Where is our United plane?
By Lothar. Filed in Colorado |
We have been looking forward to our Christmas ski vacation for the last 4 months, but we have trouble to get off the ground in Albany.
Our United flight 7374 is stuck in a snowstorm at Chicago O’Hare. We are scheduled to depart Albany Airport at 11:27 AM on December 26, but spend 6 hours here, waiting for our flight. Finally we take off at 4:30 PM (with an upgrade to First Class), and 2 hours later, snow flakes greet us upon our arrival in Chicago. We arrive in Terminal B and make the long trek through the underground tunnel to Terminal C. At the gate, I stand in line for 45 minutes, so I can secure us our boarding passes for our new flight to Denver, while Gabi holds another spot in the very long line at the United Customer Service desk. I try to call United Airlines reservations, but the recordings informs me of a very discouraging 45 minute wait period, before I might be able to talk to somebody (probably in India or the Philippines). Just as I make it to the front of the line, our gate is being closed. Our new gate for our flight to Denver is at C9. We make the long hike back to Terminal C, and are back one gate next to the gate where our Albany flight had arrived. More standing in line at C9, until I finally get our seats for United 253 to Denver. Aah, the joy of air travel nowadays!
The Chicago airport is a mess, with masses of passengers stuck here due to the snow. The lady next to me is being told, that her flight out of here is in 3 days from now. We consider ourselves lucky. We have 2 seats in exit row 21 H and J on a Boeing 767 and have a smooth flight to Denver, arriving 4.5 hours late. At least no sleeping in Chicago O’Hare to-night! Being a Premier Member certainly helped us today.
Carsten arrived before us and welcomes us at our Courtyard Marriott Denver Airport. He had his own excitement during his flight from Newark to Denver. Apparently there was a smell of something burning on his plane, prior to landing. The pilot declared an emergency and, once on the ground, firetrucks met the plane. Fortunately nothing else happened and the passengers got off the plane at the gate, while firefighters with heat sensing equipment came on board.
We are now safely reunited, which is another Christmas present. Tomorrow we will drive to Beaver Creek and our ski vacation will begin.