JFK - Part 2

Okay, so as if yesterday wasn't enough of an adventure, today was just as "fun (?)". I slept a few hours in the hotel room...not soundly because I was afraid I would oversleep and miss the shuttle back to the airport. Since JFK is so busy, I wanted to make sure I was at the airport at least 2 hours ahead of schedule....now I ask myself "for why?".....

I tried to check in at the kiosk, but the kiosk didn't remember that I was there the day before and did not want to recognize anything I tried to enter. I was then directed to the lady at the counter...who...for 45 minutes...tried to get me a ticket. After looking at the paperwork I had -- which comprised of my boarding pass from Sunday (which, obviously was no good) and an "interrupted flight voucher" which I received from the UNhelpful clerk at the desk at gate 23 the night before -- the woman told me that my flight had been completed! Yup...that's what she said..to which I replied "if it was completed, then why am I standing here still trying to get to Charlotte, North Carolina!!" There was some consulting with the other ticketing agents who finally helped her issue me a boarding pass...which I hope would work once I walked the 2 miles (really, it seemed like it) to gate 23.

Again, there were delays. The flight that was to have left at 8:30 a.m. still had lots of people in the waiting area wishing they could get home. The weather was very gray and wet! But, again, we were told the delay was more due to the extensive air traffic than the weather.

My flight was to have left at 10:30 a.m.; however, at 11:30 a.m. we were still waiting to board the plane. Finally at 12:30 p.m., we were allowed to board the plane, only to find out once they had us trapped on it, that we would need to sit on the plane at the gate for a while. That "while" turned out to be one and a half hours. Lunch of peanuts and cookies was offered after about a half hour. The pilot told us that some of the airplanes sitting on the tarmack had been waiting for take off for 3 hours....one of them happening to be the 9:30 a.m. flight!! Oh joy!! Around 2 pm, our plane got in line with the others on the tarmack and with approximately 30 planes in front of us, we waited, waited, waited to take off. We finally landed in Charlotte at 4:30 p.m. And, much to my amazement, when I went downstairs to baggage claim, there was my suitcase waiting for me in the Delta Baggage Office!!!

One thing to remember....avoid JFK at all costs!! I'm sure many reading this blog has been through similar situations. Fortunately, this is only the second time I've run into delays. Most of the time my flights happen without incidence! However, I do think that Delta needs to get a letter informing them of this...as many on the plane were talking about. Oh, while waiting in the terminal to board the plane, a lady came around with a business card asking people if they would go on-line and rate the airline and airport. When she asked me, I gladly said yes!! They should know, after all!!!!