My Flight Delay Leaving Tucson

After a fun 4 day trip attending Dusk Music Festival and seeing some of the best highlights in Tucson, me and my buddy were ready to leave Tuesday afternoon back to our home city.  I had a doctor’s appointment on the Wednesday at 10:30 AM while my buddy had to work a full day at his job.  We boarded our United Airlines flight leaving Tucson to Denver then had a connecting flight almost immediately from Denver to our home city.  Unfortunately, after being in the air only a few minutes, we heard on the intercom that our flight heading to Denver had to turn back and land back in Tucson for technical issues with the plane.

What Happened To the Plane

We were told there was something wrong with the front landing gear.  The wheels were dangling while in the air and would not lift up and go back in its storage.  The plane only had 50 passengers so there was only 1 flight attendant for the whole flight.  Andrea was great, she was always calm, bubbly and kept a positive attitude about everything.  She explained to everyone what was going on and the procedures to getting off and back to the Tucson airport.

Andrea, our friendly flight attendant

Getting To Denver

Once we were back in Tucson airport, some of the passengers on our flight decided to go back in the city while others were waiting for the next available flight to Denver.  We headed to the gates where United gate agents were trying to figure out when the next available flight is able to take us to Denver.  While we were waiting, United staff members were handing out granola bars, candy, chips, juice boxes and water.  It was great seeing the staff not be stressed out and trying to be happy to resolve this stressful situation.  We were then told a new plane was brought in and that we will be flying to Denver, but it will eventually be over 3 hours later than our originally scheduled time.  We were also told that there is no flight from Denver to our home city until about 2 PM the next day and that we would need to stay overnight in Denver.

waiting at the gate for answers

Staying In Denver

After being redirected to the United Customer Service counter, we got a hotel voucher to stay somewhere close to the airport that could accommodate a wheelchair.  I told the lady that I didn’t need a hotel with a roll in shower since I didn’t plan on using my commode for the bathroom or shower.  Our luggage and commode was still at the airport since we did not request to take back our luggage.  We each got a “freshen up” kit which includes a water bottle, tooth brush, tooth paste and mouth wash.  That was nice since all our toiletries were left inside our luggage.

our vouchers and freshen up kit

We also got four $10 food vouchers that could be used at Marriott at Gateway Park where we would stay or could be used at the airport.  We also got two taxi vouchers so that we could get a wheelchair accessible taxi to take us to our hotel and then back to the airport the next day.  The hotel was decent and not too far from the airport.  It was nice to actually lay down and sleep on a comfortable bed rather than stressing out about flights and having to stay at the airport overnight.

taxi voucher for an accessible taxi

We both used our food vouchers at the airport before our flight going home.  I got a nice steak at Chef Jimmy’s Bistro.  Thanks United.

Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park

Following Up On Compensation

After arriving home, I did some research online to see if there was any additional compensation I could claim for.  If I was to have travel insurance, I could have been covered for meals, hotels and any other expenses related to the delayed flight.  Also, my credit card had the same benefits as having bought travel insurance.  All I had to do was keep receipts and document all my expenses.  Since we already had everything covered by United, there were no other things I spent money on.  It was just great to know this for any future travels.

steak lunch with my free voucher

I did email United about this experience and about me missing my doctor’s appointment and the ordeal about calling my caregivers and trying to organize everything when I got back and was offered a $150 USD towards any future flight with United Airlines.  Next time I am faced with a major delay or cancellation, I will be more prepared.  Anyone with good or bad stories about flight delays or cancellations? please comment below.