Well, not exactly. That's right, folks, I'm still in Texas.
I've flown non-rev loads of times in the past. It's always been a little frustrating not to get on the plane with everybody else, to have that uncertainty about whether you'll be proceeding with your plans as scheduled, but it's always worked out in the end. I've only been bumped once, and that was just from first class to coach during the trip Himself and I had to take to LA for my spousal visa. I've never actually not made it onto a flight. This is a wholly new experience for me.
I started trying to leave Wednesday (was that only yesterday?!)... There were only two flights that day, so I was there in plenty of time before the first one and checked my bags and waited patiently like a good little girl. I wasn't even perturbed when I didn't get on and got rolled over to the second flight. It wasn't even that big of a deal when I didn't make it onto the second flight and had to get a ride back to The Mimi's house for an unscheduled extension of my stay in Texas. That made it all the more exciting when her friend (on whose passes I'm attempting to fly) called and said she wanted to list me as her "companion" so that my flying privileges would be upgraded and I'd have a better chance of getting home. How great is that? I'll tell you how great, it's off the charts nice of her. So I came home and listed myself as a higher grade of traveller and went to bed with high hopes of getting on a flight today.
So this morning; I took donuts over to the siblings who still live in Arlington, I had lunch with Mi Madre at Fuzzy's tacos (which does a mean grilled veggie sandwich, btw) and I took a leisurely shower in preparation for another day at the airport. I turned up expecting to slide my passport through the little automated machine and get my security pass like I'd done the day before... to no avail. The little machine refused to acknowledge that I'd been listed for a flight and issued me with a scrap of paper advising me to seek human assistance. So I went to the line for the international check-in. Where the staff repeatedly only served people in the first class queue or people who had successfully utilised the check-in machines that had so rudely rebuffed me. For an hour. By the time I made it to the front desk, I was in tears brought on by the concern that something had gone wrong in the system and the frustration at having been so thoroughly ignored while others got the help they needed. The lady was very nice about it, but I still felt like a tit.
Anyway, I finally made it through security and got to the gate, where I missed getting on the first flight simply because the gentleman who was meant to turn up and leave one seat on the plane free for yours truly didn't make it in time, so a couple got our seats instead. The close shave, rather than disappointing me too thoroughly, only gave me hope that I'd make it on a later flight. That was, until they started offering people $900 to change their travel plans and fly tomorrow. So, needless to say, I did not make it on either remaining flight. That was complemented nicely by the (rude word) "gentleman" working the desk who refused to tell me if I'd been rolled over to the flight tomorrow (because I wasn't walking away without assurance that it had been taken care of) until I said something to the effect of "look, you have to understand that I'm six months pregnant, I've been waiting in the airport for two days, I have to call someone to collect me, and all I need to know is whether I've been rolled over" with what I'm sure was a slightly hysterical/homicidal gleam in my eyes. He then grudgingly hit the few keys to send my info in the system to the right place, to which I said "thanks, that's all I needed to know" with what I KNOW was a sarcastic tone. I don't care that I'm supposed to be nice to these people because I'm flying non-rev, he deserved a smack in the head for speaking to me the way he did, he's lucky only my sarcasm reared its ugly head.
So, I'm home, tucked up in bed having just demolished a bowl of leftover vegan macaroni salad from the baby shower, blogging about flight frustrations. JB is kicking his little head off in there, same as he was this morning. He's always a little frantic in the mornings, which I attribute to my full bladder crowding him, and normally when I get up to relieve myself he calms down. This morning, not so much. He kicked the entire time I was in the ladies', and seemed to fully enjoy himself. You try peeing when there's an homunculus boxing with your bladder... *sigh* I just want to make it home for the scan on Monday, I'll be fine even if I have to sit in the airport for two more days as long as I'm home by Monday morning. Send happy thoughts into the universe on my behalf, won't you?
I've flown non-rev loads of times in the past. It's always been a little frustrating not to get on the plane with everybody else, to have that uncertainty about whether you'll be proceeding with your plans as scheduled, but it's always worked out in the end. I've only been bumped once, and that was just from first class to coach during the trip Himself and I had to take to LA for my spousal visa. I've never actually not made it onto a flight. This is a wholly new experience for me.
I started trying to leave Wednesday (was that only yesterday?!)... There were only two flights that day, so I was there in plenty of time before the first one and checked my bags and waited patiently like a good little girl. I wasn't even perturbed when I didn't get on and got rolled over to the second flight. It wasn't even that big of a deal when I didn't make it onto the second flight and had to get a ride back to The Mimi's house for an unscheduled extension of my stay in Texas. That made it all the more exciting when her friend (on whose passes I'm attempting to fly) called and said she wanted to list me as her "companion" so that my flying privileges would be upgraded and I'd have a better chance of getting home. How great is that? I'll tell you how great, it's off the charts nice of her. So I came home and listed myself as a higher grade of traveller and went to bed with high hopes of getting on a flight today.
So this morning; I took donuts over to the siblings who still live in Arlington, I had lunch with Mi Madre at Fuzzy's tacos (which does a mean grilled veggie sandwich, btw) and I took a leisurely shower in preparation for another day at the airport. I turned up expecting to slide my passport through the little automated machine and get my security pass like I'd done the day before... to no avail. The little machine refused to acknowledge that I'd been listed for a flight and issued me with a scrap of paper advising me to seek human assistance. So I went to the line for the international check-in. Where the staff repeatedly only served people in the first class queue or people who had successfully utilised the check-in machines that had so rudely rebuffed me. For an hour. By the time I made it to the front desk, I was in tears brought on by the concern that something had gone wrong in the system and the frustration at having been so thoroughly ignored while others got the help they needed. The lady was very nice about it, but I still felt like a tit.
Anyway, I finally made it through security and got to the gate, where I missed getting on the first flight simply because the gentleman who was meant to turn up and leave one seat on the plane free for yours truly didn't make it in time, so a couple got our seats instead. The close shave, rather than disappointing me too thoroughly, only gave me hope that I'd make it on a later flight. That was, until they started offering people $900 to change their travel plans and fly tomorrow. So, needless to say, I did not make it on either remaining flight. That was complemented nicely by the (rude word) "gentleman" working the desk who refused to tell me if I'd been rolled over to the flight tomorrow (because I wasn't walking away without assurance that it had been taken care of) until I said something to the effect of "look, you have to understand that I'm six months pregnant, I've been waiting in the airport for two days, I have to call someone to collect me, and all I need to know is whether I've been rolled over" with what I'm sure was a slightly hysterical/homicidal gleam in my eyes. He then grudgingly hit the few keys to send my info in the system to the right place, to which I said "thanks, that's all I needed to know" with what I KNOW was a sarcastic tone. I don't care that I'm supposed to be nice to these people because I'm flying non-rev, he deserved a smack in the head for speaking to me the way he did, he's lucky only my sarcasm reared its ugly head.
So, I'm home, tucked up in bed having just demolished a bowl of leftover vegan macaroni salad from the baby shower, blogging about flight frustrations. JB is kicking his little head off in there, same as he was this morning. He's always a little frantic in the mornings, which I attribute to my full bladder crowding him, and normally when I get up to relieve myself he calms down. This morning, not so much. He kicked the entire time I was in the ladies', and seemed to fully enjoy himself. You try peeing when there's an homunculus boxing with your bladder... *sigh* I just want to make it home for the scan on Monday, I'll be fine even if I have to sit in the airport for two more days as long as I'm home by Monday morning. Send happy thoughts into the universe on my behalf, won't you?
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