[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?

[JasonB10]

You're answers to points one and two speak for themselves...

As to the third item... you prove to continue to miss the point.

7 hours from 4:30pm would basically be midnight... Which I think most people would recognize as the definition of THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT; hence the name.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by JasonB10

As to the third item... you prove to continue to miss the point.

7 hours from 4:30pm would basically be midnight... Which I think most people would recognize as the definition of THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT; hence the name.

How am I missing the point? At 5:39 PM Minneapolis time you posted:

Originally Posted by JasonB10

As of this writing, they are still stranded.

I don't get it? So they drive 3 hours there so it's around 9 PM and three hours back which puts it at around midnight. They are home around midnight. It's not like they'll be driving all through the night. You make it sound like they'll be driving all night. Get a clue. Not everyone goes to bed by 8:30 PM. Perhaps it is you who "needs a life" whiner boy. Shut up and go to sleep . It's obviously past your bedtime.

[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.

[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

[JasonB10]

Sinbad,

What you suggest is exactly what we did. For their own safety, they rented a car and then head to a hotel for the evening. They are now driving to their final destination after being stranded by the airline mid trip.

The airline which BTW has not yet given them their luggage, which because of the baby contains expensive items that I am certain the airlines will refuse to pay for if (dare I say when) lost.

Our system of air travel has become a sad joke and whats worse, it would appear that there is no way to improve it by penalizing these companies for this kind of hubris.

[PHXFlyer]

If they have a return itinerary on the same ticket, make sure you call the airline and re-confirm. If they didn't properly cancel the Minneapolis-Madison segment it could cause issues for the rest of the itinerary. Make sur eyou tell them she drove to the destination due to the weather issues. You may even get a partial refund for the unused segment. If they don't give you a refund request a voucher to use on a future trip.

[AirlinesMustPay]

Originally Posted by JasonB10

Our system of air travel has become a sad joke and whats worse, it would appear that there is no way to improve it by penalizing these companies for this kind of hubris.

Jason you have a remedy
If you live in Seattle, I checked it and your small claims court is in a town called Issaquah (dont know if I spelt that right). The forms are on the internet and they are simple.

Even if the delay was weather related (you don't say that for them when you complain, let them say it when they file their Defence), your complaint is that after a delay they took your wife and child knowing she would be stranded in Minneapolis and then offered a 16 hour flight next day, with not even a confirmed reservation.

They are liable for all her expenses. The claim would have to be brought in her name as Plaintiff. She can claim for the rented car, gas, hotel, meals and out of pocket expenses such as phone calls, both yours and hers. If you have receipts keep them, but for small items (e.g. if she bought a sandwich and drink) the court will accept them without receipts.

I see PHX flyer advised you to reconfirm your flight. This is worth doing. Let the airline know why you had to miss the Minneapolis to Madison leg but that you are using the return flights.

[airhead]

Tell the airline of the situation and related costs. Let the airline know you are entitled to all expenses since the luggage did not make it and were stranded in an airport away from the destination. The airline has to pay these expenses. Take legal action after they refuse to pay the claim. That avoids weird loop holes in the law that may make you look negligent if you take rash action too quickly. And believe me the airlines have small bands of lawyers who are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to win.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by AirlinesMustPay

Jason you have a remedy
If you live in Seattle, I checked it and your small claims court is in a town called Issaquah (dont know if I spelt that right). The forms are on the internet and they are simple.

Issaquah and Seattle are both in King County but Issaqua is a suburb of Seattle about 20 miles to the east. Although there is a small claims court in Issaquah there is also one in Seattle.

Next time do your homework. You get an F for US Geography and Civics today.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Airhead wrote:

Tell the airline of the situation and related costs. Let the airline know you are entitled to all expenses since the luggage did not make it and were stranded in an airport away from the destination. The airline has to pay these expenses. Take legal action after they refuse to pay the claim. That avoids weird loop holes in the law that may make you look negligent if you take rash action too quickly. And believe me the airlines have small bands of lawyers who are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to win.

You can expedite the situation simply by sending the airline what, in legal terms, is called a "demand letter." In this letter you do, as Airhead has suggested: Tell the airline of the situation and related costs. Let the airline know you are entitled to all expenses since the luggage did not make it and were stranded in an airport away from the destination. Also make it clear, in the letter, you will not accept flight vouchers in lieu of cash as payment. As I've said in previous posts said vouchers are sometimes not even worth the paper they're printed on. End your letter by saying you expect payment within 60 days; that you will commence litigation if said payment is not received. Also, obtain, from the Washington Secretary of State's Office, the address for "legal service" for the airline you intend to sue. An original copy of your "demand letter" should be sent to said "legal service" address. You may wish to send a copy of your "demand letter" to the airline's corporate headquarters. However, if it were me, I would not do it. A letter sent to the corporate headquarters simply gives the airline a better opportunity to defend itself (when, in fact, it probably has NO defense.) Sending a letter only to the "legal service" address will satisfy the Court's requirements, and, there's a chance the contractor which the airline employs, to operate the legal service address, won't forward your letter in enough time for the airline to properly prepare--thus you stand a better chance of no one showing-up for the airline, and you get a default judgment.

As to the "small bands of lawyers:" Lawyers are NOT allowed in the vast majority of Small Claims Courts. Perhaps the airline can send a para-legal, however you have a right to make a motion to have the para-legal dismissed in the interest of fairness. Whether the Court rules in your favor remains to be seen.

Another poster on this board, "Jetliner," seems to take the opposite view about lawyers being allowed in Small Claims Court. He would have you believe that few, if any, Small Claims Courts bar lawyers. I'll bet, if one checked, Jetliner's home state of Florida probably bans lawyers from Small Claims Courts. Jetliner goes ballastic whenever the "divine authority" of an airline is challenged.

[Jetliner]

Originally Posted by Butch Cassidy Slept Here

Another poster on this board, "Jetliner," seems to take the opposite view about lawyers being allowed in Small Claims Court. He would have you believe that few, if any, Small Claims Courts bar lawyers.

I'm not the only one. Check out this site: http://articles.directorym.com/Small...uerque_NM.html

And I quote from the site:

"Can I bring a lawyer to small claims court?

In a handful of states, including California, Michigan, and Nebraska, you must appear in small claims court on your own. In most states, however, you can be represented by a lawyer if you like."

And yes, in Florida you are allowed to have an attorney represent you in small claims court it you want.