Ahoy,
Let's start at the end, bad news first - so to say. This is the most harrowing story on our latest romp across the pond, and probably ever. Nothing has ever been so dramatic or anxiety inducing. We had a scheduled departure for 14:10 6 Jan 2018 Copenhagen to LAX, arrival 16:30, Saturday with Norwegian Airlines. That would have given us all of Saturday afternoon and Sunday to readjust, do errands, go climb, visit Target, etc. A would have been rested and prepared to return to work on Monday. So much cushion room, right? All our cushion would eventually be eaten up by flight delays. I wondered many times if getting myself deported would get me home faster. We ended up departing 23:45 7 Jan 2018. That is, Sunday night almost Monday morning. We touched down at 01:45 8 Jan 2018.
We arrived to the airport in Copenhagen easily. The train is so simple - one line, straight shot, 20 minutes. We arrived just after noon probably. And just as I was commenting how everything for the most part this trip had gone swimmingly, we saw the check-in board and it read there would be an 8 hour delay. I spoke too soon. Our new departure time was 22:30. At the check-in counter, the guy gave us food vouchers to use while we lived at the airport for the day. Around 1900-2000 we were wandering around the airport planning our next moves. We watched our departure time extend later and later. We checked the announcements on their website giving us worse and worse updates. We would not be flying tonight for whatever multitude of reasons from landing restrictions to weather on the East coast. Eventually, an announcement over the intercom - easily missed if you weren't listening for it, which did happen with some folks. We scurried over to the transfer center to wait in a line. They were providing hotels for the night.
We might have gotten one of the last hotel rooms at the hotel attached to the airport. You can just walk inside to get to it. I watched someone come around speaking in Dutch (?) to each employee. I gathered from the expressions and gesturing that they had run out of rooms at the hotel. Luckily we got in just under the limit, because the next day I found out some folks were staying at another hotel where you had to take a taxi. Because of the lack of consistent, clear, or any information - some had been reluctant to leave the airport and just decided to sleep at the terminal rather than taxi to a hotel. It was a nice hotel, nicer than any we had gotten for ourselves on the trip. They told us to call a number in the morning if we weren't getting info. Did not tell us what time, just 'in the morning.' None of the options on that number was the right one. I waited probably up to an hour for that line to get me to a person, eventually giving up.
They claimed bad weather on the East Coast for the delays and cancellations, but we suspect they were just trying to cover themselves so their bad weather insurance could kick in. Weather on the East coast was fine and clear at that time. And the route could have gone around or well over it. I could believe the delays and cancellations from days ago had continued to stack up and roll over, but I found it hard to believe the lack of communication and seemingly missing contingency plan.
At breakfast the next morning (that the hotel provided), it was just all of us passengers between a rock and a hard place. We had started to recognize who was in our 'boat' so to say. Folks exchanging theories, frustrations, plans - should we go into the city, should we not?, should we check out, should we not?... A group of bros got someone on the phone - they had figured out you get someone faster if you just press the handicap assistance button - they ran out of complaints and questions but still were reluctant to let the representative go because it was so difficult to make contact.
They would inform us to check for more info at 15-30 minute, eventually 2 hour increments, with the new info being to check again later. This practice would be the normal protocol. On the check-in boards, it would say to check for new info at 09:00, 09:00 rolls around and new info would not come out until 09:30 probably. And it would just say to check again at 11:00, and then it would say to check at 13:00, and then 15:00. Online it showed our flight would be 09:00 8 Jan 2018. With each new update, that flight would get pushed later and later until eventually it would say 15:00 8 Jan 2018. A referred to it as waterboarding. We were essentially kept hostage at the airport check-in counter, making friends with others on our flight waiting for meal vouchers or real news. At some point, somebody said they had been told we wouldn't fly out until Wednesday morning. Some folks were just making connections in Copenhagen, but were reluctant to go out to see the city for fear of missing news or the flight. It was sunny and clear that day, the first day we saw sunny and clear skies since we had left California.
