Many of you also follow my Facebook and Twitter updates, so you know that we were two days late in returning from Hawaii.  Others of you may have unknowingly heard our story as it made national news!

So here’s our story:

We got to the airport at 2pm for our 4pm flight. Boarded at about 3:40pm. Worked our way towards our predetermined runway. Prepared for take-off. Gathered speed. Was about 15 seconds from leaving the ground when there was a loud bang, a bright orange explosive light reflected from somewhere onto the right wing (where I was looking), a decrease in speed, and a great shuddering throughout the entire plane.

The pilot came on the intercom and explained it as a blown tire. Which didn’t make the most sense to me, as I didn’t think a wheel would make sparks big enough for that orange light I saw. And why would the plane still be shuddering while standing still?

We amused ourselves with the sight of fire trucks heading toward us while we waited for more information.

15 minutes later, after sticking his head out the window (which let in a whiff of foul burnt air), the pilot re-assessed the situation and told us the left engine had “failed” on take-off.

Half an hour later, he told us that it appeared the blade on the engine had come loose and worked its way through the engine, tearing it apart. And that he had never experienced anything like this before.

Originally they were going to get us off the plane right then and there and transport us to the terminal. Then they decided it was better to tug the plane itself back to the gate.

At 6pm, we were told that the first tow had burnt out since they had not accounted for the weight of the full tank of gas. They were arranging for a second, stronger one to come get us.

And hour later, at 6:54pm, with a considerably lighter food bag (they never did get the beverage cart around…), we were finally off the plane. We were given instructions to pick up our luggage and meet the awaiting buses that would take us to the Waikiki Marriott, which United would be so generous to pay for. We were also told to expect a $15 meal voucher which we could use at the Marriott.

Unfortunately, we were also told that we were responsible for booking our own flights home. Over 300 of us. We were given an 800 number and were basically told, “Good Night.”

By 7:30pm we were on that bus. After standing in line at the Marriott for an undocumented amount of time (I’m thinking at least an hour), we were in our room. Which was amazing. Two balconies – one facing Diamondhead and one facing the ocean. So close to the beach we could hear the waves crashing. Strands of a live acoustic performance wafted in as we finally began to unwind.

But then we started trying to contact United to rebook our flight. And after repeating our story to countless out-sourced Indian customer service representatives, and being transferred and misunderstood for a couple hours, we found that the only flight out was two days away and that, no, United would not spring for another night at the Marriott, nor any other hotel, and more food vouchers were also out of the question. It simply wasn’t their “policy” to give more than they had already given.

Anxiety levels peaked again as we dared to wonder how much this room would cost us for another night. Beyond that it just wasn’t *right* for United to leave us stranded. Josh called and called and emailed and emailed and we waited and waited for a response from United. In the meantime, I twittered and facebooked and complained to anyone who would listen; I’d seen the power of bad press before and hoped it would prevail again!

Turns out United could have cared less about my pitiful attempts – they were much more concerned with the fact that their neglect was the top story in Honolulu that night on the local news station. (You can actually see our family in the video!)

By 10am the next day, we had received the news that United would pay for another night in the Marriott and give us more vouchers for food.

And that’s how we got an extra two days in Hawaii.

What’s more, they informed us as we were leaving our more successful flight home that we could expect a $400 e-certificate EACH to use on another United flight within the next year. Which means we’ll be able to fly the entire family out to San Diego to visit before making any important job-related decisions!

Amazing, isn’t it, how God can take a blown engine and turn it into so many blessings?!