When your flight gets delayed or canceled, it is very easy to get angry. It is easy to swear off using one particular airline because you had to wait on the plane for 2 hours while maintenance fixed a malfunctioning flap. It feels good. It feels like you are doing something when you are not. The plane will take off without you, you contribute nothing to this equation. That being said, I just spent 2 days trying to make my way back to Korea and so far Im only in China. Now, I never bought a ticket to China. I was going to fly through Tokyo. I would have PREFERRED flying through Japan.
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I got to the airport in Detroit (DTW) at 5:20 am in order to catch my first of 4 flights through 6 airports. This trip mirrored the one I took to get to Detroit nearly 3 weeks ago but substitutes Chicago for Dallas. I got to Chicago, went to my gate to negotiate a non-rev upgrade, then went to relax in the first class lounge ("'cuz I live a dope life and I do dope S***" -Kanye West). When I go back to the gate to board the plane, I see that it has been delayed by 30 minutes for repairs. 15 minutes into that delay the gate agents begin passing out meal vouchers. Now, when an airline passes out meal vouchers, they know you are going to be at the airport for at least 2 more hours because they are required to provide food after that long of a delay; they don't do it just to appease the grumpier among us. I took my voucher and returned to the first class lounge. I saw no point in hanging around angry travelers and the ticketing agents in the lounge are generally quicker to provide an upgrade to appease you (they don't have to know that I didn't pay to be there!)
That flight ended up being canceled. Since that flight was canceled I lost my spot in business class. The ticket agent I saw gave me two options: take the same flight tomorrow or fly through Beijing (PEK) instead. Everyday that I am not at work after a break costs me $200 from my year-end bonus. I opted to take the Beijing flight. This raised a different problem. Before I was upgraded to business class to Toyko (NRT) I had purchased $300 in seat upgrades to make my 14 hours in a metal tube more comfortable. The gate agent didn't care. Instead of a window seat in Economy Plus where I could stretch out and sleep, I got the seat in the exact middle of the plane where 3 people would have to move if I wanted to use the restroom or stretch my legs. Not worth my $300 (granted, this was covered by my American Express flight allowance ... but they don't need to know that!)
The flight to Beijing was 14 hours. In reality it took us 16.5 hours because, surprise, we were delayed 2.5 hours. Normally I'm pretty relaxed because I book a 3 hour layover at every airport when I make my own schedule. The lovely ticketing agent to booked my flight did not do this. She booked a 2 hour layover. I never had a chance of making my connection. Thankfully, it was American Airlines fault and they are required by international treaty to get you to your final destination. Part of this is that they are required to provide lodging for layovers over a certain amount of time. I'm thankful for this because I stayed in the nicest hotel I have ever stepped foot in.
Right now, I'm sitting on a flight between Beijing (PEK) and Seoul (ICN). I'm going to miss my connection that will take me from Seoul (GMP) to Jeju (CJU) by an hour. I booked this last leg on a separate itinerary so American is under no obligation to compensate me for the missed flight. Right now my plan is to make my airport transfer and try to talk my way into a free ticket change. That probably won't happen. My second option is to book a ZED fare using my flight benefits. This is like a non-rev seat but on a partner airline and for a small amount around $50-100. My final option is to just buy the cheapest seat I can find on any airline. If it comes in under $200 I will be in a better position than if I miss work tomorrow.
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