A disrupted reunion

[andye]

Get on the official ESTA site.

its not straightforward.

As well as the old demographics and questions of turpitude, they now want the details of all held passport numbers (took a trail of my emails to find my expired UK passport details) and Facebook/Linkedin etc usernames.

Go to pay. Click on the paypal option (I have some USD cashback sitting there). It doesnt go straight to the paypal page and I get my password wrong. Click back to use credit card and...Im logged out!

Resign in to the ESTA site (very long set of credentials required) to see a screen saying something along the lines of "We are unable to determine payment. Please check in again in 4 hours".

The flight to LAX will have left by then

 

[kelvedon]

Where is the best British pork pie?

Melton Mowbray !

Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe of Melton Mowbray | Dickinson & Morris

Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe, the home of world-famous Melton Mowbray Pork Pies. Looking for an authentic award-winning taste, you’re in the right place!

porkpie.co.uk

 

[I love to travel]

My internal monologue was resembling Hugh Grant's opening scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral. My previous hire car logistical challenge fades into insignificance (and this isnt my fault).

I call an Uber and get onto Alaska (the issuers of the QR award flights). Short wait, helpful agent. But nothing they can do. No award flights to anywhere in Australia (unsurprisingly) and not possible to short-check to DOH and sort myself out from there. I eventually cancelled (though in retrospect maybe could have checked to see if BER-DOH reappeared).

Reach LCY and (with somewhat faux-naive optimistism) contact my Travel Insurers. No, I can't just book any J flight home (not least as the award seats are refundable)

Given it was less than 24 hours to departure wasn't it up to QR to rebook you?

 

[andye]

Given it was less than 24 hours to departure wasn't it up to QR to rebook you?

It would have been but they were obliged to get me to HKG which wouldn't have been for a while given the weather event

 

[andye]

So I board the DLR and change onto the Elizabeth line. At Stratford there is an announcemnment that due to people on the tracks, the train wont go all the way to LHR but will terminate at Hayes & Harlington.

I hadn't noticed my battery bar but en route, my phone conks out.

The travel gods are certainly making this a trial

 

[andye]

Alight at H&H and fortunately there is a plug outlet in the little waiting room.

Once I had some juice, I was able to get back onto the ESTA site.

And I can now reaccess the payment page...hooray

I pay by credit card this time...

And get -"Thank you for your payment. We are unable to make an immediate decision. We aim to do so within 7 days"...boo (hoo)

I don't usually get headaches but I was doing so now

 

[andye]

Not too long before a train comes for the stop to LHR T2/3.

its now about T-90 mins.

AA signage points to the kiosks. Try to check-in but no-go presumably due to being ESTA negative.

Speak to most experienced AA check-in staff-member I can see. He confirms the issue. Not an uncommon problem with ESTAs. His recent experience is 4-8 hours rather than weeks but its variable.

The deadline for check-in is T-60 mins.