Originally Posted by robthree

Awesome story! My first Southern trip was similar, if less expensive.

I was assigned to operate a double crewed HKG-somewhereistan-LGG trip. So I am to deadhead BOS-EWR-HKG on Continental. Middle seat, coach. (Because every Southern Air deadhead is middle seat, coach.) Despite this, I'm excited to fly the 747, and excited to visit Hong Kong for the first time. The day prior to departure I call crew scheduling and remind them I don't have a hotel reservation in Hong Kong yet. The assure me they are working on it, and just check Blue One for updates. I check Blue One just before I leave home, and still no reservation. No worries, I'll just call when I get to EWR and write it down. I get to EWR with plenty of time to make my connection, and call scheduling.

ME: I need my HKG hotel details, please.
CREW SCHEDULER: Umm, we are working on it. Just check Blue One.
I don't have access to Blue One. I'm at the airport.
Then just call us.
I leave the States in an hour, and don't have international cell phone service.
Oh, no problem, we will email the details to you, just check your company Blackberry.
I'm not a Captain, I don't have a company Blackberry.
No problem, we will email the details to your Captain's Blackberry.
My Captain is on the same flight from EWR to HKG?
No, he's operating from XXX to HKG.
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And how do I find him?
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Well, just call us when you get to Hong Kong.
I don't have international cell phone service.
You have a company calling card, right?
No. How do I get one?
It was mailed to your home. It should be there tomorrow.
I'll be in HKG tomorrow.
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Just call collect. It will be fine.
That sounds reasonable. Thanks.

So I arrive in HKG 17 hours later. Hong Kong payphones are funny. In that you can't make collect calls. Or maybe you can. If you can read the Chinese instructions. I couldn't figure it out. Some time later, maybe an hour, maybe more, I find out how to buy wifi, and log onto Blue One, and as promised I have hotel details. But no transportation. Not the end of the world. I exchange USD for HKD, figure out how taxis work, and an hour later I pull up to the Holiday Inn Kowloon. Which I enjoy for two days!

About an hour before my scheduled show time I check Blue One to see if we are on time and the RED BUTTON (of death) is illuminated. I check it and I have no flight on my schedule. I have no schedule of any kind. All my days on are just shown as ADHOC. So, I call to find out whats going on since
I'm supposed to walk out the door, like now.


ME: Hi its First Officer Robthree
CS: What can we do for you?
What happened to my trip? I'm supposed to go to the airport now. I've got no schedule.
Ohh, we just discovered we don't need a double crew for your trip. We are going to operate it with an augmented crew instead.
Ok, so what do I do?
We will get you a new schedule. Check Blue One.
Really? I just stay in HK until I get a trip?
Yes. Have a nice day.

How cool is this, sitting reserve in HK, in a company paid room, what could be better, right?

Some time later the front desk calls me.

FD: What time will you be checking out?
ME: Didn't scheduling call you to extend my reservation?
No, no one called.
Oh that's ok I'll email them to send you the details, but please extend my stay for lets say a week, they don't need me to fly today.
No.
I'm sorry?
No. Hotel is sold out. You must go now.

So I call Norwalk, and sure enough this crew scheduler is aware that it is Chinese New Year, there are no rooms in HK. In fact they just got the last three rooms in Macau for the inbound crew of the flight I was supposed to work. (That has now departed).

CS: We will work on it.
ME: The hotel wants me out now.
Call us back in an hour.

Time passes.

ME: Ok, what is the plan?
CS: We got you a room! At the Holiday Inn. In Brussels.
In Belgium!?!
You're on the midnight flight to Zurich. You'll connect there to BRU. Its the airport hotel, so you won't need a car. The next day we will cab you over to LGG and you'll go to the LGG Holiday Inn downtown.
So I leave in seven hours?
Yeah.
And I have to check out of the hotel an hour ago. The maid is literally waiting for me to leave.
Its the cheapest flight.
Is there any other option?
No, its the only flight we can book you on.
I'm not even sure they will let me check in this early.
Good luck!

So after several hours of airport appreciation. I'm off to Europe (middle seat, coach). Turns out the Holiday Inn is not on the airport in BRU. But the payphones do have instructions, in French, that I can eventually decipher well enough to call Norwalk, collect. Take a cab they say. Cabs don't take credit cards, but if I pay out of pocket they will reimburse me. I get to the room, fall asleep, and the phone rings!

Front Desk: Your cab is here to take you to LGG.
ME: No, that's for tomorrow.
FD: He's here now.

Another call to Norwalk:

ME: What happened to my rest? I've been up all night.
CS: You left Hong Kong, on Tuesday, its Thursday. You've had your day off. ME: HK is on the other side of the date line. It is only one day later there. I've been up for 24 hours.
CS: Is that how that works? Whaddyaknow. Anyway you've got a room waiting for you in Liege. Just take the cab now, you can rest when you get there.

I cab it to LGG. My room is not ready. But I do have a reservation. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice. I eventually get a room and some sleep. And sometime the next day I get a call from crew scheduling. (A call ought to be a warning sign, but I haven't figured that out yet.)

CS: We have a trip for you.
ME: Cool. I've gone halfway around the world without seeing a Southern Air airplane. What's the trip?
There is a cab waiting for you outside. It is going to take you to BRU. Where you're going to catch a US Airways flight to PHL, (middle seat, coach) and then connect to LGA. There will be a limo to get you over to the JFK Hilton Garden. You'll get your rest and then operate to LGG. And you need to hurry, because the flight leaves in just a few hours.

:0

True story.