We all heard about it, but I'm not the one who normally is stuck in the middle of a travel issue. However, this time I was, and you all should hear what I have to say.
The world pretty much came to a halt for a bit. It happens. We foolishly put all our trust in technology and sometimes we're reminded that we shouldn't do that so much. July 19th 2024 will resonate for a while, especially for travelers. Do I understand that companies had to deal with fallout? Yes. Do I understand that customers were inconvenienced? Yes. Did everything that went on have to do with the IT crash? I don't think so.
Let me explain.
I had a flight to catch on July 23rd, in the afternoon, to go from Bradley in CT to Chicago O'Hare to help my son move. I was going two days early to help him finish packing before his move from Joliet, IL to Indianapolis, IN on July 25th. Seems perfectly doable, right?
Wrong. I went to Bradley International. Everything went perfectly. Everything was on time. My first flight with Frontier was lovely. We landed for an about three hour layover at Raleigh, NC. I wandered the terminal, did some shopping, had something to eat. The idea was for my son to pick me up at O'Hare, because the next day he had to work the last day at his old job. Perfect.
The flight was delayed once, twice, three times. I kept in contact with my son for hours so that he didn't have to wait long at O'Hare for me. We boarded the plane. The crew boarded the plane. The preflight check was done. The safety speeches were done. We were all buckled in and began to move. Then, the plane pulled back up to the jetway and they told us we had to get off because we'd been delayed again. They said it was weather in Chicago. The weather in Raleigh was visibly fine.
So, we sat in the terminal again, waiting for a call is what I was told about the weather in Chicago. My son didn't understand what they were talking about because the weather where he was was fine. He even talked to a friend of his that lived close to O'Hare and his friend said the weather was fine. It had been fine the whole time. I began to wonder.
The pilot exited the plane, visibly angry and went to get a cup of coffee, because he was getting tired. That's not what he said, I'm being polite. Then, a United flight going to O'Hare from the gate next to us boarded and left on time. No weather problems over there. I didn't like what was happening.
Almost an hour later, they announced that our flight was cancelled and we needed to go to baggage and collect our bags. The sad part was that people I'd been chatting with who flew this airline regularly didn't seem surprised. They'd told me many crazy stories while we waited and this stuff happens all the time. That's never a good sign.
I got my bag and got to the enormous line at the ticket counter. I heard the staff telling people they could fly the following night, maybe; maybe Thursday morning, which was almost two entire days away. I had to be in Joliet by Wednesday evening at the latest. I'd made a promise to my son.
The staff I heard speaking with customers in front of me were rude, short spoken, and didn't interact with most of the customers. I didn't have time to wait until Thursday, so I got on my reliable Expedia App and booked a Tru by Hilton close by for the night and a flight out with United in the morning. It seemed like a good idea, because it seemed as though United knew how to get to Chicago.
I reached the counter long after I made my own arrangements. The agent told me I could leave on Thursday. I said that was unacceptable. She handed me a QR code on a green piece of cardboard and told me to scan that and follow instructions to apply for a possible refund. Then she walked away.
That was my experience of flying with Frontier. I scanned the QR code and followed the instructions, but there wasn't much information and no guarantees.
Tru by Hilton of Raleigh Airport area; you are my heroes! I booked a room with them on my app while waiting in line. After my ridiculous interaction with the agent, I called and asked for a shuttle. They said they'd be right there and they were! They took me to the hotel, got me checked in and gave me a very comfortable room. The desk associate even gave me a gift bag with bottled water and chips to tide me over until the included breakfast in the morning. She made a reservation for the shuttle for the morning for me to take me back to the airport. They were so nice and wonderful! I don't know what I would have done without them.
There were some issues to iron out because of the delay. My son was supposed to work his last day on Wednesday, leaving me figuring out how to get from Chicago O'Hare to Joliet. He said he'd just come and get me. I didn't really want him to call out on his last day at a job. I told him I'd figure something out.
