Letter to the Travel Editor
Recently we arrived back in New Zealand from San Francisco but were extremely lucky to have avoided the shambles caused by only one runway being operational.
Our original bookings were for a 1hr 10m transfer at SFO to Air New Zealand from an inbound United Airlines Phoenix flight. Fortunately this booking was changed in Quebec City to give us more flexibility in the event of delays. The cost of $30pp proved to be cheap and wise in the end.
Upon checking in early at Phoenix, UA queried why we had not been advised of San Francisco Airport problems. Our “earlier” flight was running at least four hours late, so we were placed on another late-morning flight that itself was running 90 minutes behind schedule.
At San Francisco, we met a number of Kiwis who had been caught up in the carnage. They had arrived the previous day and missed onward connections to New Zealand by two hours. No overnight accommodation was provided by the airlines; airport shops were shut, which meant they couldn’t eat and the fate of their baggage was unknown.
It was a matter of sleeping roughshod in the airport.
Fortunately, these passengers were able to get on the next Air New Zealand flight, leaving 24 hours later and, on board, enjoy a wee taste of home from a very good crew.
David Roberton
The Travel Editor replies: I’d be intrigued to know if those other Kiwis had used travel agents when booking their trip, as this is very much the kind of situation in which I think travel agents should come into their own.