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 Travel & Outdoors | November 2007 
Misery Multiplied: Readers' Travel Nightmares
 MSNBC
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As millions of Americans take to the highways, skies and rails for the holiday, we invited Gut Check America readers to share their worst travel nightmares, either the recurring kind found in daily gridlock or the ones that ruin vacations or spoil holidays. Here are some of their stories:
Trapped on a plane
Coming home from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, we left the airport knowing there was a major snowstorm in Minneapolis. As we got closer to home, the airport was shut down and we were diverted to Milwaukee, Wisc.
By the time we got there, it was late at night and the Customs agents had all gone home. We spent the night in the plane on the runway. There were over 300 people on the plane (lots of kids too). They gave us no food or water and would not allow anyone to access their baggage to get medications, etc.
The crew got off and let us fend for ourselves. The toilets filled up (we were coming back from Mexico after all!) and, best of all, a sheriff waited outside the plane to make sure no one entertained any ideas of getting off the plane without going through Customs. By the time we finally disembarked in Minneapolis, we had been on that airplane for almost 24 hours.
— Amy Jorgenson, Minneapolis
A sauced up seatmate
I was on a flight sitting next to a man who reeked so badly of alcohol that I was afraid the plane might explode because of the fumes coming off of him! He was clearly intoxicated, yet the flight attendant served him more alcohol!
My non erbal signals to try to alert her not to serve him went ignored. Worried, I went to the back of the plane and told the flight attendant that he was drunk. She said she wouldn't serve him anymore drinks.
But when I went back to my seat, he had vomited all over himself and my seat as well. Despite my pleas not to have to sit next to him (or in vomit) for the rest of the flight, the plane was full and I was stuck there. The man and the seats were cleaned up as best as could be, and I was given newspaper to sit on so I wouldn't ruin my clothes, but that was the worst flight of my life. I avoid airplanes now.
— B. Christine, Albuquerque, N.M.
Brush with disaster
My nightmare (or maybe my salvation) started with a phone call that my mother was in the hospital at the University of Kentucky Medical Center with colon cancer. ... For the first time in my life, I got on board an airplane and flew to Kentucky as fast as the Boeing could carry me.
... I spent several days with her, she went through her surgery and recovery and I thank God for that every day. I only had a given number of days to stay and it was time to return home. ... It's a tiny little airport there in Lexington, Ky. There was a couple headed for their honeymoon, another on vacation for retirement, young, old, male and female traveling at that early hour. We talked since we had all gotten there the customary two hours early and it takes all of 10 minutes to get through check-in at Bluegrass Airport. Finally, 6 a.m. arrived and they boarded my plane for Chicago.
The plane that left 6 minutes later headed for Atlanta is one of legend now, Comair Flight 5191. Landing in Chicago, I turned my cell phone on to have it flooded with calls from everyone who had my phone number. The plane that left right after mine is the one that crashed. I was a young woman, traveling alone, just having an emotional visit with my mother almost dying and to get the news that the people I had talked to less than an hour ago had just exploded and died put me on my knees right in the terminal.
I've flown since then, I'll fly again, but I'll never take for granted those chances to say hello to the person next to me, wish them a happy and safe trip and try to treat them well, I may be the last person they have the opportunity to speak with and I want them to experience someone who cares.
— Lisa Williams, Lancaster, Pa.
Not all travels are terrible
My wife and I traveled Tuesday from Detroit to Raleigh-Durham nonstop on Northwest Airlines and had no problems at all.
Crowds were light. Security check took only 10 minutes. Our flight left and arrived on time. The ride was smooth. The plane was mostly full. So, not every experience of travelling in the U.S. is a nightmare. Just to keep the balance!
— Phil Muir, Quincy, Mich.
A Christmas to forget
Last Christmas, I decided to fly to Oklahoma. We were flying out of Denver, and of course our flight was delayed. ... We finally landed 8 hours later only to find out that they put our luggage on a different flight since we were delayed. So here we are in Oklahoma with 3 kids and no luggage two days before Christmas and no Christmas presents!
We drive three hours to my sister's house with the hopes that our luggage will arrive first thing the next morning. After two days, Christmas has came and gone ... still no luggage. We call the airline AGAIN for the millionth time and find out that the driver was lost and couldn't find the small town of Adair, Okla., and when he finally did couldn't find my sister's house so he took our luggage back.
... We finally get the airline to make another trip 3 hours from the airport. They finally make it at 3 a.m., but they call saying they can't find my sister's house again, even after we gave them step-by-step directions. My sister finally tells them to stay put will drive to them to get our suitcases. I called the airline ... and got a rude person on the phone sayign 'We are short handed and there was nothing we could do about it!'
Flying back, there was a blizzard in Denver. ... After calling to make sure we are on schedule and driving to the airport ... they tell us 'sorry your flight is delayed!!!' We finally leave two days later. Get to Denver, stranded because all flights have been cancelled. We can't get a rental car because they're all gone.
... We end up there for eight hours, sleeping in the chairs, moving from one gate to another cause they keep changing our flight trying to get us home. We finally make it to Colorado Springs and guess what, NO LUGGAGE. They lost it because of all the changes. We finally get it three days later and had to wait three hours while they looked for it in the back because it had all been separated.
My advice: Don't travel during the holidays. Stay home or drive!
— Melissa Galbraith, Fountain, Colo. |
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