...or why I'll never fly ATA again.
The Marvelous Journey of Mike and Scott
So I show up at Scott's place a little after noon, so we can hop the Metro and head up to Used-to-just-be-National-but-we-had-to-stick-Ronnie's-name-on-it Airport to head out on our 2 O'Clock flight on ATA Airlines to Chicaco Midway airport.
Now, keep in mind that I flew ATA into ProgPower I, and got to spend an hour extra on the plane at the gate because they couldn't get the door open. I figured something would go wrong, but, hey, the tickets were cheap, and we were getting in WAY early, so we'd be fine.
I could not have been more wrong...
So we get to the airport. ATA doesn't have electronic check-in. OK, let's go through the line. 25 minutes later. "Sir, this flight has been overbooked - we can put you on standby and you can wait at the gate."
"How far down the list are we?" I ask.
"Not far."
OK, off to the gate we trudge. Apparently, the agent has a different definition of "not far" than I do, since there were around 30 people on standby for this flight, and all but two of the already-confirmed passengers showed up. I literally thought there would be a riot at the gate counter when they announced that there was no room on any flights - on any airline - to Midway for the rest of the day.
"OK, what about O'Hare?" I ask the guy at the counter. Scott's acutally starting to turn red up above his ears at this point from the sheer frustration, and has suggested we take a shuttle to Dulles.
His idea might have been better.
"OK, I have seats on a flight from here to O'Hare through Manchester, NH, leaving at 3PM."
"When does it get in?"
"7PM".
"We'll take it."
Twenty minutes of screwing around ensues while they transfer our tickets to that flight. Of course, it's on US Airways, which is at the other end of the terminal, which is a LONG walk with luggage, which we were both still holding.
Out to the shuttle bus. Fortunately, it only takes about three-four minutes to get one. We get in the terminal, and the US Scareways check-in line has the entire population of Kansas in it.
It's 2:45. We're in trouble.
Fortunately, we find the ONE person from an airline that had their head screwed on correctly that we found ALL DAY, and she checks us - and two other guys in the same boat - through in express fashion. We haul ass to security, where the line isn't too bad.
When I take out my ticket, I notice it's got that dreaded "S" on it. While that makes sense - we now have, essentially, three one-way tickets on three seperate airlines - it's maddening, to say the least. I can see the tail of our plane from my place in line, and I watch my watch hit 3:00 with two people still in front of me...
I make it through. They have all the high-tech stuff at National, so it doesn't take as long. I run full-speed - towing a wheeled suitcase behind me - to the gate, and the plane hasn't left yet.
Great - as long as I'm checking it, it won't leave, which should give Scott and the other guys time to get to the gate. I get my pass, and start down the tunnel. I wait for Scott at the mouth...
The ATA guy didn't e-ticket us. So the guy at the counter asks us both for our paper tickets. Uh...
Scott and I just lose it on the guy. (Mistakenly - it's the only thing I feel bad about from the whole ordeal.) Turns out they'd put the new tickets in the back of the envelopes, under our "free round trip" coupons, so we didn't see them. Apologies are made, we get on the plane, and fly uneventfully to Manchester. So, everything's looking good. We get in, and ask the guy at the United (the airline for the second leg) counter how long we have, since the plane's already sitting at the gate.
"About fifteen minutes"
OK, it's 4PM and I haven't eaten - unless you count a 1.5 ounce bag of airline pretzels - so we head to the brew pub next to the gate, get a drink and a bowl of chili each, since it was quick. Pound that down, turn and go out to the gate...
Delayed. Air Traffic Control problem at O'Hare. They'll board at 6:30, which should make our arrival time around 8:15 CDT. OK, I can hang with that.
They put us on the plane at 6:30, and then sit us on the tarmac until 8:10, which is our actual departure time. Apparently, the Manchester airport only has three gates, and they needed all three.
So, finally, we fly to O'Hare. While we were waiting, I informed our hotel that I had no idea when we'd be arriving, and called Hertz to see about changing our car reservations. No dice - I went cheap and went through Hotwire, so it was cash and carry, no changes. OK, I'll eat it - how much to pick up a car at O'Hare and drop it at Midway, where our Sunday flight leaves from. $187. No f'n way!
I call four other companies, and all of their prices are within $5 of that. Lovely - screw it, we'll take a cab.
We get in to O'Hare at 9:30 local time. Scott had, against my pleadings, checked his bag when we left National. We waited an hour for it. At 10:30 we went out to the cab line, waited a few minutes, and then asked the guy running it what we should do. Go inside and hire a car, it'll be cheaper.
OK, $65 later, there we are, at Hertz at Midway. At 11PM. OK, we get the car - a decked-out Olds Bravada, with leather, etc, since that's all they have left - and haul ass for the hotel. When we get there, they have us in a room with a single bed. Now, I like Scott, but...
Anyway, the guy at the desk switches us out, and we head over to the venue, arriving just before midnight.
Did I mention that Biomechanical and Agent Steel are the two bands I wanted to see the most? They played at 10:30 and 9:30.
