Have you ever experienced going somewhere and becoming a totally frustrated Traveler? This just happened to me recently trying to make a business convention in Florida. At first, it appeared with all the planning that it would be not only worth it professionally but also was very kind on the budget.
The Fantastic Traveler Beginnings
Finding a flight round trip with insurance for under $125 dollars from St Louis to Orlando was a pleasant surprise. Furthermore, getting hotel accommodations in Orlando at a 5-star hotel for only $128 per night was simply amazing.
Start of Saga of becoming A Frustrated Traveler
The journey was to begin on a Thursday night. And arriving at the hotel just prior to midnight so that there was time to unwind before the event kick off at 5 pm the next day. However, starting with the announcement that the flight is in delayed for a possible 1-2 hour slip. Things started the shadowing of events that led me to become a frustrated traveler.
As the night went on, we kept getting announcements that the flight was further in delay since the current location was not a main maintenance hub for the airline. The parts needed to come from the east coast and the flight was going to be delayed until the morning with an expected take-off time of 8:00 pm.
Disappointed but with the 8 am departure I would still have time to get to the hotel before the evening festivities started. Then just before falling asleep my cell phone was pulsed and the airline had just slipped the departure time to 11:00 AM the next morning
That made the arrival time to Orlando 2 and half hours before the event kick-off. Travel time from the airport to the hotel would increase that time by another 45 minutes due to tourist peak traveling times. But still on the positive side of getting to the event without any loss of time.
Continued Saga of a Frustrated Traveler
I decided to show up at the airport 2 and a half hours before the newly scheduled take-off time of 11 AM. Upon rechecking my luggage, the attendant informed me that the flight had been canceled and I had 2 options. I could request a refund or accept the 8:00 PM departure that night. That was a no-go.
Traveling rules must have changed. In the past, when a carrier stranded customers, usually the passengers would be booked onto another carrier. Hopefully, to come as close as possible to arriving at their destination as close as possible to their original time. This was not the case with this carrier.
I quickly decided to go to the airport’s other terminal that hosted another carrier. I did manage to get a seat on a flight that arrived at 6:00 pm. Along with the cab ride, I was only 30 minutes late to the event start-up. However, I missed the celebratory meal that I already paid for. While this made me a frustrated traveler, there were some pleasant highlights throughout this ordeal.
Silver Lining Despite Being a Frustrated Traveler
First of all the attendant with the broken airplane was very polite. She explained what authority the carrier provided them. Also, when I went to the other terminal, the attendants there were very helpful. They tried to find solutions for me so that I could arrive in Orlando by 5:00 pm. However, the best they could do was 6:00 pm making me an even more frustrated traveler. I appreciated the time they spent with me, especially since there already was a fairly long line behind me. I opted for the 6:00 pm arrival. Thankfully, we managed to be late only about thirty minutes. Fortunately, a good tailwind helped us to arrive at the airport 20 minutes earlier!