"Out-of-Towners" travel to SPb part 5 (long)

[CFonde]

--- Tuesday 8/21/01, St. Petersburg, Russia ---

  As instructed by the Warsaw, Poland head office of LOT Polish Airlines, I proceed to call their St. Petersburg office to inquire about & possibly confirm my previous flight itinerary dates. I briefly explained my situation to the English-speaking gentleman over the phone, and he stated to me that my original flight itinerary would be ok, and to report to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg at least 2 hours prior to flight departure. Geez, that was easy, I thought! How come New York & Warsaw couldn't be as accommodating!? I wanted to confirm my exact departure dates as soon as possible, so I could potentially explain the situation to the Russian Visa registration office if need be. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary.

--- Saturday 8/25/01, St. Petersburg, Russia ---
   Approx. 2:00pm local time   

  After 5 of probably the most memorable, romantic & enjoyable days of my life, my time in St. Petersburg was coming to a close, and we are heading for Pulkovo Airport for my impending flight departure on LOT Polish Airlines flight #684 to Warsaw. After a fairly emotional farewell to both Nina R., Nina S.  & Slava, and a few photos, I entered the passenger-only area of Pulkovo International Airport. Again, Customs, flight check-in, & Passport Control was a breeze. This was seemingly going to be an uneventful return trip to the United States,…or so I thought! Unfortunately, I had purchased an "e-ticket" with Delta on the internet. The ticket agent would not accept this as a ticket, and would only transfer my baggage as far as JFK in New York.

--- Saturday 8/25/01, Warsaw, Poland ---
             Approx 3:30pm local time

  My flight arrives in Warsaw without any complications or surprises. I proceed to the ever-so-familiar foreign transfer desk, and I instinctively look for my good buddy "Elzebieta". She is nowhere to be seen. If I was going to encounter any possible complications, I wanted to work with her, as she was hopefully somewhat familiar of my situation. I hand my ticket to another slightly older woman, ironically named "Elzebieta". After reviewing my ticket, she checks her computer monitor momentarily. I can see my name listed on the list of passengers that she's reviewing. She consults (in Polish) with one of her supervisors. After several minutes, they both inform me that my original flight from St. Petersburg that I had just deplaned from had been on a "standby basis". This was entirely  news to me! She regretfully informed me that LOT flight #26 to JFK in New York was full, and even though they doubted I could get on standby, they would allow me access to the gate on a standby basis. If by some chance I was unable to get aboard flight #26 to JFK, that they had assigned me a regular seat onboard a flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. At this point, flight #26 was about 30 minutes from departure, so I headed towards the gate with the highest of hopes. I was strolling through the duty-free area, when I realized that I had about 20 Zlotich in Polish money from my previous visit. I proceeded to purchase a bottle of Polish Vodka & a chocolate bar in the duty-free shop. While making my way to the gate, I thought I imagined hearing my name over the announcement speaker. Having a hard time understanding the Polish accent, and just "assuming" that I imagined the whole thing, I proceeded through the security check area, and headed for the gate desk. At this point, "Elzebieta (#2) comes rushing through security area and yells out,…"Mr. Fond ?" in her heavy Polish accent. I respond "DA",…uhhh, I mean "Yes!". She apologized, and said that she had made a mistake. She took my passport & standby boarding pass & disappeared for about 5 minutes. She returned with a gentleman who she said for me to accompany him, as I will be boarding a later flight to Copenhagen. I follow this guy back across the duty-free area to the foreign transfer desk, which by now, I know like the back of my hand. There are several seemingly irate passengers there expressing their displeasure in several different languages. As I wait there, a woman passenger asks me if I'm going to JFK in New York. I told her that I had hoped so, but that it appeared that I was continuing my vacation to Copenhagen. The desk personnel were working on both her & my travel tickets. At this point, I'm not overly-distressed, as the better part of my vacation was now behind me, and I don't have to return to work until Thursday. I had allowed myself a few extra days just in case of events such as these. I DID have my Delta flight scheduled for 6:00am out of LaGuardia the next morning. The Delta Airlines coordinator also extended to me a one-time itinerary change if need be, without penalty. It was now looking like that was going to become a reality.

