[wh5159]

Vacation or Tribulation?...you decide.

Well, I thought I was off to a wonderful start to my much anticipated late summer vacation that I had planned all year, all the work had been done and everything seemed to be in place until I got to the airport that is. Below is an account of the horrible experience I endured.

Monday, August 18th:
Daniel and I both arrived at RDU airport at 10:30 am, we proceeded to the Jet Blue kiosks to check our luggage and to obtain boarding passes as there was no one at the Jet Blue counter at all. After 3 attempts at 3 separate kiosks that would not work I looked up and saw a male staff member of Jet Blue come up front. He typed in our information and then informed us that our flight (#1125) had left at 9:30 am!, It was supposed to have departed at 11:40 am. He stated that the flight time had been moved up and we should have been notified by Orbitz.com...we were not. We had booked these flights in January 2008 through Orbitz.com and had checked the email the evening before for any changes or notifications. I should note that at the time of this email, we still have not received any delayed or cancellation notices from Orbitz.com regarding this flight. We tried to gather more information from the male staff member but he seemed at a loss for words at which time I asked to speak to a supervisor who could better explain to me what happened and yet assist me in obtaining some quick flight accommodations as our cruise was yet impending and we were on a deadline. He got on the phone and called for a supervisor who came out from the back and upon reaching the counter she remarked, "I'm gonna tell you the same thing he has already told you", without even hearing what I had to say! I was irritated at her rudeness and lack of compassion. I tried to ask her if there was any other flight options that could get us to Fort Lauderdale before 4pm, she told me no. I asked her if she could assist me with another airline that was flying into Fort Lauderdale, she typed in some information and said that we could try Southwest Airlines, she then informed me that the Southwest flight had already left. I asked her what other options or assistance could she help me with because this did not seem like it was an error on our part, I had reservations and a confirmation number in hand, the female supervisor told us that changes to flights and or cancellations are covered in the Jet Blue Coverage of Care policy and we should have read it as well as calling before coming to the airport.
Now I ask you, who the hell reads those policies?, we were not enduring any inclement weather here in NC and yes, I will agree if we were supposed to receive any notification from Orbitz.com then they are the culprit and the sole bearer of blame for all this.
Returning our attention back to the Jet Blue supervisor here at RDU, she then said, "I don’t know what else to tell you but we can give you back your money and you can try to find some other way to Florida". Daniel then remarked that Jet Blue could surely provide us with some type of flight, after all, this was not our fault and we had to make our cruise vacation. The supervisor then turned (as she was in attempting to place an order for some fried chicken with the other staff member present) and commented "I’m not gonna argue with you, it is what it is"! I thought, "what a rude, inconsiderate, indignant, ghetto-like statement to make especially for someone in a customer service supervisory role". Needless to say, they both had an exchange of heated words after which she refunded our monies back to the credit card and walked off to resume what she was doing in the back, the male staff member remained at the counter and printed us off the receipt and confirmation report. We rushed to contact other airlines there in the RDU airport to locate a flight to the Fort Lauderdale area.
Luckily for us, there was a wonderful attentive Delta airlines employee right next to the Jet Blue desk, he looked up some flight information for us through American Airlines (they were in a separate terminal across the airport campus), he provided us with enough information to call American and book a flight that would get us into Miami ahead of schedule and allow us to take a taxi into Fort Lauderdale to board on time...or so we thought.
We had already called our cruise line and explained the issue we were having and asked how far was the distance between Miami to the port in Fort Lauderdale before we bought the tickets, we were told it was at least a 22 minute drive and we had to be in the port by 4:00 pm to be allowed to get on the ship although the ship was not due to set sail until 5 pm. The representative at Royal Caribbean told us that this was for security purposes. So much for us being Gold Club members huh?
We booked 2 seats on American Airlines flight 585($869.00) which was scheduled to leave at 12:43 pm and arrive in Miami at 2:43 pm, we checked 2 pieces of luggage and then boarded the flight and tried to relax, however would’nt you have guessed, we landed in Miami at 3:26 pm! I attempted to keep a measure of hope alive while rushing through the Miami airport to the baggage claim area to reclaim our 2 checked bags only to find out that American had left my luggage in NC and it would not arrive until after 8:30 that night. I missed the cruise ship.
At this point, I was feeling the anger, disgust and wanted to explode, however I had worked very hard through the year...in Mental Health services and very much deserved a vacation and come hell's destruction or a high flood I was going to have one. What were our options? we could catch another flight ($800.00) into Cozumel, the ships next docking port on Wednesday, which also meant we would have to purchase a 2 night stay in a hotel ($200.00). I went and had prayer after which I went to the American Airlines counter and asked for a supervisor, I was informed that they were the staff in the grey sweaters and should be located at each counter. I found a woman who had on such apparel and asked her if I might have a word with her, she informed me that she would be right with me, I waited there in the same spot for 5 minutes then I regained her attention by raising my hand to signal her attention, she came from behind the counter and spoke to a gentleman standing 8 feet away from myself and walked away with him, she remarked to me that she would be right back...well, 25 minutes later she had not returned. I walked around the corner only to see her standing with a water bottle in her hand casually talking to another staff member. It was obviously clear that I nor my situation was a priority of hers, so I walked over to another American Airlines counter and asked to speak to a floor supervisor, the lady introduced herself to me as a supervisor and I told her the dilemma that I had endured and that it was not my intention to spend one more dime as a result of someone else's mistake. I proceeded by posing to her what if: I was stranded there in a strange city with no additional funds, how was I suppose to have shelter for the next 2 nights? how was I supposed to have food? Alas, I had already missed my cruise vacation (1,900.00).
She apologized for the flight being delayed and for my lost luggage and walked with me over to another counter where a professional and attentive American Airlines employee (Alex Delgado) booked us 2 nights in a hotel there in the Miami airport area, gave me vouchers for all our meals along with 2 tickets to catch up to our cruise ship in Cozumel, Mexico on Wednesday. We took the hotel shuttle van to the hotel and relaxed for the evening after I called back to the lost luggage department to inform them of where I would be staying for the delivery of my bag.
Note: There was an open space at MIA where there had to be at least 100 misplaced bags just sitting out in the open with no attendants present.

