the joys of jetsetting

[aryanhwy]

I was originally scheduled to come home from Copenhagen on Sunday, Dec. 5, giving me exactly one month in Denmark.

However, Wednesday I decided that since (a) I'd already done everything I'd intended to do as my reason for going there, (b) Sten wouldn't be around on Friday anyway, and (c) (most importantly) I was missing Joel dreadfully that I'd see if I could get an earlier flight. Well, Norwegian doesn't fly the Copenhagen->Amsterdam route on Saturday, so that meant bumping my flight up to the evening of Friday, Dec. 3. I.e., today. Which means I should be posted this from Amsterdam.

But I'm not.

Flight was scheduled to depart at 19:30. We didn't get our gate assignment until 19:10, the first sign that things weren't going to go smoothly. Our departure was delayed to 20:10 and then to 20:15, but eventually we all boarded and things were looking up. Then we sat...and then the pilot announced that our plane had failed its maintenance inspection; one of the wheel gears was not working. That meant he had to call his boss in Oslo to see if they could get us a different plane. Luckily, one was landing in about an hour that we could use; so we deboarded, went to the new gate (and then again to another new gate), rechecked in, and sat and waited. Unfortunately, Joel had left for the airport in Amsterdam to meet my flight before he saw the first delay announcement; I kept checking both the Schiphol and Copenhagen airport webpages to see what statuses they were giving for both flights. Good thing I did; it was via Schiphol's website that I first saw that our flight was no longer delayed, but cancelled. Even though we'd gotten a new plane, and everything seemed set for us to go, by the time the previous passengers had gotten off and they'd gotten things ready to go again, there wouldn't have been enough flying hours left and so we weren't allowed to leave.

So the airline lady announces that she has two phone numbers for the airlines (one for Danish phones, one for non-Danish ones) that we have to call to get rebooked, and then we can go to the transfer desk to get hotel or taxi vouchers. Well, that's all fine and dandy, except for those of us who don't have phones. When I was finally able to mention this to her, she said to just go to the transfer desk anyway.

I do, get my number, it's 468; they're only 410. I'm going to be here for awhile. When we deboarded, I'd paid for an hour of internet so I started looking for alternatives. Remember that I said Norwegian doesn't run the Copenhagen->Amsterdam route on Saturdays; so, the earliest flight I could've been rebooked on was the very one I'd been originally scheduled to return on. I just couldn't stomach the thought of losing my weekend with Joel after having splurged for it and been looking forward to it for two days. First check, db.de: But they don't give me prices that little in advance. Second, SAS: 410EUR for the morning flight, 370 for the evening flight. More than I'm willing to pay. Then my hour of internet is up.

Another person on the same flight struck up conversation with me and asked if I had any details about alternate arrangements to get to Amsterdam, because she really needed to be there before Sunday. She eventually ended up buying me another hour of internet so I could check the prices for the KLM flights we saw on the board (> 500EUR, not an option). At this point, a number of people are asking me for flight and train times and prices. I felt like a travel agent. :) Here's a hint for anyone who is trying to find the cheapest airlines from one place to another: go to the wikipedia page for the departure airport, and look at their "airlines and destinations" section. That's how I found that Cimber Sterling flies Copenhagen->Amsterdam, and they have an 8:30 flight tomorrow morning with seats for ~150EUR. The lady who'd asked for my help booked seats for her and her mother, and then I went ahead and got one for myself. Finally (I've been waiting for more than an hour), my number is called, and I'm told I can go across the street to the Hilton where they'll feed me and put me up.

The kitchen was closed by the time most of us got there, but they put up a spread of sandwhiches and salad, which was nice, and since I was one of the last people to get over to the hotel, I got one of the last rooms available, and it's one of the executive rooms. Free internet! Fancy bathrooms! 11th floor view! As I've said before, I could really get used to 4-star accommodation.

Anyway, my alarm is set for 7:00am, so time to sign off and head to bed, and hopefully tomorrow morning there will be no snow (or strikes: Jesse's flight from Lisbon to Amsterdam was cancelled for the second night in a row, yesterday because of bad weather in Amsterdam, tonight because of the strikes in Spain) and I will finally get home to my wonderful darling husband whom I miss very much.

Comments

[tedeisenstein.livejournal.com]

Heh. It sounds quite a bit like my experience last May trying to make the last leg to Kalamazoo from...from...Chicago? Detroit? Somewhere. The flight I and several other attendees were on was massively delayed, so several of us whipped out our phones and computers and started checking other airlines. Railroads. Rental car places. Greyhound. Trailways. Planes to Grand Rapids, and then to K'zoo via one means or another. I think someone even suggested going outside with a sign saying "Will teach for a ride".

[armillary.livejournal.com]

Ouch. Sorry to hear you had such a poor time of it. I'm holding thumbs that you got home all right in the end (and I suppose toes to ensure my parents get on their flight from Heathrow).

I would have thought it'd be possible to go by rail from Denmark, but perhaps it's complicated?

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

Not that complicated, actually; it was the first thing I checked (Joel took the train to and from Copenhagen when he came to visit me). It's 10-12 hours with two changes, but I couldn't get price info that soon in advance, so I wasn't sure how it compared with flights. I bet, though, that it wouldn't have been much less than 150EUR, and the advantage of the flight is that I'm home now! Home, in the middle of a blizzard, with one cat on my lap and the other chasing snowflakes in front of the window.