Sputtering Start

On Sunday it was all going well, on time flight from GRB-ORD, push back only five minutes late, then we stopped. After about 15 minutes, we were informed that there was pneumatic problem with the aircraft and the mechanics were on the way. After a few updates, it was announced that the a/c would be taken out of service and we would have to transfer to another plane (767 to 757). My pessimism immediately kicked in and I predicted that it might be hard to make our connection at LAX. About 20 names were called and these people were told to de-plane immediately and run to another concourse where they could get on another flight to LAX.

We got off the plane and as we came into the waiting area, we were told that we would soon reboard the original a/c and I sighed in relief. Soon the thundering herd that had been sent off to the O’Hare netherworld returned; there were no seats for them on the other flight and the inter-desk telephones were turning red hot with back-and-forth verbal frustrations. Soon we were informed that we would indeed have to change planes and my pessimism level again went to Code Red. After getting new boarding passes, I went down the concourse to talk to American Airlines. There was nothing they could do for us connecting to Air Pacific, so out came the after hour numbers for our travel agent and trip insurance company. I was on the phone until we finally got on the smaller plane (some first class pax were bumped back to coach). We had been told that there would be almost no food for purchase on board so if we wanted to assuage our hunger, we had to get something to eat in the terminal--RA made a mercy run to McDonalds.

We finally landed about 2200 PST--30 minutes after our Air Pacific was to have left. We had been informed that the flight had been cancelled due to weather in Fiji, but later discovered it left about two hours late--but had loaded and was sitting on the tarmac, so no way we could have gotten on it. We had no idea where our luggage was, but were able to retrieve our bags by noon on Monday.

So the next flight is tonight (Tuesday) and we will arrive in Sydney 48 hours later than originally planned. We have been camped out at the Four Points by Sheraton on hotel row here at LAX. We’ve been catching up on some reading and playing with our i-Phones.

The next hit on SPOT will either be in Fiji or Sydney--hopefully. Maybe we have the worst of our woes behind us.