Another Travel Disaster...

It’s possible that some of you haven’t heard of my travel adventures each time I try to travel to or from Monterrey… Unfortunately Ottawa, our nation’s capital, doesn’t seem to have many flight options when it comes to going to Monterrey. This has resulted in my flight itinerary being: Ottawa to Chicago, Chicago to Dallas, and Dallas to Monterrey. I suppose that any time you have this many connections, there is room for trouble.

This summer, when flying down to Monterrey for the first time with my parents we experienced several travel disasters. That trip, we spent almost two hours sitting in a plane with little to no air-conditioning waiting to be re-routed to a new airstrip in Chicago (“the Windy City”) because of a change in wind. Because we sat on the plane for so long, upon take-off, the pilot realized that we no longer had enough gas to make it all the way to Dallas and would have to stop in Oklahoma City. Perfect. This meant we got to Dallas, missed our final connection, but luckily got the last few seats on the final flight to Monterrey that evening. Total time spent traveling that day: 13 hours.

When returning home for the Christmas Break, my school booked me on a flight that required me to leave school a half hour early to ensure I would make it to the Monterrey airport in time for my flight. I sped out of school and got to the airport only to find out that my flight to Dallas had been delayed due to “weather”. As soon as I heard that it was delayed, I know that this meant I was definitely at risk of missing my later connections… And all this was happening on one of the busiest travel days of the year. We left for Dallas 2 hours after the original time, where fortunately this same “weather” had delayed my second flight so I was able to make it to Chicago, but after my Ottawa flight would have left. We did make up some time on the Dallas-Chicago flight, so there was a glimmer of hope that I would make that final connection (it had also been delayed an hour). When we pulled into the airport they announced what gate I was to go to; however the plane took off 2 minutes before I got to the terminal. There were no later flights to Ottawa so I was stuck in Chicago overnight. The airline doesn’t provide you with a hotel when flights are delayed or cancelled due to weather. Fortunately I was able to get on the first flight to Ottawa the next morning. Other people were being told they wouldn’t arrive at their destination until Boxing Day. Total time spent traveling/in airports/and stuck in Chicago: 23 hours.

It is now January 6th and I should be well on my way back to Monterrey. However, a 2:30am phone call from American Airlines told me that my flight from Ottawa to Chicago was cancelled due to “weather” (and that is all the information they will give you). Despite trying to convince her that there was no “weather” that I could currently see, she insisted that the flight was cancelled and that it would NOT be re-scheduled for that day. I asked her what other options existed, telling her that I needed to get to Monterrey today. Apparently there were no other options and I would be re-scheduled for the same flight itinerary for the following day (Sunday – the day before classes). After getting off the phone, waking my parents to tell them that we didn’t need to head to the airport in an hour, I checked the Ottawa Airport website to see if other flights had been cancelled due to the notorious “weather”. Only three other flights had been cancelled so far – so I was a little confused. I tried to convince myself that it would be okay to be stuck in Ottawa (I could do a little bit of planning for the week ahead, perhaps get to see Sarah Fleming who was returning from her cruise today and have a good last dinner with my parents). Somewhat satisfied I fell asleep on the couch and woke up around 9:20am. I decided I would check the airport website again to see if the other flights had been cancelled. According to the website, my 6am flight to Chicago had been re-schedule to 11:20. (Thanks to the brilliant 1-800 lady who said this would not happen). I grabbed the phone and called the 1-800 number and asked if I could get on that flight and if I would be able to get through to Monterrey today. With a little convincing, she re-scheduled me (even though I would be arriving at the airport with less than 2 hours to go). My parents and I flew into action, putting everything in the car and zipping to the airport (thank goodness it is only 9 minute drive!).

So, now I’m sitting in the Ottawa Airport waiting for my flight. I’ve been re-scheduled on the connecting flights, and if all my flights stay on time, I should make it to Monterrey tonight Unfortunately, my travel record with this airline isn’t so great… so I’ll let you know.

Oooh! It is now 10:40pm. I’ve arrived and am at my house in Monterrey. The whole day was a travel disaster and I am without my bags – but that will have to come in another post. This might have been my shortest travel experience yet… But definitely one I hope not to repeat. Night!