Stuck in LAX for last 48 hours (VA/Delta/United)

[cowtown]

Trying to go Boston - Adelaide.

1. Monday: BOS - LAX (Delta, VA codeshare) plane ran out of fuel. Landed at Ontario, Cali to re-fuel. Let people off the plane, plane now unbalanced, had to re-jig. 3 hour+ debacle
2. Monday: Missed LAX - BRIS (VA), re-scheduled for United 839 on Tuesday
3. Tuesday: LAX - SYD (United), takes off and flies for 3 hours, then turns around home, mechanical problem
3. Wednesday: 5am arrive back in LAX. Re-schedule for United tonight (currently waiting). United meal vouchers are for $7 a meal. Also they DONT WORK - i had them re-printed 5 times, each time involving an hour long wait in the Customer Service (oxymoron) line.

I've spent about 48 hours in/around LAX. The first night Delta gave hotel. Second night, United gave me NOTHING.

Asked VA for access to lounge - nope.
Asked VA if i get status credits for United flight, seeing as I was just moved there with no choice - nope.

No one knows where my luggage is, VA said their baggage guy doesn't get in until 630pm - ???

Also having toured the terminals, Qantas/Emirate/etc terminal looks great, Virgin Australia/America terminal small but OK, United/Delta terminals are like a schoolyard toilet block.

I'm really bored and tired.

 

[opusman]

Sounds like an In-n-Out run may be in order

 

[Denali]

Get a massage, burger and a nap & shower at LAX Hilton - keep receipts and try to claim when you get home.

Good luck, hope youre on your way home tonight!

 

[cove]

Ruth's Chris steakhouse at Maxella would ease the pain (about 10 minutes north of LAX on Lincon and turn right on Maxella)

 

[MelUser]

This is why most of us here recommend Qantas to and from Australia.

Qantas will do whatever they can to get you on a flight and with so many flights they usually can.

I remember a horror story on here a few years ago with someone flying a Taiwanese airline to Aus from LAX and missed the flight because 0:55 became 22:50 and "no one told them" - they were stuck in LAX for days!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I've spent about 48 hours in/around LAX. The first night Delta gave hotel. Second night, United gave me NOTHING.

Unless you only have basic medical insurance, you should be covered for hotel, meals and additional expenses for a delay of this length.

 

[dajop]

This is why most of us here recommend Qantas to and from Australia.

This exact scenario, which is more just bad luck could also happen with Qantas and the outcome would be no different. QF having more flights to Australia would not have helped. The OP missed last flight to AU on Monday night, transferred to a new flight on Tue night, it has mechanical problem 3 hrs into flight and returns to LAX and misses last flight to Australia on Tues night. Next flight out is Wed night. Exact same thing could easily happen to a QF passenger if this scenario unfolded for them.

The problem there is only a single daily time window for flights to Australia. Irrespective of airline, you need to leave late evening (22:00- midnight most days, 20:35 if QF 96 is operating that day). This contrasts to for example, flying to Asia, you miss the midnight window Mon, you can be out at midday Tue, if that flight goes tech and returns you have the opportunity to get out midnight Tuesday.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This exact scenario, which is more just bad luck could also happen with Qantas and the outcome would be no different. QF having more flights to Australia would not have helped. The OP missed last flight to AU on Monday night, transferred to a new flight on Tue night, it has mechanical problem 3 hrs into flight and returns to LAX and misses last flight to Australia on Tues night. Next flight out is Wed night. Exact same thing could easily happen to a QF passenger if this scenario unfolded for them.

The problem there is only a single daily time window for flights to Australia. Irrespective of airline, you need to leave late evening (22:00- midnight most days, 20:35 if QF 96 is operating that day). This contrasts to for example, flying to Asia, you miss the midnight window Mon, you can be out at midday Tue, if that flight goes tech and returns you have the opportunity to get out midnight Tuesday.

I think that's a fair assessment.

I have been at SYD airport when UA had a mechanical delay and they were reaccommodating passengers on both NZ and QF to get to the USA, so no doubt they would have done the same ex LAX if they had the opportunity to do so.

 

[Himeno]

The problem there is only a single daily time window for flights to Australia.

There is no such "window". There is a period in the afternoon PT where ex-US departures will run into the BNE/SYD curfews. MEL has no curfew.
There is no reason, timing wise, that there can't be departures to MEL anytime and departures to SYD/BNE before ~2pm.
eg, OPs UA attempt. The aircraft turned back. There is no reason the flight couldn't have been recrewed, and aircraft repaired/replaced for a morning departure, taking an ~10 hour delay rather then 24 hours.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I'd quickly sign up to a Star Alliance ff program eg Avianca Life Miles then give UA your AV LM ffn to put into the pnr.

If you have your UA pnr (might be on your UA boarding pass) go to their website & pre-allocate your seat & try to add the AV ffn in at same time. It should display the fare bucket so you can check if it's an earning class on AV LM.

