Do you have a particularly memorable flight?

[pppdrive]

Most memorable flight

I had booked Hervey Bay-Sydney-Newcastle-Auckland, all on Virgin. a few days prior the flights, advised by Virgin that Newcastle-Auckland flight cancelled so they offered me a Brisbane-Auckland flight. No way I could get from Hervey Bay to Brisbane (without an overnight in Brisbane) in time for the offered Brisbane-Auckland flight. After much to and fro talks as to why I would have to pay extra for their suggested Brisbane-Auckland flight instead of what I had paid for the original, they then offered a Sydney-Auckland direct flight for no extra cost.

So I traveled Hervey Bay-Sydney and needed to go from Domestic to International Terminal in Sydney. Not too much of a problem as I knew Virgin in Domestic Terminal had a 'departure' gate specifically for transfers Domestic to International by a minibus airside . Get to the gate and due severe weather at Sydney (which it indeed it was), ground transport airside was cancelled so had to use the normal transfer bus from outside the terminal. OK slightly annoying but not a problem (baggage had been checked right through to Auckland). Went to departure gate for for flight to Auckland to find out delayed awaiting arrival of aircraft due weather. This got later and later mid evening with 'our' aircraft having to divert as couldn't land at Sydney, so flight was cancelled and we'd be overnighting with a 6am departure booked the following morning BUT we'd have to collect our baggage after Customs OK'd it.

Waited whilst baggage came round on the conveyor system but mine and around 15 other peoples baggage was nowhere to be seen. Off to Hotel for the night without baggage after being told to 'report missing bag' in the morning. Following morning was told by Virgin staff to go to office (of their contracted baggage handlers) to report missing bag. Office closed and locked till 8am, so back to Check-in area where details were noted and they'd pass it on when that office opened.

6am flight delayed (due late incoming aircraft) and got later and later finally to depart so much later that my (already rearranged twice) flight from Auckland to New Plymouth, the last one for the night had already departed. Waited for my bag to arrive in Auckland but mine and the other 15 or so passengers also waited in vain as they never arrived. Finally found someone to report it to and someone else who offered to arrange overnight hotel in Auckland and rebook flight to New Plymouth. Decided that for the 4 hours before the New Plymouth flight would depart I'd be better off just waiting at Auckland Airport.

Finally arrived New Plymouth without bag but after two 'overnights.' Had things gone to plan I'd have been in New Plymouth the same day that I left Hervey Bay instead of two days later. That was a disastrous trip from start to finish (bags finally arrived in New Plymouth another 3 days I had). What I would say is that the actual Virgin staff in Sydney were superb, under great stress for not only my flight disruptions but for all their other flights. The limited number of Virgin staff politely and apparently stress free did whatever they could but were overwhelmed by basically the weather.

The real let down was by whoever did their baggage handling as the bags had arrived as far as Sydney but then went missing. All that because I chose to book via Newcastle, having never flown to/from there. Oh well that was the only time I've ever had two unplanned overnights since I started traveling air back in 1968.