View Full Version : Stranded in Hawaii, no joke, help/ideas?
sanddrag
31-03-2008, 00:53
This afternoon we received word that Aloha Airlines folded and the flight our students/teacher were supposed to take back home tomorrow is canceled. The district is requiring they fly together on the same flight so we aren't too hopeful about getting in by standby on Hawaiian. We can't get through to United (waited on hold over an hour) and we have zero dollars. Any ideas?
Wow, I just read about that airline going bankrupt and I thought about all the people that was going to screw. I wish there was some way I could help. Try pleading your case to other airlines see what can come out of it.
But if I was stuck somewhere Hawaii would be my #1 choice
danshaffer
31-03-2008, 00:59
enjoy an extended spring break?
but seriously... good luck getting back. hopefully your district can waive their regulations and allow you to fly back in smaller groups, perhaps with a mentor each?
Lavapicker
31-03-2008, 01:00
You're not going to get much sympathy from the Mainland!!! Seriously though, don't forget that there are direct flights to the mainland from Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. See if Hawaiian can fly you interisland and then put you on one of those flights. It happened to us a few years back, now you see what we Hawaii teams have to go through, and we flew to Maui from the Big Island to catch a direct flight to the Mainland. The airlines picked up all the costs and did the arranging. Don't forget to mention to whomever is helping you to check the flights out of our Neighbor Islands as well!!! Good luck!
I would push your school district to ease up on regulations. Hit them with the idea that the team may not get back for several days and that everyone is running low on money and they might be more willing to cooperate. Now would be the time to pull all the district connections you can think of. Perhaps you could contact some of the local teams and see about getting temporary help?
Woody1458
31-03-2008, 01:08
Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.
Nawaid Ladak
31-03-2008, 01:10
Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.
i second that
our mentor drove 120mph across SC on our way to the Philadelphia Regional a couple of years ago. doesn't mean the district knows
dtengineering
31-03-2008, 01:12
I had to check and make sure this wasn't April 1... but dang... it IS real.
While I don't have any helpful ideas (building a raft won't work all that well... the currents take you up past the Aleutians before bringing you back down the coast) I can sympathsize somewhat. It may be possible that one of the local FRC teams can take you in as billets for a couple days until this all gets sorted out.
If an airline is particularly helpful in getting you back home, please make mention of their efforts here. It might influence other teams in a positive way when selecting who they want to fly with.
We came VERY close to having a similar situation in our first year... we flew back from Toronto on Canada 3000 (an absolutely miserable flight... cheap in every way) and when I got off the plane I observed that the airline wouldn't be around for much longer because people would fly with them exactly once. A month or so later, they folded. We only missed your situation by a couple of weeks.
Mind you, we would have been stranded in Toronto...
Jason
P.S. Maybe the school board needs to be a bit more flexible in this situation, too... perhaps the parents back home need to get on the board's case a bit.
A buddy of mine got stranded in Hawaii 3 or 4 years ago. He managed to get a ride on a ferry that takes new cars from Los Angeles Harbor to Hawaii, and goes back empty. Either LA or Long Beach.
It a long shot,
but if all else fails, cram a bunch of kids on a boat, then hitchhike to West Corvina?
Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.
If it's on the school's bill, they will find out pretty quickly.
I would suggest the following:
Look at the airport's website. That might tell you who flies out of there.
Find the cheapest of those airlines that has a flight to the mainland. LAX or Long Beach Airport, pick one.
Call them and talk to them about your situation.
Repeat as necessary.
Meanwhile, talk to the school about what is going on (if you haven't yet). This is a "special circumstance" that couldn't have been foreseen. Request formal permission to travel as smaller groups to save money/time. Also arrange for extra time off of school...this is not your fault, unforeseen circumstances, etc.
Michelle Celio
31-03-2008, 01:16
This afternoon we received word that Aloha Airlines folded and the flight our students/teacher were supposed to take back home tomorrow is canceled. The district is requiring they fly together on the same flight so we aren't too hopeful about getting in by standby on Hawaiian. We can't get through to United (waited on hold over an hour) and we have zero dollars. Any ideas?
