I had the most awesome flight delay ever today. We flew from Europe to the United States on two separate tickets. Our itinerary was supposed to be the same. The flight from Frankfurt to New York arrives at 11:10AM. The New York to Tampa flight arrived at 6:58PM.Our planned itinerary for today
I redeemed 86,000 KrisFlyer miles per person for a one-way Suites ticket from New York to Frankfurt, which is great if you are traveling with someone. I left a long layover since we had separate tickets and a checked bag.
The flight was delayed by 90 minutes after I received a text from Singapore Airlines. Instead of leaving at 8:35AM, it would leave at 10:00AM. I appreciated that the airline communicated this so far in advance, because the aircraft was late on the inbound from Singapore.
I thought it was perfect.
This was Ford's first time flying Singapore Suites, and he was really impressed. The flight time for this sector was only 7 hours and 40 minutes, which was not enough time to enjoy the experience.
The inflight manager welcomed us after we boarded. She apologized for the delay and said we could make up some time on our flight as it was a bit quicker than usual. The captain can take his time, I told her.
We started our taxi, and five minutes later the incredibly professional captain was on the PA to apologize about a mechanical issue with the aircraft. He explained there was a hydraulics issue with the number three engine. However, we couldn’t return to our gate, but rather would have to go to a remote stand and have maintenance look at it.
Having to spend more time in Singapore Suites is not bad. The exceptional crew made sure we were taken care of when we got to the remote stand. 2008 Dom Perignon? Don't worry if I do!
Dom Perignon with a snack? Don't mind if I do.
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs? Let's mix it up!
Chicken satay was on the ground. We decided to save our appetite after takeoff, even though we were offered more food.
The entire Singapore Airlines team was professional. The station manager apologized to the passengers on the plane for the delay, and the captain updated us multiple times. It took about two hours for everything to be fixed.
Some readers are starting to know where this is going.
In the event of delays, the European Union dictates what compensation passengers are owed. If we arrived in New York at three hours behind schedule, we would be entitled to 600 Euro per person and 1200 Euro per couple. The rest of the flight became a race against the clock.
We needed either a slight delay in the air or a taxi for at least 10 minutes at JFK in order to arrive at 2:10PM or later.
The other side of the equation should be pointed out.
How did it go? At the time that we took off, we touched down at JFK more or less as expected. We were only delayed by three hours if we arrived at 2:10PM or later. I felt like I was on a game show, a few minutes was the difference between getting 1,200 Euro or not. These were the longest 480 seconds of my life.
We taxied to the gate very slowly. We had to hold short of runway 22R for a couple of minutes, which was perhaps the saving grace here.
After our scheduled arrival, we got to our arrival gate at 2:13PM. Wow!
The arrival time is reflected on the website of Singapore Airlines.
It took 10 minutes for the door to open, so we only got off the plane at 2:30PM.
We had to go through immigration, pick up our checked bags, and re-check our bags by 2:41PM, based on Delta's one hour baggage cutoff at JFK.
We took a divide and conquer approach. Ford waited for our checked bags while I headed through immigration with our carry-ons. The baggage re-check area is just outside the arrivals hall in Terminal 4.
I asked the agent if they were strict about the one hour cutoff baggage, or if there was a bit of flexibility. She said they will see what they can do, usually they can have some flexibility.
I didn't know how long it would take Ford to get our bags. Ford showed up at the counter at around 2:45PM after the bags arrived. The agent was happy to check in the bags 56 minutes before departure.
We had to take the AirTrain to Terminal 2, where our flight was leaving from. We got to our departure gate the same as first class, without a line at security. I could not have timed this any better.
We had a great travel day. We got an extra 90 minutes on the plane because of the ground delay, but we also got to fly Singapore Airlines. We are each entitled to 600 Euro compensation under European Union laws because we arrived three hours late. We walked onto our connecting flight after the perfect layover at JFK.
I think I should buy a lottery ticket.
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
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