[JasonB10]

My wife is traveling with our 8 month old infant when the flight from Seattle to Madison, Wisconsin with a change in Minneapolis was delayed at the gate. The flight departed Seattle so late that there was no chance of her catching another flight into Madison. Not knowing this, she boarded the aircraft only to find that once in Minneapolis she was stranded. The earliest flight would be the next morning at 8:40am (routed through Detroit and over 16 hours away) and she would need to fly standby (no guaranteed seat).

The NW airlines response to her and the screaming 8 month old child?
Camp out on the floor of the airport (at the height of H1N1 flu season) and you might be able to get onto a flight sometime tomorrow for a destination that is only a three hour drive away.

No vouchers, no apologies, and certainly no assistance.

As of this writing, they are still stranded.

[PHXFlyer]

If the destination is only three hours away why hasn't someone driven to pick them up? She could also rent a car. What about a hotel room? The Winter weather season seems to have arrived a bit early this year. Today Denver was hit. Lots of delayed and canceled flights and stranded passengers. If you travel during the Autumn and Winter months you need to be prepared for this.

[JasonB10]

Or how about the airline providing a voucher for the car rental and reimbursement for the second lag? It would be less expensive than a hotel room?

Or even better yet. Given how late the first flight was in departing, how about letting people know that there is NO WAY that they will catch a flight on the other end and providing them a chance to get off of the aircraft at the start?

But no, the only answer that they have during a declared national emergency (flu epidemic) is "...sleep on the floor and MAYBE you can catch a flight tomorrow."

[PHXFlyer]

So now everyone is going to pull the "Swine Flu" card in every possible situation. Listen you're just as likely to get the flu at a mall, grocery store or post office.

Airlines don't give out hotel or meal vouchers when a delay or cancellation is weather related. They don't give out car rental vouchers period. Again my point is that if you're traveling during months where winter or winter-like weather is likely to happen you should always have a backup plan. Have at least enough money to buy a few meals or preferably enough for a hotel room especially if you're traveling with a child. If a missed flight connection is going to cause you to be stranded without enough for a hotel or meals you should have taken Greyhound to begin with.

I will also ask again. If she's only three hours away from her final destination why didn't someone drive to Minneapolis to get her?

(Just got a Tweet from a friend in Boise - snowing there now too,)

[JasonB10]

Because you purchased a ticket to get you safely and quickly between point A & B.

There is no swine flu card here, this is a declared national emergency and for the airlines to simply say, "sleep on the floor" is not good enough under this circumstance.

For someone to drive out would be a 7 hour round trip in what is now the middle of the night. The least they should do is pay for the car and reimburse for the second flight.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by JasonB10

Because you purchased a ticket to get you safely and quickly between point A & B.

Emphasis on safely.

Originally Posted by JasonB10

There is no swine flu card here, this is a declared national emergency and for the airlines to simply say, "sleep on the floor" is not good enough under this circumstance.

Stop watching Fox news.

Originally Posted by JasonB10

For someone to drive out would be a 7 hour round trip in what is now the middle of the night. The least they should do is pay for the car and reimburse for the second flight.

Hmmm, right now in Arizona it's 4:30 PM. How is it the "middle of the night" in Minneapolis?

[AirlinesMustPay]

Originally Posted by JasonB10

Because you purchased a ticket to get you safely and quickly between point A & B.

There is no swine flu card here, this is a declared national emergency and for the airlines to simply say, "sleep on the floor" is not good enough under this circumstance.

For someone to drive out would be a 7 hour round trip in what is now the middle of the night. The least they should do is pay for the car and reimburse for the second flight.

Jason,

Your complaint had nothing to do with swine flu. You paid for the ticket, that was no justification for leaving you wife and baby to overnight in the airport and I hope you did not. In this situation you just proceed as best as you could (leaving your claims for later) and got your wife and child either to a hotel or to their destination which is just a few hours away. It seems if the airline handed you a car voucher (if such a thing exists) your wife would have taken it and driven to her destination. In a situation like that, isn't it better to just rent a car and let her get to her destination, then claim for the car later?

The other thing is I don't understand if having missed their original flight, and the next available flight to her destination is a 16 hour flight through Detroit that you would put them through that stress even if they could get a confirmed reservation.

Had that happened to me and I couldn't get someone to pick her up, I would immediately have tried to get another airline to fly that leg from Minneapolis and paid it. Never mind vouchers and apologies. If another airline wasn't available, how about Greyhound, if its a 3 hour journey by road?

If the airline knew when she took off from Seattle that she would not make the connecting flight and still took her to Minneapolis to be stranded there, they are liable for her expenses, weather related or not

[The_Judge]

Just for the record, MSP is much more than a 3 hour drive from MSN. Mapquest puts it at around 4 1/2 hours. Not a cross-country trip but 50% longer than what the OP mentioned. I used to live in La Crosse for about 10 years and that is just about the half-way point between the 2 and it's a good 2-2 1/2 hours to MSP from there.

[Silent Bob]

I wouldn't trust mapquest to save a life, freakin instructions takes you the long way as opposed to a more direct route. lol

If Madison is home and she is only 3 hours away, why not just drive and pick her up? I mean if this is your wife and child, I'd worry about them first and take care of the airlines later. Instead you would rather sit and post a complaint about it??

The op does have one statement correct, the definition of midnight which does mean "the middle of the night".

[JasonB10]

Because it's not home ...and yes... Midnight is the middle of the night and you bring up a good point Judge. Add another hour each way for being a strange place.

[Leatherboy2006]

When I lived in Chicago a friend from MSP met me in Madison for the weekend, it took me about 3 hours from my house outside of Chicago and it took him about 4 1/2 hours from his house near Lake Harritt in MSP.
I got the Swine Flu more then Likely at the Texas State Fair, so you can get it anywere.

[The_Judge]

Originally Posted by Leatheboy2006

and it took him about 4 1/2 hours from his house near Lake Harritt in MSP.

I think there's an echo in here, here, here.

Originally Posted by The_Judge

Mapquest puts it at around 4 1/2 hours.