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wyntir_knightI got back from my trip yesterday, and it was ... I think the polite term is interesting.
We left the house at about 7 to catch our 10:30 flight. We got to the aeroport with no problems, and then discovered that they've installed a self-check in section that you MUST use in order to check your baggage. Fine, we do this. Or rather my mother (who is a bit computer illiterate) tries to do this, fails, and then gets a lady from Air Canada to help her. We then get in line to check our bags. Everything is good. We're even told that we don't need to change terminals at Pearson International because they've closed Terminal 2 for renovations.
Se we're sitting at gate 11 waiting for our flight and we notice that they haven't listed anything at the gate yet. So we wait and we wait, getting a little paranoid, when an announcement comes over the PA. "This is the last boarding call for flight 257 to Toronto at Gate 13!" ... Uhm, what? ... so my mom and I (and the 20 other people waiting) get up and run full tilt to Gate 13. Thankfully Ottawa International is still very small ...
So we get on our flight, and we go up and then come down at Pearsons. The flight crew inform us that those of us transferring to the States must collect our bags and recheck them and that we will be leaving from Terminal 1 since there is no Terminal 2 anymore. We have 2 hour layover in Toronto so no worries. Right? Wrong-o bucko!
We follow the signs to baggage claim and end up in the basement. We see our flight number and watch as the luggage goes by, none of which is ours, by the way. Eventualy it becomes obvious that nothing more is coming, so we find an attendant.
Us: "Excuse me? We need to collect our bags to transfer them to a flight to the States? Where fo we go?"
Him: "Oh, you need to go up to the third floor to US Departures."
We thank him and go up to US Departures and there is no sign of any form of baggage claim. So we ask for assistance from a woman from CATSA.
Us: "Excuse me, we need to transfer to a flight to the States. Where will we find our bags?"
Her: "You need to go to the basement."
Us: "But we were just there and the guy told us to come here."
Her: "He did?"
Us: "Yes."
Her: "Well then you need to go down this hallway until you see a pillar with an H on it. Your bags should be there."
So we thank her and start heading down the corridor. Eventually we meet up with this nice girl from New Brunswick (or Nova Scotia - I can't remember) and together we find the US Baggage Claims in this small, locked room, guarded by two women. We collect our bags and show our boarding passes, and check our luggage and go through customs.
When we get through all of this we are met with a nice man with a cart. I guess that we both looked pathetic because he offered us a list to our gate. We drive a pace to a sign where we learn that we are going to Gate 251 and the nice man bring us back to where he dropped us off.
Him: "I'm sorry, ladies, but you have to go down that escalator to the basement."
So we go down the escalator to a gate where a bus is waiting for us ... Uhm, what? Wait a minute, Terminal 2 doesn't exist any more, so where is this bus taking us? It turns out that all the small international flights are now leaving from the old Terminal 1. So, technically we never really left Terminal 1. ... *sigh* We get to where we are going and find out that we have just enough time to get a snickers bar and a bottle of water each before boarding the little DC1 to Hartford ... of, and did I mention that there was no toilet on board? ... So much for our 2 hour layover.
Now the visit itself was fabulous. Tante Julienne and Bill had no clue about the party. It was wonderful and we had a nice visit. In fact, it was a wonderful visit, and we got to watch the Superbowl on a 50" plasma screen with surround sound.
And I got to go to a Wall-Mart and pick up Alternator Jazz (alright, Meister), and Classics Mirage. So I was doubly happy.
Now, onto the trip home. Getting out of Hartford was fine and dandy. We even had time for breakfast. I had some of the best Eggs Benedict ever. We have more than enough time to get onto our little DC1 and we fly off to Toronto. Now, this time we only have an hour layover in Toronto, so we hit the ground running. We successfully get our bags and get them rechecked, we get through customs, we check the board and learn that our flight has been cancelled ... uhm, what? We check again. Yes, our flight has been cancelled. So we ask an Air Canada person and she tells us to go to the Customer Service desk.
Us: "Our flight has been cancelled and we have to be in Ottawa. What do we do?
Her: "Oh, sorry, the flight was cancelled due to weather."
Us: *looking out the window at the bright sunny sky and blowing snow* Is there a storm in Ottawa?
Her: No. This weather. There. You're now on the 2:10 flight."
We thank her and go get a bagle from Timmies and go shopping at the store. I got the cutest pink and red plush turtle, a Haida Raven necklace, a charm pen (no one will walk off with my pen again), and a couple of gifts for upcoming birthdays.
After all the eating and shopping, we arrive at our gate with time to spare and learn that the flight has been overbooked. Only people with seat assignments will get on. Thankfully, the lady who helped us, gave us seat assignment. So we wait while the poor attendant is being verbally abused by the people who have been bumped. And we wait. And we wait. It turns out that our plane was runnig late on it's way in from Miami.
Finally, the plane arrives, the luggage is stowed, the flight is cleaned, we get on the plane and learn that the wings need to be de-iced. So we wait on the tarmac. We wait for an hour and a half. Finally we get into the air and eventually get back to Ottawa.
