We tried to test it beforehand but it's hard to prepare for such a number of users :) We've launched just 3 weeks ago. If you leave the site open it loads after a while, or you can bookmark it and come back - it's worth it :)
That's understandable. My apologies.
Does the same apply for the FAQ page? I've clicked that link, but nothing happens.
How much load are you talking about? Once it finally loaded for me, I gave up after about 45 seconds. I suspect you're doing some really cool things on the backend, in terms of checking permutations of flights and wiring together the cheapest rates. Still, I wonder if you're doing anything with your Angular front-end that really hurting usability.
The site goes down when it hits HN the first time. That is just the way it works :)