In all my years of traveling, this is the first time that something like this had ever happened to me. Fortunately this incident also showed how helpful a great hotel concierge can be…
In this post:
My phone decided to stop charging at Delhi Airport!
In a previous installment, I wrote about my Air India A350 business class flight from London to Delhi. The plan was to have a roughly eight hour layover at the airport, before connecting to my Air India A320neo business class flight to Kuala Lumpur. I had booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express inside Terminal 3, and I was hoping to get a bit of sleep between flights, since I didn’t sleep much on the flight.
Now, for context, let me mention that on my long haul Air India flight, my phone started charging in a very strange way, but I didn’t think much of it at the time, as airplane charging ports are sometimes super unreliable.
So I checked into the hotel, got into bed, and of course plugged in all my electronics to charge. However, my iPhone wouldn’t charge. Or more accurately, in increments of under a second, it would charge, then not charge, then charge, then not charge (with the lightning bolt symbol at the top of the phone going on and off constantly). Ummm, that’s not good. Charging the phone would actually drain the battery rather than charge it, due to the constant switch between modes.
Now, let me mention that my phone isn’t just important for the obvious reasons (staying in touch with the world, tethering, etc.), but my iPhone is also literally my travel camera. And when you’re taking a trip specifically to document and review travel experiences, that’s kind of an important detail. 😉
My unsuccessful attempt to fix my iPhone problem
While annoyed, at first I figured I would be able to find a solution to this. Was the issue with my phone, or was it with my charging cord? So I went online and searched for people who had similar experiences.
I saw some people suggest this problem may be due to an issue with a dirty port, and to use a toothpick to clean it out. So I went to the restaurant in the hotel and asked for a toothpick, and tried to clean it out. Nope, the issue persisted.
I then tried to figure out if the issue was with the cord, my adapter, or something else. So I tried plugging into all kinds of different outlets, used my secondary cord, etc. Nope, nothing worked.
I then figured it couldn’t hurt to at least try to buy a new cord, since I needed to find a solution. Here’s what blows my mind — in all of Delhi Terminal 3, not a single store had a USB-C cord for sale. There seems to be only one store selling electronics, and then they didn’t have it.
How is it possible that a massive international terminal doesn’t have a single charger for sale? It’s a disservice to passengers and a crime against airport economics. For the record, I asked multiple people, and I walked the entire terminal inspecting the inventory of virtually every business.
At this point I had around 20% battery left. I should also mention that I was in international transit, and didn’t have a visa for India, so it’s not like I could enter the country and try to go buy something there. So I decided to put my phone into airplane mode.
That way I could at least still take pictures from my connecting Air India flight, and I could figure out my issue when I got to Kuala Lumpur, whether that involved buying a new iPhone, or whatever. That ended up being a good solution.
What’s hilarious is that my iPhone lasted throughout the flight for taking pictures, and the phone literally died after I took a picture of the exterior of the plane upon landing, which would’ve been my last picture anyway. So at least that worked out well for me.
Here’s something else people may get a kick out of. Usually I take notes about flights on my iPhone, but in order to preserve battery life, I instead took notes the old fashioned way. The thing is, I didn’t have a proper piece of paper, so my flight notes were instead taken on the key packet for the Holiday Inn Express transit hotel. Pardon my absolute chickenscratch, as I never handwrite anything, but here you have it, unfiltered…
The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur concierge saved the day!
While researching my issue online at Delhi Airport, I saw one other possible solution. If it was my charging port that was broken, it seems that wireless charging still potentially works. So my next goal was to find a way to buy a wireless charger, since that was my only other hope, short of buying a new phone. Of course there were no wireless chargers for sale in the terminal… but then I had an idea.
I don’t think I’ve ever used a hotel concierge for any special request, but you’ll often see interviews with luxury hotel concierges about all of the amazing strings they pull for guests.
