It's gone beyond irritating.....
 

MIL was due to fly here today (12/19) from London Heathrow. Bought her ticket six months ago, travelled to LHR on Friday to avoid the road chaos, staying in the Hilton...., but the weather played a joker. Flight cancelled. Shit happens. Apparently, somehow, she was missed when they were rescheduling all the flights and the earliest avaialble flight is 12/25. Computer glitch.

But that -although so fucking annoying it need a new bad word coining for it- is not the end of it! It's the lying DELTA reps. The first one said they could book her via Amsterdam tomorrow leaving Schipol Tues to get here... and when we said ok do it, she said "oh, it's all booked up,I can't do that, it was just an option" (or something like that). And the second said "resceduling was based on special needs" so I pointed out that she was a single eldery woman alone who had requested assistance and he said "oh I didn't say it was based on need". I asked if we could get her out of anywhere else or to anywhere else in NE USA and he said no.

So I got a supervisor. After a 20 minute hold. She was OK, once we'd established i was not an idiot (yes, I used the Dr. at this point, and I am embarressed by how much difference it made... I really don't play that card very often but sometimes you just have to....) She was the one who admitted the MIL somehow got passed over when they rescheduled, and she managed to find a flight out of Manchester on Thursday (via Amsterdam, but same day),

But doesn't this just fucking suck? And MIL did not pick Delta because they were cheap, she picked them because they were the only option.

I had no idea you had a doctorate. What field (if you don't mind admitting? :)) Sounds like you handled the massive screwup with just the right level of firm diplomacy. We have had problems with Delta in the past as well, though it seems like all the airlines are slowly converging on suckitude as they become less and less profitable, and more and more desperate.

Cogniitive Science (Aquistion of expertise in algebraic-type problem solving), The fact you didn't know makes me happy -I worked hard for it, but I hate that it opens doors it shouldn't, so I only use it academically or when people who don't deserve it are getting royally screwed.

Hey, so you could help me with my math homework. That's good to know.

Oh, and an update...

MIL just called at 3am her time. Can't sleep, brave facade crumbled. I told her to get her but to the airport as soon as check-in opened and make a nusance of herself so she's be first on the list if a seat was unfilled Play the alone old lady needing assistance card to the hilt... and if hat didn't work then stop fretting, we'll make Manchester happen. somehow.

my bachelors was math and computer science -you srsly couldn't tell I was a math nerd? :P: :lol:

Actually, I thought you were a professional juggler. :haha:

You mean because that's what she goes right for?

No, because she keeps a family of 5 contantly in motion, and rarely drops one. ;)

nice!

She did that, didn't work currently on a bus home to Nottiingham, planning the Manchester trip. She's feeling horribly alone and uncertain, but there's not a hell of a lot else we can do :(

I like both definitions :lol:

Can I just point out that the LHR/ Oslo comparison is untrue and unfair?
Firstly, it is not just British airports having problems with the weather - much of Europe is affected. Secondly, if we spent the time and money on Winter-proofing that the Norwegians do, we'd be in even more debt with very little to show for it. Snowfall in the South of England is only an intermittent occurrence, not an annual certainty. And no country in the world will allow aircraft to take off in certain conditions, regardless of runway conditions - if we are suffering heavy snow there really is nothing that can be done.

Also Heathrow is a major international hub, so the problems are due as much to planes being cancelled or running late elsewhere (and therefore not being turned around) as they are to do with conditions on the runway.

I suspect that comparison was made by a Brit anyway. It's all part of the "We're so shit" mentality that's completely opposite to the American belief that you live in the best country in the world. I expect the truth lies somewhere in between ;)

All that said...
So sorry to hear about your MIL's problems Monster :(
What a shitty Christmas present.
I've been hearing real stories of woe all day on Five Live and many of them have tugged the heartstrings. Not the usual rubbish you get on Airport or Airline, where the passengers are 80% + responsible; just people given poor information, or none at all, or simply flights disrupted where others seem to get out. I wish she was in my area - it wouldn't make up for things, but we'd offer her B&B at least (bed/ bottle/ banana?)

Everything crossed for her.

Oh and I knew you had a doctorate. It came up in one of your earlier posts about immigration I think. In fact I believed you were a medical doctor - good job I've never come to you with any serious medical problems! Then again, asking anyone on t'internet instead of your local GP is hardly recommended.

but still funny :lol:


thanks for your kind wishes, I have prevailed upon my sis, Aunt Scary in Manchester (well, her other half, Uncle Elvis because she was at work), to put Banana Lady up overnight and get her to the airport in the morning. And she's done the Amsterdam change before -I requested wheelchair assistance for her there, so that should be OK too. She doesn't really need a wheelchair, but she walks slowly and it's a quick change and she really doesn't need anything else to go wrong.

Sounds like a dodgy sexual manoeuvre, if you ask me :p:.
But srsly, Amsterdam is a HUGE airport, anybody sensible would have a motorised wheelchair to get around it.