Flight Attempt #1
(Supposed to be) Leaving State College – May 15th, 2009
So I am supposed to leave State College, PA at 7:24pm on Friday, May 15th, 2009. My plane is delayed 4-5 hours because of mechanical problems. This causes me to miss my connection flight to London which causes me to miss all my other connecting flights.
To resolve the problem, I first went to the United Express counter at the State College airport (SCE). I was told they could not rebook my flight because their system had no information about the carrier from South Africa to Zambia. I then called Orbitz, my booking company. The Orbitz customer service person expressed frustration when I told her what United Express had told me. She said that the carrier was South African Airways for the leg from South Africa to Zambia. I then went back to the counter and told the gentlemen there what new information I learned. He tried again to honor my request but couldn’t. He cited the fact that the computer system he was working from would not let him book another set of flights for me and insisted I call Orbitz and tell them to call United Express to change it. It was now close to 11pm and the airport was closing so I went home and decided to take care of all of this tomorrow.
I woke up late on Saturday and then called Orbitz and United several times to get my trip rebooked. After a few more hours on the phone, I finally received word that I will fly out Monday, May 18th and my departure will be five days later then previous scheduled so I can stay in Zambia longer! Sweet!
Despite all this happening, I kept pretty cool about the whole thing. I even made a new friend while in line at the United Express counter on Friday evening. In the future though, I will not book with Orbitz.
I also lost my beloved Guinness hat along the way.
Flight Attempt #2
Flight monitor in Dulles. I am UA 924.
Leaving State College – May 18th, 2009
For my second attempt in getting to Zambia, I decided to take an earlier flight out of State College. The flight I originally had was the last flight out of State College for the day; if I miss this flight, I would have reschedule my whole trip again. So, I went on standby for the 2:10pm flight to Dulles. At 10 minutes before boarding, I was informed that there were four no-shows and I got a seat. This was great! I would much rather be stuck in Dulles than in State College.
Dulles
Getting to Dulles was a great relief. This move increased my chances of actually getting to Zambia on this flight attempt. I spent much of my time in Dulles walking back-and-forth from the D to C terminals as an effort to keep myself occupied and to wear myself so I sleep well on the flight to London. I also made a few phone calls and had dinner at a restaurant called Moes — it wasn’t too bad.
Inside the London Heathrow Airport
London
The flight to London was a little bumpy at times. I took two Tylenol PMs fourty-five minutes prior to our departure and these helped me sleep and relaxed me through the bumps. I felt as though I didn’t sleep a wink all night, but I know that was not true. The flight to London was to take eight hours, but we made it in about six-and-a-half. I was asleep for the dinner they served but had some yogurt they served for breakfast.
I spent my time at the London airport doing a few things to pass the time: walked around, ate, read, watched part of a TV show, and slept. My layover is ten hours long. I did manage to get Internet working through a service called Boingo. The service is pretty cheap ($8), lasts me for 24 hours, and is of unlimited use. I got Skype working and talked with my aunt and brother. I also found out that my cell phone works here. When I first arrived at the airport, I had no service, but a few hours later in the terminal I got a call from my credit card company about a charge I made here. I also called my dad briefly to see what the cost would be. It was nice knowing that in a pinch I could use my cell phone.
Update (6/22/2009): I received my cell phone bill. Calls made to the US from London were at a rate of $1.29/minute and text messages were 50 cents/text — not bad!
Outside London Heathrow airport
Being alone in a foreign county is a great and lonely experience. There’s so many languages spoken and all of my American intuition as to how people operate may not necessarily true. For example, I had to re-go through security upon arrival at London. I assumed that security worked similar to that of an American airport. So, I put all my stuff on the conveyors and then stood in front of the metal detector waiting for someone to wave me through, something done at the American airports I’ve visited. Not so here, you just walk right through. I figured this out after standing there for a good few minutes before I asked someone what the heck I was supposed to do!
The lack of sleep is wearing on me. Ive been trying to consume healthy meals and water (no caffeine) in an effort to stay fit. Its hard to believe that I still have two more plane rides before arriving in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. It was cool to go to sleep in one country / continent and wake up in another.
I’m amazed at the lack of Christian presence here at the London airport. I usually see someone at the American airport terminals with a “Jesus shirt” of sorts. Not here though. Everyone here wears designer clothing. Most of the stores here at the airport sell top-end fashion goods. I imagine this is probably similar to how it is in NYC’s airport.
I have no idea how to handle tipping here and I don’t really care at the moment 😉
South Africa
The flight to Johannesburg was fine. It was pretty smooth. From here on out, I flew with South African Airways and no longer United Airways; you can definitely tell the difference. South African Airways’ plane is much nicer than the one I flew out of the US. I have more leg room, a bigger monitor, better food, and a lot more movies to choose from to watch.
I watched a few TV episodes on the plane and slept. I can’t remember what time we landed. The airport terminal here is interesting. Its a mix of stores across a variety of cultures including American, European, Asian, Australian, and Africa — very exotic.
Lusaka International Airport from the plane
Lusaka, Zambia
My flight to Lusaka was also smooth. I met some Americans who were on a missions trip. They were just out of undergrad. They spent some time in South Africa and now are making their way to Zambia to continue their work.