By Christine Green on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 1:37 pm: |
I'll be posting a Trip Report Feb 28 to Mar 12+ shortly, but wanted to comment on ALM. For our first trip to Bonaire, we got what we thought was a great $555 flight through Expedia.com -- United to Miami from Washington, DC. Dulles airport, and then ALM from Miami to Curacao to Bonaire. That was before finding this news group and learning about all the ALM horror stories. There was nothing my husband, Jim, and I could do about it then, except hope that recent reports here that ALM was in fact getting better were true. Sadly, they're not. They're much worse now....
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By Christine Green on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 1:44 pm: |
PART TWO of THE ALM TRIP "FROM HELL"!
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By Dean Botsford on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 2:20 pm: |
Bravo! What a report! My wife and I have had some small sad tales to tell but I think you have had to have had the number one ALM horror story of all time. My hat is off to you, my sympathy is extended. We have flown the same exact routing as you; Dulles to Miami then Aruba/Curacuo. We leave home about 4:00AM and arrive in Bonaire about 10:00pm or so, traveling with a little one on an 18 hour trip is a bit overwhelming. In August we will go with Air Jamaica.
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By Rob Hann on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 2:48 pm: |
Wow. And I thought they were supposed to be making a valiant effort to improve recently. That's awful. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. (I'm really looking forward to your trip report as well!)
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By Barry Baker on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 3:14 pm: |
Rob, why would Air Jamaica not be accessible to you. I cannot fly them from Denver, but booked a flight through Delta to Atlanta and then took Air Jamaica.
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By Niki Harris on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 3:23 pm: |
I really sympathize with Christine! We had a trip from hell last August, robbing us of a whole 24 hours on both ends. A near-riot in Curacao by frustrated passengers (some had been stuck there for days!) required police restraint. This after previous years' ALM trips being flawless. You just can not predict what will happen to you.
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By Rob Hann on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 3:33 pm: |
True, I could book Air Jamaica through Atlanta. In fact, as long as it isn't too costly, we will probably do that for two of our group. Good idea!
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By Linda Richter - NetTech on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 3:36 pm: |
Or try American (flights start June 2, 2001) - see schedule from press release below:
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By Hazel Scharosch on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 3:47 pm: |
Holy smokes - what a trip! I wish I could say we totally avoided problems with our trip to Boanire on Air Jamaica, *BUT* that was not the case. In fact, I was not even going to mention our problems. However, in the interest of informaion, I changed my mind.
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By Jason on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 4:32 pm: |
To All,
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By Gail Currie on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 5:23 pm: |
We too were concerned with booking with ALM - we are doing Delta from Denver-Atlanta-Miami, then ALM direct. We have from 8:30a to 1:40p in Miami but we belong to the Crown Room (comfortable, quiet and free booze), so we won't miss the ALM flight (hopefully it will go and be on time). Our return ALM is again direct to Maimi but with only 2-1/4 hrs. for the connection. Hopefully we won't miss the connection with American due to ALM being late leaving Bonaire, but hey it's a Saturday we're leaving Bonaire so if the flight were to be cancelled until the next day....
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By sharyn spray on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 7:37 pm: |
I agree with Jason, if you fly these days, domestic or foreign, you are going to have delays and problems. For me the most frustrating part of ALM & AJ delays is the lack of information or changing information given out to passengers. In the case of AJ they have rapidly expanded their routes without having the infrastructure in place to handle it.Also schedule their connections way to close!That being said AJ still the best choice for getting to Bonaire(IMHO), so we just pack a good book, plenty of water and snacks and are thankful all the problems(6 hr delay one time,and having to overnite another) have been on the return trip!
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By lonnie hoover on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 6:09 pm: |
ALM, what a PISS-POOR excuse for an airline. I could fully empathise with all you said(except the part comparring the departure of the American flight with the last flight out of Saigon---that was a little over the top). As you described, the very worst part about late and cancelled flights is the lack of communications, and in some cases the perverse satisfaction ALM emoloyees get out of seeing Americans suffer. It seems their level of satisfaction rises exponentially with the frustration and pain of their victims. At the end of the day you just know that an airline managed this poorly must have an even worse, more slip-shod,reckless maintenance program.. It stands to reason that when the "front of the house" is as awfull as ALM the "rear of the house"(the part the public never sees) must really be deplorable. ALM, a piss-poor excuse for an airline $300 million in debt, with no place to go but down. I only hope that when it goes down, it does not carry 120 innocent passengers with it.
