I who have nothing- Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my rant tale. So when I finished yesterday, I had left off with me sitting on a flight from Dubai to Frankfurt wondering if I'd be able to make my Orlando connection. I got out of the flight at 1:35 pm and there was an Emirates agent waiting for me. No placards this time. I asked him and he said that I have been rerouted on a United flight from Frankfurt to Washington and then from there to Orlando and I would reach Orlando at 12 midnight. So I walk purposefully to the Emirates airline counter to give them a piece of my mind and ask for a free upgrade to business class. First I go to the United counter to have my new ticket and asked him for an upgrade. He said it is not the fault of United Airlines that I missed my connection and so they can't do anything for me. I was supposed to fly on a Lufthansa flight originally, so they are not responsible either. The hand washing there would have done Pontius Pilate proud.

Where were the Emirates people? They did not have a counter at all in the transit area. Their counter was in Germany and I could only meet them if I had a German visa. Considering that Germany was not even a transit point in my original itinerary, I could not meet with them. After fighting with the United people, I went to the Lufthansa counter and even though it was none of their problem, they were most helpful and actually called the Emirates guy to the desk. They found that Emirates had actually failed to reissue me a ticket and that would have caused me a lot of problems when I arrived in Washington and tried to board a flight. The agent at the counter said that they have money, but they do not even know International Law. Anyway, the agent came along huffing and puffing and said he was sorry. That was a pretty simple word for him to say considering that all he lost was 15 minutes coming from Germany to the transit area. I asked him about an upgrade or a travel/food voucher and he said that they don't do it.

Emirates airlines in spite of the money sucks big time.

He also knew that my boarding was in 15 minutes and I did not have time to stand there and argue with him. So I boarded my flight to Washington on United which actually reached on time. I wish I could say that everything was great after that. Immigration went through smoothly and when I reached the baggage claim area, my checked in bags were nowhere to be found.

I who went with 2 checked baggage came back with nothing. The bags were at the other side of the Atlantic sitting disconsolately with no one to claim, orphaned and unloved.

When I came to Orlando, I filed a claim for the suitcases and today, after pestering them every 5 hours found that one of my suitcases have been located at Frankfurt and is on its way to Orlando. I might get it sometime tonight or tomorrow. The fate of the other as of now is unknown. The other had some pickles and spices and some food articles loving prepared by my mom. I don't know if I will get it and that makes me sad. I cannot put a price on those items. If I did, it would be $2600. I don't know a place in US where I would get it. I would have to go all the way to India and have my mom prepare them again. I have no leave so I have to take unpaid, so the cost would be $2600 at the minimum.

I know it's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but if you would, please pray that I would get my other suitcase as well with nothing missing. It has other stuff than food as well. I would hate to lose all that.

So I hoped to finish this with 2 parts, but this post has gone on long enough and I will write one more part tomorrow with updates and a picture I can't wait to show.