When you get home to BNE call VA & put in a claim fir original routing credit so you don't miss out on VA points & SC.

I'd book a night at a LAX airport hotel & claim on your travel insurance when you get home.

Let us know what happens & good luck.

 

[cowtown]

thanks for the advice guys

i did make a run to in-n-out: a double-double + fries animal style + coke. Was delicious, but not sure if mistake or win.

Ended up spending the whole of Wednesday trying to find my bag. No luck (delta, united, VA - no one would say they had it).

Got to Sydney about an hour ago, bag definitely lost, missed connecting flight to Sydney. United had 'taken over' the ticket so re-issued me on an earlier flight to Adelaide (win! - originally i was on a 1pm VA flight).

I'd agree that the problem is that there are only night flights, and in this instance just a bit of bad luck combined to make it a 4 - 5 day trip.

Wish i'd known about that Avianca move.

I will try to get my original VA points, cos i think that woulda pushed me to Gold. Anyone done this before?

Thanks for thoughts, i'm still in Syd waiting for Adel flight, i've lost my luggage, i accidentally left the chocolates on the plane (i was rushing), im 2 days late, and i've been on the road since monday.
but things are looking up.

 

[dajop]

Glad to hear that you at least back on Australian soil. With your run of luck, perhaps you can advise which ADL flight you are on so anyone else on that flight can move to a different one .

You should be able to send off details of original flight to Velocity and proof of actual travel along with explanation and request "original routing credit" for your originally scheduled flights.

 

[williamsf1]

Asked VA if i get status credits for United flight, seeing as I was just moved there with no choice - nope.



.
.

When you get back , email Velocity with the original flight details and the UA details and advised you were put onto a UA flight due to disrupt and they will credit as per your original VA flights ... keep the email simple to avoid confusion

 

[Shan Man]

This exact scenario, which is more just bad luck could also happen with Qantas and the outcome would be no different. QF having more flights to Australia would not have helped. The OP missed last flight to AU on Monday night, transferred to a new flight on Tue night, it has mechanical problem 3 hrs into flight and returns to LAX and misses last flight to Australia on Tues night. Next flight out is Wed night. Exact same thing could easily happen to a QF passenger if this scenario unfolded for them.

Given QF affiliation with *O they could also have put you on JAL/AA via NRT or CX via HKG to get you home if they couldn't get you onto one of their own aircraft. Even EK via DXB (long way around I know) would work and would given them 11-13 flights a day to get you one in total.

Much better odds than VA/DL with their whopping 3 flights aday.

 

[dajop]

Extremely unlikely I think. Maybe if a WP1, and only if they really forced the issue. Despite the one world alliance, QF don't cooperate with partners between US and North Asia nor US and DXB (even ex-PER). Certainly they downgrade people to economy when they are oversold rather than keep them in J via NRT....

I have read of people with similar delays on QF and I think way too many people think when they are so out of luck (as per OP) QF will move mountains for them. They won't unless they are a high value customer.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Wish i'd known about that Avianca move.

I will try to get my original VA points, cos i think that woulda pushed me to Gold. Anyone done this before?

Thanks for thoughts, i'm still in Syd waiting for Adel flight, i've lost my luggage, i accidentally left the chocolates on the plane (i was rushing), im 2 days late, and i've been on the road since monday.
but things are looking up.

Sign up for both Avianca & United asap and send off a points claim first to AV LM & see if they'll credit you for the UA flight LAX/SYD however generally speaking you have to be already enrolled in a Star Alliance freq flyer program prior to flying however the ff program of the airline you actually travelled on ie UA Mileage Plus, may give you a window of opportunity whereby you can join eg within 30 days of travel and still be able to claim the points.

If you get knocked back by AV LM then apply to UA to get points for the LAX/SYD flight.

As others have said definitely approach VA for your original routing credit ie points & SC for the VA flight. You could maybe send a pm via the VA Facebook page quoting your VA pnr & Velocity ffn and a brief outline of what happened.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Given QF affiliation with *O they could also have put you on JAL/AA via NRT or CX via HKG to get you home if they couldn't get you onto one of their own aircraft. Even EK via DXB (long way around I know) would work and would given them 11-13 flights a day to get you one in total.

Much better odds than VA/DL with their whopping 3 flights aday.

By the same token DL could draw on skyteam (KE, MU, CI) and UA could draw on star alliance (BR, OZ, TG) etc.

 

[Shan Man]

By the same token DL could draw on skyteam (KE, MU, CI)

Id rather swim.

My Point was more around QF could be in a better position to recover better because they have more of their own flights plus *O per day. Not sure on the frequency of SkyScream or *A to asia and beyond from LAX but QF is less risky than VA who don't have an alliance to fall on or others A/L with less flights in general.