We taxied off to a side area (not all the way back to the Terminal thankfully) and some engineers came out in a truck to us.
So we weren't allowed to get off the plane, but we were allowed to get up and move around -- but with a full flight, not everybody can just get up and into the aisles! Plus the engineers needed to run up and down the aisles as they tested and tried to fix the problems.
After 3 full hours, the engineers finally fixed the problem and we were given permission to take off.
Unfortunately, this meant that 90% of us would be missing our next flight!!!
ugh.
Our actual flight was fine (apart from the fact that when one particular flight attendant went past me, every time! she'd knock my arm hard and never once apologised).
The movies were decent -- I, Robot (which I thought was excellent) and a film about Cole Porter's life -- Delovely -- it had Kevin Kline and he was excellent -- great music in that one. The lovely dear beside me was also a big movie fan, so we talked a lot about movies while we waited for the repairs.
We were told over the speakers SEVERAL times not to ask the flight attendants about what would happen in Philadelphia, but that our flights would be sorted out by a USAirways representative after we'd gotten through customs & immigration (or as I was annoying dad by calling it customs & irritation).
Immigration was fine, short line, no problem... then we all had to stand around and wait for our luggage. Mine, of course, in the last batch of bags to be loaded. Then we had to go stand in a massive queue for customs. The queue wasn't actually for customs-- it was for this "representative".
This "representative" was actually just some guy running up and down the corridor shouting "Is anyone going to Orlando?? Orlando??" and when some people would wave and indicate they're going there, he'd shout "Go Go Go Go!!!" and they would scurry as best they could with their luggage carts down the side of the queue and be off.
One thing he didn't do was to say that anyone who hasn't missed their flights yet should just go! He doesn't realise what it's like from our point of view-- plus the fact that Brits love to queue!
So anyhow, he's running up and down shouting locations like Boston, Orlando, Miami, L.A., etc. and I'm stood there thinking "there's no chance there's a flight to Columbus!!" and the poor girl beside me is going to Indianapolis -- same boat as me. So the line slowly dwindles until we're about halfway up the corridor and as he starts to run down again, this time he's asking where people are going and she tells him Indianapolis and he shouts at her "what are you waiting for?? Go Go Go GO!!!!" so she scampers off! So then I went over to him and tell him I'm going to Columbus and he's shouting at me "GOGOGOGO!" and it felt like I'd won the lottery, off I ran!
(to be continued again!)
Posted by Andy at December 28, 2004 1:34 PM