Cancelled Planes & Grounded Pains :: American Airlines

If your name is Zeimer, I’d strongly advise you NOT to fly American Airlines this week.

First, my twin brother’s flight on American from SFO to Athens this coming Friday was cancelled. Though it’s the height of the summer travel season and it seems like everyone and his brother (including mine) is going to Europe, he was able to get another flight. The bad news? It lands in Athens at 225 am the day after he wanted to get there.

Second, my flight Wednesday am from SFO to JFK was cancelled, too. My wife, daughter and I then spent eight hours waiting in lines to see tickets agents at American and Delta, where Delta was able to find us a seat – tomorrow.

So here we are, stuck at a no name hotel near SFO. We could have driven home and spent tonight in our own beds, But our flight is at 645am and we still need seat assignments, so it’s better to sleep nearby and get up at 345 am to catch an early shuttle to Delta, instead of sleeping at home and getting up at 245 am.

So if your name’s Zeimer, fly carefully and good luck getting on an American flight this week. But if you’re not of Austrian descent like us, we’d like to hear about your summer bummer. Please comment below…

5 Responses to Cancelled Planes & Grounded Pains :: American Airlines

  1. Ava says:

    Sorry to hear about your traveling woes Gil. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

  2. Sue Frause says:

    Hi Gil:

    I just posted a piece on my travel blog about Northwest Airlines cutting 10 percent of their flights (due to pilot shortage). Sorry to hear about your bummer journey. I’m flying back from Honolulu to Seattle Saturday so fingers crossed! The good news is I’m not flying again until the end of September.

    Trains, ferries and automobiles for this travel journalist!

    Take care.

    Sue Frause

  3. Gil says:

    Ava & Sue;
    Thanks for your good wishes. We were able to get on the Delta flight early Th am, arrived in NYC and had a great dinner last night! Vagalond story to come on Monday. Then took the train today to Boston to spend a week eating our way through the North End and anything else that stands in our way.
    Cheers,
    Gil

  4. Poor baby…more and more I think that airline travel is synonomous with “Cruel & Unusual Punishment!”
    Don’t know how those pilots have the nerve to utter the phrase,
    ” Please sit back, relax and enjoy your flight.”…YEAH, RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  5. So sad….How did we reach the stage where airline travel is synonomous with ” Cruel & Unusual Punishment!” Yet, airline pilots still have the nerve to utter the phrase, ” Please sit back, relaxe and enjoy the flight.” Yeah—-as if!

Leave a Reply