[stephanderson]

Sunday night, my flight to Atlanta (stop-over) was canceled because of the storms. They booked us a later flight at 11:35pm. With a stop-over at Atlanta and then Indy (we would be back at Indy at 4am). So we waited at the airport lounge until 10:30pm. We waited 3 hours. My husband walked by the TV's where they posted the flights and it said that our flight changed times and now it was leaving at 11:15pm. We ran with our 2 luggage's, a screaming baby and 2 hand bags. You have to take a train to board which took 15 minutes. We got there at 10:55pm. A new time appeared on the screen behind the reception desk. It posted a leaving time of 11pm. The plane was still there, the stewardess called the pilot and they said they were about to leave. They wouldn't let us in. They said the next flight out of Indy was at 10AM the following day. Reality kicked in and I asked them, so you want me to sleep here at the airport with a 1 year old, exhausted baby? They all did not make eye contact (5 people), they ignored me as a cried and begged to get in the plane. Keep in mind the exhausted baby crying in the background. The stewardess who originally told me that I missed our flight said because I was ungrateful that they were booking me a flight the next day, she wasn't gonna help me. She slammed the tickets she prepared on the counter and bowed her head down. The manager walked up, his name was Thomas. He said, "I'm sorry you didn't hear our announcement that this plane was boarding early." He gave us a coupon to a hotel (standard coupon you can find in magazines) and sent us on our way. We were at the Orlando airport for 14 hours. I've been through international airports. This was my first time with Air Tran. I've never been treated this way, especially with an exhausted 17 month old baby. We slept at the airport awaiting our departure. This was an extremely emotionally & physically exhausting experience. I have never been treated with such disregard especially at an airport. I want to be refunded for my ticket and for my ticket and for the employees at the Orlando Airport be reprimanded. The woman who told us she wasn't going to help us did not reveal her name. The only name I got was Thomas (the manager) that night.

[PHXFlyer]

Was it flight #841 Sunday Aug. 2?

[stephanderson]

if it was supposed to leave at 9:35 pm to atlanta, yes.

[PHXFlyer]

I kinda thought so. Unfortunately you have only yourselves to blame. In a weather delay the flight can leave any time. When the crew gets the word to depart they often have a very tight window in which to board the plane and push off otherwise they'll lose their takeoff slot. You opted to wait out the delay in a lounge which obviously wasn't anywhere near the gate. Unfortunately you gambled and lost. Hopefully next time you'll know to wait out a weather delay either at the gate or nearby so that when they begin boarding you won't be left behind.

[stephanderson]

So it was right or Airtran to not inform us that it can leave at anytime. It was right for them to be so unsympathetic to our situation. It was right for the CSR to lose her cool and slam our tickets on the counter after i stressed how horribly this would impact my baby. It was right for all of them to ignore us. They were absolutely right? I know you work for the airlines, that's why you're a jerk just like Airtran. Get a life jackass!

[PHXFlyer]

Is that what you're going to teach your kid? Anyone who doesn't agree with you or who points out that you share at least some of the blame is a jerk/jackass? I hope for your kid's sake s/he has better role models than his/her parents. Have a nice life!

[Jetliner]

Whether you like it or not, PHX is correct.

I have flown out of Orlando many times. And there is one very important fact you left out. In Orlando the security checkpoint is right before you get on the train. The train does not take 15 minutes. It takes about 2. So what this means is, you waited until zero hour to clear security.

I have two younger kids, and I know what it's like traveling with an infant. As such, I know (well, knew - they are past that stage) that with everything you have to haul, getting through security is a challenge, so you need to get that over with ASAP.

There is no excuse for the agents acting rudely, but you need to take some responsibility for your part in this as well. See, there's another important detail you didn't mention, and that was if other passengers missed the flight. Since you didn't bring that up, we are only left to assume that you were the only ones. So, in that case, if the flight left earlier than originally posted, then how did everyone else make it on the plane?

The problem is you have some of the blame in this, and you don't want to admit it. All you want to do is gripe about it, and oh what a terrible airline this is, and what a Jack@$$ PHX is, instead of realizing that you needed to proceed directly to the gate.

You also need to realize that PHX is correct in the fact that if there is a break in the weather, the plane can leave earlier. Would you have proposed that all those other passengers be held up because you weren't there, and miss their connections too?

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by Jetliner

Whether you like it or not, PHX is correct.

I have flown out of Orlando many times. And there is one very important fact you left out. In Orlando the security checkpoint is right before you get on the train. The train does not take 15 minutes. It takes about 2. So what this means is, you waited until zero hour to clear security.

Thanks for backing me up. In all fairness to stephanderson, it wasn't a matter of clearing security. They chose to wait out the delay in a lounge which obviously wasn't anywhere near the departure gate since they had to hop the train in order to get there. I've waited out delays in the lounge myself but if the lounge isn't close to the gate I make regular trips the gate to check on the status of things. I also make the gate agent aware that I am in the lounge and ask the receptionists in the lounge to kindly let me know if the flight has begun boarding so I can get to the gate on time. Usually there's more than one person on the flight in the lounge and the gate agent will make a quick call to advise the lounge agents that the flight has begun boarding.