Connection missed this morning by AirNZ in Auckland from JFK flight and Brisbane flight.

[Tranquility Base]

5 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

 

Both passes issued in JFK,

Great.

 

For future benefit of other readers, if on the inbound flight there are delays, do raise your connection concerns with the crew.

They can arrange for quick disembarkation, and also notify operations.

Ops can notify the transfer desk / boarding gate as applicable that you are on your way and therefore a tight connection can still possibly be made.

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, Tranquility Base said:

 

 

1 hour ago, Tranquility Base said:

Great.

 

For future benefit of other readers, if on the inbound flight there are delays, do raise your connection concerns with the crew.

They can arrange for quick disembarkation, and also notify operations.

Ops can notify the transfer desk / boarding gate as applicable that you are on your way and therefore a tight connection can still possibly be made.

Thank you.  I have been the beneficiary of that making connection between overseas flights where they held the flights and family of four literally ran.  Eg London to Orlando via Chicago.  Aust to London via Doha. 

My neighbour, a pilot, was shocked at the connection time given between Brisbane and Sydney for an overseas flight.  He thought it was a mistake, but it wasn't.  He tried to get us on an earlier flight, but they were full.  He told me to grab a cab at Sydney domestic to make international connection.  Meanwhile my daughter was top of queue at Sydney International.  Not the best way to make an overseas flight.

Did I mention I don't like flying!

[MMDown Under]

On 12/6/2023 at 12:41 PM, colourbird said:

 

A couple of weeks ago, during our return journey from Miami, USA to Australia, we had a layover in Houston. The scheduled time between our connecting flights was one hour and 25 minutes. We rushed between terminals and upon reaching the gate for the Sydney flight, had only 10 minutes to spare. The multiple delays during the initial flight added to my growing sense of unease, but it all worked out well in the end.

My daughters had a similar problem with making a connection in Houston.  I seem to recall they slept on chairs. 

[Jean C]

My worst experience was good old LAX again, London to Auckland. I was travelling alone however sat next to and paired up for the journey with a pastry chef on his way to Auckland to board Queen Victoria. We had a tight connection.

 

The line at LA immigration was long. A lady came along asking who had onward flights. We said we did, she looked at our tickets and said we should be okay, so she didn't fast track us.  It must have been break time as while we queued one by one the immigration staff got up and shut their booths, so the long line barely moved, creating a lot of stress for us. No one else approached us nor could we see anyone to call over.

 

On finally getting through we ran to our terminal only to find that it was undergoing renovation and we had to go to a different temporary departure gate. We were directed to a long flight of stairs on the outside of a building (no lift or escalator). I would have struggled with my luggage and the urgency but for the pastry chef.

 

We made it, puffing and panting! Ironically though, our plane was late arriving at LA so we ended up with a long wait afterall.

 

The moral of this story for me is that I avoid LA as much as possible, and always make sure I have a decent time allowance between flights 🥴

[MMDown Under]

25 minutes ago, Jean C said:

My worst experience was good old LAX again, London to Auckland. I was travelling alone however sat next to and paired up for the journey with a pastry chef on his way to Auckland to board Queen Victoria. We had a tight connection.

 

The line at LA immigration was long. A lady came along asking who had onward flights. We said we did, she looked at our tickets and said we should be okay, so she didn't fast track us.  It must have been break time as while we queued one by one the immigration staff got up and shut their booths, so the long line barely moved, creating a lot of stress for us. No one else approached us nor could we see anyone to call over.

 

On finally getting through we ran to our terminal only to find that it was undergoing renovation and we had to go to a different temporary departure gate. We were directed to a long flight of stairs on the outside of a building (no lift or escalator). I would have struggled with my luggage and the urgency but for the pastry chef.

 

We made it, puffing and panting! Ironically though, our plane was late arriving at LA so we ended up with a long wait afterall.

 

The moral of this story for me is that I avoid LA as much as possible, and always make sure I have a decent time allowance between flights 🥴

We all avoid LAX because of our war stories!  On my last flight to NY, travelling on my own, we had to go through Customs in LAX.  I had two problems - money hidden on my body - had to be taken to a special room to be checked by two burly women - and something they couldn't find in my hand luggage.  My plaintive pleas "You wouldn't make me miss my connecting flight to NY would you?"  "I'm being met by my girlfriend at JFK" were to no avail.  They didn't find "it" and didn't want my suggestions.  They treated me like I had  a gun in my hand luggage, when I made any movement towards the bag.  No matter I'd just flown all the way from Australia.  I made my connection, all hot and bothered, to be met by my fellow travellers all freshly showered and shaved. Welcome to America, the land of the friendliest people, except in Customs.  This is why Air NZ now has its direct long haul flight from JFK to Auckland!

