so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Dec 23rd 2010, 3:22 am
#1
member of little note
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 526
so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
forgive grammar and all, jet lagged 2 hr sleep in 48, but happy to be home 
Hi, update, back in the UK, got back yesterday, by a tiny bit of luck, actually huge amount of luck, flight canceled from Boston Sat re-booked for Mon, but fly to Chicago then to Heathrow, checked before leaving home, the flight was still on, left home, keys to realitor, no car anymore, got to airport, flight canceled again! given late Christmas eve, arrive Heathrow all being well Christmas Day 6.55am. took ticket, but no accommodation offered even though ask for, next problem, no trains, few taxis and prices quoted rightly high, family all have tiny cars or no car, in UK, so no go.
it was American Airline who left us to our fate but wrongly? rightly? as we had booked via BA, I don't know the rules? so we walked 3 terminal to BA, queued again, after many hours finally a BA manager, came out and was blunt and sensible, he said go home if you flight is tomorrow, you may be able to fly, go home if you only have a week to 10 day vacation booked unless you are visiting someone who is at their last Christmas, (he didn't say that just implied) as you will not be flying to the 27th at that point, he gave the reclaim form to all, a girl in front of us asked how long til the reclaim, he said 3 weeks, but maybe longer at present, my husband said in good humour "and yet it take you seconds to take my money when I book" the whole line laughed.
then we witnessed a miracle, we had been told that other airlines where not accepting BA passengers, as they too had back logs, but I saw a BA check in person leap up behind the desk and say " Thank you Air France and she ran off"???
the line started to evaporate as the BA Manager's honesty sunk in and the fact we where in the re-booking line for a hotel, rather than a flight and we had got our flight with AA 4 hours before sunk in, we where getting toward the front of the line about 5th when the BA manager and Air France Manager got chatting right next to us but in whispers, I am nosy and more than bored by this time and they where moaning about how helpless they felt and how stressed yet good the passengers as where the staff who where working longer shifts and he air france chap said "I could takesome standby's on my next flight, I think?"
next thing I am aware my twins who had been running around and annoying these men, are by my side, and the Air France man said : are you a family of 4?" "yes" we are pulled out of the line, and go on to stand by 3 def tickets and 2 people not checked in, then 1 did, last min 1 no show, me and twins in luxury hubby in cattle class. he said it was luxury not to have small people
they sold it to us as in they thought from some reason we would need a reason to grab the chance to go to Paris, but I am from East Kent, so I was all foot passenger or Eurostar, having done it a million times.
we just played it from moment to moment, and we had a amazing man at lille who came up and offered to help us, if we where going to the ferry with our luggage, poor man he was travelling from West Africa and he was falling asleep standing up, he help us with our luggage as you don't plan to haul 4 suitcases, 2 large carry ons and 2 backpacks with 2 adult our 5 year old had been having to pull the large carry on's til that, on 2 hours sleep.
we hit the UK at 10.30 on a very crowded ferry but happy to be home, and unlike a lot of people we only had 20 mile to travel.
So thank you BA Staff at Boston (not BA who no email to us saying cancelled, no nothing on cancelled flights and unable to contact, and website no useful info at all), Air France Staff, P and O staff, and due to our tired state and our knight in shining armour's state, in about 5 hours we never swapped names, but thank you and big up Mr Al Jasera/freelancer camera man, you saved our shoulders with the cases and sanity, hope you have a lovey time off
hope you all got home to
Hi, update, back in the UK, got back yesterday, by a tiny bit of luck, actually huge amount of luck, flight canceled from Boston Sat re-booked for Mon, but fly to Chicago then to Heathrow, checked before leaving home, the flight was still on, left home, keys to realitor, no car anymore, got to airport, flight canceled again! given late Christmas eve, arrive Heathrow all being well Christmas Day 6.55am. took ticket, but no accommodation offered even though ask for, next problem, no trains, few taxis and prices quoted rightly high, family all have tiny cars or no car, in UK, so no go.
