When I see a plane, I want to be on it. But after last Friday’s unplanned red-eye between Los Angeles and Washington, I’m having second thoughts.
I’ve been commuting regularly to the West Coast for family reasons and even though it frequently feels as if these flights are like traveling on overcrowded buses, I’ve learned to grin and bear it. So far, I’ve arrived at my destination in one piece and not too much the worse for wear. The revving of airplane engines is a soporific for me.
But this flight was not like the others I’ve experienced and it gave me an entirely new perspective on jetsetting. I’ll call it the flight from hell because it was; and I’m still recovering.
The LAX to IAD flight was scheduled to depart at 4 p.m. and land at Dulles just after midnight. I arrived at the terminal more than two hours early and headed to the Red Carpet Club.
At the appropriate time, those of us who were DC bound headed to the gate, boarded and were set to go. Because the airlines are using smaller aircraft and have cut back on the number of flights going from one destination to another, there wasn’t an unoccupied seat. But this was going to be an on-time departure until the head flight attendant announced that everyone was there with the exception of the pilots, who were detained because of bad weather in the Midwest.
No one wants to hear, “Please deplane, take all of of your possessions and return in two and a half hours.” Some passengers grabbed their cell phones and booked seats on different airlines. They were business types who were flying on full-fare tickets and had nothing to lose since their return was refundable.
I was amazed by how well most people took the delay. There weren’t any visible meltdowns. All was attributed to the weather gods and so be it.
Some people headed to a restaurant. Others went to the bar. Some remained in the waiting area while members of the Red Carpet Club walked back a few gates to make phone calls and continue talking business or vegging out in front of the TV.
At the appointed hour, passengers boarded again. This time, some seats were empty but there wasn’t a lot of griping. When the pilots entered the cockpit, the passengers literally applauded.
The flight attendants were responsible for much of the relatively cheerful mood of the passengers. They had been apologetic, accommodating, scurried to find blankets and pillows and maintained their smiles and sense of humor.
As the passengers were settling in, the captain announced there were some technical problems with the aircraft and it was being “retired.” Another plane would be rolled out within 30 minutes and the passengers would repeat the boarding exercise. The captain was up front about refusing to fly this plane. No one booed — I suspect the Air France crash is too fresh in everyone’s minds.
When we boarded for the third time, the crew maintained its graciousness. Clearly, everyone was fading but we were going and what was supposed to be a late flight had morphed into being a ‘red eye’ since the flight didn’t land until 6 a.m.
No one was happy but there weren’t any unpleasant incidents. Indeed, there was a feeling of solidarity as the pilots navigated through turbulent weather that dictated we keep our seatbelts buckled during the majority of the trip.
After finally landing at Dulles Airport with the sunrise streaking across the sky, the passengers and crew, rather than complaining, talked about surviving a difficult time together. Perhaps this was because of the open communications between the crew and passengers. Everyone knew what was happening and could understand it.
The flight crew was 100 percent professional and didn’t let their frustration or exhaustion show. They were the essence of calm.
I did learn something new about myself and flying — unplanned red-eye flights are a killer. Had I planned to take the red-eye, I would have been prepared and would have slept. I’ve been a zombie for the past two days and am suffering from acute jet lag. Today is another day and thank goodness, I don’t have to board a plane.
I thought I was immune from jet lag as one who lives in any and all time zones. Wearing earplugs and noise canceling earphones can block the sounds generated by crying babies and excited children.
How much of flying has to do with being psychologically prepared? What do you think? Would you have remained in Los Angeles overnight and taken the morning flight? How many Tripso readers have been subjected to flights from hell? What was your reaction? Sign me tired and curious.
Karen Fawcett is president of BonjourParis.
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Within the last month I had one of those flights that started off innocently enough. I was scheduled to fly from New Orleans to OKC for the day on a Southwest flight. After pushing back from the gate, the pilot let us know we had a small weather delay from traffic control in Dallas, our intermediate stop. Our 6:20 am departure turned into 7:30 then 8 and finally when we left, we were routed to fly out to San Antonio to fly around the storm and into Dallas. This was the day both DFW and Love field were closed for the wicked storms that had slowly moved over the area. We never made it to Dallas that morning, we had to land in Austin and were grounded there until the afternoon. Needless to say, I missed my noon meeting in OKC. So, I waited until we could get to Dallas so I could grab a flight back home in N.O. Got home about 5 pm that evening. This was the third flight for me in that week and I had just flown home the night before from Seattle.
All in all, I had spend more time on a plane than not that week. And with that all, the crew (pilots, flight attendants, gate crew and service managers) were outstanding. The pilots kept us informed the whole time – even when they didn’t know much. The attendants joked and helped us to relax; the gate crew were understanding in Austin and in Dallas with the disruption; and the service managers proactively worked to get each of us to our final city. I cannot say enough how THAT builds loyality to an airline. I made sure I let them know it before I left the plane.
This doesn’t quite sound like a flight from hell. As you noted, the crew acted like professionals and treated passengers with respect, including keeping all of you fully informed. It would indeed have been a flight from hell if they had acted in more typical fashion, keeping the “self-loading cargo” sitting on the plane for two and a half hours without telling you anything other than “sit down and shut up,” then ordering you off the plane with no explanation, and then kept you waiting at the gate without explanation until they ordered everyone to immediately board the second plane.
The SNAFUs and the unexpected redeye surely were unpleasant, but it could have been much worse. The lesson (which most airline CEOs aren’t interested in learning) is that treating passengers with respect through rapid dissemination of information makes an enormous difference.
Nice commentary, Karen. Although it’s easy to pick on the airlines as a group, I can identify at least one flight on EVERY airline I’ve flown where there were heroes on staff that made the flight a pleasant one.
I’m not sure I would call my flight a trip from hell, but I’ve endured “inconveniences” in the past. Last September my boyfriend, our 9 year old daughter, and I flew from LA to Dubai, via Atlanta. We had about 5 hours in Atlanta, so we took a trip downtown, ate dinner, and headed back to the airport. The flight was supposed to leave around 9:30 p.m. We all boarded the plane and sat in it for about 2 hours while the crew informed us maintenance was being performed. There was a couple sitting right behind us with a baby and rambunctious 2 year old who kept running up and down the aisles….no biggie until he barfed in the aisle right near me. Finally the pilot came on and said although the plane was fixed (navigation software needed to be installed) there would be another delay because too much time had passed and due to the long flight ahead, federal regulations required a new crew to fly the plane. He was extremely apologetic and said he had never encountered this situation during the whole time he flew the Atlanta-Dubai route. So all of us had to deplane while we waited a few hours for a new crew to arrive! Suffice to say, I was impressed how well this situation was handled by everyone – the employees and passengers. We were fed snacks and drinks in the boarding area, and there were no temper tantrums or raised voices. We ended up departing after 2 in the morning, but the long flight went by quickly with no turbulence. Best of all, that couple with the kid who barfed ended up staying in Atlanta and luckily I had a very calm contractor sitting behind me. So it all worked out well in the end…….
When we boarded for the third time, the crew maintained its graciousness. Clearly, everyone was fading but we were going and what was supposed to be a late flight had morphed into being a ‘red eye’ since the flight didn’t land until 6 a.m.
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From a crew perspective, that was a flight from hell. It didnt land until 6am!!!!!!
That means, the crew had to stay awake through the entire night, but had originally expected to be at it’s destination after midnight. OUCH. Basically, they were up almost 20 hours.
I’ve done a few of those in my day. It’s hard on the body and usually, after a delayed night of sleep, you continue your trip. It’s tough.