So I thought to myself… I was checking into the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur late that night, long after the Apple store would be closed. That being said, what if the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur could send someone to the Apple store for me to buy a wireless charger, so that it would be available when I arrive? I hate to ask others to do things for me, but this is certainly something that was urgent for me, and it’s not like it was an impossible task…
So I got on my laptop and called the hotel concierge, and I was connected to Jerome. He was an absolute rockstar, and arranged to have an Apple wireless charger sent to the hotel.
While I was initially going to just take a taxi or the train from the airport to the hotel, I also asked Jerome if the hotel cars have Wi-Fi, which they do. Since I wouldn’t have Wi-Fi on my Air India flight, and the pricing wasn’t unreasonable, I went ahead and just booked a car, so that I could be productive, and wouldn’t have to worry about the more complicated transportation logistics when being disconnected from the world.
But I had another angle as well. Since I knew the car service was being provided directly by the hotel, I asked Jerome if they could also send the wireless charger in the car that would pick me up. Jerome executed this beautifully, and the first thing I saw upon entering the car was a bag from Apple.
I unwrapped that package faster than a kid unwraps gifts on Christmas, and was delighted when I saw that my phone was working fine with wireless charging. Now, I still have the issue of having a phone without a functioning charging port, but that’s a problem I can push down the road, and for now life is good again. Whew!
Bottom line
I guess I’m really lucky, because in all my years of travel and taking review trips, I’ve never had an issue with my iPhone. That changed on this trip, when my phone suddenly decided it no longer wanted to charge, while in international transit at Delhi Airport. This incident really showed the power of a great hotel concierge, who sprung into action and saved the day.
In retrospect, maybe I should travel with a backup phone, or something? But hey, if this is the first time in so many years that something like this happened, I guess that’s a fair risk to take…
I recall staying at the Hyatt Regency in Nice ( somewhat basic but service was top notch, better than some luxary hotels I’ve been to.) and the bellboy forgot to load a bag of mine into my car on the way to province. When I contacted the hotel concierge they were on it right away and sent the bag in a car with a handwritten note, a leather notebook and some playing card as an apology. I thought this was above and beyond and appreciated the concierges expediency.
The missing facts here are what model iPhone and how old.
You carry more than one passport, but only one phone? It's a tool of your trade, you're "Lucky" this didn't happen sooner, at a worse time and place.
I have had the same problem where charging cords stop working with several iPhones over the years. I now mostly only use wireless charging. In addition, I use a “dust cover” to plug into the iPhone’s receptacle and I have had zero issues on my current phone. I used to upgrade phones when the charging became inconsistent, but now am facing the decision to upgrade simply because the phone is getting a bit outdated now....
I have had the same problem where charging cords stop working with several iPhones over the years. I now mostly only use wireless charging. In addition, I use a “dust cover” to plug into the iPhone’s receptacle and I have had zero issues on my current phone. I used to upgrade phones when the charging became inconsistent, but now am facing the decision to upgrade simply because the phone is getting a bit outdated now.
https://www.amazon.com/PortPlugs-USB-Dust-Plug-Cover/dp/B078NGJPM9/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1WGJVV2YOSEKZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rsPoacw4VRvOpY51OPJ-7WVS_e4Bkae4W14eNmFmFv0P0rC6vQhPANZLbWTkbwrFoYF46iIB5TCL6EoPK0KDW-Nq485c7gkDvitm6noBDOAq4WfhPG3KsnAlul3eUta4vs8Hs_sD1UKCu9y_uL4mTJrYLfQnkgxvnvzM8vF1mUmtRNFijeEbX8Am3qkzFPcJmh0c4JJSiP1pN_QgwDMGXv3YOJtoN59T05pLz4QekYM.Z6DJh84LL9pBcSrkeFClPvXgFgZzzuVLuYG6Oh0_344&dib_tag=se&keywords=iPhone+usbc+dust+cover&qid=1762147780&sprefix=iphone+usbc+dust+cove%2Caps%2C337&sr=8-4
When you said Delhi layover disaster, I thought you meant a missed flight or something. I had an experience in Delhi (flying their ex-Delta 777-200LR from SFO to DEL) as in flight the pilots apparently chose to fly a longer route for a flight already delayed by an hour, causing me to miss what would be considered an ample four hour connection. Air India ground staff is horrible though, as they would not speak to...