it was American Airline who left us to our fate but wrongly? rightly? as we had booked via BA, I don't know the rules? so we walked 3 terminal to BA, queued again, after many hours finally a BA manager, came out and was blunt and sensible, he said go home if you flight is tomorrow, you may be able to fly, go home if you only have a week to 10 day vacation booked unless you are visiting someone who is at their last Christmas, (he didn't say that just implied) as you will not be flying to the 27th at that point, he gave the reclaim form to all, a girl in front of us asked how long til the reclaim, he said 3 weeks, but maybe longer at present, my husband said in good humour "and yet it take you seconds to take my money when I book" the whole line laughed.
then we witnessed a miracle, we had been told that other airlines where not accepting BA passengers, as they too had back logs, but I saw a BA check in person leap up behind the desk and say " Thank you Air France and she ran off"???
the line started to evaporate as the BA Manager's honesty sunk in and the fact we where in the re-booking line for a hotel, rather than a flight and we had got our flight with AA 4 hours before sunk in, we where getting toward the front of the line about 5th when the BA manager and Air France Manager got chatting right next to us but in whispers, I am nosy and more than bored by this time and they where moaning about how helpless they felt and how stressed yet good the passengers as where the staff who where working longer shifts and he air france chap said "I could takesome standby's on my next flight, I think?"
next thing I am aware my twins who had been running around and annoying these men, are by my side, and the Air France man said : are you a family of 4?" "yes" we are pulled out of the line, and go on to stand by 3 def tickets and 2 people not checked in, then 1 did, last min 1 no show, me and twins in luxury hubby in cattle class. he said it was luxury not to have small people
they sold it to us as in they thought from some reason we would need a reason to grab the chance to go to Paris, but I am from East Kent, so I was all foot passenger or Eurostar, having done it a million times.
we just played it from moment to moment, and we had a amazing man at lille who came up and offered to help us, if we where going to the ferry with our luggage, poor man he was travelling from West Africa and he was falling asleep standing up, he help us with our luggage as you don't plan to haul 4 suitcases, 2 large carry ons and 2 backpacks with 2 adult our 5 year old had been having to pull the large carry on's til that, on 2 hours sleep.
we hit the UK at 10.30 on a very crowded ferry but happy to be home, and unlike a lot of people we only had 20 mile to travel.
So thank you BA Staff at Boston (not BA who no email to us saying cancelled, no nothing on cancelled flights and unable to contact, and website no useful info at all), Air France Staff, P and O staff, and due to our tired state and our knight in shining armour's state, in about 5 hours we never swapped names, but thank you and big up Mr Al Jasera/freelancer camera man, you saved our shoulders with the cases and sanity, hope you have a lovey time off
hope you all got home to
Dec 23rd 2010, 3:58 am
#2
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 0
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Wow, what a journey!
Glad you made it. So this is not a holiday then, you're back to live right??
Glad you made it. So this is not a holiday then, you're back to live right??
Dec 23rd 2010, 4:12 am
#3
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,022
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Hey MOK...nice to hear from you again...I had no idea you were returning to Blighty.
Wishing you all a very merry UK Christmas.
Keep in touch.
Wishing you all a very merry UK Christmas.
Keep in touch.
Dec 23rd 2010, 4:43 am
#4
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Hi MOK and good luck.
Dec 23rd 2010, 6:31 am
#5
Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Google Town
Posts: 7,532
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
What a journey, good luck back in England hope it all works out.
Dec 23rd 2010, 11:57 am
#6
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Bishopbriggs - now Bethel, Connecticut
Posts: 1,439
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Yes, ditto that.
Hope everything works out for you back in England and have a very Merry Christmas and an even better 2011!!
Hope everything works out for you back in England and have a very Merry Christmas and an even better 2011!!
