A Different Kind of American Travel Ordeal

[mcgillianaire]

Turns out my family's flight yesterday went from bad to worse. Not only did they get diverted to Detroit, but they weren't allowed out of the aircraft because most of the passengers were booked to get off in Chicago. On the face of it that was a fair call but frustrating nevertheless. After a couple hours just sitting inside the aircraft in Detroit, the flight took-off for Chicago, but they still didn't get clearance so they just circled around in the sky and even headed back to Detroit, when the clearance to land in Chicago finally came. This was like five hours after they were supposed to have landed in Chicago, and now they don't get a flight to Detroit till after 1pm local time this afternoon. It's thrown a spanner into the works and leaves less than a day to meet my mum's best friend (and her family). They're on the move again each day of the next week. It's the first time since 9/11 that all flights at O'Hare were grounded. Even the controllers were evacuated from the air-traffic tower for a brief period due to the tornado threat.

Comments

[kapitankraut.livejournal.com]

That's certainly a nasty experience there. Let's hope the rest of the trip is good - even with the mucked-up travel plans.

It reminds me a bit of flying to Norfolk Island, which is one of your classic cases of the airport being very small so therefore in danger of being closed if the winds get too strong. We've been diverted to New Zealand a couple of times, and even back to Brisbane at least once.
The Brisbane time, we all got out of the plane and went to pick up our bags, and everyone must've looked really glum, because one of the airport staff made some comment about how much it sucks when you have to come back from a good holiday. One of the other passengers explained that we were looking glum because the holiday hadn't even started yet!

[firebird1919.livejournal.com]

I have an intense dislike for O'Hare...put me through a huge run-around back in February 2003 on a college audition trip. It made for an interesting LJ entry. I don't know, there's just something about that airport...

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! Yeh, nasty flying experiences are never cool. They make for good stories afterwards though...

Where is Norfolk Island?

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

Heh! It's funny you mention it because of there's one airport that I've heard a lotta horror stories about, it's O'Hare. I know hystericalrealm hates O'Hare. I've never flown through it though I was supposed in March last year. Judging from the way they've dealt with my family this weekend, they're not too impressed with it either. Btw, are you in Boston these days?

[firebird1919.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes I am in Boston. Taking a year off to figure out life and which direction I want to take it in. Mainly, the grad school question. Planning to visit my fair city?

[kapitankraut.livejournal.com]

Norfolk Island is roughly 3 flying hours east of Brisbane or Sydney. You'll probably be in the neighbourhood if you draw a line from the easternmost tip of Australia which intersects with one from the northernmost tip of New Zealand.

Lovely place, by the way, if you're ever in the neighbourhood.

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

Nice! I certainly am planning a visit, esp since my sis is now settling down in Providence (Brown Uni) which I gather is not too far from your fair city! I'll certainly let you know if and when I make a surprise visit! I'm dying to visit Boston... my dad rates it among his favourite places in America.

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

I googlemapped it... wow, it's really in the middle of nowhere and a tiny place at that! Is it part of Aus or NZ? (And will certainly keep it in mind if and when I make a trip to the Antipodes, which hopefully will come sooner rather than later! I was originally hoping to make it coincide with the Indian tour at the end of this year, but considering I don't even have a job yet, it seems highly unlikely. Let's see what happens. If I get a job, all the money I save will possibly be for such a trip!)

[kapitankraut.livejournal.com]

Technically part of Australia - an "external territory" or something along those lines. They claim a fair degree of independence, so we always have to fly from the international airport and take a passport or some other kind of ID to get in, which may actually have a bit more to do with the fact that they have more restrictive customs regulations than the mainland does.
On the good side, their independence means that they don't charge most of the taxes we get slugged on the mainland. Most of the GST sorts of things are simply non-existent, so there's always a list of things that we go shopping for when we visit.