Have you tried talking to other teams who flew to hawaii from the west coast? Using the idea below and any possible extra tickets might help with the situation.
I would push your school district to ease up on regulations. Hit them with the idea that the team may not get back for several days and that everyone is running low on money and they might be more willing to cooperate. Now would be the time to pull all the district connections you can think of. Perhaps you could contact some of the local teams and see about getting temporary help?
I second this.
Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.
Lying to the school district is never a good thing to do, if anyone ever did find out the team/teachers would be in big trouble and there would be a risk of the district not letting them travel too far out side of their zone. You might not see this as a serious issues - just lie and hope you get away with it, but when you're talking to liability of the school for the students to the parents it's very important that policy is followed.
i second that
our mentor drove 120mph across SC on our way to the Philadelphia Regional a couple of years ago. doesn't mean the district knows
I'm thinking they might now.
artdutra04
31-03-2008, 01:22
Public relations and the news media can be powerful.
If the local television news channels are doing stories on Aloha Airlines, contact them. Get on the news, and make sure your situation is known and seen by hundreds of thousands of eyes.
Your situation definitely meets the drama value that news stations die for.
our mentor ...Those are the kinds of stories that require rule number one and two (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_club), no exceptions.
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/2642/printrulesfp7.jpg
Rick TYler
31-03-2008, 01:29
There are two or three problems jammed together here:
1. Getting home. Another airline (looks like it will be United for flights to the mainland, and Hawaiian for inter-island flights) will honor the tickets. It's actually SOP when an airline goes toes up. The problem is not buying tickets, it's waiting for United to have enough seats during spring break season. No suggestions, but you will get off the island. Check with Aloha to confirm that it is United, or if they don't answer, call United.
2. A place to stay until you can get a flight. The idea of contacting local FIRST teams is a good one. I'd pursue that.
3. School regulations. Even the most stiff-necked school district is going to be flexible when the alternative is having students stuck somewhere for a week or two. (I'm dreaming of course, schools can be stunningly dedicated to their rules in the face of reasonable exceptions. They can also make exceptions -- there's no way to generalize.) (One of the reasons we moved Exothermic to an Explorer Post is so that we don't have to deal with these sorts of school rules. I generally follow the Boy Scout youth protection rules which are just about as strict as the school district, except that they admit the possibility that some adult other than a teacher can be a responsible party. But I digress.)(Actually, the Boy Scout rules are stricter than local school districts when it comes to youth protection, and I'm all good with that.)(But I'm digressing again.)
Good luck. Think of what a great story this will be to tell next year's rookies!
waialua359
31-03-2008, 01:40
Sorry to hear about your situation.
Let us know via PM if we can be of help!
My sister works, or I should say worked at the airlines for the past 16 years. Its sad to have heard that she has to look for another job now.
Maybe I can ask her what the options are for you folks.
115inventorsam
31-03-2008, 02:48
Get home by whatever means you can, put your guys on separate flights, you guys are already low on money. Probably should contact the district about this, so they don't go "Why didn't you tell us?" if they were to find out(I think they will). The way you're describing the situation, the district shouldn't give you guys a hard time, especially if you guys can make them understand the circumstances.
If for some extremely crazy reason they stand by their policy, I would defy them, this is an emergency, and the chances of getting everyone on one flight are extremely low.
Good luck getting home, and be safe.
Billfred
31-03-2008, 08:36
Unfortunately, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 had a provision to help here--but it expired in 2006. In the meantime, I suggest drafting an extremely well-defined plan to split up the team into smaller groups (each with a responsible adult at the helm) and get communicating with the district that this is about the only hope for getting the team back in the current situation. Rules are good, but this is a unique situation. (Even better is if you can actually get some seats, which would give you some leverage.) Either way, getting in line at Hawaiian might work.
Good luck!