We needed an aircraft, and this is what we suspect, because our original aircraft had departed for LAX the night before empty. We suspect our aircraft was supposed to come from LAX, but it had departed 6 hrs late and would arrive late to Copenhagen (which was true, it landed at 20:45). And by the time it would have landed, changed over, and departed, such a late departure would not get us to LAX in time to comply with the landing restrictions, so they said. I checked the website in the middle of the night, and it did indicate that our aircraft had departed at 23:45. There were no passengers on that plane, we were all sleeping at the airport or the hotel. We suspect they needed that plane at LAX to depart for Rome on time the next day. Rather than go through the change over and load us passengers, they just turned back around. So the next day they were scrambling trying to find an empty aircraft that needed to be at LAX.
Around 13:00 when no new info came out, everyone gathered around check-in like an angry mob might back when stoning was still a thing. They would have likely had flaming torches and pitchforks as they took turns lobbing complaints that were more or less repeats of the last one to the representatives from a contracted company working at the Norwegian desk to check in folks that had actual flights going elsewhere. I think I saw someone walk by with a walkie-talkie call security. They were there shortly to quell the impending riot.
Around 14:00, a representative came out to announce they had procured an aircraft for us coming from Barcelona and we would be scheduled to depart 19:15 that day, 7 Jan 2018. Wamos Air would operate our flight home to LAX. It was one of those giant 2 story planes. We checked in around 16:00 and twiddled our thumbs waiting for boarding. I was incredibly anxious because I felt like at any moment, they could again tell us we were grounded for the night. Someone else was saying that back at the hotel, they were being told that half of the passengers were staying another night and half were flying to LAX. Thus ensuing a mad dash of angry and confused passengers to the check-in counter after also being checked in to a hotel room for the night. Fortunately, everyone had a seat on that plane. Again, misinformation.
Everyone was waiting outside the gate, several times they were told to sit down because anxiety and impatience will get folks to queue up. I looked nervously out the window at our aircraft. They were loading catering, which was a good sign, but it was like a ghost town out there otherwise. There was no luggage getting driven around, no one manhandling the bags, no ground crew with the glowing sticks indicating direction. Nothing was happening. Eventually, security showed up - which I did not take to be a good sign, because I suspected they were there in case of riot when we were given bad news. Around 21:00, we were given the good news that we would be boarding. Each step I was still in disbelief that we would make it home. We sat on the tarmac for what felt like forever. I was watching the crew for any indications that we might all be deplaning. So close and yet so far.
We were told that the ground crew was loading the bags. Even when we pulled away from the gate I was so nervous. We rolled so slowly along the tarmac and stopped so long for what I suspect was deicing. A huge sigh of relief and round of applause resounding through the plane when we finally took off at around 23:45. I wonder if the crew knew of our long and storied journey to get to LAX. Touchdown was probably among the smoothest I've ever experienced. I guess we would see what 'landing restrictions' there are that they spoke of yesterday. It was such a relief when we landed at 01:45 8 Jan 2018. A and I had no checked bags and global entry, so we easily breezed through security and customs. We had never so much appreciated the stale and smoggy air of Los Angeles after a light and long overdue rain. We went to bed around 03:30, happy to be in bed. We thought of some of the folks we had met who were likely spending another night at an airport waiting for their next flight in the morning.
For some folks, Copenhagen was just supposed to be a layover. For some folks LAX was not even their home destination. I was pleased we chose a direct flight home, and we had never been so grateful to live adjacent to a major airport. And this has only reinforced our reluctance to book flights with layovers. Also, incredibly grateful for friends that will pick us from the airport at 2AM!
