know a boarding school kid who was stuck overnight in Chicago and the attached Hilton rented a room to him. No key for the minibar though! :) He spent the night trying to break into it. Bad boy!</p>

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<p>Goaliedad, I'm glad to hear Goaliegirl got back safely. What a trooper. I can really relate because my son has been flying solo on international flights (as unaccompanied minor) for a long time and he's been through a lot of delays and inconveniences. They are definitely character-building moments (for the kid and the parent).</p>

<p>Thanks for sharing the cautionary tale and hope Goaliegirl gets a good rest after that ordeal.</p>