Technology can certainly make planning air travel (slightly) easier, but not when you check your common sense and organic brain power at the gate. A twenty-one year old German tourist planned to take a trip to Sydney, Australia, but wound up 8,077 miles off-course (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/29/germany.tourist.reut/index.html) -- headed instead for the small oil town of Sydney, Montana, after mistyping his destination into a flight booking Web site. The man didn't notice anything was wrong until he was about to board a flight from Portland to chilly Montana, dressed in summer vacation clothes. Not only did the man trust the website a little too completely, his mother didn't notice the mistake because she trusted her son's techno savvy, saying he was "usually good with computers." Good with computers perhaps -- but apparently not so good at the simple task of actually reading his itinerary...

A twenty-one year old German tourist planned to take a trip to Sydney, Australia, but wound up 8,077 miles off-course (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/29/germany.tourist.reut/index.html) -- headed instead for the small oil town of Sydney, Montana, after mistyping his destination into a flight booking Web site.

But his luggage probably went to Australia. :lol:

This also indicates a poorly designed website. Had it used graphics to help the user (e.g., a map indicating the route to be taken), the error would likely have been caught.

This also indicates a poorly designed website. Had it used graphics to help the user (e.g., a map indicating the route to be taken), the error would likely have been caught.

The town in Montana is spelled Sidney (are you listening, Mr. Vianna? :D ) not Sydney, but that had to have been the first of several mistakes, which would have included failure to actually look at the tickets and itinerary. I think that probably a lot of people don't know how to spell "Sydney" but don't wind up in Montana because of it.

...mistyping his destination into a flight booking Web site.

:bonk: Even travel agents make these mistakes. I know of a Texan lady whose tickets took her to Ontario, CA (California) when she expected to go to Ontario, CA (Canada)!

why have places with the same names any way............we need to blame our ancestors for this one

Strangely enough a misdirection involving Sydney and on-line booking has happened at least once before about 3 years ago, but this time it was Sydney Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. A British couple left London Heathrow checked through to "Sydney" via Halifax Nova Scotia. On arrival at Halifax their concerns were only raised when transferring to a small plane that was surely not going on a trans-continental flight. They boarded anyway. The difference with the above case was that they didn't have the funds to continue to Australia. I think the Cape Breton people looked after them though when it made the local news.

I made a search and found that Sydney is indeed spelt as 'Sidney' in some other language (I guess it's Spanish). Can't blame a German for making that mistake!

Look at it this way, he could have been on his way to Sidney, Nova Scotia.

By the time he'd notice that mistake he'd be in Halifax. :mg:

A few years ago, I was planning a trip to Cordoba, Spain and couldn't find a listing for an airport there so planned the trip using a flight to a nearby city.

My travel agent assured me there was a direct flight from Madrid and issued me a ticket. Fortunately, I spotted that the flight duration was way too long and found the plane actually went to Cordoba, Argentina.

Look at it this way, he could have been on his way to Sidney, Nova Scotia.

By the time he'd notice that mistake he'd be in Halifax. :mg:

That's Sydney, NS. I think the German guy got in trouble originally by spelling it with an "i". Expedia gives two options for the "y" spelling: Australia and Nova Scotia. But spell it with an "i" and you go directly to Montana.

I just tried Orbitz, and if you enter "Sidney" as a destination, it won't accept it until you specify whether you meant "Sidney" or "Sydney."

Notwithstanding the troubles of the traveling german teenager, it does not compare with having to go back home, 7 million light years away because all the gates at O'Hare were occupied...:notme:


To fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable," he said (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/02/ufo.sighting.ap/index.html)

Notwithstanding the troubles of the traveling german teenager, it does not compare with having to go back home, 7 million light years away because all the gates at O'Hare were occupied...:notme:

It might not have been an occupied gate. I recall a comedian, maybe George Carlin, explaining why UFOs always seem to hover a bit and then just disappear. He said that Earth is the Stuckey's of the universe--they just stop here to let their kids go to the bathroom.

:bonk: Even travel agents make these mistakes. I know of a Texan lady whose tickets took her to Ontario, CA (California) when she expected to go to Ontario, CA (Canada)!


A number of years ago I sat in a staff meeting listening to the plant manager flip out over someone making a 2 hour international call to Ontario.
He called in the owner of the extension and waved the phone bill around only to find out that it was one of our primary suppliers in Ontario, California.

explaining why UFOs always seem to hover a bit and then just disappear. He said that Earth is the Stuckey's of the universe--they just stop here to let their kids go to the bathroom.NASA is determined to stop with this abuse of our resources and is fighting back to keep the galactic neighborhood clean and gain access to new technologies in the process
Q2soPU83zOg

So, are you saying the "unofficial motto" of the USA and NASA is stolen from Greta Garbo ("I want to be alone!")?

Sidney, my wife greatly appreciated the video. Of course, she is also head of the dwindling X-Files fan club.:lol:

It's not just tourists that get locations confused. Last year, I had a trip out to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Our plane touched done and the following announcment was made:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have landed in Halifax. The local time is...."

(silence)

(looks of horror exchanged on the faces of passengers...well, those not busy scrambling to look out the windows)

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have landed in Winnipeg. The local time is..." and the pilot went on to finish his speech. I can only imagine the ribbing given to him by the flight staff afterwards.

For those of you somewhat unfamiliar with Canadian geography, Halifax is located in our province of Nova Scotia. From east to west it goes Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba...with a 2 hour time zone difference between Nova Scotia and Manitoba.