Well, the dreaded day had arrived. It was time for us to depart for home. Mom & Dad would have a few more days to explore on their own since they got a late start, but our time was up. At least, we thought so! We boarded the train bound for the Munich airport at 4:30am allowing us plenty of time to make our 7:30am flight home to the U.S. Imagine our surprise when we arrive at the airport check-in counter and hear, "You've heard about the delay?" Ummmm...NO! We would have certainly slept in if we had heard about the delay! We were told the flight was delayed until around 10:30 or 11am, but that the airline would keep us posted as more details became available. We were issued meal vouchers for breakfast and told to be patient. Okay...
As I'm sure you can guess, 11am came and went. We were sitting at the assigned gate waiting anxiously with all the other passengers for an update. To buy our patience the gate attendant started issuing meal vouchers for lunch. Okay...I'm all for a free meal, but after waking up at 4am, I wanted to be seated on a plane and headed home. It was a 13-hour flight after all. We needed to get the journey started. Especially since Aunt Nguyen was waiting at home with the boys, and she had a life and responsibilities in California that were awaiting her return. We watched as passenger after passenger walked up to inquire about the reason for the extensive delay and the possibility of being rebooked on a different flight. Each time, the gate attendant gave what was clearly a scripted response that disclosed ZERO information. It was actually rather comical given that the attendant was dressed in his lederhosen complete with a feather plume in his hat. Oh, and he strongly resembled Will Ferrell from Saturday Night Live. Despite our rising frustration levels, it was hard not to chuckle at the spectacle.
It wasn't until around 4:30pm that they finally cancelled the flight. We all saw it coming. I mean we knew it was going to happen, but I guess you cling to hope that the travel gods will be kind. So, now what? The gate attendant instructed us to make our way to the customer service counter where we would receive hotel, taxi, and food vouchers. Great! By this point, the last thing we needed were more food vouchers. To pass the endless hours, we had made a game out of collecting food vouchers from the various airline workers. While we were technically allotted $42 ($14/meal), we managed to collect over $250 in food vouchers. Yeah, whatever. We were bored. I don't think it's going to doom the airline.
After more waiting, this time for customer service reps to make overnight assignments for approximately 100 people, we found ourselves in a taxi headed to a Best Western. Now, the word "airport" was in the title of the hotel name, but I assure you we were in this taxi for at least half an hour driving to what seemed like a field in the middle of freaking nowhere! Eventually, we did pull up to a building that in no way resembled a Best Western. In case you haven't traveled abroad, Best Westerns in Europe are actually very nice. They can be extremely upscale, in fact. This Best Western did not have inviting facade, but at this point, what were we going to do? We exited the taxi and joined the rest of our plane gang inside. Luckily, the interior was better than the exterior, and there was a bar and a restaurant prepared to serve us a complimentary dinner.
So, we all did the only we could...We drank! We laughed at the absurdity of the situation and tried to connect the dots on what could have possibly caused the delay. The airline had still not disclosed any information. Thanks to the internet and our weary eyes, we knew it wasn't weather related. Was there a mechanical problem? No one had any information. We retired to our rooms relatively early. I mean, we had been up since 4am! We woke bright & early and boarded a shuttle bus with our fellow passengers back to the airport. I'd like to say we were all confident that we would actually depart on a flight, but we knew by this point to expect absolutely anything. Check-in went smoothly. Security checkpoint was issue free. The board at the gate showed we were on-time. It wasn't until we started to actually board that everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Logically, it was at this point that the details started to flow, and I can understand why the airline was so tightlipped. Flight attendants, however, are very gossipy and couldn't wait to spill the beans. Apparently, our co-pilot went missing. In fact, he was missing until around Noon the previous day. Where was he? Turns out, he went to Oktoberfest. Wow! Shocker! That in itself wasn't the problem. The problem arose when he got the you-know-what beat out of him at Oktoberfest. During our Oktoberfest visits, we never witnessed any you-know-what kicking. Must have been more to that story, but the details we did have were that the co-pilot turned up in a Munich hospital. For whatever reason, the co-pilot did not contact the airline. So, all they knew was that he did not report for duty and was missing. Something tells me that pilot wasn't with the airline for much longer.
Finally, we were wheels up and headed home! The flight attendants announced that alcoholic beverages would be complimentary for the duration of the flight. Dang! That's a nice start. Next, came the news that each passenger would receive a $200 flight voucher. Okay, that's something. Then, we were instructed to complete paperwork to file for a refund on the return portion of our airfare. It took a few months, but eventually a check would arrive from the airline for that portion of our fare. I would have rather had a smooth trip home, but I understand that life happens, and this situation, was completely unforeseen. What can ya do? Sometimes, you've just got to roll with the punches thrown your way.
You can't let the bad ruin so much good!
