Non-rev/Commute Horror Stories

[Fly2Scuba]

With record load factors and most flights leaving full or near full, I'm wondering about some instances people have or know of from own experience or family/friends involving extreme difficulties getting to your destination. What's the longest anyone has been stuck somewhere? Anyone broken down and bought a ticket in such fiasco? Etc.?

 

[race#53]

i was with a ual employee that was trying to go from
TPA to ORD, first 2 flights were full...he got on the net without leaving the gate area and bought a seat
for $159, walked up to the agent with the confirmation # and he was on his way on the next flight which was also full.

 

[amcnd]

I always buy a ticket around christmas!! Southwest $89 bucks. As I watch the AA flight nonrev list with 50 people on it!!

 

[ultrarunner]

I have also bought a ticket online at the gate. Works like a charm. Bumped a non-rev once...but oh well...

..if you really gotta be there, go positive. Heck, even walk-up fares are cheap!

Almost no reason to non-rev.

 

[Whiskerbizkit]

I was driving to work and my 45min drive took 1 1/2 hrs

 

[DrewBlows]

I was trying to get to Chicago on United Express once when a CRJ-700 pulled up. "Oh no," I thought, "now I'll have to find another way there". Thankfully it was Skywest. "Whew, that was close."

 

[Freight Dog]

I just bought my daughter a full fare ticket on Continental...

She tried to get out for 3 days out of SNA to IAH. PACKED with nonrev list being simply insane. So they bring in an -800, and I'm thinking cool... she should get on it - they were actually gonna clear the entire nonrev list (people waiting for 3 days). Nope... weight restricted. I said to hell with it... I bought her a ticket for $400.

This brings up a question for CAL 737 guys. The agent said the plane had way too much gas. How much gas do you normally carry on flights between SNA and IAH? This was an -800 that was gonna leave with a lot of open seats.

 

[RJAA]

I just bought my daughter a full fare ticket on Continental...

She tried to get out for 3 days out of SNA to IAH. PACKED with nonrev list being simply insane. So they bring in an -800, and I'm thinking cool... she should get on it - they were actually gonna clear the entire nonrev list (people waiting for 3 days). Nope... weight restricted. I said to hell with it... I bought her a ticket for $400.

This brings up a question for CAL 737 guys. The agent said the plane had way too much gas. How much gas do you normally carry on flights between SNA and IAH? This was an -800 that was gonna leave with a lot of open seats.

If it's a 700, getting everybody on board from SNA to IAH is not usually a problem. The 700s are flown from SNA to EWR too and those can be sometimes tough to work with. The -300s, -500s, -800s (to the lesser extent) would encounter lots of problems regardless of the fuel loads but they rarely send those models out to SNA. These are wrong kind of airplanes and used as a last resort for SNA. As far as what the agent said about too much fuel on board, I wouldn't put too much weight on it. She/he doesn't know what she is talking about. Summer time in Texas is a pit, dealing with enroute TS and arrival reroutes due to ATC and weather all the way around Texas. Sometimes carries a good amount of gas in the range of 12000lbs fuel over destination on a bad day if it can get away with it.