When you said Delhi layover disaster, I thought you meant a missed flight or something. I had an experience in Delhi (flying their ex-Delta 777-200LR from SFO to DEL) as in flight the pilots apparently chose to fly a longer route for a flight already delayed by an hour, causing me to miss what would be considered an ample four hour connection. Air India ground staff is horrible though, as they would not speak to me in English despite knowing how to do so (simply because I am of south Indian origin) and forcing me to speak Hindi (which I don't know). I had to borrow a stranger's hotspot to connect to the internet and call my dad to ask him to translate.
Also the charging port issue happened to a few of my devices too. Probabbly a loose connection inside the phone. Apple will charge around $250 to fix it. If it's out of warranty, better to take it to a certified repair shop instead.
I had a similar issue to you a couple years ago. I had a long day prior to a late night flight from LGA to MCO. While at the airport at LaGuardia, I tried to charge my phone (which was at 2%), and it wasn't working, just as Ben described it. I needed my phone to order an Uber to get home when I would land at MCO. I tried different cables, different ports all...
I had a similar issue to you a couple years ago. I had a long day prior to a late night flight from LGA to MCO. While at the airport at LaGuardia, I tried to charge my phone (which was at 2%), and it wasn't working, just as Ben described it. I needed my phone to order an Uber to get home when I would land at MCO. I tried different cables, different ports all around the terminal, and nothing worked. I used my laptop to google what the issue could be. I also came across the advice to clean the charging port using a toothpick. I went around to every restaurant open at 8pm at LGA, and NONE OF THEM had a toothpick. For gods sake, they are restaurants. I don't know if the TSA considers them weapons or what, because that was very weird to me. Anyway, I had no choice but to get on my flight with a dead phone, and when I landed at MCO, I had to ask a stranger to book me an Uber home, and I paid them with my Anker battery pack (I had used up all of the little cash I carry with me in NYC).
The next day, I cleaned my charging port with a toothpick, and it worked again. I've had this issue occur a few times the past couple years. Most of the time I just need to clean the port. However, eventually the issue Ben is having persisted for me, despite cleaning the port. I think I had damaged the metal part that hooks onto the USB-C cable on the inside. Mine looked bent, and I think it happened because of the technique I use to plug in my phone. Ben, that may be your issue. Now on, I have to be very careful when I plug in my phone so I don't damage the port. This seems to be an issue I've only had with USB-C devices, because of the way the port is built. I just got a new phone when this happened to me, I don't know if there is another solution.
In a pinch, you could use your laptop as portable charger.
@ Ivan -- Yes, as a portable charger, but not as a wireless charger. The issue was the USB-C port, not the inability to plug something into an outlet.
Right, yes! Glad to know you found a workaround. Hope you get a new phone soon!
I love this story! I appreciate how you share your authentic self with us through your blog! I come here daily to stay updated on the travel and tourism industry, but I also enjoy how genuine you are! P.s. the notes are adorable. Keep up the good work!
Amazing!
Luxury hotel concierges are so underrated. We were in rural Thailand and my ears were clogged with wax (gross sorry). We had 15 hours at the st Regis Bangkok before departing for the Maldives. Wtf was I going to do! I emailed the concierge in Bangkok and asked them to get me wax drops and what not cause no chance the Maldives private island would have it. But it’s not like ear wax...
Amazing!
Luxury hotel concierges are so underrated. We were in rural Thailand and my ears were clogged with wax (gross sorry). We had 15 hours at the st Regis Bangkok before departing for the Maldives. Wtf was I going to do! I emailed the concierge in Bangkok and asked them to get me wax drops and what not cause no chance the Maldives private island would have it. But it’s not like ear wax drops are advil either and it was late in the day… Sure enough they were in my room in Bangkok upon arrival and was all set!
Wond't a better soluton ask the lounge staff or go onboard?
@ LEo -- Sorry, ask the lounge staff what? I asked them if they had a wireless charger, and they didn't.
