Thankfully, I’m Still Laughing
I recently took a vacation… first one in 2 years. I use to travel extensively, now I’m lucky if I fly once a year. I wrote this blog on my iPad, sitting and waiting for a flight – well multiple flights. Well, you read on, since it will tell the tale of my vacation travels last week (Nov 19-27). Hope you get as good a laugh out of it as I have. I’m still laughing – hysterically! Enjoy!
Today I am hysterical with laughter. Since I am in the process of taking a vacation and keep having delays. Last month I was headed to Denver for a trip to see friends. I hadn’t been to Denver since my 60th birthday when I gave a big birthday party and cooked lasagna for my friends (see my very first blog post “Don’t Fight the Noodle”). I talk to friends in Denver on a regular basis and was looking forward to seeing everyone in the flesh so to speak… But my kitty Zack became ill and the day I was to fly, I quietly laid him to rest after a 48 hour ordeal with animal emergency rooms. So I postponed my trip until the spring since my next trip had already been scheduled to travel to Florida to see my long time friend Allie Newton who is elderly, and maybe declining, I’ll know when I get there. I haven’t seen her in two years. I was planning on driving to Florida and changed my mind and switched my Denver ticket to Orlando for a 5 day trip to Florida since I didn’t want to leave Ziggy for two weeks if I drove.
As the time drew near, I was excited to head to Florida. A polar vortex had settled in over the northeast with temperatures plummeting to nearly zero. The day I was scheduled to fly, the temp was in the teens … My flight was with Frontier Airlines out of Wilmington, Delaware – an airport I had never been to but it was the “new” Philadelphia Regional Airport for my airline. Where is this airport? New Castle, Delaware. A “drive by” airport, since you will miss it if you blink along Rt 13. Airlines want you to arrive 2 hours ahead of time so I did. Well 2-1/2 hours ahead. I misjudged my travel time to New Castle. So I am first in line (already checked in but needed to drop the bag) – since on Frontier you pay a fee whether you check or carry on a bag. Six staffers to check us in, and 10 more TSA employees to screen us. It’s the tiniest airport I have ever been to and I have traveled around the world. So you are no sooner past security, and they announce a 2 hour flight delay. Not to worry, since instead of arriving around 6:30 pm it would be 8:30 pm, no big deal. The rental car place is open until 1am and Allie will leave the front door open for me since I have a 90 minute drive from Orlando to Melbourne. A half hour later they announce another hour delay. The 100 or so passengers sitting and waiting are starting to get restless, since there are only vending machines to provide food and water. At 4 pm they announce the flight is cancelled, pick up your luggage and call the 800 number to rebook your flight, since the staffers will not rebook us. Arrrrgggghhhh! Imagine 100 passengers suddenly disgusted, pissed off and you are one of them.
As I grab my bag and head out into the frigid air to my car, I already have a Frontier ticket agent on the phone trying to rebook me. What? You can’t get me to Orlando until Sunday? Excuse me? Well if I’m flexible regarding my Florida destination, I can fly tomorrow? But not out of Wilmington? Out of Trenton, NJ? Who the hell flies out of Trenton, NJ? And what kind of jet airport is in Trenton? Ha! Guess I will find out.
So as I sit in my car and rebook the flight, the rental car, scheduled appointments once I arrived in Melbourne, and let Allie and the pet sitter know of my change in plans, I was exhausted. Once I was home, I wanted to check in for my flight the next morning… HaHaHa! Now the seat assignment of 6A confirmed in an email, was suddenly reading 14B… No $&@&ing way. Plus I had already paid for my bag, checking in online wanted me to pay again. I call the 800 number at 8pm… Only to be told “with all the confusion of the cancelled flight, the system is screwy, so just check in at the counter in the morning.” HaHaHa!
Ziggy was happy to think I was back… But soon learned when he saw the suitcase sit by the front door all night that I was leaving again in the morning. Ha! He’s no dummy. So I drop into bed, drained and wanting to recharge for another round of travel daze. At 6am, Ziggy is in my face. He is my best alarm clock ever. “Wake up Mom, I don’t want you to miss your flight while I quietly sulk about you leaving me again.”
While driving to Trenton Mercer Airport… I start laughing uncontrollably … thinking about this whole travel ordeal. I can barely read the road signs my eyes are filled with tears of laughter. .. The directions to this airport are familiar. Pretty much the same way when I go to either Jerry’s Artarama (art supply store in Lawernceville, NJ) or Hamilton Train Station when I go to New York City. The road signage is excellent, better than yesterday when I had to stop and ask for directions. At Wilmington, the parking lot barely held 100 cars. Today, as I take the exit to Trenton Mercer Airport, the entrance was like driving up a sweeping driveway to a mansion. Holy Jesus, as I see the parking lot. At least a thousand cars and not a spot in sight. Ok, who the hell flies out of this airport? It’s still just a one airline airport, but I learn later 12 flights a day depart and another 12 arrive.
