Posted on: Sunday, July 22, 2007
Prepare for worst with alternate flight plan
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Travel Editor
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Illustration by MINNETTE MCCABE | The Honolulu Advertiser
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You'd think someone with the title of travel editor would be able to handle any travel emergency. But in fact, my job is more copy handler than traveler; I am generally working with other people's reports on travel, not traveling myself.
So when I missed a connection at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York during a recent trip to Europe, I was as panicked and despairing as anyone else would be.
I was so upset, in fact, that I almost turned back. Because of a series of thunderstorms that had caused a number of canceled and delayed flights there, hundreds of travelers had been dealing with the same problem in the days before my arrival, and my seat had been given away to one of them, even though I was 60 minutes early for the flight.
Swiss International Air Lines told me the likelihood of my getting a seat in the next few days was almost nil because of the busy summer travel season. There were no hotel rooms available anywhere within a reasonable distance of JFK. My choice was to spend $60 to $70 on a cab ride and $200 on a hotel room somewhere on Long Island or to sit up all night in the airport. I chose to sit up. Not fun.
But the telephone support of my travel agent and the girlfriend I was joining in Europe, and the company of some kindly chance-met fellow travelers got me through the immediate emotional reaction and, despite a night spent "sleeping" on the floor of the airport, I did finally make it to Venice. And La Serenessima, as the city is called, made it all worthwhile.
Still, the trip was definitely a lesson learned. A lot of lessons learned.
The main thing I learned is that there are ways to prepare for such contingencies. Even for someone who had never missed a flight, or ever expected to ( I am almost pathologically early for everything), I was more prepared than many, but less ready than I could have been.
Here's what can help when your dream vacation turns into a nightmare.
Use a travel agent and keep the phone number with you. (And if your travel agent won't give you his or her cell phone number, get a new agent.) Often, they can intervene on your behalf more effectively than you can. Or at least offer moral support.
Buy travel insurance; you'll be reimbursed for any expenses you incur because of delays, cancellations or other difficulties.
Carry a cell phone. Even if you have to pay a high premium to get cell-phone coverage in Europe or Asia, a working cell phone is a lifeline. I was fortunate that my difficulties occurred in the U.S., where my cell phone still worked. However, I was headed to Europe and had decided not to buy a costly European cell-phone plan. Later, I would come to regret that decision. International phone cards are a second choice; but they only allow you to call out, others can't reach you unless you hang around a pay phone waiting for their return call. If you are traveling with someone else, working cell phones mean you can always find each other if plans change or difficulties arise. As an alternative, you can carry a laptop with wireless Internet connection; this is only worthwhile if you need the computer enough to lug it around. A mobile phone with Internet connections (i.e., BlackBerry, iPhone) also is an option.
Pack a carry-on that can get you through unexpected overnights with:
a lightweight warm shawl, towel or pareu that can serve as a blanket or "mattress."
A small pillow or one of those curved neck pillows.
Earplugs, eye mask, noise-reduction headphones; these seem silly until you need them. I saw a guy lie down on the floor in JFK, put in his earplugs, adjust his eye mask and go right to sleep. I was envious.
Socks to keep your feet warm. Airports can be very chilly because of air conditioning, even in the heat of summer.
Toiletries, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, all-purpose liquid soap such as Campsuds, which can be used for anything from washing your face to washing your clothes; a washcloth or face sponge; moisturizer (travel is horribly drying to skin, especially to those of us from humid Hawai'i); eyewash; brush; comb; and so on. Swiss International Air Lines had a lovely moisturizing spray in its lavatories that I'm going to make a permanent part of my toiletry kit; it helped reduce the general dryness of my skin and was wonderfully refreshing. Also, medications to which you need access.
A lightweight change of clothes and underwear.
Amusements (books, iPod, electronic games, puzzles, whatever helps you pass the time).
Something to eat: a sandwich, a box of multigrain crackers and some cheese — these can get you through a late-night layover when everything is closed. (And even in a hub like JFK, after 10 or 11 p.m., nothing is open.)
