Tonight is now two days past original departure from a week long trip to Japan with Hottie and the kids. The trip went amazingly smooth. Not a single significant hiccup… until we left. Literally on the runway, taxiing to fly home.
We were on the takeoff track, then we scooted down and turned around. There was a small maintenance issue, circled back, and about an hour later it was fixed.
Then we taxied again.
Waited, again.
Scooted, again.
Returned, again, and FAA required the flight be terminated.
The captain got on the intercom, saying they were going to add a new plane to rotation tomorrow just to get this group of people home. But when we deboarded, the app said otherwise. Rebooking time? Two days later.
Went into solution-finding mode. Ends up that Delta runs only the one plane a day, and after checking all other airlines there was nothing for days.
Went down first thing in the morning. Weird. Delta only has a “gate/counter” at certain hours. I had to wait two hours. Two hours later, I was in line. They had set up a dedicated line just for our canceled flight. There were dozens of other people complaining about the same thing. Why did the captain say tomorrow but now we’re stuck for two days?
- One family missed a funeral
- Another family this was their FOURTH plane in a row being canceled for maintenance. They were stuck there for over a week.
While I’m stuck here, the good is that I’m with my family. They’re not without me at home, and I’m not without them here.
The airline hasn’t been the best at proactive communication. Chatting through the app didn’t help either.
Even though I’m overseas, thankfully, nearly everyone speaks English. I have a translation app for when we can’t communicate.
Coincidentally, this week I hit Diamond Medallion status. That lucky timing opened up the airline agent pulling me aside and asked me to keep a secret. While everybody else on the plane is stuck for a maybe flight tomorrow, she said she could get us out to Canada that night. Then from Canada to Seattle. They even paid for my flight on a different airline.
Exiting the Sky Lounge in Tokyo, some staff remembered us the night before and were surprised to see us. We must have stood out like sore thumbs with confidently loud kids among a group of quiet singles.
Everyone was super accommodating. My kids wanted the ramen they offered, but not sauce. Yes, my kids want plane ramen with butter and Parmesan. 😆 One staff member walking by heard me asking for Parmesan cheese. Must be an American beacon, because that staff member chimed in and helped us. When I asked if they had milk, they asked, “Warm or cold?” The other guy chimed in again, “Three cold… for the kids.”
Someone kinda’ got us. And him going out of his way to help us in the smallest of ways for the next 30 minutes felt like a million pounds lifted off my family’s shoulders.
I’m posting this here from Canada now, feeling a little more homey already.
When we left Japan, it was Monday, August 5th. When we landed in Canada, it was Sunday, August 4th. We will spend the night in Seattle and fly home Monday morning, experiencing the same Monday, August 5th, twice.
Look forward to a photo dump of all the cool stuff soon.
The trip was so smooth that closing it out this way is ironic. Wanting to end it with a smile, when I rebooked the last leg home, I found 5 available first-class seats. And I could pay the difference free using points. The kids always ask when they can try First Class. Now seems great.