The breakfast was delicious the next morning. Once again, great job Tru by Hilton. The shuttle took me to the airport for round 2 at exactly when promised. The driver was pleasant and helpful with my bags. Love those people from Hilton.
Round 2 was flying with United from Raleigh to Chicago O'Hare. Check in. Easy. Already knew the terminal by heart. No problem there. The flight went on time with no problem. I did notice that Frontier had no problems that morning either. Seemed odd. They had several morning flights that all went on time. Hmm.
The United flight was easy, pleasant and on time. I got my bag easily at O'Hare. The way life should be.
The next step was actually easy and I should have thought of it before. Trains. Can't stress how much I love to take trains. They make life so much easier most of the time. As you leave the baggage area at O'Hare, you can go down to the Blue Line and take the Metra train into the city. That's what I did. It was a nice ride, passing all the traffic along the way. Pleasant, direct, easy.
Once at the Clinton stop, I exited. I walked a couple blocks to Union Station. There I caught the Metra Train to Joliet. My son was able to pick me up right in Joliet close to where he lived after he finished his last day. Simple. Done. What Frontier couldn't manage, I took care of myself.
It was a lovely ride, and for $6 to $8 dollars per train; you can't beat it. I enjoyed the view in comfort and arrived in time for dinner. I got to finally see my son, which was one of the biggest complaints I had about the inconvenience. I don't get to see him often and Frontier was messing with that and I still didn't really understand why.
I'll discuss the rest of the trip later. It was great. I love spending time with my son. He was moving to Indianapolis, IN to start a new job and a whole new life. He was excited. I was excited for him. The move went great. We got to spend some quality time together. Loved it.
But, then it was time to fly home from Indianapolis on Delta. I had an evening flight on July 28th. We were over a week from the Crowdstrike IT crash at that point. Over a week.
So, after an odd experience at TSA, I was through and ready to catch my evening flight home on Delta through Atlanta. Then it was delayed. Then it was delayed again. I called Delta, because they have customer service, and asked what was going on and was I going to be able to make my connection. She said it would be fine, but offered me an option to take a later flight connecting through Detroit. I made the decision to stay with my current flight.
Then it was delayed again. Then, they changed my flight to the Detroit flight without my knowledge. I noticed it on my app. I looked and it was already delayed. That option wasn't looking good either. I returned to the ticket counter outside TSA as there were no agents at any Delta gate and there were several Delta gates. All delayed except one. A flight to LaGuardia in NYC that the phone agent and I had talked about but it was fully booked.
The agent at the ticket counter told me that she didn't know what to do, so I asked her to get someone who did. When her boss came over, she told me the agent had quit. I told her that maybe agenting wasn't for her, because I was nothing compared to most customers who had no idea what was going on with their flight. She told me that I wasn't going to make the Detroit connection either, because it had been delayed more.
At that point, I opted to ask my poor son to let me stay the night and drop me off again early the next morning on his way to his first day at his new job, so that I could have a place to sleep for the night, because I had no flight that would get me home. He had no problem with that, because my son is awesome. The ticketing agent booked me on an early morning flight with no issue, and called to have my bag returned to me so I could check it when I came in the morning. She said it would take about 20 minutes.
My son arrived about 25 minutes later. No one could find my bag. I asked how hard it could be to find a bag that hadn't traveled anywhere. I was told I didn't understand and to wait. I had to send my son to the parking garage so he didn't get in trouble for waiting in the drive. We kept in contact for the next 2 hours.
What happened? There were two men in the baggage office. One of them kept approaching me and not listening to me. They were looking for my bag in the bags going to Atlanta. I was trying to tell him that maybe they weren't finding it because it was waiting to go on the flight to Detroit, but he told me I didn't understand.
The plane I originally was supposed to fly to Atlanta on three hours earlier came in and the rude baggage guy told me that they were trying to turn the flight around quickly and I had to wait until they were done. It was the flight that was delayed so much I wouldn't make my connection! Then, they couldn't find it. Finally, the annoying male ego went away and I got to talk to the other guy. When I told him about all the different flights, he called someone and almost immediately, my bag showed up. It was waiting for the Detroit flight, which was delayed even more by then. Kudos to the person who listened.
