ADDENDUM & LIFE LESSONS EXTRAORDINAIRE: (this is long but fun) More problems ... lets call it interesting and unexpected reality instead. A problem is something you can solve... SO. After months of research and contact with all kinds of airlines, international moving companies, and pet specialists, I decided on Luthansa, book my flight, verify all the paperwork and am READY to go. 30 hours before my flight, they cancel due to pilot strikes in Germany. BUT, I do get the NOC form (export permit, ridiculous). I called Lufthansa in the hours after they notified me by TEXT MESSAGE that my flight was canceled, which was in the evening of the 31st. They informed me I could not get a flight until April 5, unless I could fly that night (March 31, April 1) which I could not because I did not yet HAVE the NOC permit because the office for that was CLOSED on the 31st for a festival of some sort. SO I said yes, Ill take the flight on the 5th... can you send me a confirmation. They said use the same confirmation number I already had. Suspicious, I called today to ask if I could have an updated itinerary emailed to me... only to find out that while, yes, they had booked me from Chennai to Frankfurt, there were NO OUTGOING FLIGHTS TO SEATTLE AVAILABLE FROM FRANKFURT UNTIL THE 7TH. So, I cried and begged and Olga said there was business class, it would cost 2000 Euros more... I explained everything carefully, she said she would see if she could waive the fee this one time. While on the phone with her boss... the last business seat sold out. SO. She gives me the number for Pet Care, who fly pets. They inform me they fly only from Germany. Olga has told me she can book me British Air no problem. BUT while British DOES accept pets, they must be booked separately through BA Sky Cargo. And while Sky Cargo is of course able to move my pet, I cannot book that movement, it must be done through a certified agent. Who says he needs 10 days to get the right forms. SO. Then I call Emirates ( American Airlines has a flight too, but it operates through BA, so were back to square one on that) and ask them if they will fly my dog. They say yes, they will fly the dog as extra baggage. Please just to contact them once Ive made my booking so they can note it in my travel file. SO I go back to the phone with Lufthansa - in Germany, mind you, as the Indian help line has been busy for the last 2 days, and the one time I did get through, the woman told me it was my fault that the agent had misinformed me- and tell them that I can fly on Emirates. They say they are not authorized to transfer my booking to Emirates, as the rate is higher. I explain my situation again, to the new guy, Szeacs (made him spell it), and he gets the special extra neat go ahead to book my flight on Emirates on the 4th, at NO extra charge. Yay! SO then I contact Emirates again as instructed to get them up to speed on my shiny new reservation. Then the nice guy says yes yes, and do you have the permits and I say yes yes, and he says is she a prohibited breed and I say no, no and he says great give me all the details, and I do. THEN he says OK I have sent this in an email to the relevant department, so you should receive the OK to go with her in 48 to 72 hours. My flight departure is scheduled in 34 hours. I remind him of this. He says yes hes asked them to hurry and hopefully it will all work out. And that is where I am right now. I will call them tomorrow. EITHER they will say OK great no problem, OR they will say you have to wait another 24 hours and fly on the 5th, OR they will say sorry no and I will have to transfer my flights BACK to Lufthansa... .on the 8th. I did happily receive an email in the midst of all this informing me I can submit my extra hotel expenses for reimbursement. So if I have to stay in Chennai it should be for free. AND Saji & I did meet a nice fellow at the Sheraton bar last night who once applied for a position at Evergreen but took one at St. Johns instead.... Indian born US philosophy professor. Were having dinner tomorrow. Just so everyone knows that control over anything at all is an absolute illusion. I thank the GODS and my mama papa for the credit card that means I can eat while this is going on. The end.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 15:20:56 +0000
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