  The ticket agents were now through with both my & the ladies' travel tickets. They apologized again, and told me to return to the original gate of flight #26 to JFK in New York. Apparently, I was now in possession of a confirmed seat in row #1E. I followed the European lady back to the gate. It was almost 10 minutes until scheduled departure, and the line at the security check was tremendously long at this point. Forgetting about politeness at this point, I proceeded to cut in line at the front, to some obvious audible grumbling from the patrons behind me. I gave them an innocent-looking shrug and forced my way through the X-ray area.

  Luck was with me this time, as I boarded the aircraft. I was a bit unsure of the seat assignment of "1E", but I had a favorable hunch. I inquired to the stewardess, and she confirmed my suspicion. I now had a front row center seat in Business Class. The European lady from the foreign transfer counter was seated directly across the aisle from me. I whispered into her ear, "1st Class!". She nodded her approval, and smiled. She had previously told me that she was Russian headed towards New York. I said to her in Russian, "Eta Da-Statichna Savodnya!" ("That's enough for today"!) She said to me in accented English, "That's enough today"!

  The rest of my trip was fairly uneventful and on time. I ate like a pig and had a couple beers & glasses of wine to compliment my 5 course meal that they served. It was a 1st class trip all the way back to New York. Sorry Copenhagen, eat your heart out,…I'll deal with you guys some other time!

  I arrived at JFK and was the 2nd one off the plane. I proceeded to baggage claim & through Customs, where the officer noting that I had just returned from Russia via Poland. He inquired as to my line of work, and seemed satisfied with my response. At approx. 9:30pm I immediately proceeded to take a taxi to a nearly-deserted Delta departure terminal of LaGuardia Airport for my 6:00am departure on Delta (grrrrr!) in the morning. I didn't feel like forking-over another $140.00+ to stay in a hotel for just a few hours.

  To Delta's credit, everything was incredibly smooth sailing from New York to Sarasota, Florida via Atlanta. The story you have just read is TRUE! I have not added anything to create additional sensationalism. The names have remained the same to indict the guilty!

--- My personal recommendations: ---

·   Guys, if you're traveling to Europe, bring your cell phone! I spent countless hours on mine while awaiting resolution of my crisis in New York. You never know what problems are going to arise at your domestic transfer points. Having my cell phone with me proved worth its weight in gold!

·   Don't book separate flight plans like I did. While LOT Polish Airlines had an irresistible fare offer over the internet, attempt to get that fare in conjunction with your domestic carrier. A lousy 2 hour delay can screw-up your whole vacation. Believe me, if you read my story in its entirety, you know that they don't give a crap what happens to you afterwards, even if it's their own fault, if you've booked separate contracts.

·   Travel light, or at least lighter than I did! Don't try to be the Goodwill Gift Ambassador upon your arrival to Europe. Had my luggage not been checked in Sarasota, Florida all the way through to St. Petersburg, I would've been lugging around those 2 anvils all over JFK on Saturday the 18th.

·   Guys, this should be obvious, but I stupidly overlooked it. Pack some fresh underwear, socks & a couple shirts in your carry-on bag. Don't forget your shaving equipment, toothpaste, underarm deodorant, etc. I had packed all mine in my hard luggage, thus had to purchase some at the hotel shop in Poland.

·   In my opinion, having an "e-ticket" did me absolutely no good. They wouldn't check my baggage all the way through in St. Petersburg because of it. In New York, I still had to wait in line at LaGuardia to check my baggage to Florida. They have a kiosk in the airport lobby that allows you to enter your flight confirmation numbers, and you can receive your boarding pass right from the kiosk. This was of absolute no use to me, and proved to be a slight detriment actually.

  Now you know the rest of the story. Thank you very much for reading! Of course, as usual, your flight & mileage may vary! Good day!

