Our original plan had been to get back to Mumbai from Ayodhya, and then fly out that very night – thankfully, we eventually planned for a day’s buffer. With the flight from Ayodhya delayed by several hours, it would have been a scramble to get to the airport in time! So we had a nice leisurely day, got in some last minute shopping, repacked our bags, and got to the International terminal – feeling rested for the long journey home. Except we had no idea how long that was actually going to take us – a whopping 60 hours from Mumbai to Peoria!

Started with a boarding delay – didn’t bother me too much, we did have a 6 hour layover in Paris. After boarding the plane, as we were getting seated – the gentleman sitting next to us took me totally by surprise – calling out my maiden name – “Gauri? Gauri Khadilkar?” Much to my embarrassment, I had no idea who this was – only after the mention of mutual friends and events, did the dots connect – a classmate from my engineering days, from almost 30 years ago! Turns out that he was scheduled to fly to Detroit via Amsterdam 3 days ago, but the Mumbai-Amsterdam flight had been cancelled – Air France had rebooked him via Paris on our flight! Our flight was on the tarmac for a good hour after boarding was complete – a delay made more annoying by the total lack of communication. No announcements at all!!

We landed in Paris at 9am, instead of the scheduled 7am – by this time, there was a lot of anxiety. Turns out there were several flights to the East Coast – Boston, Newark, and even my friend’s flight to Detroit – all scheduled between 10am to 11am. Europe was in the middle of a snowstorm – which had caused the Amsterdam airport closure a couple of days ago – and CDG was also in a bit of a disarray due to the whole inch of snow on the ground. Incredibly, our plane taxied for over an hour to find a parking spot – and then after we finally stopped, there was an additional wait till the mobile stairs were safe to walk on. Yes, NO jet bridge – with snow falling, slush on the ground and bitterly cold winds, the passengers were herded to waiting buses for the long drive to the terminal! And then right away, in the lines for a security check! Now, I’m certainly all for additional security at airports – a little discomfort is nothing when it comes to safety, right? – but I so don’t understand the logic of the security check during a transit. I mean, I literally got off one of your planes and have been in the confines of the airport since!!

Finally, at the gate – with still a couple of hours before departure to Chicago. Concerningly, all the neighboring gates were flashing signs of ‘Delayed’ – but flights were still taking off, so no alarm bells yet! I had lost track of my friend in the melee at the security check – hopefully, his flight to Detroit was delayed enough that he could make it! The Chicago flight was showing a boarding time delayed by about 20 minutes, just enough time to grab a quick coffee and croissant – they would soon be serving lunch on the plane anyway! 20 minutes turned to 20 more, and then, every time it was time to board, the time kept getting pushed back. The terminal was emptying as other flights took off, and we waited our turn. Minutes soon turned to hours – so it was with a great sigh of relief when the boarding finally started – we had been waiting anxiously for more than 8 hours in the uncomfortably cold terminal!

We were soon settling into our seats for the long flight. Manasi’s friend, AS and her family were also on the same flight – and an exchange of seats had allowed AS to sit with us – so there was a lot of excited chattering from the girls, as they planned the movies to watch in the next few hours. AS had had a bit of bad luck on her flight to India – a mixup with her visa, and she unexpectedly ended up spending 2 days in Paris – so we were all happy that she had Manasi’s company on this flight!! But there were no signs of the plane pulling back – there was a brief announcement that we were waiting for the ground crew to load the luggage, and that was delayed because of the snow. Imagine the crushing disappointment when after more than an hour on the plane – it was announced that the flight was now cancelled because of unavailability of ground crew, and we would be deplaning!! No, no, no – who needs bags?!! – let’s just GO….

Totally unnerved, we retraced our steps back to the gate – where utter chaos awaited us. We had been told on the plane that Air France officials would help with the overnight stay and meals in the airport – what we were given was a sheet of paper with a QR code to scan – which led to an Air France webpage which pretty much said you’re on your own, good luck! There was an information counter, with a serpentine queue – I guess we weren’t the only flight cancelled. So many people, so many questions – and absolutely no answers! This line, as best as I could see, was not moving at all. Emotions were running high for the frustrated passengers, and a couple of fights broke out – but there still was no clarity on next steps. Would we be rebooked on the same flight next day? What happens with our checked bags? Should we just get a hotel room for the night? If we leave the airport, how does that impact our booking? If we book a different flight, will our bags follow? I did book a hotel room online on Agoda, but didn’t want to leave the airport just yet – still waiting for that elusive information.

Then we were told there was a different line in the Departures to handle rebooking – this would mean we had to ‘leave’ the airport and go upstairs. Running out of options, we then decided to investigate this new line. Another hour of fruitless waiting and then finally an official was able to confirm that we could go to the hotel, Air France would work through the night to rebook on next available flights, please check website by 6am next day. So after grabbing a quick McDonalds – because all other restaurants in the airport were closed for the day – we took a Uber to our hotel. It wasn’t the greatest – but Manasi and I had a comfortable bed, and a hot shower and clean towels. No change of clothes – because we didn’t have our bags! Spent an hour with Ajey on the phone, trying to figure out if we could take a train to London or somewhere else, and then fly form there – of course, all options were horrendously expensive, so we decided to wait and see what Air France would come up with.

