Pam's Non-Trip to Israel: A Novella

I'm not sure if anyone even reads this anymore...but here is a story I'd like to tell.


To all of you who wished we me well on my trip...here is the story of my woe:

it's 3am, i have been thinking for the past couple weeks that i didn't really want to go on this trip to Israel, i had a bad feeling about it...i was nervous about the plane crashing or getting blown up on a bus or something. normally, i love traveling, id rather be traveling than anything else! i couldn't say why i just didn't want to go on this trip, but i didn't. I got out of bed anyways and go to the airport. Mistake #1.

I got to the airport in Manchester, NH right on time...checked in with no problem, my bag was even under the weight limit! Got on the plane, sat around for a few minutes, then the captain gets on the phone..."ladies and gentlemen, there is a dent in the right airplane wing, we think they must have hit a bird or something coming in last night." (my flight was supposed to leave at 545am) "just hold tight for a few minutes while maintenance checks it out, then we'll be on our way." 15 minutes goes by..."ladies and gentlemen, i have some good news and some bad news, the good news is the dent in the wing is no problem, but our connecting airport, Washington/Dulles, is closed down due to weather. We are going to disembark from the airplane and wait it out, it shouldn't be longer than 1hr 40min." Awesome. I had a connecting flight in Washington which I was going to miss.

As i wander back into the airport thinking to myself, this can't be a good sign, I head over to united airlines counter to see what they could do for me. After waiting around for about 20 minutes, it was finally my turn...."well, they have a flight leaving Washington at 1008pm that goes to Newark." I can't do that, my flight was supposed to get into Newark at 930am and leave at 215 in the afternoon to go to Israel! "OK let me check, there's another one that leaves at 5pm to Newark..." I Don't think she heard me correctly, i have to meet my group at 1015AM..."there's a Continental Airlines flight that leaves at 930...oh wait, they are going to board your plane again! Let's just keep you on your original flight, and I'll print you out this ticket as a back up flight in case you miss the first one, all you have to do is go to the customer service desk and have them change it."

So, I re-board the airplane feeling that all is under control, get all situated in my seat, and as we are taking off, the capt. announces that we are going to be a taking a different route to Washington to go around the weather; it's going to take longer. Great.

I arrive at at the Washington/Dulles airport close to 9am i think...i walk over to the board with all the flights on it....but mine isn't up there...that's weird, the next flight leaving for Newark is at 1225. hmm....so i go over to the little self check-in kiosk because the customer service line is way too long (everyone was having flight problems that day i guess). I check in, and what luck! they have me on a flight leaving at 1008, arriving in Newark at 1124! I was supposed to meet with the group at 1015, but i got in contact with the group leader and he said that 1124 was fine because our flight really didn't leave until 215. what luck! maybe this trip isn't going to be so bad. So, I head over to gate C28 and take a seat. I'm sitting there for a good 20 minutes and I'm thinking to myself....this is weird, there's like no one at this gate...the girl next to me looks like she could be from NJ, so this must be the right gate....but the board above the gate says this flight goes to Manchester at 1225....that is so weird! why isn't my flight listed anywhere!

I think this is when things really started to go really downhill...

this is like in slow motion....i pull out my ticket...look at the time....oh shit, my flight doesn't leave until 1008PM!!?? this can't be happening! why am i even booked on this flight??? So...i run over to the flight board to see when the next plane leaves for Newark...1225 on any airline in the entire stupid airport! damn...i start crying, even if i made that flight i won't get into Newark until after 130...then I'd have to get off the airplane, get my bags, and run to the international departures part of the airport (because with my luck, it's on the opposite side of the airport and I'd have to take a shuttle or something to get to it), and i probably wouldn't make it in time...you see, the group had to check in all at the same time because the group leader had like a group ticket or something...so they would have been long checked in. This isn't good....i slowly turn around and the what do you know, the customer service line is even longer than before...trailing way behind the windy partitions they had set up for it. It's now almost 10am, and the people who got off the plane with me weren't even halfway through the line and it had been close to an hour. Even if I had waited in line to change to the 930 continental flight, i wouldn't have been able to get change it in time. I call my mom...she is going to call United airlines to see if they can do anything. I even had Devon looking up flights for me on all airlines to see if i could get to Newark before 215. There is nothing, i am on the verge of being hysterical (keep in mind, i only had about 3 hours of sleep)....I call my trip leader again...he is going to see if he can get me on another flight later in the day.

I am waiting in line, it's been close to an hour since i started crying...i look like hell, my head hurts...no one is having any luck...my mom did get United to give me a credit of $150...but it's a stupid credit to their airlines which i never want to fly on again. I feel like so much more went on, it's all kinda blurry to me now....my trip leader calls me back and says he can get me on a flight at 7pm out of Newark....ok i said, great, i will see if i can get there by then.....I am keeping in contact with my mom, trying to change my flight on the self check in thing....if i could get on the 1225 flight that would be perfect! id arrive in Israel late, but I'd still be able to make it! but, just when i think my luck is turning, the 1225 flight is booked up and there are NO seats left on it....the next flight doesn't leave until 5something....again, i wouldn't make it in time. My group leader is calling again....i am crying, standing in line for customer service...I'm pretty close, about 1 turn away from the actual counter by this time....i tell him i don't think I'm going to be able to make it for a 7pm flight...he said he'll see if he can get me on a flight the next day...i am thinking to myself, i have been trying to get to this stupid airport since 330 this morning, i haven't eaten, my head is pounding, i just want to get the hell out of the airport, and it seems like the universe is trying its hardest not to let me go on this trip...so, i told him i just didn't want to go anymore, I'm sorry, but I'm having the worst day possible, i don't want to wait until tomorrow. He then proceeded to give me attitude about my decision, but i was beyond caring, i just agreed with him that i was unfortunate and my loss, but I'm sorry, I'm not changing my mind, please stop bothering me, i just want to go home and we hang up. I get an unknown phone number trying to call me...i didn't answer. I did listen to the voice mail, there is a perky female voice on the other line:

"Pam, i hear you don't want to go on your trip anymore and you're having a bad day! I'm sorry to hear that! i think you should really call your group leader back and try to work something out, i mean, you are almost 26 and this is your last chance to go on this trip because then you will be too old, 26 is the cut off! i know you are not having a great day, but call back your group leader so we can help make your day great!! :) "

I wanted to punch her. I am not old.