Invest in the best lightweight, wheeled luggage you can afford. One of the smartest things I did was to buy a 24-inch, four-wheeled Rimowa brand suitcase, which weighs almost nothing empty and rolls like a breeze on any surface. Expensive, but well worth it.
In planning your travel, try to stay with the same carrier, or at most, one domestic and one overseas carrier. You may have to pay more, but you are more likely to make connections smoothly and to be cut a little slack when your connections are close. Also, you're more likely to be upgraded.
THIS IS CRUCIAL. Do NOT accept a layover of less than three or four hours for international travel; you may need every bit of that time because of delays, travel between terminals, getting lost, long lines and so on. International airlines can (and will) give your seat away if you arrive less than 90 minutes before departure. Two-hour layovers are advisable for domestic travel.
Take the time to preview the layouts of all the airports you will pass through; you can find these online. Ask your travel agent to specify each terminal through which you will pass. Many larger airports have multiple terminals, requiring subway or bus rides between each to make connecting flights. Especially during the busy summer season, these transfer points can swallow time at a perilous rate.
Do NOT trust information or advice unless it's from a reliable source and confirmed by signage. I missed my flight in part because an airline official gave me bad information about which terminal I needed at JFK.
Use curbside check-in and tip generously; these folks know what they're doing and they can often check things through more efficiently than the ticket agents.
If you are dealing with actual paper tickets rather than e-tickets (common with overseas travel, as not all companies use e-ticketing), make sure the tickets are in the order of the destinations to which you are traveling. And make sure each agent pulls the correct ticket. (I almost had a complete disaster when an agent here in Hawai'i pulled the wrong ticket for one segment of my travel; an alert Delta agent in Phoenix, my next stop, noticed and re-issued all my tickets and put them in trip-order — blessings be on her head or I'd probably still be in JFK impersonating Tom Hanks in "The Terminal.")
If you are using e-tickets, or have booked a car or other things on a particular credit card, you must have that credit card with you. Check before you leave to be sure that the credit card is not about to expire.
Be sure you have access to additional money (via ATM, credit card or whatever), in case you are stranded.
Carry with you and place in your checked luggage photocopies of important documents (passport, tickets, itinerary, personal contact and health information in case something happens to you). Also: Carry a picture of your suitcase and write down and carry with you the tracking information on your baggage claim check. If your luggage is misdirected, this will help the airline find it. The more information you can give them, the more likely they are not only to find it, but to make an effort to do so.
In negotiating with airline personnel, remain calm, speak in an even tone, don't be nasty and remember that they're dealing with dozens of you a day. If they can't resolve your immediate problem, suggest alternatives: If they can't get you on another flight, can you get a hotel voucher? Food vouchers? A transfer to another airline? Rescheduling or stand-by status? Be pleasant but persistent; they can help you if they want to. However, how much help you can get may well depend on the overall situation. If, as in my case, they've been dealing with two days' worth of flight delays, cancellations, weather issues, and so on, they'll be less willing or able to do much for you.
Airports can be very enjoyable places. Try to relax and experience whatever's there; there are often museums and, of course, lots of shops and restaurants. (The best places are generally beyond the safety checkpoint, unfortunately, so you may not be able to experience them until you actually have a boarding pass.)
Before you leave, inform yourself. Research the airports through which you will pass. Ask your travel agent every question you can think of. What if this happens, what if that happens? Make no assumptions. (For example, I assumed my baggage would be checked through to my final destination, Venice, but it turned out they couldn't do that for reasons I still find inexplicable. The time it took to claim my luggage made me late for a crucial connection and was the cause of my unexpected overnight stay in JFK.) This is another reason to stay with as few carriers as possible throughout your trip.
Finally, accept that you may find yourself emotionally sideswiped by a travel disaster — angry, scared, weepy, off-base. Do what you need to do to release your emotions and get back on an even keel: Go into the bathroom and cry. Go into the airport chapel and pray. Call or e-mail a loved one. Go outside and scream. And know that, at some point, you'll be back home again.
Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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