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Stranded!

20081221_stranded_seattle.gif

Well I've been in Seattle since Thursday for work, and the winter snowstorm that is sweeping the nation right now is hitting Seattle hard - sat in the plane for about two and a half hours before Alaska airlines decided to cancel the flight.

While waiting in line at the gate (I wase about #20 in line) the gate agent recommended me to head outside the security (because "the agents outside would be better equipped to handle the rebooking of flights"). Headed outside and realized that now I was number #200!

Waited in line for another 2.5 hours and finally around midnight I got to the agent and he told me that he could book me on a flight out of Seattle on Monday evening, then turned around and whispered to his colleague how it's awesome they're making double-overtime tonight. Finally he told me due to the fact that the delay is caused by a natural act he would not offer us hotel or food coupons.

No thanks Mr. Alaska Airlines Employee - just give me my money back, as I had already booked myself a flight through Southwest Airlines the moment I got out of the gate area...

Lesson learned: 1) Don't listen to low-paid employees of airline employees when they are "trying to help you" - they're just being lazy and trying to figure out how to make their double-overtime, and 2) Try your best to fly out before it turns dark when you are in a winter storm.

Hoping I get to go home tomorrow - for tonight I get to sleep on the nice concrete floor of Seatac Airport :(

Comments (4)

wilson:

Seattle... this is among my least fav. airports and I've never even been stranded there.

Lewis:

Update:
Got onto the Southwest flight on time this morning, but been sitting in the plane for the past two hours to get de-iced. Definitely will miss the connection flight to San Francisco but hopefully we will take off soon...

Lewis:

Update 2 (Final):

Arrived in Oakland 2 hours late, but fortunately got a confirmed seat back to Burbank later afternoon. No more travels this year, I swear.

Paul Fitzgerald:

Lewis,

I am teaching a class on Government Regulation of Air Transport at McGill Univesity in Montreal.

Could I please use your picture on the planes on tarmac in the Seattle snowstorm for my class? I'm trying to get a picture of teh kind of weather that shuts down an airport.

If you agree I will indicate that the picture is taken copyright Lewis Lau and is used with your permission.

Thanks a lot for considering this.

Paul Fitzgerald

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on December 21, 2008 12:37 AM.

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