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By Kerri Freeman on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 8:09 pm: |
Very tentatively, I submit my $0.02 because it's a while since I've flown ALM. But I think the 'front' and 'back of the house' analogy inapt.We do,I think have a couple of pilots who have written here, and I wonder if they might say something regarding the safety issue. I spent a lot of time waiting for/flying on puddlejumpers,turbo-props and there's an airline that turns the flight from San Juan to Charlotte Amalie,USVI into a life-altering experience. When I just about lived down there, my always unanswered question was "How can you be 2?3?4 hrs late on a 20 min. flight? They were. And often. My airline friends (different line) told me the "front" and "back" of the house aren't related. Passenger and ticket clerks are just that. Ground crew techs are better and trained. Pilots are sometimes younger waiting for the main line, sometimes people like us who chose an island home and planned to fly these routes. Some didn't want anymore big deal runs. And many were Vietnam Era pilots who liked flying and wanted to stay in it.They all had to meet international standards. These guys are in the plane with you.They have a vested interest in getting you where you're going in 1 piece. And other pilots aren't shy about naming an observed incompetent. Anyway, I've certainly been sc***ed around by major airlines like AJ, Eastern out of San Juan etc. I'm no stockholder so if people outline their ALM travails I'm pleased to be informed. Safety is another issue, for that I'd like back-up info. I know about St. Barts a couple of weeks ago. What's the story if there is one in general about the 'southern' lines? My info was KLM excellent, so I assumed its safety record was familial. And the planes I remember are made by Bombardier....an excellent Canadian company, part of Canada's excellent aviation development history. As far as I know made right. Right here in Canada.(commercial over) If I've picked up your language lonnie it's only cause you're last one on record and you've said you travel lots down there.
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By Hazel Scharosch on Sunday, April 1, 2001 - 12:23 am: |
Well said, Kerri. Bottom line for me? Travel sucks but traveling is so worth it. There is something humbling about traveling to a place that does not speak your language. I am truly NOT being complacent...I do think airlines in general should be held accountable for unacceptable service...and generally, most try to make it right. The only truly annoying habit is not explaining WHY there is a delay. Or, worse yet, loading the plane and THEN informing you the flight will be delayed, thereby leaving you sitting on the tarmack (sp?) for hours.
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By nancy edison on Thursday, April 5, 2001 - 6:33 pm: |
Great points, Kerri. Now I just read the thread under "Local Items" regarding ALM and their current business woes. I wonder how much of what people experience "up front" is the result of people knowing that their business is in some sad straits, being cut loose from KLM, and knowing that 129 of them are about to be laid off (ground crew folks and caterers)? Of course, that wouldn't necessarily account for the lax customer service standards of past years....
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By ginny miller on Friday, April 6, 2001 - 8:55 pm: |
We took ALM from Curacao to Bonaire on March 26 and the return (which was supposed to be Apr 4 but ended up being Apr 5). I cannot say enough BAD things about ALM. I will never take one of their flights again!!! We were 2+ hours late leaving Curacao to Bonaire. Luckily, it was the last flight, and we could not dive that day anyway. The flight back to Curacao was to allow us a 2+ hour layover before our flight to Miami. We are advised to be at the airport by 11 for a 12:15 flight. We were there at 10:20, checked in and waited, and waited, etc (you get the picture). The flight was delayed until 2:40, when a plane finally arrived. Our flight to Miami was schedule to leave at 2:48, so of course, we missed it. ALM continually had NO idea who was going to make any decisions, changed their stories, blamed other companies, and kept 13 passengers at the airport in Curacao for 3+ hours while they 'thought about what to do'. After much pushing, we were finally taxied to a hotel. Due to total incompetency, these folks at ALM almost made us all miss the next days flights THEY had arranged because no one could figure out who had the authority to actually allow us to be ticketed for the arrangements THEY made. Other airlines and hotels are not inclined to work with ALM due to ALM not paying for the charges incurred as a result of their incompetencies (this was conveyed to us by reps from other airlines and the hotel that put us up for the night). We were advised (by snooping and quizzing other reps at other agencies) that ALM cannot fill up flights, so combine 2,3, or even 4 flights to fill one plane...which leaves usually right before the latest flight. They tend to hold all folks from earlier flights til they have enough to fill up a plane. I encourage you to find any way OTHER than ALM to go to Bonaire. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE...Once you get there, you will find some of the best diving and most wonderful, friendly folks anywhere in the world.
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By Kate Tymstra on Friday, April 6, 2001 - 10:39 pm: |
On a positive note, we flew ALM, MIA-CUR-BON Feb. 27 and returned March 20. This was our fourth trip with ALM and once again we had no problems with them, in fact landing a little early each time. They had re-routed our flight through Haiti on the return but this did not cause major problems. We did lose luggage on the way down but it was lost by Air Canada, not ALM. Some of the ALM reps did their best to track it but it was very complicated as we had been on six different planes and three different airlines!
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