Vince lau
31-03-2008, 08:51
I heard about Aloha Airlines folding this morning and was wondering about teams that went to the Hawaii regional. Hopefully you can get your school board to allow you to fly back in groups, each teach/mentor takes back a group of students. Wish there was more that I could do, but good luck and stay safe, hope you can find flights back soon
ReaperGoat
31-03-2008, 09:06
Unfortunately, it sounds like your best bet for now is to hang tight and wait until you hear from your district, unless you can manage to get the whole team on a single flight. The idea of trying to catch the ferry back to the mainland is definitely an option there, but of course that's probably going to depend entirely on how much it's going to set you back on the funds you currently have (which doesn't sound like much). Contacting the media to get your story out would really be a very good idea, and could possibly get you help the fastest, since airlines will be pretty willing to take the free publicity of helping out a team in need. You might also want to contact the Governer's office, and let her know about your plight. As supportive of FIRST as she is, I'm alomst certain she wouldn't want to hear that a team was stranded in her state without any help.
Best of luck getting home safely, if you can't get there quickly.
Wow... This is one of those things I would have never even dreamed of happening. My thoughts is that when an airline declares bankruptcy, they should be required by law to stop selling tickets, and fly out any tickets that were already sold, thusly preventing such a situation from happening... however, its a little late for that. Its interesting though, that only one team is reporting this problem... I would have imagined there being more than just one team stranded because of this. My understanding was that the only inter-island airlines were Aloha and Hawaiian, and I can't imagine everyone else took Hawaiian.
EDIT: Oh right, Hawaii's governor is very FIRST supportive. Try getting in contact with her, she might be able to use her pull to make something happen. Anyone thinking a ride on a government aircraft?
You need to step outside your box to get the help you need...from the Hawaii FRC teams...
One of the FRC Hawaii teams needs to take up your cause. They can contact local church and civic groups (VFW, Ruritan, Rotary, etc.) about getting you better/cheaper accomodations in a church hall or another building with kitchen facilities. They can pull together and provide your meals while you wait this out. While you stay with your team as a chaperone, the Hawaiian mentors can approach the airlines directly, not via telephone. Someone should also contact the public relations department at the Navy Base.
No matter where you are stranded, an FRC team should always be nearby, to help out, and get the ball rolling for you. If none of the above pan out, reply back and I'll see what else I can pull together.
~Shelbo's Mom
How many students and adults? Where are you at right now? What is your current status? How can someone in Hawaii reach you?
~Shelbo's Mom
Brian J. R.
31-03-2008, 10:55
Just heard about this on the news, it said that if you have tickets to call your travel agent (assuming you have one) to swap tickets to Hawaiian Airlines. Don't know how much help this is if you need a group flight, just thought I'd put it out there.
I tried to email the local Hawaii VFW Posts but they bounced back. Call the main headquarters 808-946-7250. Tell them how long you have been stranded, how many are in your group and that you are low on funds. Be specific about what would help- food, stuff to freshen up, accomodations or a place to hang out, help arranging transportation, etc. If you don't ask for it, they won't know that you need it. Most Posts have funds set aside for emergencies. My local Post is #253 if you need a reference; 253 won't know me by name but they will know my Dad. Veterans live to help out and love to be needed!
~Shelbo's Mom aka Christine George, daughter of John Dawson, VFW Post #253
Tazlikesrobots
31-03-2008, 12:28
Wow! Sorry to hear that. This may be a good time to do Dean's homework and use the media exposure to get a flight back. Who knows....you might be flying back on a private jet! :)
Keep us posted on the developments.
adengler
31-03-2008, 17:45
Hey RAWC,
Contact us if you need transportation or a place to stay. We'll help you work it out.
Team 2090
808-375-9263
ajisjesus
31-03-2008, 18:05
You need to step outside your box to get the help you need...from the Hawaii FRC teams...
One of the FRC Hawaii teams needs to take up your cause. They can contact local church and civic groups (VFW, Ruritan, Rotary, etc.) about getting you better/cheaper accomodations in a church hall or another building with kitchen facilities. They can pull together and provide your meals while you wait this out. While you stay with your team as a chaperone, the Hawaiian mentors can approach the airlines directly, not via telephone. Someone should also contact the public relations department at the Navy Base.
