There are so many things in Europe that drive the point home how lucky and spoiled we are here in America. One big one is you pay for using the toilet. In Italy you pay up to a euro fifty to use a toilet that almost never has a toilet seat! Lovely I know, if you are lucky you get a French toilet (not lucky really), it is a hole in the floor.
Don't get me wrong the beauty of Italy is well worth a little gross when using the toilet. There is a reason I had to drag my new husband over there to see it!
I digress.....never! use US Airlines!!! Especially if you are tall. They actually have less leg room in the international flights! What the heck is that about? So tired and heading home we boarded 45 minutes late then spent another hour and a half on the tarmac waiting to take off. Never an explanation as to why. So ten hours later we spent an hour on the tarmac in North Carolina because the airway thing that connects the plane to the terminal blew out a tire. We could have got off after ten minutes but apparently immigration didn't want to risk those 20 Italian passengers on the plane making a run for the boarder by letting us use a stairs that would have taken us across the tarmac. Yeah we have a huge! problem with Italians paying $1,000 to fly to America waiting for the off chance a tire blows and they get their freedom. *rolls eyes*
Believe it or not this is not even the point of this post. After being delayed almost three hours, not counting our ridiculous TSA, customs and what not, they could not hold our connecting flight two minutes!!! Nope, sorry, no two minutes for you J..
US Air effed up, that is for sure but so much was made worse by the way airports are run.
So anyone else have airline nightmares? What was the airline? At the moment Delta is my favorite airline, obviously US Air is on my heck no list.
By the way the honeymoon was wonderful, even with our interesting flight home.
I have been on a plane...twice, and that was way way back before children...so at least 15 years? I admit, I have an irrational fear of flying. I do enjoy a good road trip though! I suppose there are places I might never see, or perhaps one day my irrational fear will be put aside if the opportunity arises.
I always think when bad things happen to us, what wonderful stories they create...and we certainly do not forget them = )
.
i guess thats not so bad for the men, lol
I love Delta and only fly them! This is not a Delta issue, but was on a Delta flight. While traveling to India with my 20 month old, we board at JFK at 9 at night. This is a about a 16 hour flight, without any delays. However, on the tarmac, a storm was coming in and the planes had to switch to a different runway. So we go from being 4 in line to 52 in line! OMG! We were on the tarmac for around 4 hours before we could even take off. Luckily the flight crew was bringing out supper for the kids and letting people go to the bathroom while we were waiting. So as we are approaching Mumbai, they have a storm and we circle for about 3 hours. When we land, we have to wait 30 minutes to get to a gate. So we were on that plane for a WHOLE DAY! 24 hours, in coach. Ugh. Fortunately, there was a big group of us traveling, so I had some help with my son, otherwise I think I would have torn my hair out!
I have not been on an airplane since 2001 :)
Glad you had a happy honeymoon and Welcome Home!
What a mess you all were in! Holy cow! Well I haven't flown since 1993. During the time I did, I always used Southwest Airlines. Everything has gotten so crazy now with the rush rush rush and hurrup and wait, security etc...oh boy. My husband will soon work for a company that requires him to travel 50% of the time. I'm a bit nervous with that. So glad your honeymoon was great! :-D I've only seen pictures of Italy and what a gorgeous place that is! No toilets? And you have to pay to use what they have? How frustrating that would be.
If I had to travel again, Southwest Airlines would be my choice. I did fly United Airlines (i think) back in 1989 for a month trip to Hawaii! I graduated that year and that was the best trip ever! :-D
LOL...my sister and I always talk about the restrooms in Italy. We are of Italian descent (working on getting our dual citizenship) and have all of our relatives in northern Italy. We even asked them about the toilet situation, and they don't think anything of it. Their homes all have normal toilets, but the public ones are hit & miss. I've even been in beautiful, new public toilets that have a modern version of the straddle toilet...I just don't get it.
I have been traveling my whole life, and admittedly, travel has gotten more complicated in the last 15 years. But as the slogan on Expedia says, "travel is an adventure", so you have to board a plane with that in mind and always with a "plan B". I am an American Airlines FF, but for overseas, Delta is great. I went to Italy with my then two year old, and the Delta crew was superb!! Returned on that same trip on USAir, and it was less than stellar.
I spent 8 years flying back and forth from Chigaco, IL to Sophia, Bulgaria. Changing plans at least once along the way because there were no direct flights to Bulgaria from just about anywhere in US.
Anyway my story list is a mile long, some great some not so great. In the end you just have to know that these things are out of your contorl, prepare yourself as best as you can and enjoy what you did/will be doing on the other end.
Worse traveling story would have to be when I was meeting my parents in London, England. I was flying from Chicago, IL and they were flying from Sophia, Bulgaria. Well I made it to London no big issues, BUT my lovely parents did not make it the same say due to a luggage crew strike. ALL flights into London were cancelled. Well my parents have all the hotel info and reservation stuff, I was 18 years old and very little money. I was unable to contact my parents because they were stuck in the airport and none of us had cell phones yet, so I left a message on the home phone. I did try to get a cheap hotel room but by the time I got through only a handful were left in the area (everyone was stuck so everyone was trying to get a room), the handful left were the ones that cost $1000 plus dollars a night which I a college student did not have. So what did I do, I found a nice "comfy" spot to lay across a few airport seats and try to get some zzzz's. In the morning finally got ahold of my parents, they said they were just heading out to see if they can get on a flight that day, and that they would call my airport phone from the Bulgarian airport with more. Thankfully everything was back to normal the next day, parents were able to fly in and had a great two week vacation there :) It is what you make it.
I got use to the holes in the floor as toilets and paying to use them with-in a year (the majority of places I visited overseas you have to pay so good thing to add to the budget before going). If you live it you get use to it. You are right we are very spoiled and blessed in the US.
Over those eigth year of flying I just got use to the smaller spaces. Of course I am only 5 ft 3 in so I can deal with tiny spaces. My brothers about 6 ft also go use to it, and after a few years no complaining, just think of what is at the other end of the flight. Some of the small planes I was in they actaully blocked off seats because they were "unsafe" because they were broken... I am still here :) I have been on a lot of the airlines favorite is Britsh Airways but they are pricey, second favorite is Lufthansa, others that are ok AirFrance and Alitalia. I have found when flying overseas pick a non-US airline, not sure why but it seems to make a differance. If not going overseas (staying in the US) we usually do Southwest.
i am sorry you had a rotten experience....maybe someday you can look back and laugh! maybe??
i just want to play devils advocate a bit...what you describe isn't necessarily US airways issues, but airline issues in general, and unfortunately that is industry wide. yes, if one little thing happens, the entire schedule gets "off" and it is like moving mountains to get them back on schedule. and especially with the larger companies, they aren't going to move that mountain yet again for one family who is two minutes late...:(
mostly i would stick to smaller airlines when possible like jetblue and frontier - i have heard (not from personal experience, it's been 6 years since i have worked in the industry) that they have better customer service. of course on an international flight you wouldn't have that option, but just saying.
ps - HOW can they charge you to use the toilet!!?!? talk about effed up!
