Travel Woes
Dumb things that have happened to me on this trip.
The flight from SLC was delayed because the plane had mechanical problems in Baltimore.
The flight from Atlanta was delayed because the air conditioning wasn't working.
When I printed my boarding passes it also printed out an emergency contact form for me to complete. In Salt Lake they told me they would take it when I boarded in Atlanta. In Atlanta they said they didn't know what it was and didn't want it.
When I asked about an upgrade at the gate to Business class, I was told I needed to do it on line 48 hours in advance. So they lost the sale of at least one of the three open seats they had. It was OK thought, there was no one in the seat next to me, so I had plenty of room.
When I checked in on line for my flight from Copenhagen to Stockholm, I couldn't have access to a printer for my boarding pass, The website said I could print it at the airport. When I got to the airport I found I couldn't print my boarding pass from the self-service kiosk, so the SAS employee at the check-in line directed me to a different line, on the other side of the hall. When I told them what I needed, they said, "You aren't checking any baggage, you need to be in the line on the other side of the hall." So I went back over to the lady who sent me to the other line, told her what they told me in that line, said I was very confused, and really just wanted to get on the plane. She directed me to the First Class check in where a very nice lady helped me get my boarding pass. She did make me check my bag, and that was OK, but they busted the handle on it, so now I have a sharp piece of plastic sticking into my hand.
SAS boarding procedures are like cattle roundups. There was a placard at the gate saying the plane would be boarded by rows. It wasn't. When they announce boarding every one rushed the gate, trying to get on. I don't know how many seats there are on a 737-800, but there were more passengers than there were seats in the waiting area at the gate.
A couple of times I've asked about available upgrades on SAS flights. The person will then start furiously entering information into the computer for about 15-20 minutes. At which point they will tell you how many thousands of dollars the upgrade will cost. For some odd reason, the calculate the upgrade price based on the difference in price starting at the point of origin. So, if you are on a trip with 5 segments, and you want to upgrade for the last one, you'll have to pay the difference on the four you've already taken. Even though you didn't enjoy any of the upgrade amenities of those flights.
On my Tuesday flight from Copenhagen to Stockholm the only physical difference between business class and cattle-car was a sign on one of the headrests that said, "Business class ends here." I think that's how SAS saves money on the planes. "We don't need no stinking first-class seats!"
Getting through security at the Copenhagen airport is a pretty time-consuming process. There are a fixed number of checkpoints, but not really any lines for them. You just pile together like a heard of cattle and slowly funnel into one of them. They could do much, much better.
General learnings: The people staffing the gates are overworked, underpaid, and many are insufficiently trained to do their job. Some are just surly and some are incompetent. The flight crews are generally fantastic and will do everything possible to make you as comfortable as they can. The certainly don't get enough thanks from the passengers.
The flight from SLC was delayed because the plane had mechanical problems in Baltimore.
The flight from Atlanta was delayed because the air conditioning wasn't working.
When I printed my boarding passes it also printed out an emergency contact form for me to complete. In Salt Lake they told me they would take it when I boarded in Atlanta. In Atlanta they said they didn't know what it was and didn't want it.
When I asked about an upgrade at the gate to Business class, I was told I needed to do it on line 48 hours in advance. So they lost the sale of at least one of the three open seats they had. It was OK thought, there was no one in the seat next to me, so I had plenty of room.
When I checked in on line for my flight from Copenhagen to Stockholm, I couldn't have access to a printer for my boarding pass, The website said I could print it at the airport. When I got to the airport I found I couldn't print my boarding pass from the self-service kiosk, so the SAS employee at the check-in line directed me to a different line, on the other side of the hall. When I told them what I needed, they said, "You aren't checking any baggage, you need to be in the line on the other side of the hall." So I went back over to the lady who sent me to the other line, told her what they told me in that line, said I was very confused, and really just wanted to get on the plane. She directed me to the First Class check in where a very nice lady helped me get my boarding pass. She did make me check my bag, and that was OK, but they busted the handle on it, so now I have a sharp piece of plastic sticking into my hand.
SAS boarding procedures are like cattle roundups. There was a placard at the gate saying the plane would be boarded by rows. It wasn't. When they announce boarding every one rushed the gate, trying to get on. I don't know how many seats there are on a 737-800, but there were more passengers than there were seats in the waiting area at the gate.
A couple of times I've asked about available upgrades on SAS flights. The person will then start furiously entering information into the computer for about 15-20 minutes. At which point they will tell you how many thousands of dollars the upgrade will cost. For some odd reason, the calculate the upgrade price based on the difference in price starting at the point of origin. So, if you are on a trip with 5 segments, and you want to upgrade for the last one, you'll have to pay the difference on the four you've already taken. Even though you didn't enjoy any of the upgrade amenities of those flights.
On my Tuesday flight from Copenhagen to Stockholm the only physical difference between business class and cattle-car was a sign on one of the headrests that said, "Business class ends here." I think that's how SAS saves money on the planes. "We don't need no stinking first-class seats!"
Getting through security at the Copenhagen airport is a pretty time-consuming process. There are a fixed number of checkpoints, but not really any lines for them. You just pile together like a heard of cattle and slowly funnel into one of them. They could do much, much better.
General learnings: The people staffing the gates are overworked, underpaid, and many are insufficiently trained to do their job. Some are just surly and some are incompetent. The flight crews are generally fantastic and will do everything possible to make you as comfortable as they can. The certainly don't get enough thanks from the passengers.
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