Misery multiplied: Readers' travel nightmares

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Unhappy camper
I work in the hotel industry and hear never-ending stories about airlines and the hell they put passengers through (delays, lost luggage, etc). I experienced this myself traveling to my brother's wedding in Toronto.

I'm up at 2 a.m. to arrive at the DFW airport at 4 a.m. for a flight at 6 a.m., as directed by a family member whom I'm flying with. Once we arrived however, we find Air Canada had without warning canceled our flight and decided not to notify anyone despite asking for our contact information so as to notify us.

It turns out that the plane had mechanical issues in another city the previous evening, and apparently no one had thought to do anything about the flights it was supposed to have flown the next morning. Only after we and other passengers prodded them did they rebook us on American, whose flight to Toronto didn't leave until 1 p.m. With no in/out privileges for our prepaid discount parking, we, like everyone else, languished around the international terminal from 4 a.m. until 1 p.m.

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Needless to say we were much less than happy.
— Kevin Blanco, Carrollton, Texas

From bad to worse
My husband and I were delayed an hour on our initial flight, missed our connection, were rebooked on a flight entailing a six-hour layover (which turned into a ten hour layover for supposed mechanical difficulties), and then no crew standing by. Finally, we had one piece of luggage lost. It did show up the next day.

Our trip was supposed to take 10 1/2 hours and that was with a poor itinerary, but actually took 18 hours. I think we got to experience each and every one of the problems of which airlines are guilty.
— Doris Bucholz, Roanoke, Ind.

Scary Christmas
Christmas of 2006, my flight was scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday which was two days after the big snowstorm that closed DIA on Wednesday. So, I was running short on time to see if DIA was going to reopen. My intel reported that the snow had let up that Thursday night. I checked the UA Web site all night Thursday, and my flight status never changed from 8 a.m. I thought I was going to catch a break and make it home.

Since I'm no morning person, I stayed up all night packing and prepping for a 5 a.m. departure from the house to the airport. So the night passes and still no indication that my flight has been canceled, so I'm left believing that DIA will be all plowed and scraped off by morning to let my flight come right on in.

4 a.m., still no word whether DIA is going to open by morning, yet UA's Web site still hasn't changed my flight to canceled. I starting thinking my intel wasn't as fresh as it should be. After checking the Internet, I get UA on the phone. I finally get a live person on the end to have the customer NON-service rep tell me he couldn't determine the status of my flight and advised to call the airport UA desk.

By this time I'm getting the "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" feeling. The cab was already waiting out front. So I loaded up and headed straight to the airport. I get to the airport and flagged a UA rep, and they tell my flight is canceled. I then asked him when was the earliest flight that I can get to Denver. He looked at me like I just passed gas and stated Tuesday. I guess he didn't know that Christmas was on Monday.

Now I'm analyzing options.
— Angelo Miller, Parker, Colo.

CONTINUED : Trapped on a plane

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