Nothing is ever easy by air, is it?
We left the house at about 7 to catch our 10:30 flight. We got to the aeroport with no problems, and then discovered that they've installed a self-check in section that you MUST use in order to check your baggage. Fine, we do this. Or rather my mother (who is a bit computer illiterate) tries to do this, fails, and then gets a lady from Air Canada to help her. We then get in line to check our bags. Everything is good. We're even told that we don't need to change terminals at Pearson International because they've closed Terminal 2 for renovations.
Se we're sitting at gate 11 waiting for our flight and we notice that they haven't listed anything at the gate yet. So we wait and we wait, getting a little paranoid, when an announcement comes over the PA. "This is the last boarding call for flight 257 to Toronto at Gate 13!" ... Uhm, what? ... so my mom and I (and the 20 other people waiting) get up and run full tilt to Gate 13. Thankfully Ottawa International is still very small ...
So we get on our flight, and we go up and then come down at Pearsons. The flight crew inform us that those of us transferring to the States must collect our bags and recheck them and that we will be leaving from Terminal 1 since there is no Terminal 2 anymore. We have 2 hour layover in Toronto so no worries. Right? Wrong-o bucko!
We follow the signs to baggage claim and end up in the basement. We see our flight number and watch as the luggage goes by, none of which is ours, by the way. Eventualy it becomes obvious that nothing more is coming, so we find an attendant.
Us: "Excuse me? We need to collect our bags to transfer them to a flight to the States? Where fo we go?"
Him: "Oh, you need to go up to the third floor to US Departures."
We thank him and go up to US Departures and there is no sign of any form of baggage claim. So we ask for assistance from a woman from CATSA.
Us: "Excuse me, we need to transfer to a flight to the States. Where will we find our bags?"
Her: "You need to go to the basement."
Us: "But we were just there and the guy told us to come here."
Her: "He did?"
Us: "Yes."
Her: "Well then you need to go down this hallway until you see a pillar with an H on it. Your bags should be there."
So we thank her and start heading down the corridor. Eventually we meet up with this nice girl from New Brunswick (or Nova Scotia - I can't remember) and together we find the US Baggage Claims in this small, locked room, guarded by two women. We collect our bags and show our boarding passes, and check our luggage and go through customs.
When we get through all of this we are met with a nice man with a cart. I guess that we both looked pathetic because he offered us a list to our gate. We drive a pace to a sign where we learn that we are going to Gate 251 and the nice man bring us back to where he dropped us off.
Him: "I'm sorry, ladies, but you have to go down that escalator to the basement."
So we go down the escalator to a gate where a bus is waiting for us ... Uhm, what? Wait a minute, Terminal 2 doesn't exist any more, so where is this bus taking us? It turns out that all the small international flights are now leaving from the old Terminal 1. So, technically we never really left Terminal 1. ... *sigh* We get to where we are going and find out that we have just enough time to get a snickers bar and a bottle of water each before boarding the little DC1 to Hartford ... of, and did I mention that there was no toilet on board? ... So much for our 2 hour layover.
Now the visit itself was fabulous. Tante Julienne and Bill had no clue about the party. It was wonderful and we had a nice visit. In fact, it was a wonderful visit, and we got to watch the Superbowl on a 50" plasma screen with surround sound.
And I got to go to a Wall-Mart and pick up Alternator Jazz (alright, Meister), and Classics Mirage. So I was doubly happy.
Now, onto the trip home. Getting out of Hartford was fine and dandy. We even had time for breakfast. I had some of the best Eggs Benedict ever. We have more than enough time to get onto our little DC1 and we fly off to Toronto. Now, this time we only have an hour layover in Toronto, so we hit the ground running. We successfully get our bags and get them rechecked, we get through customs, we check the board and learn that our flight has been cancelled ... uhm, what? We check again. Yes, our flight has been cancelled. So we ask an Air Canada person and she tells us to go to the Customer Service desk.
Us: "Our flight has been cancelled and we have to be in Ottawa. What do we do?
Her: "Oh, sorry, the flight was cancelled due to weather."
Us: *looking out the window at the bright sunny sky and blowing snow* Is there a storm in Ottawa?
Her: No. This weather. There. You're now on the 2:10 flight."
We thank her and go get a bagle from Timmies and go shopping at the store. I got the cutest pink and red plush turtle, a Haida Raven necklace, a charm pen (no one will walk off with my pen again), and a couple of gifts for upcoming birthdays.
After all the eating and shopping, we arrive at our gate with time to spare and learn that the flight has been overbooked. Only people with seat assignments will get on. Thankfully, the lady who helped us, gave us seat assignment. So we wait while the poor attendant is being verbally abused by the people who have been bumped. And we wait. And we wait. It turns out that our plane was runnig late on it's way in from Miami.
Finally, the plane arrives, the luggage is stowed, the flight is cleaned, we get on the plane and learn that the wings need to be de-iced. So we wait on the tarmac. We wait for an hour and a half. Finally we get into the air and eventually get back to Ottawa.
Nothing is ever easy by air, is it?