Team Toad Med 2004: Transatlantic Flight
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The first step in cruising the Med is to get to Europe. This didn't go so well. We were booked through Kennedy airport in NYC then direct to Barcelona on Delta.

Driving through the rain to the airport was out first hint of problems. Things brightened whe we got to the airport and found our plane ready to go. But then just as we were ready to board, the FAA put a gate-hold on our flight because of thunderstorms over JFK.

One domino.

So we finally took off an hour and a half late. We landed in a steady downpour in NY, and found that we had no gate. So we got drenched walking from the airplane to a bus that took us to the terminal. When we got inside, we found we'd missed our flight by 10 minutes.

Two dominos.

Fortunately a kind gate attendent in Pittsburgh had already booked us on a flight to Madrid with a connection on Iberia from Madrid to Barcelona.

But a clearly understaffed crew in New York nearly made us miss that flight...we went to the gate for the Madrid flight, but we had to wait for a supervisor to issue us a paper ticket for Madrid.

Were it not for the amazing help of Mr. Nunez of Delta, we probably would not have made the flight.

We were not the only displaced passengers, and the delays in the ticketing process delayed the flight by over half an hour. Then rain and a long wait for takeoff clearance delayed us further. By the time we got to Madrid, it was too late to make our connection.

Three dominos.

We booked another flight to Barcelona, and after a 30 minute delay, we finally wound up in our port city.

With most of our luggage. It seems that Jacey's suitcase hadn't made it to Barcelona.

We had packed a carry-on with essentials, so it was not a disaster, but it was a difficult 36 hours for Jacey waiting for her bag, because she had a whole new wardrobe for the cruise.

This was our second trip to Europe, and both times a small weather delay in the US had led to delayed flights and lost luggage.

Danny's first ride in Business Class overseas
Danny's first ride in Business Class overseas
Sunrise over the Spanish Coast
Sunrise over the Spanish Coast
Bull fighting rine in Madrid
Bull fighting rine in Madrid
Orchards in Madrid
Orchards in Madrid
Apartment buildings in Madrid
Apartment buildings in Madrid
Traffic circle in Madrid
Traffic circle in Madrid
Landing in Madrid
Landing in Madrid
Barajas Airport in Madrid
Barajas Airport in Madrid

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Last updated 30-Jul-2004 Lazy Toad Ranch