06/08/2024
Traveling inevitably has the risk of delays. Travel agents are susceptible as well. While returning home Sunday our connecting flight was cancelled. Booked a new flight for the next day. Stood in line for an hour to claim my checked luggage. Only to be told that It would be 8 hours before they could get it to me. Which at that time meant staying at the airport until 2 am. And there was no garuntee on that because it was taking the first plane out which was not my scheduled flight.
So instead of waiting I found a hotel near the airport with free shuttle service to the airport. Once arrived and settled in we found our flight was cancelled again. No flight available for two more days!! No cars were available to rent. So we cancelled our trip and booked a roomette on Amtrak. Now that was a relaxing ride.
We boarded the train at 5 am in Charlotte and arrived in Baltimore at 3pm. Went to the airport retrieved our luggage which had flown in on two different flights and one had been there since 2:30 am. The other arrived when we did at the airport and we pulled it off the baggage carousel. It took us 2 days to get home but we are home.
The important thing is attitude. Yelling, screaming, and being rude only makes matters worse. The airline employees are just as frustrated as you are. They are there to help you not make you life miserable but they have policies they need to go by and can only do so much. Keeping a good attitude and a level head is important. I had to consider this a detour adventure. Yes, I was upset. Yes, I was frustrated. But I enjoyed the extra time with my daughter. I saw some breath taking views on the train. My daughter and I slept on the train in the roomette. It had a bunk bed which she was able to lay down. The lower seats could turn into a bed to. We had free meals with the roomette and enjoyed breakfast that was brought to us at a time we requested. Lunch too. Free water bottles were supplied to us. A room attendant who took great care of us. Yes the room was small but with my daughter in the upper bunk I had the lower section to myself.
Happy to be home and I enjoyed the side adventure. I am ready for another adventure how about you?