Olympic Sprint, Suffocated, Lost Bags

November 1, 2009

in Odds & Ends Stories

My flight from hell was a trip from San Diego to Budapest. My initial flight to Amsterdam was fairly standard and uneventful. However, upon landing in Amsterdam is when the “fun” began. I had approximately two or three hours I think to switch planes. But because I was switching to a local airline from Hungary, I was told I had to get some type of transfer ticket from one of the many counters. Unfortunately there were no real clear directions of where such counters were. I waited in line at one counter behind like two other people and for some reason as nice as the people in the airport are they were not exactly speedy in any way so I waited for a good 1/2 hour or so to try and ask at that counter where to go. I got to another counter that I was directed to and had to wait in a huuuuuge line. Not going any faster than the first line I waited in. About 20-25 minutes before my flight was suppose to take off I started getting desperate because I was nowhere near the front of the line. I finally hailed a passing airport employee and asked what I could do and was told to just go straight to the gate and get my ticket there. THANK GOD…

Soooo I run, not jog, run… as fast as I can through the airport not really knowing if I’m going the right way. This was not a small airport either. I felt like I was in the Olympics trying to run around people, dodging, jumping and of course sweating like a pig… I’m sure I upset some people but hey… I had a flight to catch so I needed people out of the way. I finally got in view of my gate… YES happy days. As I’m running to the gate I realize that even though I’m in the airport terminal already, I have to go through another security to enter the final departure/gate area. The people working the gate are yelling to me to RUN… (I already was). I’m stripping off my belt, shoes, jacket, etc as I approach the gate. I literally throw my stuff through the scanner and the person checks my ID/Passport all the while another person is holding the gate door open yelling for us to hurry. (Now here I want to say, the people in the airport were great, some of them a little slow but friendly and these gate people actually held off closing the doors so I could get get through the final security and get on the plane. I guess they knew I was suppose to be there from their flight logs cause they didn’t ask for a ticket or anything, maybe they printed it there at the gate not sure. So, now I’m sweaty, out of breath, about to pass out from sprinting through the airport.

I walk on the plane and am told to just sit where ever since I’m the last one on. Realizing I’m the cause of everyone else’s annoyance at this point I try to grab the quickest and nearest seat possible. MISTAKE. I try to ask the person sitting there if the seat is free but I don’t speak Hungarian or Russian, which I think she was speaking and she didn’t speak English, Spanish or Farsi… so I sit down anyway. I mentioned I was out of breath and gasping for air already right??? Yes well, I sat there for a couple minutes and am buckled in for immediate take off and realize my very well dressed, nice looking but very unfriendly lady has put on a full bottle of perfume which causes my eyes to water and makes it hard to breath. I of course start hacking, coughing and gagging, but can’t get up. I was stuck, miserable in that seat for the next hour or two that it took to get to Budapest. I was miserable and I’m sure my seat partner was to since she probably assumed I was sick… no honey, just gagging from the need for oxygen. Well thanks to God by the time we landed I had just about recovered.

Bad, yes… can it get worse you ask??? Why yes, it can… obviously I should have known that the luggage would get lost. I had just switch from an American based airline to a Hungarian based airline, the transfer did not happen for the luggage. While I was waiting I hung out with a Romanian girl that was waiting to see if her lost luggage had arrived as well. She let me know that If I ever fly in on a Hungarian airline just expect to lose your luggage for a couple days… nice to know at that point. I didn’t exactly have any clothes in my carry-on. I should have known better, but with all the books, music, etc that I carry for a long flight I just chanced it so that I didn’t have to carry so much baggage with me. I went ahead and checked in to the hotel after reporting my baggage missing and giving them my hotel address. I managed to get my luggage like 2 or 3 days later after wearing the same clothes for the last couple days (don’t judge me, I know I stank but I was on a budget). It felt soooo good to get my clothes!! And yes I did buy toothbrush and items to wash. 😛 Anyway, overall even though that particular flight was hell, all the people I encountered (except the seatmate on the plane maybe) were really helpful and I had a great vacation!!! YAY for Budapest !!!!

{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

david November 1, 2009 at 5:41 pm

um like wow that wouldn't happen

first of all they wouldn't have told you to run, first of all they would have no idea who you were (unless you knew them before hand) they would have no idea it was you that were getting on that flight, and i am sure that they would have needed to see some ID to make sure that it was you getting on the correct flight for many reasons, and they would have given you a ticket if you didn't have one, as i am sure that security would also need to see your flight info (every airport i have been to has asked to see my boarding pass, and im a frequent flyer and at amsterdam they did this too, and a year agoish flying from amsterdam to singapore a fellow passanger misplaced his boarding pass and they made him go back and get another one) so very doubtful that they would let you through

you say that you had no idea where the gate was but you somehow manage to run directly there? either pure luck or you were told the direction

besides did you have any suitcases? i know that with many budget airlines where you are supposed to go to the desk to get your boarding pass it is because you have to check in with them and many times they dont have agreements with other airlines so you would need to pick up your bags first

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Josh November 2, 2009 at 5:55 am

Umm…like, Wow. Why are so many of the comments here riddled with people accusing others of lying? Is this some sort of ameture detective site, or do people just enjoy tearing other peoples' stories apart?

