[sammyg2]

Two weeks ago I had a flight booked from Orange county (john wayne) to Oakland. The flight was supposed to leave at around 1:30 pm. I got to the airport at 11:30 thinking it's a small place, not that busy, should be plenty of time.
Pulled into the first parking lot, all 4 levels were full. I pulled out and told the gate attendant the lot was full, he saId it's been that way all day. why didn't they put out a sign? 15 minutes lost.

I Found another lot, parked and headed to check in. Tried the self serve check-in BS at American Airlines. The machine didn't recognize me. They said "you need to stand in that long line to talk to a person". Arggghhh.
30 minutes later I talk to a person. she says "you are booked on Alaskan Airlines, not American". My reservation says american.
no, that flight is subcontracted to alaskan airlines. AAAAARRRGGGGHHHH.
I walk to the alaskan airlines counter and try the self serve. no dice.
I stand in the long line. These airlines have three people working at the self-serve counter (but they won't really help) and ONE person working at the real ticket counter.
20 minutes later, she says OK, everything is done but you better hurry. Uh oh, that bag is too big for carry on, you will have to check it. no kidding, that's why I put it up on that little shelf so you could check it in.

Nope, baggage check in is already closed for that flight. You can make the flight but your baggage will not go until the next flight that leaves in 4 hours. I say "that fligth isn't going to depart for another 35 minutes. surely we can get someone to throw thing one bag on the plane.
Nope, it's too late. You can go but not your bag.
Now that wouldn't do me much good, so I ask if I can get on the next flight with my bag.
Sure, no problem.
She hands me my boarding pass for the flight that will be leaving in over 4 hours and says, Oh by the way you are on stand-by. I almost explode.
fast forward, I get on stand-by, and get to Oakland 4 hours later than I should have and go to baggage claim area. My bag did not come out of the chute. I ask about it, they say "oh, your bag got here 4 HOURS AGO!"
now it's late at night, I'm driving a rental car that is unfamiliar, I'm driving on freeways that are not familiar, I can't read the map, I'm going on memory of the 4 different freeways and five cities I have to go through to get to the Hilton in Concord.
On the way home I get to the airport (oakland) over 3 hours before the flight leaves, no chances here. I check in, he hands me a boarding pass for a flight that is leaving in 15 minutes. I say I don't think I will make that, then I look and see the boarding pass does not have my name on it, he handed me someone else's boarding pass. I tell him of the mistake and he asks "are you sure?" I felt like saying, no lets go check with security and see if they can tell I have someone else's boarding pass. I bet they'll get a big kick out of it as they strip search me.

So I get my boarding pass for a flight that is still 2 1/2 hours away.
Yep, the flight was 2 hours late. I got home after midnight and had to be at work 6 hours later.

Next time I will rent a car and drive, it'll be faster and less stressful.
F-the airlines.
I understand exactly why people get pissed off and do stupid things on airplanes, it's because they are so stressed out by the stupidity around them.
I can think of no industry that is so screwed up and unorganized. Freaking McDonalds is better run than the airlines. No wonder they are loosing money.