Next morning, up early, after a restless night – still no updates on the Air France website. So we decided to hotfoot it back to the airport, mentally bracing to get back in line for as long as it took! Surprisingly, there were only a few folks ahead of us, so it didn’t take long. After much unnecessary eye-rolling and sighing, the indifferent Air France agent offered us a flight to Seattle, leaving in 3 hours, and then an onward flight to Chicago. So not only has our flight time increased by 2 hours, I now have a 4 hour connecting flight as well!! Options to Detroit or Atlanta or anywhere but the other end of the country? Not enough time for the bags to get on the plane was the excuse given! What about the next day? The earliest, if we decline the Seattle option, would be 3 days from now – and Air France would not be responsible for the extra stay and meals. So we accepted the Seattle flight – luckily, Manasi’s friend was also able to get the same flight options!

I don’t think I completely relaxed until the plane pulled back from the jet bridge and started taxiing on the runway. Luckily, the flight to Seattle was uneventful – we were just completely mentally and physically wiped out to handle any more! I don’t think I’ve ever been this happier to be back on American soil ever before! Unusually at the Seattle airport, the baggage claim was before the Immigration and we waited at the carousel for a few minutes before I remembered that we had AirTags in our bags! Sure enough, the AirTags showed that our bags were somewhere near Michigan – so we checked with an official – yes, none of our bags had made it on our flight, and we should pick them up (or file a claim) at our final destination, Chicago. Since our bags were clearly not on the flight we took, I wonder why the Air France lady made such a big deal about giving us an earlier flight because ‘our bags wouldn’t make it’!! I was too hassled to fully appreciate the new face recognition immigration counters which meant we pretty just walked through without a wait!!

Seattle-Chicago on American Airlines was also uneventful – at O’Hare, I went straight to the Lost Baggage counter – our AirTags were showing our bags somewhere in O’Hare, I wanted to know where I could pick them up. Alas, the American Airlines agent told us our bags were still with Air France, and American could not get them for us. They could, however, file a claim form, and our bags would be delivered to us by Air France. You would think the baggage tags would be enough to file a claim – but no, not only did they want a physical description of each bag, they also wanted me to list 4 unique things packed in each bag. As anyone who has packed at the end of a vacation knows, I had pretty much randomly thrown stuff in our suitcases – I literally had no idea which bag had what – so I guessed, hoping to be right! I’m finding it hard to believe that they would actually open the bags to check? Finally, out of the airport – almost cried with relief to see Ajey waiting for us outside! We were home – yes, total travel time of 60 hours! And our bags didn’t make it home until a week later.

In retrospect, being stuck in Paris wasn’t the worst that could have happened – but the whole experience with Air France left a really bad taste. The utter indifference of the airline officials to the plight of the passengers was astounding. First of all there was ZERO communication! There were 300 people on our flight alone – and not everyone had the ability or means to book a hotel, or even leave the airport. I shudder to think of my dad or my in-laws in a situation like this – and there were several senior citizens who were caught in this plight. Folks who were only meant to transit in Paris and did not have a valid EU visa, had no option but to spend a cold and miserable night in the airport terminal. Families with young children, people traveling with pets – absolutely no support or succor from the airline. Even Indigo provided us a snack bag when the flight was delayed for more than 3 hours. Nothing from Air France, not even a cup of coffee!! And then the rebooking – why do I have to be a supplicant to get onto a flight home, when it should be my right as a fully paying passenger??!! I completely understand that there are certain things beyond the airline’s control, and while I am willing to give them that grace – I think the least I can expect is the same grace in return? A little bit of empathy would go a long way in these situations! The only redeeming factor from this whole mess was the prompt refund of my hotel and meals claim! As much as we love Paris, flying Air France won’t be an option for us anytime soon!!

Rants aside, this is the reality of today’s air travel. With such a massive surge in air travel, some of these older international airports are simply not equipped to handle the increasing load. Odds are, there will be inevitable delays, cancellations, especially when traveling in winter. The only way to handle these is to be prepared! Starting with, always carry a change of clothes and an extra sweater and jacket in your carry-on. And pack travel size bottles of toiletries in that Ziplock! Any medications, or expensive personal items like jewelry or electronics – always in hand luggage. The Agoda and Uber apps on my phone were lifesavers – have those accounts set up before you travel – and check with your phone carrier about international roaming rates for data! If possible, check transit visa requirements for any city you’re flying through, in case you have to spend an extra day or two – or try to get direct flights to your destination country. As much as I crib about Air India, they will at least get you from India to US, even with that 4-5 hour refueling delay added to their ‘direct’ flights!! Lastly, easier said than done – stay calm, and go with the flow – panic never solved any problems!

With all that, Ajey has already booked tickets for our annual December trip – we’re going back to Lufthansa! Fingers crossed! And Bon Voyage to all you travelers! May the odds be ever in your favor!!