From: phygod72@nic.gac.edu (Phil )
Newsgroups: rec.travel.air
Subject: Re: Braniff experiences - See if you can top this!
Date: 10 Apr 92 02:10:11 GMT
Article-I.D.: gacvx2.1992Apr9.201013.748

In rec.travel.air article <ku46kdINNdvb@news.bbn.com> you wrote:
} Has anyone flown the latest version of Braniff Airlines?
} Any good or bad experiences to report?
} 
} (They are offering $29 each way from Boston to Newark, which
} is cheaper than a train.  I'm thinking of trying it...)

Well, I just had one, and since I've got a little time to kill, I'll relate it  
to you all (don't worry - it's quite funny).  If you can beat it, please post  
something to better it:

First a little background:  

Braniff (as you may or may not know) is currently in the fourth "version" of  
the company, and started flying a route from Minneapolis-Midway-Newark (and  
back) on March 20 of this year.  To get more fares, they offered a special for  
$121 RT (MSP-MDW) (and that was 10 days from the flight), as many airlines do  
when starting up.  I had to pick my tickets up at the airport before my 7am  
flight on Sat the 28th, which wasn't any big deal to me.  (I did not know at  
the time that Braniff hadn't been flying for long.)  My final destination was  
Indianapolis, so I got a reservation on Continental (I really like to press my  
luck) for an 11:00 flight out of Midway (Braniff was to land in MDW at 8:05am),  
but did not pay for it ($49 one-way with student discount isn't bad, but I was  
kind of iffy about Continental).  

Now, about the plane itself.  The same plane covers all locations during the  
day, and spends the night in Minneapolis.  There is an 8:15 flight out of MDW,   
one in the evening, and one out of Newark in the late afternoon.  

Now, the day begins:

My ride got me to the airport at 4am (the only time he could).  So I got there  
in plenty of time to catch my flight, get my tickets, etc (I never check  
baggage).   No one was at the ticket counter at that hour (and why should they  
be), so I went to the other terminal and back since I had never been there.  I  
slept for a bit, and got in the ticket line at 6:15 (I was towards the front).   
It turns out that America West does all the counter-work, as well as plane  
maintence and baggage handling - at least at MSP.

As I paid for my ticket with my VISA, I noticed that my ticket was being  
hand-written.  Interesting, I thought, but maybe they are trying to save money  
or something (you'd think that that would be a requirement for getting into  
business, as good business sense, but I guess not).  And then they _phone_in_  
my credit card!!!  That had me laughing, because the instant-electronic service  
isn't all that expensive, nor is it hard to install!  I asked about my boarding  
pass, and it turns out that it was written on my ticket jacket (no seperate  
card like United or NWA).  So, at any rate, I get out of line at 6:45, and make  
the 10 minute walk to my gate.  

When I get there, the plane is at the wrong gate (mind you, it had been there  
all night), but that didn't seem too big of a deal.  At 7:20, there is an  
announcement that the flight will have to go to "Delayed indefinitely."  Why?   
There is a part that needs to be replaced (turns out to be a battery pack for  
the emergency lights over the exit doors and aisle).  But they said that they  
were going to ask Northwest for a part (Northwest has a hub at MSP), and once  
they got the part it would take 30 min to install it.  Well, at 9:15, they  
announced that "their part numbers didn't match up, so they would have to get a  
part from Chicago.  We are going to try to get it onto a 10:40 flight out of  
O'Hare on United."  (also note that the plane is a 727-200, not an uncommon  
bird, so you'd think...)  I did a little quick math and figured that there  
wasn't a chance in hell I'd make my connecting flight.  So I went to the ticket  
counter, expecting to be put on another airline so I could make my connecting  
flight (not _too_ unreasonable, now, is it?).  BUT, the guy tells me that  
"Braniff doesn't have a recripocal agreement with other airlines.  We'll refund  
your ticket, though, and you can go find a flight on your own."  Yeah, right.   
Same day ticket, one-way is about $450, and I wasn't about to spent that kind  
of money.  

So I called my mom in Indianapolis, and she said that she would drive up to  
Chicago (three hours drive), if I would just tell her when I thought the flight  
would get in.  I said that I had no clue, but would tell her when I did.  So,  
back at the gate, they make an announcement at 11:50 that "the part did not  
make the plane, but it will be in on a 12:35 flight arriving here at 1:40."   
WHAT!?!?!  They had to sign for the part (at Midway), drive it to O'Hare (45  
minutes, max, I think), and get it on the plane.  They had an hour and a half  
to do this, and still didn't manage to!  So, at this point, they are refunding  
tickets to everyone who wanted to, connecting flights or not.  Doing some more  
math, I figured that it would be 4:00 that I landed in Chicago, and told my mom  
so.  She said that she would be there at 4 (and was).

Well, at 3:00, we see the part get onto the plane (and there was much  
rejoicing).  At 3:15, there is an announcement that "the plane has landed, and  
it will just be a matter of getting the part down here and on the plane."  [We  
know who is organized, don't we?  Yep - United!  The flight landed at 1:40 (we  
checked the monitors)].  But it took them (Braniff) 1 hour and 20 minutes to  
get the part from the middle of the airport to the other (and Minneapolis isn't  
all _that_ big).  

At 5:30, they say that "we have the part in, but it doesn't seem to want to  
work."  Well, we just laughed.  So very very sad.  At 6:00, they say that they  
finally got it working, but that the plane would only be able to fly to  
Chicago.   "For those passengers who were continuing on to Newark, we are going  
to put you onto a Northwest flight at 6:40 direct to Newark."  Good luck  
getting your baggage - it was still on the plane at the time.  {Say, was there  
anyone in this situation?  Did you _get_ your bags?}  They had to wire money in  
so that they could pay for the NWA tickets (had to cost 'em a bundle, too).   
But I wasn't in that boat - I was going to Chicago, and was glad to finally get  
on the plane.

We finally got into the air at 6:15.  There were maybe 40 people on the flight  
(they did serve complimentary alcoholic drinks, and decided to splurge and give  
us a full can of pop - no, really!  I overheard the conversation!).  The flight  
landed at 7:20.  At Midway, I learned that everyone else was stranded and put  
in hotels (in Newark, too).  Also, there were about 10 security guards at  
Midway, trying to keep people from rioting.  (At Minneapolis, we got one  
security guard, an hour before we left, and that was to comfort this guy who  
was autistic and a type 'A' personality - he made the whole day, well, grating  
on the nerves).  I have no clue about Newark's security guards.

That's basically it...an 11 hour delay after all was said and done

BUT, to mention as a post-script:

My return flight (which I wasn't looking forward to) was an hour delayed.  But  
the funny thing is is that the emergency lights didn't work!!!  I just laughed,  
and no one had a clue what I was laughing about.  (I was quite loud about it,  
too.)

Phil Miesle
phygod72@nic.gac.edu

p.s.:  After landing in Chicago, we drove striaght through to Ocean Isle Beach,  
	NC - a 16.5 hour drive...
Newsgroups: rec.travel.air