OR
No Room at the Inn…
“Please tell me this is a Joke.”
“No sir, this is not a joke,
there are no rooms in the area, all hotels are Sold Out.”
Altogether now…
W.T.F!!!
Ya better grab a cold one and settle in… this
will take awhile
As we had noted in the last post, the flight from Zurich was uneventful as
was arrival at JFK.
The pilot found the terminal after 20 minutes of taxi time and now it was time to try out our New Global Entry Pass that we took great pains to secure.
The pilot found the terminal after 20 minutes of taxi time and now it was time to try out our New Global Entry Pass that we took great pains to secure.
After 2 tries at the special kiosk, we were
able to get DL’s receipt and then it was time for Chucky.
3 tries later, his comes up with an X, and the I.C.E. Agent we approached for entry sent us to a standard
customs line because:
not knowing where the camera was – Chucky’s
receipt had a great picture of the top of his little black cap and the machine could not confirm his identity.
Not remembering that he had his Global Entry
Card for just such an occurrence, we hustled over to the closest window as directed - much to
the dismay of the folks in the long line for that window - and
after a cursory look, new photo, and another stern look from the Customs Agent there, {Stamp-Stamp-Stamp} we were waived through.
Miraculously, our LUGGAGE was waiting for us, and we were
off to find the DELTA agent with our room reservation as promised by Marie in
Zurich.
Several queries of various DELTA personnel, lands
us at the “Re-Check Desk” where those with connecting flights re-checked their
Luggage and/or got connecting information, or hotel/transfer vouchers for what was
once called in the hotel industry - “Distressed Flights” – now called “Interrupted
Itinerary” or WHATEVAH!
The line was a bit long, as it seems that MANY
flights were “Interrupted” and the “Distressed” Passengers were stacking up around
the counter in heated discussions with harried looking agents.
After some time, it was our turn to hear the
opening comments above.
It seems that too many flights got interrupted
and every hotel in and around JFK was sold out, partly due to the Gay Pride
Parade scheduled for Manhattan TOMORROW!
Oh, Joy… Not what Chucky wanted to hear - but Hey…
this shouldn’t be a problem for us, Oh No… we were promised that DELTA had our
rooms already reserved,
“Marie in Zurich Said so,”
we told the poor DELTA agent of the sagging
shoulders and downcast eyes.
“Uh… I'm sorry to say sir,
but we’ve been on the phone since 8:00AM for other passengers and everything is
SOLD OUT around here, you'll have to find your own room.”
“Say What?!? But DELTA will Voucher it for us yes?”
“Let me look into that sir”
This dialogue went on with not one, not two
but at least 3 separate agents who kept jumping from one harried traveler to
the next.
Everyone, including one fellow who was
actually using one agent’s computer and eventually chased back to the outside
of the counter by security, was searching high and low on phones, tablets,
laptops etc. to find rooms.
Eventually one VERY official sounding agent – “Ms.
Rodgers, A” – suggested to those of us in earshot to download the HotelTonight app...
“That always seems to help.”
We had already been online on our phones
using every app we could, only to find that there wasn’t a room to be had in a 25+
mile radius, of course there were $700 rooms in Manhattan!
But WTF, let’s try that app - couldn't hurt.
So we both downloaded it:
And Voila, DL spots the Wyndham Garden in
Long island City with one room left at $295, {SAY WHAT?!?} which we snagged immediately, showing the
reservation to poor DELTA agent of the sagging shoulders who had also been trying
hard - on two separate computers - to find us a room – as Marie in Zurich promised.
Her eyes lit up as she issued travel vouchers
to and from the Wyndham with a car agency that apparently works with DELTA for
just this occasion.
“OK, now how about the voucher
for the Hotel?”
“Oh… Uh… You have to email
DELTA.com with your receipt, proving you did indeed stay there and they will
present it to Customer Care to evaluate for re-imbursement”
EVALUATE?!?! Email?!? UNACCEPTABLE!!!
Once again Ms. Rodgers, A steps in and gives
us a phone number to call as well to plead our case for re-imbursement, which
she says, usually works. That’s the only way it can be done, they no longer
issue hotel vouchers unless “They” make the reservation.
We won’t go into Chucky’s digesting of this
info - or the ensuing 15 minute exchange with MS. Rodgers, A - But it always
led back to:
Call the Number, fax or email the receipt and wait.
"And you have a Nice Day now."
Tired, Sweaty, Out of Patience, with no
other recourse and with LUGGAGE in tow, we head upstairs to Door #4 as
instructed by Ms. Rodgers, A, to call and wait for “Everywhere Car Service”.
One of their drivers was already picking up a
fare and advised that his pal would be here soon, and he was.
Our driver was a quite a character who had
spent time in SoFla and knew all the routes around Hollywood and Miami as well
as all the short cuts in Jamaica, NY, thus by-passing most of the traffic on the
L.I.E and 45 minutes later we arrived at the Wyndham Garden Inn, in Long Island City. Actually he almost ran past it as the Address
didn’t compute well in his GPS.
Ya out of breath yet - Had enough - ?!?
They apparently have not...
Not by a long shot but you'll have to wait for the next post to see if they made it home safely and just who has to stand up all the way to MIA...
Not by a long shot but you'll have to wait for the next post to see if they made it home safely and just who has to stand up all the way to MIA...
Or... maybe this is just the
2016 version of the 1970 Jack Lemmon/Sandy Dennis Movie,
Hopefully this version won’t involve a
hijacking to Cuba…
Or will it…
Ciao für Jetzt
Uncle Chuck & The “Just get her a Bed”
Dragon Lady
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