[Jean C]

17 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

We all avoid LAX because of our war stories!  On my last flight to NY, travelling on my own, we had to go through Customs in LAX.  I had two problems - money hidden on my body - had to be taken to a special room to be checked by two burly women - and something they couldn't find in my hand luggage.  My plaintive pleas "You wouldn't make me miss my connecting flight to NY would you?"  "I'm being met by my girlfriend at JFK" were to no avail.  They didn't find "it" and didn't want my suggestions.  They treated me like I had  a gun in my hand luggage, when I made any movement towards the bag.  No matter I'd just flown all the way from Australia.  I made my connection, all hot and bothered, to be met by my fellow travellers all freshly showered and shaved. Welcome to America, the land of the friendliest people, except in Customs.  This is why Air NZ now has its direct long haul flight from JFK to Auckland!

What an awful experience for you 😪

[MMDown Under]

Yes, it certainly wasn't good for my high blood pressure.  On reflection, if passengers don't want to fly via LAX, there is a hidden cost to Log Angelos/California.  We used to holiday there annually to break the long journey, but haven't holidayed there since.

 

We also will never fly on an Alaskan Airpass in Alaska again,  That is another story.  However, we'll use the wonderful Alaskan Marine Highway with the locals.  

[MMDown Under]

11 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Yes, it certainly wasn't good for my high blood pressure.  On reflection, if passengers don't want to fly via LAX, there is a hidden cost to Log Angelos/California.  We used to holiday there annually to break the long journey, but haven't holidayed there since.

 

We also will never fly on an Alaskan Airpass in Alaska again,  That is another story.  However, we'll use the wonderful Alaskan Marine Highway with the locals.  

Suggestions for improvement for transitting LAX -

Don't mix long haul flyers, who are just transitting and have already been through intense security at their country of boarding.  Don't mix them with every man and his dog who are just newly boarding.  

Encourage the friendliness of their American staff.  Don't treat all flyers like potential terrorists. I'll always remember my first arrival in US from London.  I was feeling lost and overawed at the size of the place and wondering how I would get out  I asked an officer "How do I get out?".  He replied, with a laugh, that I was already out!  What a difference from my first arrival to my last LAX transit.   

[ceeceeDee]

Customs at Houston left a nasty taste in my mouth. We had a connecting flight to Miami after travelling for over 24 hours (ex Brisbane) due to various delays. Anyway, after standing in the obligatory endless queue, I finally made it to a booth and made a point of being pleasant. Honestly, the official treated me like I had 'al qaeda' tattooed on my forehead. Every question was barked at me and answers treated with the greatest suspicion. When asked for reason for visit I replied we were cruising out of Miami. Words barely left my mouth when he jumped down my throat with 'WHO IS WE?!'. I'm sure my hand was shaking when I pointed out my hubby and two friends who were at another booth. 

Mind you, this guy must have been having a bad day, as aforementioned hubby and two friends were treated with politeness by the official they dealt with.

[MMDown Under]

9 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

Customs at Houston left a nasty taste in my mouth. We had a connecting flight to Miami after travelling for over 24 hours (ex Brisbane) due to various delays. Anyway, after standing in the obligatory endless queue, I finally made it to a booth and made a point of being pleasant. Honestly, the official treated me like I had 'al qaeda' tattooed on my forehead. Every question was barked at me and answers treated with the greatest suspicion. When asked for reason for visit I replied we were cruising out of Miami. Words barely left my mouth when he jumped down my throat with 'WHO IS WE?!'. I'm sure my hand was shaking when I pointed out my hubby and two friends who were at another booth. 

Mind you, this guy must have been having a bad day, as aforementioned hubby and two friends were treated with politeness by the official they dealt with.