The Marvelous Journey of Mike and Scott
So I show up at Scott's place a little after noon, so we can hop the Metro and head up to Used-to-just-be-National-but-we-had-to-stick-Ronnie's-name-on-it Airport to head out on our 2 O'Clock flight on ATA Airlines to Chicaco Midway airport.
Now, keep in mind that I flew ATA into ProgPower I, and got to spend an hour extra on the plane at the gate because they couldn't get the door open. I figured something would go wrong, but, hey, the tickets were cheap, and we were getting in WAY early, so we'd be fine.
I could not have been more wrong...
So we get to the airport. ATA doesn't have electronic check-in. OK, let's go through the line. 25 minutes later. "Sir, this flight has been overbooked - we can put you on standby and you can wait at the gate."
"How far down the list are we?" I ask.
"Not far."
OK, off to the gate we trudge. Apparently, the agent has a different definition of "not far" than I do, since there were around 30 people on standby for this flight, and all but two of the already-confirmed passengers showed up. I literally thought there would be a riot at the gate counter when they announced that there was no room on any flights - on any airline - to Midway for the rest of the day.
"OK, what about O'Hare?" I ask the guy at the counter. Scott's acutally starting to turn red up above his ears at this point from the sheer frustration, and has suggested we take a shuttle to Dulles.
His idea might have been better.
"OK, I have seats on a flight from here to O'Hare through Manchester, NH, leaving at 3PM."
"When does it get in?"
"7PM".
"We'll take it."
Twenty minutes of screwing around ensues while they transfer our tickets to that flight. Of course, it's on US Airways, which is at the other end of the terminal, which is a LONG walk with luggage, which we were both still holding.
Out to the shuttle bus. Fortunately, it only takes about three-four minutes to get one. We get in the terminal, and the US Scareways check-in line has the entire population of Kansas in it.
It's 2:45. We're in trouble.
Fortunately, we find the ONE person from an airline that had their head screwed on correctly that we found ALL DAY, and she checks us - and two other guys in the same boat - through in express fashion. We haul ass to security, where the line isn't too bad.
When I take out my ticket, I notice it's got that dreaded "S" on it. While that makes sense - we now have, essentially, three one-way tickets on three seperate airlines - it's maddening, to say the least. I can see the tail of our plane from my place in line, and I watch my watch hit 3:00 with two people still in front of me...
I make it through. They have all the high-tech stuff at National, so it doesn't take as long. I run full-speed - towing a wheeled suitcase behind me - to the gate, and the plane hasn't left yet.
Great - as long as I'm checking it, it won't leave, which should give Scott and the other guys time to get to the gate. I get my pass, and start down the tunnel. I wait for Scott at the mouth...
The ATA guy didn't e-ticket us. So the guy at the counter asks us both for our paper tickets. Uh...
Scott and I just lose it on the guy. (Mistakenly - it's the only thing I feel bad about from the whole ordeal.) Turns out they'd put the new tickets in the back of the envelopes, under our "free round trip" coupons, so we didn't see them. Apologies are made, we get on the plane, and fly uneventfully to Manchester. So, everything's looking good. We get in, and ask the guy at the United (the airline for the second leg) counter how long we have, since the plane's already sitting at the gate.
"About fifteen minutes"
OK, it's 4PM and I haven't eaten - unless you count a 1.5 ounce bag of airline pretzels - so we head to the brew pub next to the gate, get a drink and a bowl of chili each, since it was quick. Pound that down, turn and go out to the gate...
Delayed. Air Traffic Control problem at O'Hare. They'll board at 6:30, which should make our arrival time around 8:15 CDT. OK, I can hang with that.
They put us on the plane at 6:30, and then sit us on the tarmac until 8:10, which is our actual departure time. Apparently, the Manchester airport only has three gates, and they needed all three.
So, finally, we fly to O'Hare. While we were waiting, I informed our hotel that I had no idea when we'd be arriving, and called Hertz to see about changing our car reservations. No dice - I went cheap and went through Hotwire, so it was cash and carry, no changes. OK, I'll eat it - how much to pick up a car at O'Hare and drop it at Midway, where our Sunday flight leaves from. $187. No f'n way!
I call four other companies, and all of their prices are within $5 of that. Lovely - screw it, we'll take a cab.
We get in to O'Hare at 9:30 local time. Scott had, against my pleadings, checked his bag when we left National. We waited an hour for it. At 10:30 we went out to the cab line, waited a few minutes, and then asked the guy running it what we should do. Go inside and hire a car, it'll be cheaper.
OK, $65 later, there we are, at Hertz at Midway. At 11PM. OK, we get the car - a decked-out Olds Bravada, with leather, etc, since that's all they have left - and haul ass for the hotel. When we get there, they have us in a room with a single bed. Now, I like Scott, but...
Anyway, the guy at the desk switches us out, and we head over to the venue, arriving just before midnight.
Did I mention that Biomechanical and Agent Steel are the two bands I wanted to see the most? They played at 10:30 and 9:30.
