THE TRIP THAT ALMOST WASN'T

Jim and I had been excited for weeks about our upcoming trip to Ecuador.  We planned to fly our usual route - from LAX on COPA through Panama to Quito, Ecuador.  We took the airport shuttle to San Francisco in plenty to time to catch our 8 pm flight to LA on an airline which shall remain nameless but which starts with U.  This flight would get us in LA in plenty of time to catch our 1 AM flight to Panama.  It was nearly boarding time when they announced that our flight would be delayed due to a lighting problem. Then they said they needed a new generator and we would know by 9:15 PM if it was fixable.  By 9:10 we got the word that it was ok and we boarded the plane.  We pulled out of the gate (now 1-1/2  hours late) and then stopped.  A few minutes later the captain came on with a disgusted tone of voice and said, "well folks, we have no brakes so we'll be getting a tow back to the gate.  I have no idea what will happen next but will keep you posted."  Meantime everyone is getting on their smart phones and telling each other that the only other flight to LA that evening also had mechanical problems.  We pull back in to the gate and the flight attendants say that there are gate agents to help with connection problems.  We file off the plane and queue up.  There is ONE customer service agent.  Jim and I were 10 back in line and it took over 1 hour to get to the counter.  Mean time they announced that we would be taking an incoming plane for Chicago and going to LA with it - at MIDNIGHT.  Our connecting flight in LA was leaving at 1 AM.  We were able to call COPA and get two seats on the morning flight leaving at 7:30 AM.  When we finally got to LA we went to the Customer Service desk and got a hotel voucher - we were able to sleep for 2 whole hours before getting our new flight to Panama.

We had a 4 hour lay over in Panama City.  We met an interesting guy who had been sailing around the Caribbean with his wife and they were heading back to the States for the holidays.  The wife had gone ahead with their cat on an earlier flight (kitty quarantine in New Zealand - their next port of call) and he was stuck in the airport for over 12 hours.  Here was his solution to waiting for his 3 AM flight. 


 

We had an uneventful flight to Quito but were extremely, desperately tired when we got there.  By now it was 11 pm Quito time - 27 hours after leaving home!  It took us over an hour to go through immigration as at least 2 other flights had arrived at the same time.  While in line though we met an interesting and well spoken young woman who was a Colombian born American citizen who grew up in Houston and was now a compliance lawyer with an international oil company.  Finally we got through immigration to where all the luggage was - it was literally a sea of luggage strewn about in mass chaos.  Another 1/2 hour was spent looking for our 4th bag.  It was not to be found so we had to go to the kiosk where a very nice COPA official helped us and determined that the bag never left Panama.  By this time we were so tired we were nearly ill.  The only saving grace was the customs check point was a breeze and we had this wonderful driver awaiting us with a placard.

I have always wanted someone to meet me at a foreign airport with a sign.  I was ecstatic that it happened on this occasion.  I doubt we had the wherewithal left to deal with a taxi.  We got to the hotel around 2 AM and were happy to find Chuck and Nancy waiting up for us with a glass of wine.  Total travel time - 30 hours.

It can only go uphill from here.

Audrey