Tuesday, August 19th: relaxing/meditating and prayer time. (my luggage arrived at the hotel at 11:06 am).

Wednesday, August 20th:
The American Eagle flight 4947 into Cozumel was scheduled to depart at 12:55 pm and arrive into Cozumel at 2:22 pm. We arrived at the airport by 11:00 am, checked our luggage, went through security and waited for the aircraft to arrive. After enjoying a beverage, we were informed over the intercom that the flight would be delayed due to maintenance issues and would depart at 1:30 pm instead. I thought that would be ok as long as we were in the loading port in Cozumel by 4:00 pm we would be fine and could board the cruise vessel. After about 20 minutes another message announces that the flight is moved later to 2:20 pm due to weather. It was then I got anxious because I had made my inquiries and was informed that the flight from Miami into Cozumel was 1 hour and 15 minutes in duration and if it got pushed back anymore it would be a lost cause to proceed any further.
You might have already guessed it, they had to reschedule the flight once more to 3:00 pm, due to lightning in the area. Please understand and might I acknowledge that I know that we can't control the weather but I am thinking of all the monies I have spent up to this point and of a lost vacation package that I will not get to enjoy or take part of. (see entry for Monday).
I again, walked to the counter and requested to speak to a supervisor, the lady (Marilyn) there stated she was a supervisor and after we discussed my situation she offered her apologies and without realizing it she instantly decreased my anxiety by showing sincere compassion, human kindness, understanding...are you taking notice of this Jet Blue? are you awake over there Royal Carribean? I havent forgotten about you either Orbitz.com.
Thanks to these customer service driven ladies, we were able to fly back home to NC without incident and I am grateful for their commitment to excellence.

Up until this time, I had seen the awful reports about Customer Service and viewed the horror stories on the internet but I never thought it could or would happen to me. I think you will agree that we attempted and tried to make our vacation happen at every obstacle that was placed before us, we put forth great effort.
Perhaps maybe you corporate representatives should stop and rethink your motivation, reexamine your company Mission Statement and ask yourselves are you really living up to the very words you put before the public?
This experience has taught me a lesson that I will never forget and yes, I will acknowledge that I too could have done a few things differently and for that I share some blame. As a supervisor myself in Human Services, I daily answer calls from customers who have suggestions, comments and sometimes a complaint. I personally try to remember, "it’s not so much what they have been through but rather how I respond to it that matters".
Again, a special thank you to Marilyn Nelson and Monica Leal of American Eagle, I will never forget your spirit, it is you who define the picture of Customer Service.

As I understand most companies have a policy of procedures that they follow up with a compliant/grievance within a period of 10 business days. I hope this is true and still in effect, as I am willing to wait for a response before proceeding further.

[Corbel]

all i can say is WOW! that sounds like hell to me. however with Royal Caribbean i can see their point. but when i took a cruise i left a day early, your story explains why. you never know what can happen, mechanicals, weather, atc, etc.

[abutterfinger25]

First of all, Orbitz, as your travel agent, should have informed you of the schedule change. And travelers should always check their fligth status a few days before departure (which you said you did), just to double check.

Once you missed that flight, JetBlue is not obligated to refung your money. I am glad to see that they did so.

When you purcahsed tickets on American to get to Miami, the carrier is only obligated to get you to Miami. They are not required to provide you a hotel stay in Miami once you missed your cruise. They are also not required to provide you with any transportation to another destination. You did not indicate if you purchased the tickets to Cozumel or if American waived that fare or not, but based on the style of your complaint, I am assuming that American coverd both. This is shocking for me to see because carriers normally wash their hands once they get the passenger's to the destination purchased.

I undertand that you did not want to sell out any more cash, but staying in Miami on the 19th was a dumb move. You already missed one cruise departure, you should have flown out to Cozumel on the 19th and spent a vacation day there and you would have been in position to catch the ship on the 20th.

I am sorry to hear that vacation was ruined and I hope that Orbitz, who caused the whole mess, try to make things right with you.

As Corbel said, when you take a cruise, ALWAYS fly out the day before. Sure you have to spend extra money on hotel and food during that stay, but you increase your chances of making the cruise departure.

You state that no one ever reads the "Coverage of Care Policy" (or Contract of Carriage). I agree that these documents are longwinded and sometimes confusing. However, I would suggest that you hunker down and at least read the contract of your most used aircarrier (all of them are similar so if you read one, you have a grasp of them all).

[Leatherboy2006]

Would have purchasing travel insurance have been helpful in this case?
Also agree that AA went out of their way in providing stay in Miami and if they waived the fare to Cozumel and should be praised and not complained against, except for delayed luggage(how soon before departure did you check it, did it get left in NC due to security check and/or late check in?)

[abutterfinger25]

Depends on your travel insurance provider.

[jimworcs]

American went out of their way and treated you very well under the circumstances. JetBlue is a low cost and provided a low cost type service,but did refund your ticket when it was Orbitz responsibility. Why didn't you call Orbitz at the NC airport and ask them to sort out their mess? I also agree that you should have got to Cozimel pronto... you seem to have an expectation everything will go like clockwork and your timings will work out... not sure what planet you are on, but you should assume the worst and hope for the best in this big bad world!