Feuding with Vueling
We used a Spanish airline, Vueling, to get from Barcelona to Venice. They actually got us as far as Milan, and we took a delayed bus from there. Something like this?
Needless to say, the flight was 98% full of perhaps two of the most passionate breeds of European, the Spaniard and the Italian. The other 2% was pretty much the two of us, and we were basically freaked until a friendly Spanish guy with a very Three Musketeers type of beard translated all the news and directions for us.
Well, a nice lady who did speak English (and apparently Spanish and Italian) took down everyone’s e-mail addresses and promised a fight when she got back home. The fight has commenced, with national newspapers being informed and the like.
Anyway, I already applied for my reimbursement of that flight, so if we get a refund I’m not sure how to handle it with integrity but without waking the great beast of HR administrivia. I don’t know how they would compensate such a transgression, but they’re not Star Alliance, meaning we’re pretty much going to Madrid or the Canary Islands if there is a voucher involved.
This is the kind of airline that charges you to choose your economy seats in advance, so I hope they don’t offer a free eggroll and checked bag.
We do deserve some consideration, though. Being stuck in a completely different city overnight without two wings and a prayer - I suppose - missing out on a whole lot of sleep and the vast majority of a night’s rest in a very charming Venice hotel kind of jacked up the rhythm of the vacation. We stayed in the hotel for about two hours, which was one of the best ideas of the trip but was definitely the most expensive nap and shower I hope to ever take.