Berlin at Christmastime 2012: Part One

(This is Part One; Part Two is here.)

For two years we’d been talking about returning to Berlin around Christmastime to visit friends and experience the wonderful Christmas markets.  In autumn 2012, when conversation turned to travel, we decided this was our time to return to Germany.

The Planning

Our original plans took us to Berlin by way of a couple-of-days stay in Dubai, with a routing of Dulles to Paris to Dubai to Paris to Berlin to Paris to Dulles.  For reasons I detailed here, we decided to forego Dubai and ended up booking to Budapest, with a routing Dulles to Amsterdam to Budapest to Berlin to Paris to Dulles.  Because we had credit with Delta, we booked our tickets with them, but our outbound flights would be on KLM; our return flights would be on Air France.  (This becomes a nightmarish happenstance, as you'll later read.)

For accommodations, we used points for three nights at the Budapest Intercontinental.  Usually when in Berlin, we rent an apartment.  The cost is often a good bit cheaper than a hotel and it gives us more space and a kitchen.  This time, though, i stumbled upon a 95€ per night rate at the Berlin Hilton.  Since the location is so great and the rate so good, and because my Hilton status would get us free breakfast, we decided to book into the Hilton.

We had everything planned and soon it was time to fly.

The Getting There

About nine hours before we left I received an ominous email, which advised of weather in Amsterdam the next day.  The email said that it was “likely to significantly affect” our flights.  It went on to say that we should rebook, at no additional cost.

Of course, I am always keen to avoid weather, so I started to look at other options.  The only real alternative, if we wanted to keep the same days and destinations, was to take the flight from Dulles through Paris on Air France instead of through Amsterdam on KLM.  Since KLM and Air France are the same company, it should not have been an issue at all.

After previous trips, I wrote (here, for instance), about how horrible SkyTeam’s integration is.  (SkyTeam is Delta’s, KLM’s, and Air France’s alliance.)  This trip was no different, and the troubles had begun before we ever left for the airport.  I wrote/ranted all about it here, here, and here, so I won’t go into it all again here, but, basically, our—and mine specifically—reservations were totally screwed up.  So, we could not check-in online, we could not change our reservation, we could not even access our reservations.

At the airport, I told the agent about the email her airline had sent me.  I told her that we wanted to rebook through Paris to avoid the weather, and so on.  She was having none of it and refused to change our flights, as did her supervisor.  “Your flight is fine.  It is showing on time.”  “Of course it is because it doesn’t leave for ten hours and the weather isn’t coming for eight hours.”  “You don’t need to worry, your flight will be fine.”

In the lounge at Dulles before the flight, my hair relaxes with some reading

Our flight was not fine:  although we were able to land, our onward flight had already been canceled before we landed.  I usually like to be correct but, in this case, I didn’t like to be right, not one bit.  And, ours wasn’t the only one, as the roughly two inches of snow threw Amsterdam Schipol Airport into complete chaos and pandemonium.  Yes, less than two inches of snow!  At a Northern European international airport, and they were totally incapable of dealing with it.

View from the lounge in Amsterdam

We made our way past the long rebooking lines and headed to the KLM Crown Lounge to rebook and get sorted out.  They were operating on a number system, so we drew one when we first got into the lounge.  Then, we waited.  And waited. And waited. 

Finally, after almost four hours, our number was called and we finally got to speak to an agent.  The next flight to Budapest was way full and there were already 25 people on the standby list.  I asked about other destinations:  Prague, Hamburg, Warsaw, and so on.  They were all full.

We opted to just standby for the two o’clock flight to Budapest.  Of course, we also found out
that, if we didn’t make it onto that flight, we’d have to queue again to speak to an agent to get on the next standby list.  Crazy!  I’m used to airlines’ systems just rolling over the rest of the standby list to the next flight, but KLM’s antiquated system will not allow that.

By this time we’d been in the lounge for over 4 ½ hours and Philip was ready for a change of scenery.  I was reluctant to go, as we did at least have seats in the crowded lounge.  But, we did change to the next lounge, which was on the other side of passport control and nearer our Budapest gate.