You must have been exhausted after flying for 24 hours ex Brisbane.  My daughters had a bad experience in Houston also,  They were flying in different directions, at the end of a holiday. so were basically on their own,  I always make it hard for staff by being extra nice.  When we used an air pass in Alaska, because of bad flying conditions, we were in and out of the areas where you wait for your flight  You've guessed it, no toilets.  We had to go through full security every time.  The locals didn't and apologised to us.  In the end, when my husband had to take his belt off one more time, I worried what he was going to do with it!!  I went up to the nicest customs guy and quietly asked him if there was anything on our tickets which highlighted us for extra attention?  YES!!  He quietly told his staff to not open every single container inside another container, which is how we travel.  This was the series of flights which returned to where they started before we joined (I heard man behind me telling his wife they were back to where they started.) This was also the flight where the pilot tried to land, then aborted the landing, then next time around asked whether anyone could see the runaway,  

(This experience prepared me for landing on Lord Howe Island.  Our Brisbane flight landed, whilst the Sydney flight behind us had to return to Sydney,) 

[frantic36]

16 hours ago, Jean C said:

The moral of this story for me is that I avoid LA as much as possible,

 

I totally relate to this sentiment after having a almost four hour wait to go through LAX customs and usually try to fly into or through SFO. We are boarding a cruise in LA this January so have to go through LAX and are hoping we have a better experience .

 

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

(This experience prepared me for landing on Lord Howe Island.  Our Brisbane flight landed, whilst the Sydney flight behind us had to return to Sydney,) 

 

We went to Lord Howe last October arriving on a Saturday. On Sunday afternoon the weather became very windy and cloudy and we saw the last plane to arrive or depart until the following Friday. I was very impressed with clients at our resort who ended up stuck until Friday as some had business or family commitments delayed but maintained a great attitude. We still managed to do lots of hikes but the low cloud cover stopped planes landing.

[MMDown Under]

19 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

I totally relate to this sentiment after having a almost four hour wait to go through LAX customs and usually try to fly into or through SFO. We are boarding a cruise in LA this January so have to go through LAX and are hoping we have a better experience .

 

 

We went to Lord Howe last October arriving on a Saturday. On Sunday afternoon the weather became very windy and cloudy and we saw the last plane to arrive or depart until the following Friday. I was very impressed with clients at our resort who ended up stuck until Friday as some had business or family commitments delayed but maintained a great attitude. We still managed to do lots of hikes but the low cloud cover stopped planes landing.

Yes, very impressive how they handle guests who don't leave, but new guests have taken their tourist accommodation.  We had a lady in our accommodation who shifted into staff quarters until the next flight out. For those who haven't visited Lord Howe Island, it is one of Australia's hidden treasures.  Only 500 guests are permitted a one time, on the island.  They have some lovely old fashioned customs where your accommodation host takes you to your restaurant of choice and the owner brings you home.  It is lovely to see families return from the Mainland at Christmas. 

[NSWP]

10 days on NI is a wonderful break. Get a car, eat out and above all, enjoy !,

[MMDown Under]

On 12/9/2023 at 6:23 PM, NSWP said:

10 days on NI is a wonderful break. Get a car, eat out and above all, enjoy !,

Yes, Our first visit to NZ was on a car hire and accommodation package basis.  It couldn't have been more relaxing.  We had a couple of choices of basic accommodation in each place.  Our hardest decision of the day, which motel and whether we ate in or out.  I fell in love with NZ on my first visit.  I was originally against visiting NZ because I thought I'd never go any further.  And I was born to travel, the only one in my family.   

[ceeceeDee]

On 12/8/2023 at 6:17 PM, MMDown Under said:

You must have been exhausted after flying for 24 hours ex Brisbane.  My daughters had a bad experience in Houston also,  They were flying in different directions, at the end of a holiday. so were basically on their own,  I always make it hard for staff by being extra nice.  When we used an air pass in Alaska, because of bad flying conditions, we were in and out of the areas where you wait for your flight  You've guessed it, no toilets.  We had to go through full security every time.  The locals didn't and apologised to us.  In the end, when my husband had to take his belt off one more time, I worried what he was going to do with it!!  I went up to the nicest customs guy and quietly asked him if there was anything on our tickets which highlighted us for extra attention?  YES!!  He quietly told his staff to not open every single container inside another container, which is how we travel.  This was the series of flights which returned to where they started before we joined (I heard man behind me telling his wife they were back to where they started.) This was also the flight where the pilot tried to land, then aborted the landing, then next time around asked whether anyone could see the runaway,  

(This experience prepared me for landing on Lord Howe Island.  Our Brisbane flight landed, whilst the Sydney flight behind us had to return to Sydney,) 

Yes, we were 'running on empty' by the time we touched down in Houston. One of the reasons I made a conscious effort to be pleasant was that I didn't want to take my exhaustion out on someone else. As you saw from my post, that was a complete waste of effort! Not a nice welcome to America, I'm afraid.