I guess moral of the story, you get what you pay for with Norwegian. Also, there is some EU law that you are entitled to up to 600 euros for flights that are delayed more than 3 hours. We'll see what happens.
best,
jt
Let's start at the end, bad news first - so to say. This is the most harrowing story on our latest romp across the pond, and probably ever. Nothing has ever been so dramatic or anxiety inducing. We had a scheduled departure for 14:10 6 Jan 2018 Copenhagen to LAX, arrival 16:30, Saturday with Norwegian Airlines. That would have given us all of Saturday afternoon and Sunday to readjust, do errands, go climb, visit Target, etc. A would have been rested and prepared to return to work on Monday. So much cushion room, right? All our cushion would eventually be eaten up by flight delays. I wondered many times if getting myself deported would get me home faster. We ended up departing 23:45 7 Jan 2018. That is, Sunday night almost Monday morning. We touched down at 01:45 8 Jan 2018.
We arrived to the airport in Copenhagen easily. The train is so simple - one line, straight shot, 20 minutes. We arrived just after noon probably. And just as I was commenting how everything for the most part this trip had gone swimmingly, we saw the check-in board and it read there would be an 8 hour delay. I spoke too soon. Our new departure time was 22:30. At the check-in counter, the guy gave us food vouchers to use while we lived at the airport for the day. Around 1900-2000 we were wandering around the airport planning our next moves. We watched our departure time extend later and later. We checked the announcements on their website giving us worse and worse updates. We would not be flying tonight for whatever multitude of reasons from landing restrictions to weather on the East coast. Eventually, an announcement over the intercom - easily missed if you weren't listening for it, which did happen with some folks. We scurried over to the transfer center to wait in a line. They were providing hotels for the night.
We might have gotten one of the last hotel rooms at the hotel attached to the airport. You can just walk inside to get to it. I watched someone come around speaking in Dutch (?) to each employee. I gathered from the expressions and gesturing that they had run out of rooms at the hotel. Luckily we got in just under the limit, because the next day I found out some folks were staying at another hotel where you had to take a taxi. Because of the lack of consistent, clear, or any information - some had been reluctant to leave the airport and just decided to sleep at the terminal rather than taxi to a hotel. It was a nice hotel, nicer than any we had gotten for ourselves on the trip. They told us to call a number in the morning if we weren't getting info. Did not tell us what time, just 'in the morning.' None of the options on that number was the right one. I waited probably up to an hour for that line to get me to a person, eventually giving up.
They claimed bad weather on the East Coast for the delays and cancellations, but we suspect they were just trying to cover themselves so their bad weather insurance could kick in. Weather on the East coast was fine and clear at that time. And the route could have gone around or well over it. I could believe the delays and cancellations from days ago had continued to stack up and roll over, but I found it hard to believe the lack of communication and seemingly missing contingency plan.
At breakfast the next morning (that the hotel provided), it was just all of us passengers between a rock and a hard place. We had started to recognize who was in our 'boat' so to say. Folks exchanging theories, frustrations, plans - should we go into the city, should we not?, should we check out, should we not?... A group of bros got someone on the phone - they had figured out you get someone faster if you just press the handicap assistance button - they ran out of complaints and questions but still were reluctant to let the representative go because it was so difficult to make contact.
They would inform us to check for more info at 15-30 minute, eventually 2 hour increments, with the new info being to check again later. This practice would be the normal protocol. On the check-in boards, it would say to check for new info at 09:00, 09:00 rolls around and new info would not come out until 09:30 probably. And it would just say to check again at 11:00, and then it would say to check at 13:00, and then 15:00. Online it showed our flight would be 09:00 8 Jan 2018. With each new update, that flight would get pushed later and later until eventually it would say 15:00 8 Jan 2018. A referred to it as waterboarding. We were essentially kept hostage at the airport check-in counter, making friends with others on our flight waiting for meal vouchers or real news. At some point, somebody said they had been told we wouldn't fly out until Wednesday morning. Some folks were just making connections in Copenhagen, but were reluctant to go out to see the city for fear of missing news or the flight. It was sunny and clear that day, the first day we saw sunny and clear skies since we had left California.
