So, you thought you were flying somewhere for Christmas?

The incoming flights delays yesterday to Chicago O'Hare shredded our plans to fly to Phoenix. I stared in total disbelief at the E Check In screen after it searched for my flights and it gave me two options: Check for flights on Saturday or fly on StandBy. WHAT??? I exit the screen and swipe my card a second time. It must have been a fluke. No, the same message appeared. It was real. I was stunned. After all the planning, organizing, and purchase of tickets back in August, it was a mess.

The United agent behind the counter searched through flights to see if our trip could be salvaged, but we were going to have very slim to no chance of finding two seats to Phoenix from Chicago until after Christmas Day. What had happened was that O'Hare delayed our flight's arrival, from Greensboro, by three hours which made it impossible to make our connecting flight to Phoenix. If you miss your connection, you're then at the mercy of StandBy status.

I had visions of the thousands of people stranded in Denver. I wondered how many other hundreds or thousands of people who also planned to go through O'Hare were facing the same dilema we were. It was a heart breaking, but no brainer decision to abort the trip. It has been nine years since my Mom, sister and I were together for Christmas. Now, it looks like 10. It was a huge disappointment bringing both my mom and me to tears when I called her from the airport.

But, we are in the comfort of our home; not stranded for days in an airport with no beds, not much food, or bathrooms in need of clean up. I didn't decorate for Christmas (was afraid the cat would get bored and climb the Christmas Tree), nor did I bake or plan meals, but in the end, we're counting all of our blessings.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Aw, what a dissappointment, why don't you plan your trip for New Years, maybe by then the travel will have slowed down, and you can just pretend it is Christmas.

Thanks for the suggestion defoecat. However, we did consider that until we realized that short notice airfare would not be reasonable to pay; then there's the issue that I'm no longer on holiday time after January 1st, and a third reason is that I just didn't think it was fair to the rest of the family to ask them to hold off on having their Christmas until we get there. It just didn't turn out to be an option either. I appreciate your thought though.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Both my brothers are commercial airline pilots. We NEVER plan to celebrate holidays on THE holiday. Its just not going to happen. Nothing wrong with the family getting together a week or two later. Or earlier. Hate to say it but in Winter, if you're connecting through a northern hub you 've GOT to count on cancellations and delays. I just wouldn't even consider travel at this time. I know, family, the Season, friends, meals, demands, presents, obligations. Nope. We just have to wait for the 'mess' to pass and sanity to reign.

Happy happy Christmas, be safe and warm. Celebrate together stressfree when you can.

Hi Aguane - thanks for the thoughts. I do know what you mean by your family never planning to celebrate the holidays on the holiday. My daughter formerly worked for TWA, then AA before she was laid off a second time. She never had the holidays off because she had to work. If she did have a holiday day off (rare) it wasn't possible for her to make a quick trip via standby anyway. There was never an assurance she could find a way back in time to report for work. I imagine it isn't any different for your brothers.

I really was hoping that being a full fare traveller would allow me to fly "home" like all the other travellers that do at Christmas. We're learned our lesson, however, and next year my DH and I will fly direct from Charlotte to Phoenix to spend Christmas with my mom, sister and her husband. No connections and no northern airports! My mom will be 82 in June so we don't have many opportunities to spend them together anymore.

Northern airports were not the problem for me on the 26th.

It took me 14 hours and of course lost luggage to get from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to Rochester, NY. It was a nightmare.

It started out being on the plane that had it's engine catch fire in Ft. Lauderdale. Then to no help re-routing the group to other flights. Then to be put on a flight and sit over an hour at the gate; thinking that I was going to miss my connection in Philly, I ran past 73 gates to sit at F39 which was in another terminal.

What's that song of old????? Happy Trails, or was it Happy Trials?


Hap