Your phone's charging port simply has some lint and pocket-cruft gumming up the connection. You need to do a better job with the toothpick. Find something sticky, stick a tiny goober of that on the end of the toothpick, poke around in the port for a while - I guarantee if you spend some time and get it right, you will find the sticky toothpick gooober will accumulate a surprisingly large, fluffy lint ball, extract...
Your phone's charging port simply has some lint and pocket-cruft gumming up the connection. You need to do a better job with the toothpick. Find something sticky, stick a tiny goober of that on the end of the toothpick, poke around in the port for a while - I guarantee if you spend some time and get it right, you will find the sticky toothpick gooober will accumulate a surprisingly large, fluffy lint ball, extract that, and that will cure all your phone charging issues.
I am astonished at how naive you are all the time.
@ Bobo Bolinski -- I tried cleaning it to the best of my ability, and it didn't help. I'll be going to an Apple store soon to see if they have any ideas, or if I just didn't clean it correctly. What makes me "naive" here, I'm confused?
As someone that travels a lot for work, there are a few things that are absolutely essential for me to avoid big headaches.
I personally don’t carry an extra phone and I think the risk of not carrying a second phone is worth taking. I have automatic daily backup of my iPhone into iCloud but when traveling I usually manually backup a few times a day. So, if my phone is stolen, all my...
As someone that travels a lot for work, there are a few things that are absolutely essential for me to avoid big headaches.
I personally don’t carry an extra phone and I think the risk of not carrying a second phone is worth taking. I have automatic daily backup of my iPhone into iCloud but when traveling I usually manually backup a few times a day. So, if my phone is stolen, all my data is safe. If a phone is damaged or stolen, it will be very likely based on places I travel that I can find an Apple Store or electronics store that sells an iPhone in a few hours or within a day. Thus, I take the risk in not having to carry a dead weight with me which will probably be outdated in terms of my data.
Now, I carry many extra cables (USB-C to USB-C, USB-A to USB-C and MagSafe wireless charging cables), chargers enough for my phone, watch and headphones. Another thing I carry double are my prescription glasses which would be almost impossible to get the ones I need on a trip and I simply can’t see anything without them.
Does a fronted purchase like that qualify for lifetime spend or elite bonuses?
You can get good qi2 battery packs on amazon for $16 when my port stopped working I bought 4 of them and now theyre just stationed everywhere for hot swapping. My phone never gets plugged in anymore and they work as charging pads when plugged in. Buy a few and try it!
I learned my lesson after my phone was stolen in Barcelona several years ago. Now I always travel with a spare phone.
That’s awesome the concierge did that for you!
My iPhone 14Pro Max has the same problem as you. Ended up getting wireless chargers. Boo….
How was the Encalm lounge in Del?
@ Eve -- I was impressed! Too bad I won't be able to review it due to lack of battery life, but I hope to return soon and check out both of the Encalm lounges.
Phone had charging problems and its a Delhi airport disastrous layover, whoa!
@ PhatMiles -- I don't think I blamed Delhi Airport, other than being surprised by the lack of electronics items for sale? Would you like me to instead title it "My [Unspecified Airport] Layover Disaster?"
Check the charging port area. Often times pocket lint, dirt, debris, etc can become lodged in there. Get some canned air and blow it out and then get a toothpick and move it around the port area. Blow it out a second time. 90% of the time this works 100% of the time. :)
Please get out more and plan for problems. I travel with three plug backups for my iPhone. I have so many blow up
At charging ports. They are under $5 on eBay
@ Cbchicago -- Please get out more?! Yowzers. And "plan for problems?" I certainly learned a lesson here, but given that this is the first time in 17+ years of full time blogging that something like this has happened, I don't think I'd consider myself to have been unprepared.
This made me want to pack a spare.
Once, I forgot the attachable lens to my DSLR, and it was devastating.
Glad you at least found a solution. Enjoy KUL!
I generally travel with a wireless charger, which saved my bacon a few times because while the phones have been waterproof for years, the USBC charger will not work if it detects water in the port. If you don’t want to carry an extra phone, a spare charger is much less of an overkill.