I call my mom to see if she can help me find a flight home. It's a little after 11am. Every time someone talks to me, i start crying, i didn't know i had enough water in my body to cry so much....i look like a wreck, people must think I'm a psycho or something. my mom calls back...she changed my ticket, my flight was leaving out of gate C28 at 1217. YAY! in less than an hour i could be on my way home and to my bed. I leave my place in the customer service line, feeling sorry for everyone else in line behind me.

I walk over to the self check in....try to check myself in...i get a message saying i need to call customer service for some reason...hmm..this is weird. I go to my gate and ask the lady there if she can help me. she tries to check me in, but my ticket isn't showing up for some reason...I'm still booked to go to Newark at 10pm. are you kidding me? i have a confirmation# for my new flight! it won't help she says, please go back and have customer service help you. i look at her like she has 3 heads...I'm not waiting in that like again, i told her, by the time i get to the desk, my flight will have left already! she doesn't seem to care. Then I asked her about my checked bag, she says they usually will just change it over when you change your flight so i don't have to do anything...that would be cool if they could change my flight...so i give her a stare and walk back to the self check in area. i try to check in again, but i get the same message to call CS. So i pick up the phone attached to the kiosk and i get a hold of someone....hopefully she can help!

What do you know, she also can't check me in, or change my ticket even though i have a confirmation number. are you kidding me?? i said, well what am i supposed to do and why can't anyone help me...."I'm very sorry miss, but you will have to go to the customer service desk."

"but you are customer service."

"i know miss, but i am very sorry, there is nothing i can do to help, you have to go to the desk to...."

"you want to know what, your airlines have the worst customer service I've ever dealt with, you've messed up every single one of my flights today, and now I'm going to miss the one I'm finally booked on.."

"miss I'm very sorry..."

"i don't care, i am never flying on united airlines ever again, I've had the worst time ever today!!!!"

and i hang up the phone.

I stand, looking around the airport...there is no way i am waiting in that line. Then, i notice a lady standing at a gate right next to customer service...maybe she can help me. i start telling her my dilemma, my eyes are red and puffy, and i can't control the tears beginning to fall again.....she looks up my ticket, confirms I'm not on the flight at 1217 to Manchester...and then actually calls someone who can help her figure it out. before she does this though, she keeps asking me where i was originally headed, i tell her Newark because i had a connecting flight out of the country, but I'm not going there anymore, i just want to go to Manchester. "but where were you headed?" she asks me....i tell her it doesn't matter because it was on a different airline booked separately, Manchester is my final destination now. she asks me one more time, and I'm getting pretty agitated...."well, i was originally headed to Israel on a group trip, but I'm not going to make it there in time so i canceled it, please just get me to Manchester!" (picture me saying that like i was really pissed off). "well ma'am, there is no need to get angry, please calm down, I'm just trying to figure out where you were going." (why are people so dumb???) "I am going to MANCHESTER!" After that she did call her manager or something and printed me out the correct ticket which would take me to Manchester at 1217. "Thank you," I said, " you are the only person who has actually helped me today."

Then it occurred to me to ask this lady about my checked bag. She said, she really didn't know, i could ask customer service....i walked away.

So, I walk back to gate C28 with about 10 minutes before they start boarding, this time the board says the right thing, and my ticket matches...something is going right today. I ask the lady about my checked luggage again...she just says she doesn't know and walks away from me...what?? i wait at her stupid little podium until she gets back and she checks the computer...she asks me my last name...and o look! your luggage is on this flight they've changed it over. At the time I thought this was good news...I should have known better.

I make it on the plane, i am so exhausted, of course, my seat is in the very back of the plane, next to the bathroom, and up against the back wall so i can't recline. whatever....i try to sleep for most of the flight home.

Once in the Manchester airport, all i can feel is relief, i made it. I go to the baggage claim and wait there until the carousel stops going around...my bag, of course, was not on the carousel. i ask the attendant standing near by if that was all the bags that came off the plane...it was. "of course," i said and walked towards the United ticket counter. at least there wasn't a mile long line here...just one other person with the same problem. we filled out our paper work and handed it to the lady. she started asking me why i was back in Manchester (because we had to fill out our original flights and all that stuff)....i said, none of my flights worked out today, so i canceled everything and came home. she looked at me weird. i didn't care. She assured me they would find my bag, it was just probably on a plane to Newark, but they would just send it back to Manchester, and then they would ship it back to me. alright, i said....i want to believe her so badly, but i know there is really a good chance i won't see my bag again ever....i really hope that's not the case, i am fond of all my clothes and shoes that were in it.

Now I'm home, and despite what anyone might think, i really am happy i didn't go on the trip. i still can't explain why i didn't want to go so much, but I'm going to keep an eye on Israel for the next couple days and see if anything bad happens.

So, if anyone is up to anything fun this weekend, let me know, I am home.


-Pam