COLUMN: Bahamas paradise nightmare

From Delia Vallejo's, "Journey to Artizn," Fall '97 From Delia Vallejo's, "Journey to Artizn," Fall '97 It had been weeks of longing, of waiting for that week of sunshine and fun. It was the anticipation of laying on a beautiful beach that kept me going through the snow and cold this winter. It took forever for that day to arrive, and we were finally leaving for the Bahamas -- a spring break paradise. I received a phone call 10 minutes before I was supposed to leave for the airport. The charter airline that was going to transport me and my friends to tropical weather had been grounded due to 30 Federal Aviation Administration violations. Visions of cracked windows and drunk pilots flashed through my head. But what did that mean for my spring break? Take A Break Travel, the agency we booked our travel plans with, assured us we would get a flight out as soon as possible. And we would be compensated for all our hardship. I have one thing to say about this company -- if you ever see their colorful fliers promising you the spring break of your life, tear them up and burn the pieces because the ashes are worth more than their service. We did not get a flight to Nassau until Tuesday morning and only after waiting 10 hours at the airport because of countless delays. At least we live in Philadelphia. I felt sorry for the Penn State students who had been waiting longer than us. Airport food can get expensive after three days. When we finally did get to the Bahamas, we had no information on a return flight. But we were determined to have fun -- we were sure the agency would be responsible in finding a safe way for us to return home. After all, things couldn't get any worse, right? Unfortunately, they did. Three days after our arrival, we were informed we were leaving on Friday (making our vacation four days when we paid for seven), flying into Boston and taking a bus to Philadelphia. Angry is just not an adequate word to describe our emotions. We decided to pack our things and gamble the rest of our money -- we were trying to make the most of our time. When we returned to the hotel to leave, they informed us that there was no flight that night, and that we were leaving Monday flying into Newark where we would have to find our own transportation back home. The Take A Break staff at the Bahamas refused to deal with our questions and demands by claiming ignorance. They insisted they had no responsibility for flights -- headquarters handled that, of course. However, when we called the main office, no one knew anything, or if they did, it was vague information. They were also rude to us by often hanging up the phone, or worse, by placing recorded messages on their end. There was no one we could talk to. It was as if some non-human force was what we called Take A Break. There was no way real people could be running this company. Actually, my situation was one of the better ones. At least I didn't have a job interview or a major exam on Monday. Many people had to pay for commercial flights home because they couldn't afford the uncertainty of not returning. One girl I met was from Denver. They were trying to fly her to Pittsburgh and bus her to Cincinnati where she would have to find her way back to Denver. After having been stuck in New York for three days at the beginning of the week at her expense, she decided to pay $600 to fly home on an airline that she had at least heard about. What to do now? We can express our anger by going to Boston and setting their headquarters on fire, but I do not think the insanity plea will fly, and I'd rather not go to jail. We can file a class-action suit since their incompetence affected about four thousand students, but that takes time that I just don't have. What we can do is tell other students what happened to us, so that they will never use Take A Break Travel. This agency was irresponsible about our safety, they do not have an idea of customer service and they were simply incompetent. When I reminisce (and commiserate) about this trip with my friends, I hope I remember the fun I had while I was on the island. Unfortunately, as human nature would have it, we tend to remember the bad things as well, if not better, than the good things that happen to us. At least I can tell people to never go with Take A Break. News of their bankruptcy would make me and thousands of other students, feel much better. If I got my money back, I'd be even happier.