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Topic Title: Spirit.
Topic Summary: Again.
Created On: 07/29/2021 12:23 PM
Linear : Threading : Single : Branch
 Spirit.   - johnnyboy - 07/29/2021 12:23 PM  
 Spirit.   - jdbman - 07/29/2021 01:00 PM  
 Spirit.   - MyNameIsRobertPaulson - 07/29/2021 01:08 PM  
 Spirit.   - long_flaco1 - 07/30/2021 05:55 AM  
 Spirit.   - CurtisEflush - 07/30/2021 07:38 AM  
 Spirit.   - Cole - 07/30/2021 07:41 AM  
 Spirit.   - StirfryMcflurry - 07/30/2021 07:57 AM  
 Spirit.   - ww - 07/30/2021 01:01 PM  
 Spirit.   - palmtreeg - 07/30/2021 03:14 PM  
 Spirit.   - SrfGtr - 07/30/2021 06:36 PM  
 Spirit.   - johnnyboy - 07/31/2021 09:23 AM  
 Spirit.   - LBLarry - 07/31/2021 11:50 AM  
 Spirit.   - Cole - 07/31/2021 02:39 PM  
 Spirit.   - jettyparksurfer - 07/31/2021 09:12 PM  
 Spirit.   - pumphouse - 08/02/2021 10:38 AM  
 Spirit.   - matt_t - 08/02/2021 12:47 PM  
 Spirit.   - Central Floridave - 08/03/2021 05:11 AM  
 Spirit.   - pumphouse - 08/03/2021 08:08 AM  
 Spirit.   - johnnyboy - 08/03/2021 10:13 AM  
 Spirit.   - matt_t - 08/03/2021 12:05 PM  
 Spirit.   - 1974 - 08/05/2021 02:30 PM  
 Spirit.   - pumphouse - 08/05/2021 07:07 AM  
 Spirit.   - johnnyboy - 08/05/2021 10:14 AM  
 Spirit.   - wtf - 08/05/2021 10:44 AM  
 Spirit.   - johnnyboy - 08/05/2021 02:55 PM  
 Spirit.   - StirfryMcflurry - 08/05/2021 03:59 PM  
 Spirit.   - wtf - 08/05/2021 04:49 PM  
 Spirit.   - johnnyboy - 08/06/2021 02:18 PM  
 Spirit.   - wtf - 08/07/2021 05:30 AM  
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 07/29/2021 12:23 PM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

I know this all sounding very familiar, but here I go again. Just got back from Costa Rica last night. Spent a week there. I took my whole family down, five of us, two adults three teens. The round trip with insurance was $1,629.00 out of FLL. No one else even came close. I paid for two board bags and suitcase. Flight was scheduled to leave at 10:40 am.

That was never going to happen. FLL had lines so long it didn't matter what time you got there, you were waiting to book in and get boarding pass for hours. We waited in line for two hours until they announced that anyone flying to SJO could skip to the front. We got to the front and the woman said to open my board bags, which I did and she said I was not allowed to have clothes in them. SHe threatened to send me to the back of the line. We took out the clothes and put them in backpacks. By this point its after ten am. She finally tagged the bags and sent us through.

We got on the plane and every seat was booked. Packed and no leg room. I knew this and accepted it. The plane sat on the runway for two hours while the loudspeaker blared that they were trying to cool the cabin. I dont know why a hot cabin would be two hours of delay but we waited.
We finally boarded, took off and relaxed. I tried to get internet so I watch Hulu. I paid three dollars for it and it never worked. None of the apps would allow its certificate of authenticity into the firewall.

Got to Costa RIca about 90 minutes late. No boards. Spoke with the Costa Rican baggage claim expert and confirmed that I would not be seeing my surboards for at least a day. At least? I knew it would be more.

We got to Hertz for the Hotwire booking of a RAV 4 or similar. I showed the guy my confirmation number and he told me my reservation was cancelled because I was two hours late. I showed him the time it was under two hours by 15 minutes. He suggested that I go to his buddy at Europcar because he had a sedan. I get pinballed between Alamo, Europcar, Hertz, and four others who are clearly in communication with eachother. I went online and looked, everything was gone and they were not honoring any reservations. It was now close to three, I had no car, a ferry to make and no prospects.

A guy hearing me bitch pointlessly gave me his brother in law's car company and I whatsapped him and he had a Daihatsu with racks for 660 for the week with insurance The only other option I had was a rav 4 for 1200. I ended up putting my family in this guy's car at the airport, driving to his house in Alajuela, paying half cash and half card, and speeding to Puntarenas to make the 6 pm ferry. We made it with 7 to 10 seconds to spare. The roads are much better these days.

I called Spirit everyday. Finally, Saturday morning, they flew my boards to Tambor and paid a guy over 100 bucks to deliver my boards, which I got a 10:00 am. Finally surfed on my board and was very happy about it. My buddy flew out two days after us on spirit. I warned him about the lines at FLL, the lack of staff and they dont give a f about the boards, but mostly about the rental car.

He arrived late, they laughed at his reservation and since he was later in the day they all close at five, he ended in a Rav 4 for 1200$. I think he's trying to get the money back by complaining as a loyal customer.

It should be understood that the waves were big, clean, heavy and I got a serious fix in a slow summer. I am sharing this mostly for the logistics nightmares.

On the way back, we got to SJO and stayed the night at the hampton inn across from the airport. They wont rent to five so we said we had four and I took out the sleeping bag foam pad from between my boards and let the teens decide who got the floor. We were able to get the airport shuttle to the testing site for the required covid test and it was either 50 or 60 and the results were damn near instant.

We got to the airport at 10 in SJO for the 12:40 flight. No real lines. Easy, except that they showed I did not pay for one of my two board bags, which could not even be possible since they were both there and tagged. I explained that they were not even delivered and I expected to be comped. They guy was trying to be generous when he told me to shrink wrap them both into one. I told him I would pay the $100, but he finagled a voucher and made it 50.

FLight delayed another 90 minutes again. Got to FLL late with lots of other air traffic. They kept us on the plane another 30 because there was no room in customs. They released us finally so we could all see with our own eyes that there was no room. About two and a half hours later, we got through. My boards made the plane and we finally loaded them up and went hom.

*I packed the boards in a way that could withstand morons, bad roads, angry luggage apes, and deliberate assholes. I have a four board bag that I use for two boards because Spirit checks and I have been busted. I wrap the perimeter if each board in a large half split fun noodle and duct tape it. I place a sit up/yoga/sleeping bag mat between the boards and on the top and bottom. Last I take a really big noodle and put one on the top and bottom to make the bag round. This prevents the luggage apes from putting your boards first and stacking ten 100 lb suitcases on top of it. I also should mention that I internally strap them in too.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

FORUMS : Surfing : Spirit.

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