timmylish
19-01-2012, 18:19
The following may provide some advice for members, give others a right good laugh and for others may deter them from ever leaving this Islands shores, Oh! and its not over yet.
Its Mrs. T.,s Mum,s 70th Birthday to-day with a celebration being held in Kishinev (Moldova) on Saturday and while she tries everything not to return to her place of origin she is/was obliged to go this time. So, a couple of months ago, using the services of an on-line booking Agency flights were booked, confirmed and paid for involving four flights in each direction with an hotel booking, in Barcelona, for an over-night stop on her way back. So far so good. Well that is until late last night when I decided to print out duplicate copies of all the flight tickets/bookings etc. Imagine our horror when there was an email yesterday advising of the canx of the second flight on the return trip! No explanation and no alternatives suggested at that time. No in normal circumstances not too much of a problem but when dealing with the only official airline flying the National Flag of a former Soviet State things start to go downhill very quickly! So, after numerous telephone calls it was decided that the problem being on the return trip time was available to resolve the issue. Bed now at 03.00 to be rising at 06.00 to go to TFN to-day for flight number one. So luggage packed and Yuriy plus new Puppy, Sophia in her carry case, and the two of us set sail North. After joining the link road at Carrifor bang! Straight into major road works and various resultant car crashes causing us to be 45 minutes behind an already tight schedule. Anyways I,m thinking "she,s taking one hell of a time at check-in" and finally watch an ashen faced Mrs.T. return to me with the news that her first flight, of four to-day, has been cancelled. Eventually an alternative flight is organised and tickets etc issued only for us to calculate that this flight would result in her missing flight 3. So anotherr flight organised with a different company and tickets issued at which moment its announced that this flight is delayed by 2 hours. OK Quick calculation and just time so because the original booking is with different flight operators her suitcase has to come off the loading area in Madrid and back thru again and Mrs.T. duly deals with this herself only to be told that its been delayed a couple of minutes more and to take her luggage as hand luggage but, you know what?, her suitcase is too large for this so off to the shops in the airport to buy a soft hold all at anything less than 100€,s! Dumping her stuff from one to another she duly leaves the empty case in the shop for her then to be chased by the Guardia re the unattended empty case!! As you may well imagine she is now totally distraught in Madrid airport, crying everything. No-one helping her when nothing has been her fault in any way. So, at 16.20 speaking to her in Madrid just awaiting boarding onto flight 2 of 4 after now 8 and a half hours and only in Madrid! With this flight already a couple of hours delayed it comes down to her being able to board the Munich flight in Barcelona for stage 3 with still a further flight later to-night! So, that,s it at the moment. More to follow but meantime just a couple of thoughts. When booking multiple flights try as hard as possible to engage the same company or subsidiaries. Try only to have hand/soft luggage. And finally, when using the resident discounts for flights to/from the Peninsula, think again if multiple flights are being used. Why? Because they are dealt with in totally different ways from fully charged flight tickets and cannot be inter-changed, altered or any other alterations/changes being made. Don,t ask why. Just is as experienced by the very fragile Mrs.T. who sent a text saying that she has been sick on the flight when boarding and given a blast of oxygen before take-off!!!!!!
Its Mrs. T.,s Mum,s 70th Birthday to-day with a celebration being held in Kishinev (Moldova) on Saturday and while she tries everything not to return to her place of origin she is/was obliged to go this time. So, a couple of months ago, using the services of an on-line booking Agency flights were booked, confirmed and paid for involving four flights in each direction with an hotel booking, in Barcelona, for an over-night stop on her way back. So far so good. Well that is until late last night when I decided to print out duplicate copies of all the flight tickets/bookings etc. Imagine our horror when there was an email yesterday advising of the canx of the second flight on the return trip! No explanation and no alternatives suggested at that time. No in normal circumstances not too much of a problem but when dealing with the only official airline flying the National Flag of a former Soviet State things start to go downhill very quickly! So, after numerous telephone calls it was decided that the problem being on the return trip time was available to resolve the issue. Bed now at 03.00 to be rising at 06.00 to go to TFN to-day for flight number one. So luggage packed and Yuriy plus new Puppy, Sophia in her carry case, and the two of us set sail North. After joining the link road at Carrifor bang! Straight into major road works and various resultant car crashes causing us to be 45 minutes behind an already tight schedule. Anyways I,m thinking "she,s taking one hell of a time at check-in" and finally watch an ashen faced Mrs.T. return to me with the news that her first flight, of four to-day, has been cancelled. Eventually an alternative flight is organised and tickets etc issued only for us to calculate that this flight would result in her missing flight 3. So anotherr flight organised with a different company and tickets issued at which moment its announced that this flight is delayed by 2 hours. OK Quick calculation and just time so because the original booking is with different flight operators her suitcase has to come off the loading area in Madrid and back thru again and Mrs.T. duly deals with this herself only to be told that its been delayed a couple of minutes more and to take her luggage as hand luggage but, you know what?, her suitcase is too large for this so off to the shops in the airport to buy a soft hold all at anything less than 100€,s! Dumping her stuff from one to another she duly leaves the empty case in the shop for her then to be chased by the Guardia re the unattended empty case!! As you may well imagine she is now totally distraught in Madrid airport, crying everything. No-one helping her when nothing has been her fault in any way. So, at 16.20 speaking to her in Madrid just awaiting boarding onto flight 2 of 4 after now 8 and a half hours and only in Madrid! With this flight already a couple of hours delayed it comes down to her being able to board the Munich flight in Barcelona for stage 3 with still a further flight later to-night! So, that,s it at the moment. More to follow but meantime just a couple of thoughts. When booking multiple flights try as hard as possible to engage the same company or subsidiaries. Try only to have hand/soft luggage. And finally, when using the resident discounts for flights to/from the Peninsula, think again if multiple flights are being used. Why? Because they are dealt with in totally different ways from fully charged flight tickets and cannot be inter-changed, altered or any other alterations/changes being made. Don,t ask why. Just is as experienced by the very fragile Mrs.T. who sent a text saying that she has been sick on the flight when boarding and given a blast of oxygen before take-off!!!!!!