Dec 23rd 2010, 1:27 pm
#7
BE Co-Founder
Joined: Feb 2000
Location: Florida
Posts: 25,928
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Glad you made it back ok and the best of luck as you start a new chapter in your life's journey.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Dec 23rd 2010, 1:32 pm
#8
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,388
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Me is confused, Santa's elf
Are you back in the UK for good or just for the holidays?
Are you back in the UK for good or just for the holidays?
Dec 23rd 2010, 3:36 pm
#9
Heading for Poppyland
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,540
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
What a fantastic story! Kudos to all the staff at BA and Air France who helped you out!! I always felt that cross-channel ferry is the way to arrive in England (I'm from Kent too...)
Have a Happy Christmas!
Have a Happy Christmas!
Dec 23rd 2010, 7:57 pm
#10
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,903
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Happy Christmas! Definately a travel story you'll get to retell many times.
Dec 29th 2010, 10:29 pm
#11
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
O there you are!!
Dec 29th 2010, 11:13 pm
#12
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 8,497
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
So glad to hear that you made it home safe and sound, even if it was quite an experience! I wish you much happiness in the future. 
Dec 31st 2010, 1:38 am
#13
member of little note
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 526
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Thanks Folks, missed you all, spent the last year or so not knowing our fate, and so lost heart, then finally after a year of knowing hubby didn't have a job, but not officially, you just know when you don't have a job when you don't appear on an org chart he final got told in July, but enough work to give us 6 months to sort our selves out, so we are home for good as his holiday, gets us to the six month next week, he is officially out of work from Monday, I start my new job Tuesday, scary after 2 1/2 years not working, but hopefully a fabbo new job for me and I am excited, it's even a promotion 
, so all is well, hopefully hubby will get a job soon.
hope this finds you all well, and happy.
Yours of Margate
I am loving the Fish and chips, 3 times in 8 days! that is healthy??? right?
he final got told in July, but enough work to give us 6 months to sort our selves out, so we are home for good as his holiday, gets us to the six month next week, he is officially out of work from Monday, I start my new job Tuesday, scary after 2 1/2 years not working, but hopefully a fabbo new job for me and I am excited, it's even a promotion , so all is well, hopefully hubby will get a job soon. hope this finds you all well, and happy.
Yours of Margate
I am loving the Fish and chips, 3 times in 8 days! that is healthy??? right?
Dec 31st 2010, 1:48 am
#14
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 0
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
Thanks Folks, missed you all, spent the last year or so not knowing our fate, and so lost heart, then finally after a year of knowing hubby didn't have a job, but not officially, you just know when you don't have a job when you don't appear on an org chart he final got told in July, but enough work to give us 6 months to sort our selves out, so we are home for good as his holiday, gets us to the six month next week, he is officially out of work from Monday, I start my new job Tuesday, scary after 2 1/2 years not working, but hopefully a fabbo new job for me and I am excited, it's even a promotion , so all is well, hopefully hubby will get a job soon.
hope this finds you all well, and happy.
Yours of Margate
I am loving the Fish and chips, 3 times in 8 days! that is healthy??? right?
he final got told in July, but enough work to give us 6 months to sort our selves out, so we are home for good as his holiday, gets us to the six month next week, he is officially out of work from Monday, I start my new job Tuesday, scary after 2 1/2 years not working, but hopefully a fabbo new job for me and I am excited, it's even a promotion , so all is well, hopefully hubby will get a job soon. hope this finds you all well, and happy.
Yours of Margate
I am loving the Fish and chips, 3 times in 8 days! that is healthy??? right?
hmmmm..fish and chips sounds good right now
Dec 31st 2010, 3:14 pm
#15
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Belle Isle, Florida
Posts: 594
Re: so long and thanks for the advice and a long story short :)
What language is that? It's almost English, but then, the refreshing absence of puctuation and bizarre rambling sentence construction, where one subject meanders seamlessly into another, totally unconnected one, make it somehow other-worldly.