Stranded

[Seajatt]

If you like the hotel and feel like it's an extended vacation then stick around. If they offer to comp you a rental car then drive home. At least your baggage isn't in another state.

Certainly, I'm fortunate compared to the souls sleeping at the airport with no clue where their baggage is at.

 

[Seajatt]

Save your receipts, whatever you do.
Even if they can't sort stuff out right away, there's going to be a lot of pressure on them to make good on this once the initial crisis is past.

If you're still struggling to get through to Southwest customer service, one piece of advice I saw was to try their international numbers. (Of course, if that advice has been up for more than 10 minutes, the international numbers are probably swamped now too.)

Good luck and keep us posted!

Thank you, Morgana. I have been saving them, and am hoping SW won't fuss too much when I submit them for compensation. Thank you for providing the tips and concern that you have.

 

[Seajatt]

I saw in the news that Southwest will be reimbursing stranded travelers for 'reasonable' expenses for alternate methods of travel and related costs, such as hotels and meals. So...keep those receipts!

Yes sir, that is the plan! I've been saving everything so far.

 

[Seajatt]

Thank you for all the replies, concerns and advice. It makes me feel less alone. And also grateful to be a part of this little community we have here.

 

[Happy Camper]

Find a way to enjoy this extra time before you have to get back to whatever normal life brings. You're getting paid to be there and eat lol. Maybe there's something you can enjoy since you have time there. Make it fun if you can.

 

[Morgana]

Here is a New York Times article on "what stranded travelers can expect from Southwest".

On reimbursement, according to the article,

"No clear definition was given for what a 'reasonable' request would be. But Southwest is facing pressure to be generous in its compensation."

And that pressure includes Pete Buttigieg's/Department of Transportation's promise to

"take action to hold Southwest accountable.”

The article quoted one "expert" opinion that Southwest is in a good enough position financially to afford to do right by its customers. Well we'll see.

Luck, @Seajatt!

 

[Seajatt]

Find a way to enjoy this extra time before you have to get back to whatever normal life brings. You're getting paid to be there and eat lol. Maybe there's something you can enjoy since you have time there. Make it fun if you can.

I like your perspective!

 

[Seajatt]

Here is a New York Times article on "what stranded travelers can expect from Southwest".

On reimbursement, according to the article,

And that pressure includes Pete Buttigieg's/Department of Transportation's promise to


The article quoted one "expert" opinion that Southwest is in a good enough position financially to afford to do right by its customers. Well we'll see.

Luck, @Seajatt!

We will see for sure. I intend to submit everything the next day after I get back. But you know, this entire situation has really kinda reignited my want to get out and wander. I've been handling things for the past couple of years and have focused on that. But life is out here, its spontatenous and plans don't always work out. But you sure feel alive.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I just read an article about a man who has been waiting on a heart transplant for years, was about to fly to where the transplant was available, and then his flight was cancelled. So he is back on the waiting list for who knows how long.

Most people are inconvenienced by the disruptions. This guy might die because of the disruptions.

Now that puts it in perspective.

 

[Seajatt]

I just read an article about a man who has been waiting on a heart transplant for years, was about to fly to where the transplant was available, and then his flight was cancelled. So he is back on the waiting list for who knows how long.

Most people are inconvenienced by the disruptions. This guy might die because of the disruptions.

Now that puts it in perspective.

That's awful. I hope he gets helped somehow.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I just read an article about a man who has been waiting on a heart transplant for years, was about to fly to where the transplant was available, and then his flight was cancelled. So he is back on the waiting list for who knows how long .....

That doesn't sound right.

The heart comes to your heart hospital, you don't go to where the heart is. For U of M Hospitals you have 2 hours to get to the hospital; the heart is delivered from wherever. A donor heart is viable for ~4 hours. There is no way one can get to an airport, book a flight leaving shortly (how often is a flight leaving for your destination?), get through TSA, board, fly, disembark, drive to hospital in 2 hours.

Good friend is a scrub nurse for one of the surgeons that does this surgery, so I have heard about the process ad nauseam.

 

[tx2sturgis]

That doesn't sound right.

The heart comes to your heart hospital, you don't go to where the heart is.

I guess you should call the staff at KOMO and let them know they got it wrong.

Sea-Tac airport cancellations postpone Alaska man's heart transplant

A man from Fairbanks, Alaska, is desperately waiting for a life-changing phone call years in the making.

komonews.com

 

[Morgana]

It's frustrating that none of the stories (at least the ones I've seen) mention that angle (why is the patient going to the heart rather than vice versa). I wouldn't say the story is completely implausible (maybe the donor is still on life support, or Alaska doesn't have an appropriate facility, or ???).

Another weird thing is that the stories -- at least the few I've read -- seem to be fully based on what the man said, not on any interviews with the hospital or the man's doctor. CNN seems to be hedging its bets a little by putting "man says" in the headline.

(The CNN story does suggest, near the end, that it all has to happen in Seattle, wherever the heart originates. Which does make it weird that the guy would be living several hours away even on a good day.)

It could be real (I certainly believed it), or it could be just another drama queen + lazy reporters = tomorrow's media scandal. It just doesn't seem like a fully reported story -- frustrating.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I assume (and I know that is always risky) that the donor was probably a body being kept alive for a period of time but with no higher brain activity...this can happen due to a variety of causes. You just never know.

But yeah, fake news is always a possibility.

 

[Seajatt]

I'm supposed to fly out today at 5 and be in tampa by 10. Hoping like hell for now troubles

 

[tx2sturgis]

Good luck! Your signature tag line seems to be 'spot on'...

 

[Zerpersande]

I guess you should call the staff at KOMO and let them know they got it wrong.

Sea-Tac airport cancellations postpone Alaska man's heart transplant

A man from Fairbanks, Alaska, is desperately waiting for a life-changing phone call years in the making.

komonews.com

Not going to get up to speed on this thread but the fact that the guy lived in Alaska may mean that ‘his’ hospital isn’t nearby because….he lives in Alaska.

 

[LargeMarge]

That doesn't sound right.

The heart comes to your heart hospital, you don't go to...the heart... For U of M Hospitals you have 2 hours to get to the hospital; the heart is delivered from wherever...

.
We contracted as Air Couriers.
Carrying human 'resources', we often boarded last-minute, and we were Priority Departure.
The airlines understood the situation.

 

[Seajatt]

Well I made it back to Tampa. And so brings this little side quest to a close.

 

[Happy Camper]

Let us know how Southwest handles their follow-up. Glad you're home.