[Ramblin]

... in response to "Out-of-Towners" travel to SPb..., posted by CFonde on Nov 7, 2001

I'll tell you C.F., I can definitely relate to your story.  Too bad you and I didn't come across any good travel advice before our trips.  Experience is a great teacher but it is always nice not to have to learn the hard way.  Last summer, I had an e-ticket on Mexicana and due to departing my house at the last minute and heavy San Jose traffic, I arrived at the gate 5 minutes before scheduled take off.  At which time, I was informed that the plane had already left.  Mexicana planes just leave whenever they feel like it, it seems.  Sometimes they make the passengers wait 45 minutes past departure time to board, and sometimes they depart before scheduled departure time.  And just as in your case, of course, the ticket counter is now closed since they see no reason to staff a counter when there are no more flights scheduled.  When the ticket counter finally does open, first they say that they can get me on the next flight a day later and I would only have to pay the difference, but when they realize that it is an e-ticket with no changes allowed, they say that I will have to buy a new ticket.  What I ended up doing was flying to Los Angeles for an extra $100, spending a sleepless night in LAX, buying another ticket to Cancun at a higher price than my original, and arriving to meet my lady one day late.  And I did have to lug around a very heavy suitcase and carry on bag for an evening,  night, and a morning at LAX.  After talking to several airline supervisors, the only thing they would do was tell me to try for a refund with Yahoo Travelocity because of the fact that it was an e-ticket.  So when I arrived home after my trip, I phoned Travelocity and was told that no refund would be given because the plane did not leave that early and because I was required to be at the airport one hour early for international flights.  I said I would not pay twice for one trip and would deduct it from my credit card bill and hung up on them.  I can also relate to your story about the separate contracts and the luggage situation.  My trip to Kiev was for two weeks and returned Sunday September 9, two days before the NYC tragedy.  When I arrived for the domestic leg of the flight, early enough, the first thing the ticket agent asked me was, "Do you know why your flight was cancelled?"  After a big hassle and missing the flight, it was determined that because the travel agent changed the last leg of the flight that the system automatically cancelled the whole thing.  A supervisor got me on a flight with an affiliate airline an hour later.  To help me make my JFK connection on time, she checked my bags all the way through to Kiev.  I arrive in Kiev and no luggage.  Of course, the luggage was left in NYC! The reason was because contrary to what the supervisor told me, and contrary to what the stickers said that were placed on my baggage, their airline did not have any luggage forwarding agreement with the international airline, Uzbekistan airlines.  So I arrived in Kiev on Saturday and my luggage did not arrive until Monday.  Then as you, I also experienced dealing with a chief, but this was not an airline chief but was a Ukraine Customs chief, and with the help of an interpreter giving a sob story, he was convinced to let me get my luggage even though their Customs department is closed from noon to four and at first they were going to make me wait another four hours.  But unlike you, I did have underwear, toiletries although not shampoo, and casual clothes in  my carry on bag.  Though no dress clothes in which to meet ladies until the main luggage arrived.  So I think our travel lessons are as follows:  (warning: very basic, as in back to basics "this is a football" kind of basics)
1.  If you buy an e-ticket, be very early for your flight and check in early, and don't expect to be able to make any changes to your itinerary if anything goes wrong (missed flight) or needs to be rescheduled, at least not any changes without significant additional cost.
1 1/2.  Get your entire itinerary through the same airline or agent on one contract if possible.
2.   Be early even if you don't have an e-ticket.
3.   Allow time between flights and keep your luggage with you between flights.  Just have rollers on your suitcase or use a carrying cart from the airport.  Kind of a hassle to keep it with you but better that than to have it not appear on the carousel at your destination.  If there is no way to avoid scheduling flights too close together to prevent checking your bags all the way through, then at least check the carousel at each leg of the trip to make sure that it is still checked with the airline and not stopped at a transfer point.  But of course if you had time to check the carousel at each leg, you wouldn't have checked it all the way through, so not much you can do but hope they transfer it to your international flight, but if for some reason you miss that flight, there goes your luggage into some locked room somewhere.
4. Bring a cell phone with you and all telephone numbers of airlines, travel agents, interpreters, and hotels at each city you will be landing at, and if you don't have your lady's telephone number memorized I know it is obvious but double check because if you think you have it and you don't it will cause you grief.  Another reason that a cell phone is good to have besides the hours of calls that C.F. experienced is the reason that pay phones are difficult to use in a foreign land where you can't read the dialing instructions and don't have change in that foreign currency yet.  And many pay phones don't work or they only take phone cards.
5.  Have two or three days clothes and essentials in your carry on bag along with the cell phone, and be sure that the telephone numbers are on your person and not in your checked baggage.  And of course, not that anyone would be so stupid but don't put your return tickets in your checked baggage either.
The seasoned travelers are probably thinking "Duh!" but the guys that are new to travel will be well advised to go over these tips prior to departure.

