Monday, October 24, 2011

Stuck

I was supposed to be home by dinner time tonight. There was fog in Texas, though, so we are still waiting on our flight - it was supposed to leave at 10:30 and now we're scheduled to go at 2:35.

Spending six hours in an airport with a baby is as much fun as it sounds.

I'm going to miss my connecting flight in Tampa.

Thankfully we have family all over, and my mom has a condo near there, so we aren't homeless tonight. Amanda offered to come back for me but it's a 3 hour round trip from her house to the airport, and 3 of those in 2 days is too much to ask of someone who has a 200+ page report due this week.

I've had a great time, but I'm really ready to get home, and I hate this airport right now. People are extremely friendly in Indiana, and I'm spoiled. I miss home, where men see a woman with a baby and they offer her a seat in a crowded gate area. Southern hospitality apparently doesn't have a ticket, so it's not allowed past security.

Jack is finally napping, extremely late, but better late than never.

It could always be a lot worse. Entertain me with your worst travel disasters in the comments!!!

6 comments:

Marianne McCloskey Butt said...

Last year, right before I got pregnant, my father, my brother and I met in new Mexico for a hiking/site searing trip thru the southwest (my favorite place). I had been to Spokane visiting my dad. He and I had separate flights going into Denver and from Denver we were both in this same small flight into Farmington, nm, so my flight was delayed for 2 hours due to something electrical. I landed in Denver with 10 minutes to make my flight to Farmington. Needless to say there are nit many flights
into Farmington so if I missed the flight I would throw our whole trip off because we had a long drive from the airport to Canyon de Chelly. So I had my backpack as a carry on with all my stuff in it. The plane landed and I pushed my way off of it as quickly as possible, which I don't normally do even if I am running late... And I ran. I ran so fast thru that airport I had huge bruises from my backpack. I hurdled some guys luggage going up an escalator because I didn't have time to ask him to move it. I made it! They had closed the plane, it was a 10 seater that you had to walk out on the Tarmac to get to. They opened the plane back up for me. I kept thanking the pilot. Boy was my dad surprised to see me. I had a front seat and could see right out the windshield, pretty cool. The altitude alarms kept going off during our decent. Great trip, smooth going aftr that! I have another great story, I used to fly 5 or so times a year

Marianne McCloskey Butt said...

It was my roommates 21st bday. I had a 6am flight from Indy the next day. So I figured I would just not sleep. So we went out, to Harry's. my roommate got so drunk age couldnt move off the bathroom floor. My other roomate was supposed to come home to watch her. She did not, or she did at the last moment. I got in the car to drive like crazy. A guy in a black pick up truck decided to mess with me on my drive down. He would speed up, pass me, get in front of me and slow down. Over and over again. I finally got off at a gas station exit, he followed me, I pulled into the most crowded gas station, one with truckers and he kept on driving. So I continue on to Indy. My step mom was going to drive me to the airport. So I get to Indy, she drops me at the airport. I go to check in and I dont have my ID because it is in the pants I wore to the bar, which are in the trunk of my car. So in the days before cell phones I call the house to leave a message for my step mom. She picks up the third time I call, finds my ID, races back to the airport, I grab it from her hand as she drives by, literally, run back inside to the agent who was nice enough to let me to the head of her line and I just barely make it to my flight on time. I will write you a few more stories tomorrow. Bedtime.

Rob Monroe said...

Don't judge the south by Texas - they are snootie on their own! We have had nothing but wonderful folks at southern airports. (Plus, I learned some of my hospitality while living in North Carolina. True story.)

Marianne McCloskey Butt said...

Ok here are a couple of travel fails... We were going to Australia for Adam's aunts funeral a couple of years ago. We had a flight delay going into San Francisco mainly due to the change in charging for checked bags, everyone was trying to cram their carry ons somewhere and then we sat for no reason. So we land in San Francisco with 15 minutes to go. We were on the plane with a group of 20 students also headed to Sydney. So Adam was going to get the bags and I was going to run. Adams brother was on that flight and was trying to get them to hold it for us. I got to the gate, the doors were closed and no one was there. 10 minutes later the plane pulls back from yhe gate and leaves us all. The next flight wasn't for another 24 hours. We spent a lovely day with some of my family that lives in Berkeley.

So we make the flight the next day. Adams cousin wanted us to buy her some duty free alcohol so we do when we land in Sydney. Little dud we know that when we went thru customs we also had to go back through security and they won't let us take all that liquid. So Adam runs up frOnt out to the gate to check the liquid... He did not have even close to enough time to make the flight to Melbourne so I thought I would see him in the next flight. So I get to the gate and explain to the lady there what was going on and could she tell if my husband had checked in. She was some type of manager and she told me that he probably would make it and what would I do without him. She must have thougt I was a stupid American or something... I said I will get on the plane amd he will catch the next flight. So they keep tracking his check in... The next thing I know she says he is going to make it! It turns out when Adam got to the gate he happened to get in line with a diplomat who was on our flight. The agent told them they would never make that flight. The diplomat pulled out a card and time stopped. Because he was a diplomat they had to hold the flight for him. They had a special escort through security. He kept telling Adam not to worry and there was no need to rush, they wouldn't leave without him. Adam is so lucky.

Marianne McCloskey Butt said...

I have more if you want to hear them let me know... This is fun

Marianne McCloskey Butt said...

Ok that last one wasn't so clear. We had a connecting flight from Sydney into Melbourne... Should have said that at the beginning of the story.