To Whom It May Concern
Dear Continental Airlines,
Myself and three of my friends, Susan, Ron and Miguel just returned from a kite flying trip to two cities in Colombia, Bogotá and Medellin. We were invited by the Mayor of Bogotá to perform at their annual summer festival.
We understand that International travel can be trying. After standing in line for over two hours at the ticket counter, we hardly noticed that Continental Airlines had forgotten to order a plane for our flight! The several hundred of us passengers still jolly and excited, joked about the oversight while we waited the hour or so while you looked about for a plane.
The four of us wanted to travel together and paid extra money to do so. Still didnt get too upset when we were seated in four corners of the plane only to glimpse each other as we ran the mile or two to our already boarded connection flight in Houston, again to be scattered about the plane.
I was a little miffed when I was plunked in a seat next to someone my size who was quite comfortable using half my seat. I was sitting on my seat belt, someone elses crap was under the seat and on the floor along with a blanket and a pillow. I was stuck. I couldnt move anything, not my feet not my arms, nothing when this snotty stewardess made a bee line for me with sir you cant store all that stuff there and you must buckle your seat belt now . Im pretty sure that woman will never forget the dialog that followed!!
Finally settled in I was forced to watch the movie - not hear the movie, only watch it as my new friend was not about to bring me a headset. Lesson here dont make the stewardess mad you may need something later!
Like I said International travel can be hard and we really tried not to be mad when we found out our bags couldnt run as fast as we did the mile or two to the plane in Houston, even though we were assured by Continental employees that the bags had beaten us and were safely stowed below. Here we were in Bogotá, without our bags, some of us without kites the kites and music needed for the big show and one of us without money. Lesson two, Ron says never, never pack all your money in your check in baggage!
More lines, more waiting, we finally made our claim and left the airport assured that our things would be on the next plane from Houston at 8:40 the next night.
Bogotá is a wonderful friendly city but the Airport is kinda scary after dark. The four of us arrived by cab back at the airport as directed by the Continental claims person. We were still trying to be understanding travelers, still smiling, when we found Continental was closed for the night! How could they be closed? Gees!
Thank God Miguel is fluent in Spanish. The three of us followed him around the airport till he ferreted out the only remaining employee, a baggage claims person! You guessed it NO bags! But the nice person had given us 4 phone numbers to call before we made the trip all the way back to the airport.
We cant be mad at Continental for finding ourselves in a long dark tunnel following a stranger to god knows where that night, can we? We did however come to our senses and turned around and got the heck out of there only to throw ourselves to the wolves. We were actually mobbed by taxi drivers pulling us in all different directions. Thank god we didnt have all that baggage.
It was back at the safety of the hotel, a very nice American style hotel that we discovered the 4 numbers that nice lady had given us only entertained us with recorded messages and provided us with absolutely no information. We were starting to get mad!
On Monday, along with some twenty other kiter's, we performed our demos to a crowed of over 52,000. Ron, no kites, no music, no costume for his freestyle routine. Susan without her music or rev handles. Avispados got along with borrowed lines. We all stunk as we were in day four wearing the same clothes! The day was still a blast and ended with a solid hour of the most awesome fireworks display we had ever seen. Im convinced that fireworks MUST be cheaper there cause they shot em off for more than an hour, truly a spectacle! WE almost forgot our favorite Airline!
Ya know how ya wear your comfy not so good clothes to fly in. Thats what was rotting on our backs for the fifth day thanks to Continental. Didnt they compensate us you ask? You bet they gave us a tiny plastic bag with a razor, some soap, shampoo and deodorant. I for one felt better having received this gift!
The ten thousand kids that we flew for on Tuesday never noticed how grubby we all looked. Especially after they got their new plastic sled kites. What a site, all those kids running in every direction with those kites. Again we forgot!
Our bags finally arrived and we dug through them for hours like it was some kind of luxury... I guess it was!
On Thursday in our clean undies (mine had to be interred at a toxic waste dump) we headed back to the airport to fly to Medellin for a couple shows there. It was then that we noticed that the Continental ticket clerk back in LA had neglected to include tickets for Ron to fly to Medellin. Yes, they screwed that up too. The four of us all the same itinerary, but Ron didnt have this flight on his sigh. Of course they were fully booked so we couldnt even buy one! Ron was more than happy to have an uneventful flight on Avianca airlines to Medellin.
Medellin is a crazy fast paced city with millions of people on the streets racing to somewhere. We stuck out like sore thumbs! But it was fun and with the shows over it was time to try to get home, on Continental, sigh!
Back to Bogotá ok, thru customs not bad, they even gave us a little preferred service. On the leg from Bogotá to Houston, we could even actually see each other scattered closer on the plane!
Again we were in customs a little to long in Houston and had to run for the plane to LA. We found our gate, #20 and were thinking were on time when we heard Last call for Houston at gate 19. They had even given us the wrong gate number! By the time we gathered our stuff of course we were the last people to board. Thats where Continental employees insisted on taking our kites away from us. Having carried them on 6 different planes in the last week, this person now insisted on taking our kites promising to tag them with a Special Handling tag and assuring us that they would be handled carefully and returned to the plane door when we arrived in Los Angles. Angrily we relented, only to find our seats with tons of overhead space available. In fact, the one over my head was completely empty all the way to LA. God knows where our kites were!
I was happy to actually share three seats Ron, this turned out good as we kept each other from getting mad as we sat in the plane in 100 degree sun at the gate for over two hours with no air conditioning while they tinkered with the hydraulic system. The two hours was really worth it though because after they got the plane in the air they passed out FREE headphones so we could watch the same movie they showed on the way there! Whoooo Hoooo! Made me feel better - I could hear it this time!
Finally arriving two hours late, Continental had yet more treats for us! Susans kites were waiting for her all right, but Rons and mine were nowhere in sight. I walked up the ramp to see if they were at the check in gate but no, not there. So I attempted to go back down the skyway to where they told me my kites would be, only to be rudely spun around and told I could not go down to where I had just come from only seconds ago. The woman was mean and unfriendly and told me to leave immediately. She said she would look, returning only to tell me she didnt know where my kites where, as she walked past me careful not to appear to helpful.
In their wisdom or humor they loaded all the baggage from three flights at the same time on the same single baggage carousel! What a scene, there had to be 600 people in that room shifting about squeezing past each other and breaking out in occasional fights and screaming matches. OK, that was me screaming at some guy that pushed past me just as I was reaching for my luggage. He got his while mine went for another ride around. Bet he wont do that again with out looking at the size of the guy he pushes past!
Finally with bags in hand, I began the search for my kites, AND thats what really made me mad. I found this huge pile of all the stuff that is too large to fit on the carousel, with a fine Continental employee standing by a conveyor belt throwing items over his shoulder onto this growing heap.
Right away I found Rons kites, but mine were nowhere in site. I stood there watching this guy giving all this baggage Special Handling, hoping my kites would come down and I could get em before he tossed them. Soon no more items were being tossed. I went back to the heap and thats when I could see that bright red Special Handling tag sticking out from the bottom of the mountain of strollers, car seats, skis, golf clubs and whatever else you an imagine. There were my kites on the bottom! This is what really made me mad. Last bag on, first bag off. I dug my kite bag out and screamed thanks to the guy for the special handling, at which he stared at me like I had done something wrong!
I couldnt get out of that baggage room fast enough and pray I never see another Continental employee as long as I live.
Like the Captain said when we landed, YOU have lots of choices when you travel, choose the right airlines!.
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This page was last updated March 13, 2003 11:42 PM