We needed an aircraft, and this is what we suspect, because our original aircraft had departed for LAX the night before empty. We suspect our aircraft was supposed to come from LAX, but it had departed 6 hrs late and would arrive late to Copenhagen (which was true, it landed at 20:45). And by the time it would have landed, changed over, and departed, such a late departure would not get us to LAX in time to comply with the landing restrictions, so they said. I checked the website in the middle of the night, and it did indicate that our aircraft had departed at 23:45. There were no passengers on that plane, we were all sleeping at the airport or the hotel. We suspect they needed that plane at LAX to depart for Rome on time the next day. Rather than go through the change over and load us passengers, they just turned back around. So the next day they were scrambling trying to find an empty aircraft that needed to be at LAX.
Around 13:00 when no new info came out, everyone gathered around check-in like an angry mob might back when stoning was still a thing. They would have likely had flaming torches and pitchforks as they took turns lobbing complaints that were more or less repeats of the last one to the representatives from a contracted company working at the Norwegian desk to check in folks that had actual flights going elsewhere. I think I saw someone walk by with a walkie-talkie call security. They were there shortly to quell the impending riot.
Around 14:00, a representative came out to announce they had procured an aircraft for us coming from Barcelona and we would be scheduled to depart 19:15 that day, 7 Jan 2018. Wamos Air would operate our flight home to LAX. It was one of those giant 2 story planes. We checked in around 16:00 and twiddled our thumbs waiting for boarding. I was incredibly anxious because I felt like at any moment, they could again tell us we were grounded for the night. Someone else was saying that back at the hotel, they were being told that half of the passengers were staying another night and half were flying to LAX. Thus ensuing a mad dash of angry and confused passengers to the check-in counter after also being checked in to a hotel room for the night. Fortunately, everyone had a seat on that plane. Again, misinformation.
Everyone was waiting outside the gate, several times they were told to sit down because anxiety and impatience will get folks to queue up. I looked nervously out the window at our aircraft. They were loading catering, which was a good sign, but it was like a ghost town out there otherwise. There was no luggage getting driven around, no one manhandling the bags, no ground crew with the glowing sticks indicating direction. Nothing was happening. Eventually, security showed up - which I did not take to be a good sign, because I suspected they were there in case of riot when we were given bad news. Around 21:00, we were given the good news that we would be boarding. Each step I was still in disbelief that we would make it home. We sat on the tarmac for what felt like forever. I was watching the crew for any indications that we might all be deplaning. So close and yet so far.
We were told that the ground crew was loading the bags. Even when we pulled away from the gate I was so nervous. We rolled so slowly along the tarmac and stopped so long for what I suspect was deicing. A huge sigh of relief and round of applause resounding through the plane when we finally took off at around 23:45. I wonder if the crew knew of our long and storied journey to get to LAX. Touchdown was probably among the smoothest I've ever experienced. I guess we would see what 'landing restrictions' there are that they spoke of yesterday. It was such a relief when we landed at 01:45 8 Jan 2018. A and I had no checked bags and global entry, so we easily breezed through security and customs. We had never so much appreciated the stale and smoggy air of Los Angeles after a light and long overdue rain. We went to bed around 03:30, happy to be in bed. We thought of some of the folks we had met who were likely spending another night at an airport waiting for their next flight in the morning.
For some folks, Copenhagen was just supposed to be a layover. For some folks LAX was not even their home destination. I was pleased we chose a direct flight home, and we had never been so grateful to live adjacent to a major airport. And this has only reinforced our reluctance to book flights with layovers. Also, incredibly grateful for friends that will pick us from the airport at 2AM!
I guess moral of the story, you get what you pay for with Norwegian. Also, there is some EU law that you are entitled to up to 600 euros for flights that are delayed more than 3 hours. We'll see what happens.
best,
jt
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