So you Want to Go to Madagascar?

The Plan

Dec 14

Flights booked, taxi ordered, what could possibly go wrong?
Just before the taxi arrived we  got an automated call from Alaska Airlines that our 8am flight from Victoria to Seattle had been cancelled.
No problem - we have a 4  hour 30 minute layover in Seattle. The machine message was unclear, suggesting they had booked on on the 1pm flight. Our next flight to Paris was at 1pm, so we called. Turns out they have us on the 11am flight to Seattle - tight, but still doable.
Ok, so that flight ended up being delayed by 50 minutes. Now we have a  Problem.

Of course, the next flight was in a different part of the airport and the gate was at the far end of that terminal. We ran - in our shambling way, encumbered as we were with carry on - to the far end of the terminal only to find out flight was closed. This is a picture of the plane we should have been on to Paris. In fact, we were at least 20 minutes too late to make this connection, despite assurances from Alaska Airlines.

This is at least the third time an 8am Alaska Airlines (Horizon Air) flight from Victoria has been cancelled on us. The last time, on a flight to Papua New Guinea, I was able to pick up the long flight in Los Angeles and lost no part of the trip.

This time we were not so lucky.

The Alaska Airlines people hummed and hawed about reconnecting us to flights on Delta/Air France to get back on schedule. They finally settled on a flight through Atlanta.

Another change of terminal, another race to the far end of the terminal, another closed flight! We actually made it to the gate 10 minutes before the scheduled departure, but everything was closed up. They have become so obsessive about getting the plane  in the air on time, they make no effort to help people with tight connections. I remember a time when they would hold a plane for a few minutes if the people we in the airport and heading for the gate.

The net - overnight in Seattle. We were heading for Madagascar. We ended up in Seattle.

Dec 15

Next morning we headed for Paris via Detroit. That went well but there was no Madagascar flight that day so we have to overnight in Paris. Alaska Airlines has no presence in Paris, Delta would not pay for our hotel, we had to pay ourselves although our original flights required no overnight in Paris.

Get to the hotel, get dinner (tough pepper steak for 24 euros), get back to the hotel, bed, up, out to the airport, onto the flight. We would have seen almost as much of Paris if we have slept at the airport.

Dec 16

Finally we are on our way to Madagascar!

The flight itself was uneventful. We were supposed to arrive at 11:30pm, but arrived at 12:15. We lined up at the baggage carousel and waited. I took a picture of the carousel every 15 minutes as we waited for Brenda's suitcase. Mine arrived, somehow hers did not.

With the flight problems, we had not seen our suitcases since we did the transfer in Seattle. Even though we over-nighted in Seattle and Paris, they would not give us our suitcases. So, at this point we have been wearing the same clothes for 3 days. That is not why the airport cleared! No, it is because everyone else has a suitcase but Brenda.

This picture was taken at 2:03 am.

Fortunately, our driver waited for us and we headed for our hotel. Since we were 2 days late arriving, we had changed our first night reservation. No problem, since this is the low season and most hotels are almost empty.

Your Passports are not in Order

Only one mild irritation on the drive to the hotel, at 3am. We were stopped by a policeman who asked for our passports then demanded at $6 bribe to give them back. We had no Madagascar money yet so we have to borrow the money from the cab driver.

Not so our hotel for the next 3 nights. It is very near a national park and they could not move our reservation because the hotel was full the middle night. We managed to book another hotel, which was just fine. However, since it was farther from the park, it meant another hour into the park and another hour back, each day.  The distances are not large by our standards. From the hotel to the hiking location in the park was less than 30km. It took 2 hours though - the roads are not good, even with a big 4x4.

Dec 17

So, two days late, we finally begin our Madagascar adventure! Sigh.

No suitcase for Brenda and flights only every 2 days, but we will manage.

Summary

Modern air travel. With 3 cancelled 8am Horizon Air flights from Victoria to Seattle over the last 5 years, we will no longer use Horizon Air - under any conditions. Not only the delay, but the complete failure of Alaska Airlines to help us along the way after ruining our connections, suggests that passenger service is no longer a priority for the airline.

If I only knew how to Tweet, I would be burning up the twitterverse with #AlaskaAirSUCKS