This delayed flight story that ends well.
When we were flying from Kansas City to Singapore in late December to catch our Asian Holiday cruise, we had arranged frequent flier tickets that we were very excited about:
- Fly Kansas City to Denver on United,
- then Denver to Frankfurt on Lufthansa First Class (on the 747-400 plane with the full beds by the seats like we experienced on this flight),
- then Frankfurt to Bangkok in Thai First Class,
- and then onto Singapore from Bangkok also on Thai First Class.
- We would have a long layover in Frankfurt, during which booked an airport hotel day rate, and we planned to fit in a quick visit to the Christmas markets.
However, as travelers know, things happen. In our case, the flight from Kansas City to Denver was delayed three times.
First, there was a mechanical issue . So the airline substituted another plane.
Then the new plane had a mechanical issue. Just as that issue was repaired, a second mechanical issue was uncovered.
Although we originally had 3+ hours for the connection, we were delayed too long, and there was no way that we would make the Lufthansa flight out of Denver.
It was the business holiday travel period, not a great time to find open seats for alternate flights. Plus, a big snow storm was heading to Kansas City.
Mr. Jones searched the United website for availability before he called customer service. While he saw nothing the evening of our planned flight, he saw open seats showing the next day on United Airlines in First Class between San Francisco and Singapore, via Narita (Tokyo) Japan.
Calling customer service, he was first offered a down-grade in service; that was all that was available out of Denver. “What about this option through San Francisco?” he asked the agent. “There’s an early morning flight from Kansas City to San Francisco.”
The customer service agent found the flights and re-booked us. We canceled the Frankfurt hotel, and advised our Singapore hotel we’d be arriving later.
We decided to stay at an airport hotel at the Kansas City airport, rather than head home and risk getting back the next morning in a snow storm.
At 4:15 am we were on the Hilton bus to the airport through the snow. Our plane was a little delayed, but soon we were on our way to San Francisco. The layover there went by very quickly as we were trying to wrap everything up.
Then we were on our way to Narita on a United flight.
Here’s a look at the United First Class service:
The seats are spacious and the entertainment systems have lots of options. On board and settled in.
A view of the San Francisco Bay area as we departed.
The appetizers included a vegetable spring roll, a coconut shrimp skewer with mango chutney, and a selection of sushi.
My entree was described as “a tamale-filled break of chicken with creamy corn sauce, grilled yuca and tomatoes.”
This was the “short rib of beef with red wine sauce, aji amarillo mashed potatoes, fine green beans and carrots.”
Mr. Jones loved the ice cream Sundae served for dessert while I enjoyed the cheese selection.
The flight attendant suggested a French Connection, made by combining Grand Marnier and Cognac.
The Japanese breakfast selection was Chicken Katsu with curry sauce, steamed rice and vegetables. There western breakfast choices were a Swiss cheese omelete or cereal and banana with milk.
This was the view from the window as we were just about to land at Tokyo’s Narita airport. A stopover in Japan was a bonus for me, as I had never visited Japan before.
Mr. Jones loved the cool beer machine that tilts the glass as it’s filling for a perfect pour in the United First Class lounge in Narita.
Back on another plane for one more flight. After about 8 hours of flying, we were finally in Singapore.
Thanks, United. We made it to Singapore in comfort.
Our take-away advice: during flight delays for long, complicated flights, be proactive and look for possible routes with space to suggest if you are not excited about the one the customer service agent first offers.
What’s your tip for dealing with flight delays? Please share in comments below.
Check out these other posts on flying and international airports:
- Experiencing Air China’s “˜Forbidden Pavilion’ First Class Flight Service
- A Look Inside Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Chicago
- Mumbai’s New Terminal T2 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
- 11 Hours in Beijing, China with the 72-Hour Visa-Free Stay Program
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