Probably 90% of the stories I've read on here have some "expert" like you commenting. Get over yourself.

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D-Money November 2, 2009 at 9:09 am

They're the "board bullies." They know everything about everything. They'll call your story a lie if you said you drank a Coke on your flight back in 1980, because they know that in 1980 PSA Airlines only served Tab cola.

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david November 2, 2009 at 10:53 am

sorry for stating a fact, it wouldn't happen plain and simple, you cant get through security or get on a plane without a boarding pass no matter what, period

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MJ November 2, 2009 at 6:14 pm

David, I'm not sure you really know what facts are, given that you seem to think that "first of all" applies to both your first and second points.

And really, why do you care?

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david November 2, 2009 at 6:42 pm

i dont care, but at least have a story where it could happen,

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Brad November 3, 2009 at 2:57 am

In today's security conscience airline world, the facts as the OP stated, could not have happened. David's right. It's not a matter of being a Board Bully, but more of calling out someone who is so needy of attention they feel they have to make up a story for the world to say "Oh, you poor poor dear".

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Josh November 3, 2009 at 5:05 am

As opposed to people who are needy of attention and constantly need to be picking holes in other peoples' stories? If you don't think it's true, fine, read it for what we all read these stories for, entertainment. This isn't a witness testimony here.

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Miska November 3, 2009 at 5:45 am

Hmm, I've traveled several times to Hungarya nd haven't had problems with the transfer from NW/KLM/etc. to Malev as far as luggage, so I'd like to contend with the Romanian girl's comment. Probably a bit of anti-Hungarian sentiment there.

That said, glad you enjoyed Budapest! There's nothing quite like her. And hopefully not so many women overloaded with perfume.

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david November 25, 2009 at 10:11 pm

um i have traveled through amsterdam many a time, and yes there is security by the gates, but there are also other security areas you must pass

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AfricaNomad November 26, 2009 at 2:16 am

David, actually that is pretty easy at AMS as the boarding gate and security at most of the gates are about 10 feet apart and you have to check in before going through security. If they knew he was coming (The dreaded Amsterdam “….or we will proceed to unload your luggage”), it is not unbelievable at all.

Sometimes I really wish people’s first reaction to almost every story wasn’t to call it a lie.

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S.M. December 28, 2009 at 12:31 am

Actually, If the first person who decided to comment could read, you would have seen where I passed them my ID at the secondary inspection area. Remember this is a transfer. I didn't have anything except my carry on. Yes it was my first time transiting that airport and I didn't know they had secondary inspection points before getting into your gate. The security did check my ID and passport. Furthermore.. if you fly so much you should know that they have flight logs with your name on it and can print your bording pass at the gate how do you think they make last minute changes and finish booking the standby passengers. You've heard of computers and other such gadgets yes? Considering they call peoples names in the airport to hurry up and board all the time how do you think they know who to call. So if you fly so much how do you not know all this? I'm assuming that they printed the boarding pass there while the security guy checked my ID's and just didn't bother giving it to me since I would just had it back to them to get on the plane. Furthermore, I didn't have a transfer boarding pass becuase they can't print boarding passes in the U.S. if you're are transfering to a foriegn airline in a foriegn country. You should also know that since you're such a frequent flier. American can't quite print out a boarding pass for Malev. I didn't write a book to explain every detail of my flight and tried to cut it down to the interesting fun stuff.. but there's really nothing impossible in there. As for the running.. hello.. signs… they have them in multiple languages. Have you actually traveled anywhere? Most airports have signs and announcement in multiple languages and usually including English. It wasn't hard to read and run. As I stated, I got lucky making it to the flight. As far as writing a story to get attention…why would I want your attention? I wrote it cause it was a crazy flight and made for an interesting story when I got home and I thought I would share it here with people who might enjoy it. Instead of complaining about everything I had fun with all the crazy stuff that happened and it's now a fond memory. So if you feel like you need to try and poke holes in someone story without being there and knowing every little detail.. well have at it.

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S.M. December 28, 2009 at 12:35 am

Ohh yeah Mishka.. that may be the case I don't know. I found her to be really friendly, but then I found all the people from Budapest to be really friendly too. They have a great wine festival in September at the Castle with wine makers from all over Europe and in that same area on the Buda side old city is a Wine Cellar where they sell wine from all over Budapest all year long and they offer self-serve wine tasting if you're into that kind of thing. I hope to go back sometime and go again!!!

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ano August 5, 2010 at 10:08 pm

David appears to be a troll. He launches his exposés conveniently ignoring details that don't fit. He should RTFA.

Kinda reminds me of the boy who cried wolf. He does it often enough for me to dismiss the value of any comment he might make.

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