Walking through the airport we saw even longer lines of people.  We made it to passport control (we were entering the Schengen Area in Amsterdam), and found our way to the Schengen lounge.  On the way in we took another number, just in case.

In the new lounge we did manage to find a seat, but it, like the other lounge, was really packed.  We killed the time with snacks, surfing the internet, and doing whatever we could to pass the time.  It was eventually time to load up and go to the Budapest departure gate to see if we could get out.

At the gate I asked the gate agent what our chances were of getting on the flight.  As expected, she was vague and said she couldn’t be sure.  Stateside especially, gate agents are a unique breed:  they hold a lot of power and some use that power to help you, and others not.  Upsetting them is never a good idea.

In our situation, I really did not think we would make the flight, so I had a bit of a tough-love moment with the agent.  I gave her the sixty-second version of what we’d been through, making it clear that we were in our predicament because of her airline’s agent.  She started to say something but I told her “You don’t need to answer.  I just want you to know that, if we don’t get on this flight, you are going to have to help us.”

Departure time came and went and I started to think that the flight would be canceled.  We overheard that the later Budapest flight had just been canceled, so this was the only chance for us to get to Budapest that day.  At last, the flight crew was there and aboard.

When the other gate agent took to the microphone, I imagined he’d begin boarding.  Instead, he announced that there was a fire in the control tower at Budapest and he was awaiting further news.  That information came about five minutes later:  the flight would not go because they didn’t know when the airport would reopen.  Great.

As the agent made the announcement, I looked at the gate agent I’d spoken with.  She mouthed “I’m sorry,” and motioned me over, as the other agent stated that nobody would be rebooked there and that we all had to wait in the lines out in the terminal.  Luckily, the chat I had had with the agent seems to have worked:  when I approached the podium she just asked “You want to go to Berlin, right?”  I answered “Yes, and him,” I pointed to Philip, “And our baggage.”

After she put us on the standby list for Berlin, I reconfirmed that our baggage would be traveling with us.  She looked at the screen and then paused:  “I see you travel a lot, so I can be honest with you.  If your bags don’t come up at the baggage claim, don’t panic.  If that happens your bags will come tomorrow.  You know how these things go.  It’s crazy in the baggage area.”

With that, we were back to the second lounge to wait out our flight to Berlin, which was about 2 ½ hours off still.  The lounge was still packed.  And, we still had our number and could tell by whom they were calling that our number would certainly not have been called for another four or five hours.

About an hour before our Berlin flight was to go, we headed out, fingers crossed that we’d get on, as we could tell it was still another four hours before our number would be called.  Neither of us had enough sanity left in us for that!

We managed to get on the Berlin flight and, in spite of some delays pushing back—and even more delays for deicing—we finally got airborne.  After about nine hours at Amsterdam Schiphol, I’d had enough and was ready to get out of there.

Up next:  Clearly we arrived, but did our bags?  Here's a tease of what we saw that night in Berlin:

Looking at a Ferris Wheel and the Berliner Dom

At the Christmas Market at Alexanderplatz

More Evidence That Delta's SkyTeam Alliance Is Broken

I get really tired of hearing how wonderful big airline alliances are for me the traveler and how they make my traveling experience “seamless.”  My most recent airline-alliance disaster is further demonstration of what a hassle they often are.

I bought a ticket with Delta Air Lines for a trip from DC to Europe and back.  The flight numbers were all Delta, but with two flights operated by KLM and two by Air France.  Let the mayhem troubles begin!

How SkyTeam Annoys & Hassles You Before You Fly

When, a couple of days before departure, KLM swept our seat reservations and frequent flyer numbers from our record, calling Delta did no good:  they don’t have access to KLM’s system.  We’d need to call KLM, but that is impossible Stateside, as Delta operates on their behalf, so a phone call to the KLM number gets you a Delta agent, who cannot help you with your KLM flight.  (Yes, it’s as crazy as it sounds.)