No matter where you are stranded, an FRC team should always be nearby, to help out, and get the ball rolling for you. If none of the above pan out, reply back and I'll see what else I can pull together.
~Shelbo's Mom
Aloha,
All of us here in Hawaii understand these teams situations very well, we've all had our getting stranded nightmares (missing flights due to over lapping, airlines stopping flights, etc...) if anyone needs help in the meanwhile and some of you are on a neighbor island such as the big island, (*hint hint wink wink* ) we would be more than happy to help out as much as possible. This is a very odd and complicated situation where you are in the right place... at the wrong time. Standing inline at Hawaiian may not be a bad idea while you wait for help from your district. Hawaiian is keeping $49.00 flights (inter island i think.. that may come in handy) until the 7th, and then it truly will be impossible for you to get home. ATA Airlines already has taken advantage of this situation and not in a good way, even before Aloha formally announced that they would no longer continue flights the price of their tickets jumped nearly four times the price over night. This is a serious problem that has not only affected these teams but is making it next to impossible to find our Hawaii teams that qualified for Atlanta (McKinely, Waialua, Waiakea, Honoka'a, etc...) to actually make it there. It is a very sad situation were many of our friends and family are losing their jobs and making an already bad economic situation worse. To save some money try to stay out of the cities or you will be in a very very bad situation in a very short period of time.
Yes, our governor is very much into FIRST and is very supportive of our teams and all that have come to our state for FIRST. I'm not sure that this situation has been brought to her attention, but now that us Hawaii teams know trust me someone will be on the phone.
I speak for all Hawaii teams when I say I hope you make it home safely and in a timely manner. If you cant make it home soon try to make the best of the situation and enjoy the sunshine just a little longer. Might help to ease the stress of being stranded just a bit. You helped to make this regional a success and I hope that despite this you return and not just for FIRST. Your all great people and it would be cool to meet you guys again.
If any team cant afford to sit by and wait for something to happen (which I'm sure is the case) PM me, my mother is extremely good at getting flights at reasonable prices, might be kinda tight now that airlines are jacking up prices though.
I wish you luck in what ever happens and hope that your team(s) return home safely
Mahalo,
-aj
sanddrag
31-03-2008, 18:16
Here's an update:
The only flights out of here to Southern California that you can buy are over $800. The school has agreed to let the students fly separately. The students and teacher arrived at the airport at 3 AM this morning. The ticket counter for Hawaiian Airlines opened at 4:15 AM. The people staffing the ticket counter were only called to come into work early at approximately 11 PM last night. They were given a three page poor quality photocopied guide of how to handle displaced Aloha passengers, and absolutely zero training. The numbers they were provided to key into their computer system didn't work at first. Sounds from behind the Hawaiian ticket counter consisted of "They can't do this to us" and "How do they expect us do accommodate all their displaced passengers?" Sounds from the terminal were mostly "Our flight has been canceled" and "everyone is booked" and "luckily we bought them on a credit card so there's some hope of getting our money back"
After more than an hour, the students and teacher were able to obtain standby passes. There are three planes to Los Angeles and two planes to San Diego today. All our crates will be going to Los Angeles. None of the students or teacher got onto the first flight out to Los Angeles. There were zero seats left. Based on this, getting six people on the four remaining flights doesn't seem likely. They have a place to stay for one more night. Hopefully they'll get on flights today. If not, I suppose they'll have to try again tomorrow.
Hawaiian cannot transfer our tickets to another airline (as they would do for overbooked passengers who get bumped) because this only got dumped on them by Aloha, and Hawaiian isn't making any money on shuffling Aloha's people around.
It is understandable that fierce competition can bring a company to its knees. But to ride out every last dollar and suspend flights virtually without warning and to not have a structured collapse system in place to me seems neither gracious nor professional.
Thank you all for the kind words and offers of help. We'll keep you posted and let you know if we need to call upon you.