Finally, my son and I went back to his apartment, finished his laundry, grabbed something to eat and went to bed.
But, I had another odd experience during the baggage incident. The passengers who came in on the flight that was delayed so much I wouldn't make my connection in Atlanta had stories to tell. I spoke with a man who told me that the reason they were so late was that they spent over an hour trying to latch the door. Not joking. He was in the front of the plane and said he watched it all. Then, they were out of rotation at a very large airport and took another hour or so waiting to take off. Once again, not IT and not weather.
I enjoyed another night with my son, although I felt bad invading him the night before his first day at a new job, but he assured me it was fine. He's a great son.
I went back to the airport in the morning to check my bag and get a seat assignment, and the agent told me that I'd better hurry, because the flight was running early. I explained how that's not how that works, and she let it go. They did give me a seat assignment for one flight. I had to work the second flight's seating out during my brief layover in Atlanta which was sticky, but I managed it. They did check my bag. They didn't try to charge me any extra. That was good.
I made my flight. In natural form for Atlanta, I had to run across almost the entire airport in 20 minutes to make my connection, but I made it. They gave me a seat. I went to Bradley. It did happen that day.
Bradley International Airport of Hartford/Springfield. I don't say this about many airports, but they all should be like Bradley. They have amenities. They have customer service. They have convenient TSA. They have Dunkin Donuts. They take care of the passengers and I like that. Home sweet home.
From there on out the trip was easy. I got a coffee. I got my bag. The Parking Spot ran right over to pick me up and had my car ready. Life was good. They didn't even mind that I was almost a whole day late.
When I got home the battle started and it isn't over yet. Frontier isn't honoring my account on their app, and they won't accept my confirmation number in their system. They have no way to talk to a person unless it's 24 hours or less before or after your scheduled flight. I found my information on Expedia, but it had been changed to look as though I didn't show up for a flight I booked. Expedia has no way to contact them that I didn't already know about.
I am being contacted by email and X (twitter). They are insisting that they won't call me unless it's done on WhatsApp. They are shifty and they lie. They did refund for my flight, but nothing for any of the other fuss. They offered me a voucher, but I explained to them that didn't help me, because I'm never flying with them again. We're still discussing the matter through social media and email, because even their corporate office phone is unreachable.
I filed complaints with the Department of Transportation and the Better Business Bureau. I also left horrifying reviews all over the place and am doing anything else I can to alert people. It's all you can do.
What I seemed to find, as I spent so much time at airports during this (at least a total of 16 hours), and I saw a trend. It seemed as though airlines were having most of their delays and cancellations in the evenings. They were easily booking people onto the next morning's flights if they flew the following day, which Frontier said they weren't. Are they using the IT crash as an excuse to consolidate flights and save some money? Food for thought.
In the meantime, make sure you don't use Frontier. At least Delta made arrangements, although I didn't like it when they changed my flight without my consent. Maybe we should all take morning flights. I don't know, but something has to change.
For me, I'm taking United; the one airline that just got me where I needed to go. I do acknowledge that I only got stuck with Delta, who seemed to have legitimate problems, and the horrible Frontier, so there are several good airlines out there to fly with. So pack your bags, choose wisely and enjoy!
https://www.flyfrontier.com/about-us/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Airline_Review-d8729213-Reviews-Frontier-Airlines
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Airline_Review-d8729060-Reviews-Delta-Air-Lines
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Airline_Review-d8729177-Reviews-United-Airlines
https://nypost.com/2024/07/31/business/delta-suffered-500m-loss-from-crowdstrike-debacle-ed-bastian/
https://www.transitchicago.com/blueline/
https://www.transportation.gov/about
https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds
https://www.peopleclerk.com/post/how-to-file-a-complaint-against-an-airline
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights
https://www.theparkingspot.com/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/
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