How SkyTeam Double-Talks You At Check-In

Day of departure I received an email from KLM that we should consider rebooking because a snowstorm was expected in Amsterdam.  At the airport, the agent refused to rebook us through Paris instead of Amsterdam:  “Your flight will be fine.”  (It wasn’t.)

How SkyTeam Offers The Most Misery When Flights Get Canceled

In Amsterdam, our onward flight had already been canceled when we landed.  Just to see a KLM agent to rebook took almost four hours, as there was no SkyPriority elite line to be seen.  We were offered to wait-list for a later flight and were given a choice between two times.  I am used to automatically being wait-listed for the next flight; when the flyer doesn't get on that flight, their name rolls over to the next flight.  Not possible with KLM!  I'd have to go to the back of the line, wait to see an agent, and then get wait-listed.  When I asked the agent if my status would get me moved up the list:  “No, you are in with the rest.”  Nice.  (I fly 125,000+ miles a year and dedicate it all to SkyTeam so, with apologies to "the rest," I don’t have to be “in with the rest.”)

How SkyTeam Loses Your Bags and Trys To Make You Pay to Track Them

When we arrived into Berlin, our luggage didn’t, and wouldn’t show up for another three nights.  Tweets to Delta were met with “Sorry, we cannot do anything.”  Tweets to KLM were pointless, as they seemed to not have a clue as to what was going on.  When I tried to call the customer “service” line to check the status of our bags, the greeting told me that the call would cost ME (!) about $2.50 per minute.  (What?!  “We lost your bags and you’ll have to pay us to find out more about how horrible we’re doing.”)

How SkyTeam Ignores Your Status

Upon check-in to return home, even though my frequent flyer number was in the reservation, my Delta status did not show at all.  (It is should have; I am supposed to have reciprocal benefits across the SkyTeam alliance.)  So, no access to better seats, no priority handling of my baggage, blank looks when I tried to use the Air France lounges, and so on.  The Air France agents could not have been less interested in any of this.

Conclusion:  SkyTeam Is Not A Team, Nor Is It For Me

SkyMiles (Delta’s frequent flyer scheme), is the least valuable of the mainline carriers, hands down, and we Delta flyers get a lot of guff from the American and United flyers.  But, I know the nature of SkyMiles and it’s something in the past I’ve been willing to put up with:  I find Delta’s service domestically to be solid, their phone agents are quite good, and their Twitter team (@deltaassist) is always responsive and usually helpful.  Sadly, my most recent experience—and others with their “alliance,” as with SkyTeam there always seems to be something—have added more reasons to the “Time To Find Another Alliance” column of my decision chart.  If I can work out a status match, this will hopefully be the last time I get screwed over by SkyTeam.

Coming soon:  photos and narrative of our trip to Berlin!  (Spoiler alert:  it was fun, in spite of SkyTeam.)

Bags. Finally.

The Bags Finally Showed Up

At last, like long-lost friends, our luggage turned up in Berlin.  In the same place we are.  Really.  Nice to see them.

After this I'm becoming convinced that airline alliances are really just a group of companies integrated enough to optimize profit but separate enough to be able to point the finger of blame at another "alliance" member.  "Seamless travel experience?"  Um, not if anything at all goes wrong.  Seems shady business the way they do it.

Today's Doings In Potsdam

After we changed hotels, we headed down to Potsdam and strolled the Brandenburger Straße, where the Christmas stalls are set up.  It snowed part of the time and it was really beautiful, even thought it was cold.

The lead-off to last night's newscast was:  "The whole of Germany lays in Snow-Chaos tonight!"  It really didn't seem that bad to create such a panic.  More is on the way, with high temperatures Thursday supposed to be only about 20F, much below normal.

Lost Baggage Update

Even though we arrived in Berlin late Friday evening, our two checked bags have been enjoying other parts of Europe without us.  All we know is what we can deduce from the very limited information we've found on KLM's website ("Still tracking," is the standard verbiage), and from Twitter exchanges I've had with @KLM ("Once we have an update we will get back to you," is the favorite from that bunch).