UPDATE: Hooray! Four of the students got on a flight to LAX. 2 more people to go.
Protronie
31-03-2008, 18:28
Wow! Sorry to hear that. This may be a good time to do Dean's homework and use the media exposure to get a flight back. Who knows....you might be flying back on a private jet! :)
Keep us posted on the developments.
There an excellent idea... contact some of the big cooperations and
see if they might be willing to let yous borrow the corp jet.
explodingcan
31-03-2008, 21:26
We almost had this situation yesterday. Our flight on aloha was on Monday March 31st. We had to call our travel agency and they said that our flight wasnt cancelled ut it was just close.
ajisjesus
31-03-2008, 21:35
We almost had this situation yesterday. Our flight on aloha was on Monday March 31st. We had to call our travel agency and they said that our flight wasnt cancelled ut it was just close.
leave it to the big island teams to get the absolutly last flight home...
rules are meant to be followed. Especially if it may mean the job of who is breaking said rule.... If you must travel is smaller groups, get the parents of whose children are stuck on that island to sign a waiver. PLUS, check with who you booked with, or what credit card they used. There might be some sort of flight insurance, or this case "no flight: insurance.... good luck.....
explodingcan
31-03-2008, 21:44
leave it to the big island teams to get the absolutly last flight home...
I know, sorry! But we had to get back cause we did have school and being on another island is not an excuse. if it was another state for education reasons then maybe. and it wasnt the last flight. the last flight is today!
waialua359
31-03-2008, 22:00
Travis,
If you folks still need help, PM me your no.
Hope all of you get back safely and additional cost free.
Glenn
Fire&Ice
01-04-2008, 03:43
Have you tried to contact the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau. They have help tourist before. No harm in asking.
sanddrag
01-04-2008, 05:44
Everyone was able to get a flight out today on Hawaiian so all is well. Thanks for the suggestions and offers of help, and special thanks to Teams 368 and 2090 for their gracious hospitality and for providing us crates and for hanging out with the last people to leave.
Happy ending are always the best :)
Vince lau
01-04-2008, 11:42
glad everybody was able get a plane home
Congratulations to the rest of the mentors of 968 who managed to catch one of the last flights on ATA (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/ata.com) back home two days ago. ATA has also gone belly up and no longer exists today! :ahh:
If anyone is interested, 968 is taking AirTran to Atlanta heh heh. Fortunately, that airline seem to be pretty stable
You all put two airlines out of business in one week. How many peanuts did you eat?
Brandon Holley
03-04-2008, 12:15
If anyone is interested, 968 is taking AirTran to Atlanta heh heh. Fortunately, that airline seem to be pretty stable
AirTran rocks
basicxman
03-04-2008, 12:43
ask local hotels to give free rooms until you can get home in return for putting their logo on your website, robot, etc...?
synth3tk
03-04-2008, 12:48
ask local hotels to give free rooms until you can get home in return for putting their logo on your website, robot, etc...?
They're home already. But nice suggestion.
basicxman
03-04-2008, 13:20
They're home already. But nice suggestion.
i know i just thought of that reading this thread, lol that's a nice idea even if you're not stranded :D
We are flying Airtran down to Atlanta.
I must recommend that nobody fly Oceanic.
waialua359
03-04-2008, 14:25
Congratulations to the rest of the mentors of 968 who managed to catch one of the last flights on ATA (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/ata.com) back home two days ago. ATA has also gone belly up and no longer exists today! :ahh:
If anyone is interested, 968 is taking AirTran to Atlanta heh heh. Fortunately, that airline seem to be pretty stable
WHAT!
Well I hope Delta and Northwest dont close either until after April 22...................when we get back home.:P
In all seriousness, my sister worked at Aloha for 16 years, so I feel pretty bad for her right now.:(
Jared Russell
04-04-2008, 02:08
This has actually been a really inspiring post to read, believe it or not.
That FIRST teams came out of the woodwork to help 968 get back home safely says a lot about our organization.
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