Baggage Blues

[SkyBoat]

I suspect that nearly all of us have airports we like and others we want to avoid--maybe even like the plague.

Since I just had another encounter? episode? danged inconvenient result of having flown through it? Anyway, I'm once again pretty much disgusted, I thought I'd let off some steam and rant about it, because, ya'll will know what I'm talking about.

Officially, I rank KSFO, San Francisco International Airport as my least favorite. I have had more delays, cancelled flights, and now, lost luggage, going through KSFO than any other.

https://www.flysfo.com/

https://www.flysfo.com/maps/static-maps

I fly from my home in Eugene, Oregon (KEUG) to the Los Angeles area, into KONT (Ontario International), three to four times a year. I'd really be interested to hear from you who fly perhaps on a weekly basis on your impressions of KSFO.

Now, flying from KEUG to KONT does not present one with a multitude of choices. EUG has a grand total of four jetways, and half the time you have to walk down the stairs to get on the CRJ200s and ERJs that are the main aircraft operated by United and Delta (actually their subsidiaries). Alaska is still flying Bombardier Q400 turbo's out of Eugene. Why such a small regional (technically municipal) airfield for the second largest population in the state? Portland International Airport (KPDX) is a mere 100 miles (160km) north. So, often, for longer trips, we fly out of KPDX, because the hop from KEUG to KPDX is often more expensive than the round-trip to a far more distant destination.

For my trips to Southern California, I have two airline choices that go the north-south route. If I take Alaska, I fly to Portland, have 2-3 hour layover and then can fly direct to KONT. If I take United, I fly to San Francisco, have a 1.5 to 2.5 hour layover than then direct to KONT. Prices vary. I prefer Alaska, because they rarely are delayed through KPDX, and, despite having to fly the older Q400s from KEUG to KPDX, a trip that is about 30 minutes,the leg from KPDX to KONT is on a newer B737. AND, I avoid SFO completely.

Flying on United (United Express, to be exact), you get stuck with a CRJ200 (seating is the "trash-compactor" configuration) to SFO. Now getting out of Eugene can be an adventure in itself. It is known locally as "Foggy Bottom International" due to the airfield being built within a couple of miles of a large reservoir, (what can go wrong, right?) which is notorious for generating fog during the rainy season which runs from October through June (no kidding!), but airport improvements over the last 5-10 years have installed the newest radar systems, so appropriately equipped aircraft can now negotiate our foggy conditions.

This time, on my trip from Oct 1-8, I decided to go with United, because their fare to ONT was over $200 less than Alaska's for the round trip and my organization is paying for my flights. I hoped I wouldn't regret it. I did. Part of the blame goes to United. Every flight was delayed on this trip. United is infamous for having planes late getting to the right place at the right time on these N/S routes (essentially from Vancouver/Victoria, BC, Canada to San Diego, CA. And SFO is not the only airport affected. But that was my route.

So, the delays were not too bad in and out of KSFO, 30 minutes or so. No adverse weather came in (one time I got cancelled in KONT because the winds at KSFO had sustained winds of 50 kts blowing across the runways.). We got into KSFO about 20 minutes late due to favorable tailwinds. I was a bit concerned when United changed the departure gate of the KSFO-KEUG three times. It turned out to be harbinger.

I had a good two hour layover, though, so I thought everything would be okay. There was plenty of time for my luggage to get transferred to the right gate. Right? Nope. When we boarded, the flight attendant asked one of the people sitting in the front row (I was in row 4--it was a CRJ200) to go to the back because there wasn't enough weight from luggage in the rear compartment, so the plane wasn't balanced. Hmm. That turned out to be foreshadowing what happened.

We arrived at KEUG early (tailwinds good again). But EUG/United were completely unprepared to receive and disembark us. After we sat on the ramp for about ten minutes (In Eugene? Really?) then we parked, but no one was at the United gate. We sat there for about 5 minutes. We finally got clearance to open the door, but the jetway hadn't been extended. All of a sudden, the Captain storms out of the flight deck and heads up the stairs. I think he may have positioned the jetway so we could get off. But when we left the plane, the door to the lobby hadn't been unlocked. A United agent finally gets the door open. Relief! We're liberated!

Not so fast.

It's 22:45 and five planes have landed in about a fifteen minute window. The terminal is deserted. They have exactly one ground crew on duty (could KEUG become my second least favorite airport?).

We wait for our luggage. Planes that came in after we did, get their bags. We wait for ours to appear on the carousel. Nothin'. After about 40 minutes the one agent comes over to us and says that everything has been unloaded, and at SFO they discovered that one of the baggage carts didn't let loaded onto the plane. Remember that guy that had to give up his front row seat because the tail was too light? It evidently never occurred to the professionals that they were indeed missing something important.

My luggage (which was supposed to be flown from KSFO at 08:30) finally was delivered at 18:00.

On the good side, the flight was smooth. The weather was clear until we got into Oregon, and even then the descent into KEUG was a little bumpy, but nothing of any consequence. So, my complaining is mostly for the purpose of some catharsis. I still love to fly, although, I always wish I was sitting up front where the real fun always takes place!

SkyBoat

[IAHM-COL]

haha KSFO experiences. They are serious deal. But AFAIK, most of the delays in SFO are climatologically tied.
Best,
IH-COL

[SkyBoat]

@IH-COL-- You've been through KSFO more than once, I would guess. And, yeah, nearly all of the "adventures" I've had there have been weather-related. And they were busy Monday night. I was out at Gate 78 in the United concourse and saw probably close to 50 planes taxi by, or land. They were using 28L and R to land and 01L and R to take off. Weather wasn't really a factor. Sheer volume of traffic was the most significant factor. And United was moving flights in and out at a very fast clip. I'd bet our flight wasn't the only one where baggage transfer mistakes happened.

SkyBoat

[jwocky]

KSFO in NOOOTHING!
Try Paris Orly where not even the sings for the bathrooms actually point in direction bathroom!