Our bags sat in Amsterdam all day Friday before being sent to Budapest sometime on Saturday afternoon and then transferred to another airline to be on a flight late last night (Sunday), from Budapest to Berlin. We believe/hope they are spending this morning (Monday), at Berlin Tegel.  Now, these are all guesses and deductions, but we apparently have a better handle on it than KLM seems to.

Today we change hotels.  After we do that, we think we will go to the airport to see is we can get any other information in-person.  Not sure that'll bear any fruit but it's worth a try.  Otherwise, it'll be more shopping today for things to wear:  Philip has run out and I will likely by Tuesday.

Good news is that it's become a little warmer and the snowfall last night was much less than I think was expected.

More later today, including some beautiful photos of the Christmas markets and other sights.

Dubai. No, Budapest. Okay, no, it's Berlin.

So, our big trip began with the plan to go to Dubai and then Berlin.  Then we decided to skip Dubai and go to Budapest and then Berlin.  Today the weather--and KLM--decided otherwise for us.

Our connecting flight was canceled from Amsterdam to Budapest.  The next flight, for which we weren't even yet confirmed, was canceled because there was a fire in the control tower.   (I'm not making this up.)  So, we decided to bag Budapest and just head directly to Berlin.

Details to follow, but we are in the Air France lounge at Berlin Tegel, fresh from the baggage office.  Oh, did I mention that our bags did not make it?

Crazy day of travel.  On to the hotel.  More details to later.

Guess Where We Are Headed

For about three months I’ve been trying to use my Delta miles to get us to Vietnam for Philip’s birthday trip in March.  In spite of me increasing our flexibility considerably, I was unable to find anything that I could afford.  Going into the search with almost 600,000 points and the request for two business-class seats anytime in March from any US gateway, I thought it would be a breeze.  But, the confederate-money nature of Delta’s SkyMiles quickly presents itself.  There was either no availability or seats that ran 700,000 or more for two.  (Me to the agent who quoted that:  “You must have a lot of practice at this:  it sounds like you were able to say that with a straight face.”)  I expanded the search to include Hong Kong, Taipei, and Shanghai, but, still, nothing good at a realistic price.

 

In the end, though, that may be all to the good.  It is common knowledge among in-the-know Delta frequent travelers that award availability on Delta partner Virgin Australia is often quite good, so I started looking at availability to Sydney.  Philip was never keen on the idea of Sydney (“It’ll be too much like the US and Canada.  I want to go somewhere different.”), so I dug a little deeper:  Brisbane; Melbourne; Perth.  All had availability and at quite good prices.  Where else could I look?  “Tasmania,” I thought, “that’s pretty exotic.”  Bingo!  Availability!  And at only 150,000 per seat for an all-business-class itinerary, out of LAX.  I sent Philip the a link to a photo set of Tasmania (the link to that is here), and it was a pretty easy sell.  Before long I had the airfare booked.

 

For me when I’m planning travel, one of the most exciting pieces is flexibility and willingness to cast a wider net.  What fun to start out the day trying to remind myself to call about the Hanoi tickets at lunchtime to having begun planning on a trip to Tasmania instead!  And now to plan the itinerary, sightseeing, rental car, hotels, and so on and on.  The research and planning are always a good bit of the fun.

Why We're Skipping Dubai

Getting to Berlin, and Throwing In Dubai Along the Way

In September we were booking travel for the rest of the year.  For two years we had been talking about going to Berlin at Christmas time.  I determined earlier in the year that I was going, no matter the obstacle.  When I started searching for seats, I was finding fares in the neighborhood of $1200 for each of the two of us, which is more than I'd ever paid for a plane ticket, I think.  Looking at possible alternatives, I saw that we could add in a stop in Dubai for just $200 more.  It seemed like a bargain and we went ahead and booked:  we would leave out on a Thursday night, transit in Paris, arrive into Dubai after eleven Friday night and head out in the wee hours of Monday morning, transit through Paris again, onward to Berlin for a week before transiting Paris a third time on the way home.

Dubai had been on my list for a few years.  It looks exciting and I looked forward to going up in the world's tallest building, exploring Old Dubai, and getting to see some of the great architecture.  We'd been to Istanbul and I imagined, given everything I had seen, read, and heard, religion’s influence would be at a similar level.  So, I didn't give a second thought to not going.  Why would I?