[Go2Rus]

... in response to "Out-of-Towners" travel to SPb..., posted by CFonde on Nov 7, 2001

than good news.  Your harrowing story attracted much more attention from the readers here than my story which was posted below earlier.  :-))

Rex

[KenC]

... in response to Chris, the two of us are proving the old..., posted by Go2Rus on Nov 7, 2001

Rex,
Even though Chris' story makes for good entertainment, I am sure that your story will be used as a goal for "what to do" for the newbies.  I couldn't help but think of John Candy and Steve Martin in "Planes, trains and automobiles" while reading his.  LOL
KenC

[CFonde]

... in response to Chris, the two of us are proving the old..., posted by Go2Rus on Nov 7, 2001

Rex,

  Actually, I'm enjoying your story either way. I too have a "blow by blow" account of the more romantic and every day aspects of my 5 day stay. I'll let you continue with your story, before I butt-in with mine. However, by the looks of your story, and as detailed as it seems to be (just like mine is), it might be a month before you're finished. (just a joke) I'm enjoying following along, and remembering places in my mind, just as you're describing them. By all means, please continue!

~ Chris

[BubbaGump]

... in response to "Out-of-Towners" travel to SPb..., posted by CFonde on Nov 7, 2001

When you book an e-ticket online, try to choose a seat assignment when you're booking.  If a plane is 90% full or more some airlines won't let you choose a seat assignment.  That tells you right away there could be trouble getting a seat.  If you didn't get a seat assignment online try to get one when you first go to the airport ticket counter.  

When you come to the US, you always have to get your luggage and take it through customs.  They don't check it all the way through.  

To get cheaper tickets, check the schedules on other days, like coming back on Saturday instead of Sunday.  

[DE]

... in response to "Out-of-Towners" travel to SPb..., posted by CFonde on Nov 7, 2001

What a nightmare to lose over 25% of your scheduled time in SPB.  But, although you eluded that the purpose of your trip was great, was it successful?  What were your impressions of SPB?  Planning on returning in the near future?

[CFonde]

... in response to Thanks Chris, posted by DE on Nov 7, 2001

DE,

  Personally, I can't imagine how I could've had a better time in St. Petersburg, unless I had stayed longer. Due to work & school commitments, it is difficult for me to get away for much longer than 1 week.

  My initial impressions of St. Petersburg were a bit of culture shock. I had previously lived in San Francisco for a number of years, and that may have had a lessening effect of big city life. Also, I couldn't get over the fact that a good number of the people on the streets were openly consuming bottles of beer, and even carrying them onto the Metro.

  Overall, I enjoyed St. Petersburg (& the people I met) very much. I am already planning my next trip, which will probably be in late April, but I'm constantly monitoring airfares on a daily basis. If they drop substantially in December, a holiday trip is definately not out of the question! Although it's a bit cold there for THIS Florida Cracker, and it gets dark there mighty early that time of year, I'd be willing to foresake those conditions to return there regardless of the time of year.

~Chris

[CFonde]

... in response to "Out-of-Towners" travel to SPb..., posted by CFonde on Nov 7, 2001


Gentlemen,

  Due to the extreme length of my story, I did not post this here upon completion of my trip in August. I completed my trip just 2 weeks before the awful events in New York & Washington D.C. on September 11th. These days, a small amount of spilled sugar, or a couple of muslim-looking folks onboard an aircraft can & unfortunately has been creating unprecedented delays in the airline industry. Therefore, my story, and the horrors involved have a bit more relevance by todays standards. If my story can prevent just 1 person from experiencing the agony & inconveniences that I did, it will have all been worth posting here. Thanks to all for your patience who may have read my story in its entirety. Good luck in your search!

~Chris