I was surprised you didn't ask any of passengers in airport or Holidya Inn or fellow passengers in the flight.
Usually I had seen in Asian countries people don't mind if you go and talk to them
Oh, I hear you Ben. My iPhone went beserk in a similar but different manner on a review trip to Auckland New Zealand. Fortunately most of my reviews and photos were in the can, but it did feel weird not having a phone for my trip back to Sydney via Brisbane.
Fortunately, my travelling companion B2 was happy to step in as official photographer on the way home. I also had to resort to taking...
Oh, I hear you Ben. My iPhone went beserk in a similar but different manner on a review trip to Auckland New Zealand. Fortunately most of my reviews and photos were in the can, but it did feel weird not having a phone for my trip back to Sydney via Brisbane.
Fortunately, my travelling companion B2 was happy to step in as official photographer on the way home. I also had to resort to taking notes on my iPad!
Can't wait for your review of the Park Hyatt in the 'Eye of Sauron' building in Kuala Lumpur. On a recent trip to KL, I opted for my regular Mandarin Oriental to be closer to the centre of town rather than the Park Hyatt, which is a little removed.
Lucky, Lucky. Glad we get to see the AI review .
Hotel concierges are the best in Asia. I’ve asked them to go out shopping for me before for a suit in HK since it was a last minute event; sent them my measurements and no issues. In my room upon check in. One time I flew to China to buy an LV bag, and the FS went to the store in Beijing to...
Lucky, Lucky. Glad we get to see the AI review .
Hotel concierges are the best in Asia. I’ve asked them to go out shopping for me before for a suit in HK since it was a last minute event; sent them my measurements and no issues. In my room upon check in. One time I flew to China to buy an LV bag, and the FS went to the store in Beijing to put the bag on hold for me, since one of the staff knew the store manager.
Heck, even 7 years ago when I was younger, wanted a vape, and much like your charger, was waiting for me upon arrival.
Glad you tipped, and glad it all worked out. Some hotels really do go above and beyond.
I'd never stay at a Holiday Inn Express in India! There were plenty of amazing hotels including a JW Marriott and a Andaz (That I have sometimes booked using Hyatt Prive where room rate was only slight above $100 and with all the crazy perks with that F&B credit) within 5 minute drive of the airport in an adjacent complex called Aerocity.
Guess never left the airport but if had in all of India theres...
I'd never stay at a Holiday Inn Express in India! There were plenty of amazing hotels including a JW Marriott and a Andaz (That I have sometimes booked using Hyatt Prive where room rate was only slight above $100 and with all the crazy perks with that F&B credit) within 5 minute drive of the airport in an adjacent complex called Aerocity.
Guess never left the airport but if had in all of India theres an app based delivery service called Blinkit where can get anything you want brought to you within 15 minutes.
If you phone is your business and travel lifeline, travel with a backup phone. I'm amazed that you dont
Glad it worked out in the end and kudos to Jerome and Park Hyatt KL for the staff training.
On a lighter note - it sounds like you’ll have to take another review trip to DEL to fully review the Holiday Inn at T3 Terminal as that was the main reason for this review trip. A review without pictures won’t do justice to that beautiful property :)
As a datapoint - the usb C port on my iPhone 15 pro, bought pretty much on launch day has a lot completely failed. Wireless charging has been my saviour either with the little magnetic puck or a magnetic battery pack.
Wondering about taking it in to get the port replaced and what it would cost. Also whether, as someone who Kee’s his phone in his pocket and the port is always full of...
As a datapoint - the usb C port on my iPhone 15 pro, bought pretty much on launch day has a lot completely failed. Wireless charging has been my saviour either with the little magnetic puck or a magnetic battery pack.
Wondering about taking it in to get the port replaced and what it would cost. Also whether, as someone who Kee’s his phone in his pocket and the port is always full of crap, whether I should find some little rubber doohickey to go in the port to keep a new one clean and functional.