Leave Your Drugs (and Pastries Containing Poppy Seeds) At Home

Well, after a few weeks a guidebook arrived.  I had lots of other travel going on so I didn't really have time to delve into it nor to give much attention to planning.  About a month before we were to leave Philip said something along the lines of "we'll need to clean all of our stuff out really good and make sure we don't have any drugs or drug residue."  I laughed:  there is not drugs nor drug residue in my stuff. It was then that I started to explore the issue and to read some pretty scary stuff.

I am not interested in doing drugs, much less trafficking in them, so I always think I'm pretty safe at customs, here at home and abroad.  But, when rules are stringent to the extreme and the possibility to do something illegal purely by accident is a strong possibility, I take notice.  Here's a sampling of the instances I read about in our guidebook and online, mostly via newspaper reports:

• An incoming tourist who had melatonin with him was held for weeks in jail before authorities determined that it was not illegal.  He was held for a further few weeks while they thoroughly searched and tested the rest of his belongings.
• A twenty-year-old was arrested and sentenced to four years prison because he'd smoked a joint the day before he arrived into Dubai.  (Having drugs in one's system is considered possession, just the same as if he had the joint with him.)
• A German flight attendant unwittingly ate a pastry that had hash in it, offered to her at a gathering.  Still unaware what she'd eaten, she went to hospital because she wasn't feeling well.  A blood test revealed THC in her bloodstream.  The police were called and she was arrested.  She spent the eleven months in prison, fighting for release.  Her argument was that she was actually the victim of a crime.
• A British visitor ate a poppy-seed roll at Heathrow before his flight to Dubai.  Authorities at the airport discovered three (three!) poppy seeds on his clothes.  (Regular poppy seeds are illegal in the UAE; possession of them carries a minimum jail term of four years.)  Another story told of a visitor who had a pastry containing poppy seeds; the offending pastry landed him in jail.

There are lots of other stories of tourists unwittingly entering with routinely-prescribed medication that is illegal in Dubai and are carted off to jail.  Still more are detained while authorities test their belongings and decide the legality of medications (and, presumably, pastries) they may be bringing with them.

There are more prohibited items on the entry list than any other country and it is very easy to fall afoul of the rules without knowing it.  Add in the fact that they have "invested" in the most sensitive detection equipment in the world, and it becomes quite scary.  And, if one is inclined to intentionally bring in drugs, well, ask the guy who brought in and tried to sell 3/4 ounce of pot to an undercover officer and was sentenced to death.  (My sympathy at him getting caught is nonexistent but the punishment seems harsh.)

Making the Trip Less Stressful

I know people who have been to Dubai and liked or loved it and had zero problems.  I think that we would have entered also without issue and would have enjoyed our couple of days in Dubai.  But, I found the possibility of having issues just too daunting.  For me the standard is just too stringent and the consequences too great to bother with.  And, with that level of power, all it takes is ending up with the wrong customs agent, and things can quickly go wrong.  The more I read the more worrying it all was.  I finally talked to Philip Friday night about just bagging the Dubai piece and think of going somewhere else instead.  He agreed that it was likely the best thing to do.

If Not Dubai, Then Where?

Saturday morning I woke up and started looking at other options.  Possibilities I offered Philip as viable were Stockholm, Helsinki, Vilnius, Kiev, Dubrovnik, Venice, Milan, Straßburg, Zurich, Budapest, Munich, Vienna, and spending more time in Berlin.  In the end, after we started digging down and looking at hotels, flights, and so on, we settled on Budapest.  Once we made the decision, the entire trip was re-booked and sorted within an hour.

So, we will be missing Dubai, which I'm sad about.  But, I prefer my piece of mind and to not have to worry about accidentally falling afoul of rules that are just extreme and harsh in my opinion.  On the positive side, Budapest is an excellent destination and Philip has never been to Hungary, so he can mark another from his list.  It'll be a great trip, no doubt.  And, I don't have to scrub my luggage!