Dug720
See the line where the sky meets the sea?
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2012
Hi all! So this is my trip report for my just-completed Winter Break trip!!
Cast: Me! Solo traveler!!
Thanks to some predicted winter weather, it actually started on 2/17 with an early flight - that almost didn't happen...
**2/17 - Let's Fly!**
As I stated my last post, I changed my flight, so I went to my Weight Watchers' meeting, then back home to grab my stuff and head to Newark. I got to Penn Station and got on a NJ Transit train that would stop at the AirTrain station. As we were beginning to pull into the station, my FitBit buzzed with a text and I saw "Flight Cancelled" on there.
WHAT? It is perfectly sunny and the snow is not supposed to start until about 7!
I was immediately on the phone with JetBlue rather than wait for them to contact me. The agent was very nice, and she did say that the one I was booked on was cancelled due to weather - still incredulous at that - but she could book me a seat on the 7:25pm flight. Which was NOT cancelled. Making the original cancellation make even less sense. The 2pm one, which I asked about as I was there in plenty of time, especially since I have PreCheck, was sold out completely. I asked her if I could do standby, but she couldn't do it over the phone. She did say I could check when I was in the terminal.
So that's what I did as soon as I got to the hub. I went to the JetBlue Questions counter and asked. The guys there were super nice and said I could absolutely go standby and not lose my seat on the 7:25. I heard one say "Ok, yes. Priority." when they were setting things up, and he asked me the Exit Row questions, so I was hopeful but trying not to be too hopeful. My app was showing the 7:25 flight as my boarding pass. I'd been told that they will not assign the standby seats until the flight has been closed out, but to stay close. As they were beginning the boarding process, I randomly looked at my app and saw that flight but without a seat assignment as my boarding pass. I was sitting near an airline employee who had already told one on the flight crew he was in a jump seat for the flight, and I politely asked him if that was a good sign that I now had that one. He tried to get into the company roster for the flight (or something) but he'd already been locked out of it. He did say he thought he had seen one standby and the first three letters of the last name were Str. Still, I was really trying not to hope because all too often standby means you end up standing there going "Bye" as the flight leaves.
BUT just after they closed the flight, they called my name!! I got a boarding pass with a seat number!!!
But then it was "Wait. It was at 151. Why did it just go to 152?" and they sent someone down to make sure the seat really was there.
It was, and I was escorted onto the plane!! Hooray!!!!
Landed in Orlando and grabbed some food to take to the Embassy Suites with me, then called for the shuttle. Spent the evening chilling and watching the Olympics, then went to sleep, setting my alarm early. I mean, since I was already in Orlando, might as well catch an early Magical Express, right?
Of course right!
Cast: Me! Solo traveler!!
Thanks to some predicted winter weather, it actually started on 2/17 with an early flight - that almost didn't happen...
**2/17 - Let's Fly!**
As I stated my last post, I changed my flight, so I went to my Weight Watchers' meeting, then back home to grab my stuff and head to Newark. I got to Penn Station and got on a NJ Transit train that would stop at the AirTrain station. As we were beginning to pull into the station, my FitBit buzzed with a text and I saw "Flight Cancelled" on there.
WHAT? It is perfectly sunny and the snow is not supposed to start until about 7!
I was immediately on the phone with JetBlue rather than wait for them to contact me. The agent was very nice, and she did say that the one I was booked on was cancelled due to weather - still incredulous at that - but she could book me a seat on the 7:25pm flight. Which was NOT cancelled. Making the original cancellation make even less sense. The 2pm one, which I asked about as I was there in plenty of time, especially since I have PreCheck, was sold out completely. I asked her if I could do standby, but she couldn't do it over the phone. She did say I could check when I was in the terminal.
So that's what I did as soon as I got to the hub. I went to the JetBlue Questions counter and asked. The guys there were super nice and said I could absolutely go standby and not lose my seat on the 7:25. I heard one say "Ok, yes. Priority." when they were setting things up, and he asked me the Exit Row questions, so I was hopeful but trying not to be too hopeful. My app was showing the 7:25 flight as my boarding pass. I'd been told that they will not assign the standby seats until the flight has been closed out, but to stay close. As they were beginning the boarding process, I randomly looked at my app and saw that flight but without a seat assignment as my boarding pass. I was sitting near an airline employee who had already told one on the flight crew he was in a jump seat for the flight, and I politely asked him if that was a good sign that I now had that one. He tried to get into the company roster for the flight (or something) but he'd already been locked out of it. He did say he thought he had seen one standby and the first three letters of the last name were Str. Still, I was really trying not to hope because all too often standby means you end up standing there going "Bye" as the flight leaves.
BUT just after they closed the flight, they called my name!! I got a boarding pass with a seat number!!!
But then it was "Wait. It was at 151. Why did it just go to 152?" and they sent someone down to make sure the seat really was there.
It was, and I was escorted onto the plane!! Hooray!!!!
Landed in Orlando and grabbed some food to take to the Embassy Suites with me, then called for the shuttle. Spent the evening chilling and watching the Olympics, then went to sleep, setting my alarm early. I mean, since I was already in Orlando, might as well catch an early Magical Express, right?
Of course right!