So when I check in at the counter, the agents were oblivious to yesterday’s debacle and could really care. But I exercised my voice of being assigned seat 6A and now you have me in 14B. Who got 6A? And why did your help desk send me an email confirming 6A? Well, quietly the check-in clerk asks her co-worker, “can I put her in 4A?” And, 4A is the re-assigned seat! Yippee!!!!!
Now, instead of going through security (since they were closing for a break!), I head upstairs to a restaurant where practically my entire flight of travelers is hanging out … yes because of a delay. So, we all eat and drink and talk and have a few more good laughs. Oh shit, as I sit here in this restaurant, with a full view of the landing strip at Trenton Mercer Airport, the plane that just left for Ft Myers just returned – another delay for more passengers on a different flight. Thankfully, I’m headed to Ft. Lauderdale. The bartender is making lots of tips and keeping us all happy with food and drinks. However, more delays, and more people frustrated with the whole flying process. It’s the week before Thanksgiving so it really should be lighter travel. But with airlines packing them in these days, not to mention flying a low cost airline. Well, need I say more? I sat in the restaurant/bar area for several hours talking with other passengers, and commiserating flight delays. It passed the time comfortably.
My 12:05pm flight finally took off at 1:35pm. My seat mates wore masks. Ha! I am only hoping so they don’t spread their germs to me rather than worrying about picking up my germs. They certainly were not chatty and annoyed when I needed to climb over both of them to use the restroom twice. We landed uneventfully and I found the car rental place easily. However, now I had a long ride ahead of me from Ft. Lauderdale to Melbourne.
As I emerged from the airport rental garage, it was 5:30 pm and I was thrust into rush hour traffic. As I rounded the curve onto the highway, I had 8 lanes if solid red tail lights facing me for as far as I could see. I had about 170 miles to go. Ha! Ha! It’s going to be a while I thought to myself. After an hour of bumper to bumper traffic, I stopped and ate dinner as I didn’t feel I would get to my destination much before 9 pm… After a nice dinner, I was off to travel north on I-95 for the next few hours… And sure enough, I pulled in to Allie’s driveway just after 9 pm.
My time in Melbourne was enjoyable, with warm air, sunshine and good food with my Florida friends. I did however receive two separate emails from Frontier Airlines about travel credits for inconveniencing me. For the cancellation of the Wilmington to Orlando flight, I was credited the full amount of my fare, and for the hour flight delay in Trenton, I was credited another $15. I have never experienced this before, and it does sweeten the travel delays. Yes I would fly them again despite the delays and cancellations.
Now it’s time to return home after my week here in Florida. Originally I was to return home on Tuesday. But when they rebooked me through Ft Lauderdale, they pushed it to Wednesday – the day before Thanksgiving and the busiest air travel day of the year. In addition, the entire Philadelphia area (including Trenton), were scheduled for up to 8 inches of snow. Here in Florida, we were having what I would consider hurricane-like weather. We had violent thunderstorms, high winds and pouring rain for 2 solid days. Now it’s the morning to fly home and there is flooding everywhere and non-stop storms. Do I take my chances and drive the 3+ hours to Ft. Lauderdale? Only to be cancelled or delayed when I arrive? Or do I change my flight? I’m on hold with the airline at 6 am for almost an hour. Finally when I get through, I learn of the weather advisory and my option to change my flight at no additional charge since Trenton is having a weather advisory and I am scheduled to fly into Trenton. So I laugh some more hysterically. Change the flight to fly home on Thanksgiving Day when the weather will be clear? Both in Ft Lauderdale and Trenton? Miss a great Thanksgiving meal? Or risk limb and life driving through torrential down pours and have additional travel delays? The decision was easy. On Thanksgiving Day, it was a beautiful day, easy day to travel, and minimal delays. Although we took off late, we arrived 45 minutes before our scheduled arrival – we must have had tail winds.
Despite all the crazy delays, cancellations and refund credits, it’s been worth it -100%. My future travel credits exceed the original price of my ticket. And, after all, I wouldn’t have this blog post if it wasn’t for my travel delays during this trip. Frontier’s tag line is “a whole different animal” and they sure live up to their marketing. I’ll just keep laughing hysterically, will fly them again, and will use my travel credits for a new ticket… Next time maybe to Denver or Los Angeles.
Oh, and Ziggy? Well, let’s just say, he was more than happy to see me Thanksgiving night, since he hissed and growled at the pet sitter for 8 days. He hasn’t left my side since I arrived home.
Hope you had a good time laughing with me.
Happy Trails and Happy (belated) Thanksgiving.
Love and Hugs
Rosemary Augustine – Artist and Author
