Vegas

I'm killin time right now so I'll log my trip to Las Vegas in this post.

I had a flight out of DFW at 7:30 a.m. non-stop for LV. It was on US Air or American West or whomever they are these days. I make a habit of always checking in on-line whenever possible. This time though, it wasn't. The error message I was getting on website said something about "there are inconsistencies in your reservations, please call the help line to correct this problem." Yea right. I called the help line three times only to be told that if I had an error on my e-check in that I needed to check in at the airport before the flight, and that they were "sorry" for the inconvenience. Ok, no big deal. I just need to get there early.

I arrived at the airport just before 6:30 a.m. along with the first break of sunshine. I guess I had to be asleep or something as I parked at E1 not knowing where I really needed to be. After I entered the airport with anticipation of finding the US Airway ticket counter I was told that US Air was "just outside those double doors and all the way to the end of the terminal, at gate 35." I thought for only a moment about going back to the parking garage, loading my bags back in the CRV, and driving to gate 35. At this point I was starting to sweat the whole time thing. I had never missed a flight before and wasn't going to start now. Besides, I had a couple of expensive seminars on this day that I couldn't miss. Off I headed with my bags down the sidewalk. As time started to go by, I realized that gate 35 was what looked like a half mile away. I believe it really was. My feet and back were killing me from the weight of the bags, and besides that I was cold too (no jacket).

When I finally made it to where I was told to go, the doors of the terminal swung open only to reveal way over 100 people that seemed to be in the same shape I was. All standing in 4 different lines. By this time it was about a quarter 'til 7, but I thought "ok, I'll get through this and everything will be fine."

With people cursing, griping and basically becoming very frustrated by the way the attendants and the ticket people (there were only three) were handling this situation, it was finally my turn. I quickly handed my ID to the man behind the counter, who then, quickly checked my reservation. "It won't let me check you in" he said. "Hmm, oh, it's because the flight takes off in less than 15 minutes. They won't let us issue a boarding pass now. You'll have to get in that line over there and re-ticket." At that point, I knew it was a lost cause. Just get in the other line and get a ticket for the next flight out.

I waited in the second line for almost an hour. When I was able to speak to the new guy, I was told that yes I could reschedule a flight, but the next one was at 2:15. I thought "that's great. The day will be over when I land." But, he went on. "That flight is currently over booked by 31 passengers. But I can book you anyway and with some luck you might make it on." I thought to my self that if I took that plane, I could very well have to go through all of this again. The next flight he told me was at 4:15. He also said that it was not full and that I could get a seat assignment now. I took it. And after a half mile walk and almost 2 hours in line, I decided to sit for a moment or two. While doing so I then realized that I wasn't sitting at this airport all day long, so I headed back down to gate 1 and found my car. I exited the airport and headed for McKinney to do some shopping for my 24th wedding anniversary. It was this same day. I know, but there was nothing else I could do. It was work.

I ended up getting some things in order at the house that I hadn't had time to do before I headed out again. I had only been home since late Friday night and that was followed by sleeping a big part of the day on Saturday. I was in Alabama, with the tornadoes, and got little sleep the week before. But that is another story.

I left for the airport again around 1:30 for this 4:15 flight that was surely going to take me to Las Vegas. When I arrived I parked right in front of the gate from where I was supposed to depart. No more walking. I got through security and to the place I was supposed to be without a hitch. I met a lady there who was a school teacher in McAlester, Oklahoma at the same time that I was in grade school there. We reminisced for quite a while until it was time to board the plane, as she too was headed out to Vegas to visit.

4:15 came and went. No plane, no plan, nothing. Around 4:30 they announced that we were being put on another airplane. Not another flight, but another airplane. A bigger one that was coming...later. Every 30 minutes or so they would update us with old information. They didn't know when the plane would arrive or where it was coming from it seemed.

Finally around 6:25 they said that the plane should be landing soon. Then around 6:35 they said that it was pulling up to the air tran.

It took about five minutes for the plane to unload and by around 6:45 we were boarding. I believe we taxied out somewhere around 7 p.m. and took off slightly thereafter. I don't really know when we landed in Vegas. It was probably 9:30 Dallas time and after such a long day it was weird to know that it was only 7:30 here!

This post is extremely long, but I'm really bored and tired right now. It's been a day of conferences and seminars for Autodesk, and tomorrow there are more. I get to go home on Thursday to talk with some engineers downtown at the AAC around 7:00 p.m. Then I get to drive to the house.

Tomorrow morning at 10 I get to sit through a speech by Bill Clinton. I'm going to try to not listen.