Homeward Bound… I wish I was!

I was the last one to wake up on Monday morning. When I came down, Jake was making waffles, with bacon in the oven.

He made the bacon for Carla and him extra crispy. Then he cooked mine so it was soft, but still crunchy. He claimed it was terribly under-cooked.

Bah! It was delicious!!!

Then he drove me to the airport. It was a little too late for him to be on time for work, and a little too early for my flight. But, it worked for both of us.

At the security checkpoint, they gave me a pass (no, literally, it’s a laminated card). So I didn’t have to take anything off, except empty my pockets. So, I did that. But I told them before walking through the regular sensor (not the body scan thing or whatever it’s called) that I would set it off.

They said, “Pardon me?”

So, I set it off. That resulted in one of the most serious pat-downs I ever had. And, when the guy was done, he swabbed his rubber gloves and ran it through a machine, looking for trace explosives. He then explained to me that, since I had an artificial knee and rods in my back, when they offer me that “pass” I should say, “I opt out.” That would result in a cursory pat-down and not the extensive one (can I get a female TSB officer over here) I had to undergo.

Now, normally, I would have gotten an egg and sausage on a biscuit and ate it to kill the time. But, I was stuffed from breakfast. So, I got a cup of black coffee instead and read my book in one of my two favorite overstuffed chairs.

When the flight was called, I ambled over and boarded with the Zone 2 folks. I didn’t have any carry-on bags (just a book and a bottle of water) so I was good to go.

It’s about a 30 minute hop to Charlotte, North Carolina. I had a window seat and watched the ground most of the way.

We deplaned and I did the usual mad rush to get from gate E to gate B.

And that’s when things got weird…

I got to the right gate, but my flight wasn’t listed. So, I walked back to the row of monitors and found my flight had been canceled!

Sidebar: I have been traveling the airways since before Luanne moved to Virginia[JG1]  and multiple times since then. I have had flights delayed, and luggage lost, but never have I had a flight that was just canceled!

WTF???

So, I joined a long line of folks from that cancelled flight. The lady behind me was eating a sandwich that smelled AWESOME. I finally asked her where she got it and she said it was a Panini sandwich from a place back in the “B” terminal (where we were).

I finally got waited on and found the flight they wanted me to go on went to DC, then another flight would take me to Detroit, landing at 9:00 p.m. I said that was ridiculous! I was supposed to get home at 4:00 p.m.

So, they put me on a Delta flight, leaving from terminal A at 4:30 p.m. I asked about my checked bag and they said they would re-route it.  

But, I had to take their paperwork to Delta in terminal A and get a boarding pass. So, I did

Then I had like another three hours to kill. I thought long and hard about that awesome-smelling Panini sandwich (I was hungry by then). But, after the mad rush to the gate and then the long wait standing in line, my legs were killing me. So, I stayed where I was.

There was a Wendy’s in the B terminal, but the line there was long as well. So, I went to a bar and grill where I could sit and get waited on.

I ordered a mushroom and Swiss burger. I had my choice of one side (coleslaw, French fries, onion rings, pasta salad, etc., etc., etc.) I picked pasta salad.

There was only ketchup on the table, so when they brought the burger, I asked if they had Dijon mustard. The waiter laughed and said they only had yellow mustard or mayonnaise.  He brought me a foil packet of each. I opted for the mayonnaise.

The “pasta salad” was just elbow macaroni and mayonnaise. But, it was surprisingly good (as was the burger).

Then I sat and waited. I had a two-inch book that I just started, so I read and read and read. I went and got a cup of coffee after a bit and drank that. I made several trips to the bathroom and then went back to reading.

Finally (FINALLY) it was time to board. So, I did. I had another window seat, but this time the clouds obscured the ground. So, I just read my book some more.

At the beverage service, I realized the difference between the US Airways and Delta. On Delta, they offered you complimentary peanuts, cookies or pretzels! I got a ginger ale and pretzels. I finished my book before the flight ended!

When we landed and de-planed, I realized I was at the wrong terminal. My truck was parked about five miles away!

I went down to the luggage place and waited for my suitcase. Everybody else got theirs and left. Mine never showed. So, I went to the Delta luggage place and asked. They checked my luggage tag and said it wasn’t in their system. They said that, while I had been put on Delta, my luggage would have still been on some US Airways flight!

Huh?

So, I went down and waited (and waited – and waited) for the shuttle to the north terminal. I finally got there and, sure enough, my suitcase was outside the US Airways luggage office.

I retrieved that and then started the long, long journey to my truck. I paid the fee to ransom it and finally headed for home.

I got in the door just after 9:00 p.m. Caley heard me come in (albeit through the front door, not the garage) but she hid. I hooked up the garage door opener and brought the truck inside.

Speaking of Caley, I was amazed to find she hadn’t barfed on the bed!

She finally came out with the promise of treats. I unpacked my suitcase.

Sidebar: Jake accused me of stealing one of his pants hangers. I didn’t. But I did end up with two more shirt hangers than I brought down with me. Damn! My bad…

I dumped the water and put the used kitty litter in the trash.

I ended up going to sleep just before midnight.

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 [JG1]