Happy you got it all sorted. It's a good lesson for a lot of people. This is why I always keep my previous phone, and I travel with it as a backup should anything happen to my primary. Considering how important a phone can be when traveling internationally, it's worth having a spare, especially if it's your camera, itinerary, boarding passes, map, translator, email, and everything else.
I thought I was only one as soon I got my iphone 15 after few days usb c charging stopped working and only wireless charging worked for me I was happy to get rid off iphone 15.
@Ben There could be something jammed up in the charging port that a toothpick won't get out. This happened to me once; I took it to the Apple store, and they have a special tool for cleaning out the charging port.
@ jallan -- I'll definitely be going the Apple store upon returning home!
How much did the hotel charge you and how much, if anything, did you tip the concierge? It seems like that was missing.
I've had concierges get me concert tickets, including front row tickets. I also had the concierge at the Prince de Galles, Luxury Collection in Paris magically get a bag that had been missing for two days delivered within six hours to the Prince de Galles. Who knows how they did that. I...
How much did the hotel charge you and how much, if anything, did you tip the concierge? It seems like that was missing.
I've had concierges get me concert tickets, including front row tickets. I also had the concierge at the Prince de Galles, Luxury Collection in Paris magically get a bag that had been missing for two days delivered within six hours to the Prince de Galles. Who knows how they did that. I had previously stayed two nights at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand, another 5-star hotel, and the concierges there couldn't do anything and Air France was less than helpful.
@ FNT Delta Diamond -- There was a 5% surcharge on the purchase, since the hotel fronted the cash, and then charged my card (which was a good deal for me, since I earned 4x points on my hotel purchase, hah). I assumed there would be an additional fee for the service, but I don't see anything on my folio.
I didn't actually get to meet Jerome during my stay to thank him, but I left him an envelope with a thank you and a tip of 200 MYR (around $50).
I've had this happen with old charging cords, particularly when plugged into a car. It's mostly I think a result of buying cheap, off-brand cords of cubious quality.
Is that photo of the Holiday Inn Express at the Delhi airport? If so, it looks incredibly nice for a Holiday Inn Express -- especially the quality of the bedding and linen. It looks like a Four Seasons or Peninsula compared to your average roadside Holiday Inn Express back in the USA.
@ FNT Delta Diamond -- It is! It's funny, because it looks quite nice in that picture, but I really wasn't impressed otherwise, as you'll see in the review. So many aspects of the hotel were gross and just didn't feel clean, like stained mattresses just being stored in the hallway.
Holiday Inns abroad tend to be significantly nicer than the ones we have in the US (including HI Express). They aren't anything special in terms of service and other aspects you find at a 4/5 star hotel, but they tend to be clean, comfortable, spacious rooms, and lots will have a surprisingly decent bar. I've even had a really nice welcome amenity at a few.
I'm amazed that you don't carry a spare phone when travelling. Whether it's a burner for difficult border officers, something that you can easily afford to give up in a mugging or simply a backup in case the main one stops working, carrying an extra 150g can save one from a fair bit of stress and/or trouble.
@ Throwawayname -- It's not something I had ever thought about, but I'm definitely considering it now!
I would suggest the base 17 for backup if you want something new (otherwise an old iPhone 15 Pro will give you the same result), incredible value where the base phone is the best of the lineup in many years. But as others have noted, getting one abroad is more ideal because the inclusion of a physical SIM card slot is very handy, even economically as usually it is much cheaper to just get a...
I would suggest the base 17 for backup if you want something new (otherwise an old iPhone 15 Pro will give you the same result), incredible value where the base phone is the best of the lineup in many years. But as others have noted, getting one abroad is more ideal because the inclusion of a physical SIM card slot is very handy, even economically as usually it is much cheaper to just get a physical sim at the local destination then to recharge or buy a data obey e sim
Something I also think is valuable - The fact nowadays iPhones sold in US (and many more countries for 17 series) don't come with physical SIM card slot, and the situation a physical SIM is needed.
Worth a backup old iPhone or an Android phone.
One of reason I still have my iphone 13 and carry it as backup phone, it can take physical sim and esim