Thursday, January 27, 2011

Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint...I have a large one today. Sorry planet. It is 5:05 am and I have been sitting at the airport for awhile waiting on my flight to board. Early morning flights are the worst, but today is a must because it's in, meeting and home. See, hello how many plastic bottles do I have to recycle just to make up for today?!?!?

I am super tired, when I am tired my mind races a bazillion miles a minute. I am going to Canada next week. Is it still winter? I am sure that I told everyone who would listen that Canada was off limits until the spring. But, those punks lured me up there with the promise of Tim Horton's and a hockey game. I am such a sucker. Then I am headed off to DC...if I make it back from Canada (we all know me and travel, my one week trip may last 2). Then -- well, let's just say that I travel every week starting next week until the week of April 8th. Feb and Mar are going to be crazy!!!

(I am sitting here wondering why an NFL coach is at my gate -- it's not the coach of the NFL team in my town...it's a team from the West Coast. Oh the people you see at 5 in the morning at the airport - I am headed to Cincinnati)

anyways...the next to months I should have some weird and wacky travel stories for you.........I can't concentrate any longer. its all football now and we are getting ready to board soon.

CONTINUATION: Its now 5:30 pm and I am sitting at the airport. Still tired, but less groggy :) Are you ready for more travel woes...I tell you these things so that you know that if I am traveling you either (a) don't travel or (b) do not travel on the same air line as I. You're welcome, love you too!

I arrived at the airport around 2 EST in order to get through security and make my 4:10 pm flight. Optimism ran high, looking forward to getting home in time to pick up Doodles and let him know about my day in Cincinnati, OH. I arrive to my gate and work a little. Around 3:15, as I glance up at the LCD screen the flight time says 4:30 departure, where seconds ago it stated 4:10. Minutes later it changes to 5:35, and then goes blank and pops up with the next flight scheduled to leave out of that gate. Confused I get up to check with the gate agent. No, there has not been a gate change, but there is no update on the flight. They will inform us when they hear something.

Around 5:00 an announcement comes over that the maintenance was taking much longer than expected and the departure time has been pushed back to 8:30. If the passengers would come to the desk and get a meal voucher they will update us when they have more information. I start towards the gate agent and see that there is one who is not busy at the next gate over. Skipping the meal voucher, expense report what do I care about a voucher there is more pressing things on my mind, I ask the gate agent about other flights to my hometown. (See, I have been thru this here delay thing before, remember Miami???) There is one flight and it is nearly full. The gate agent protects a seat for me in case something goes wrong on my original flight. I thank her and walk away to get some dinner.

As I get to the food court an announcement. Flight XXXX to XXX has been cancelled would all passengers please report to gate B12 for re-booking. I head over to B12. In line there are numerous passengers all awaiting news on new flights. (there is a lot of angry people at the airport...I really hope that I am never that angry) Some heading through Atlanta, some hoping to get on the 8:35 flight (that I already know was close to full), and some just hoping to be re-reouted tonight. The woman a few people in front of me get booked on a flight tomorrow at 9:00 am, the gentleman directly in front of me was trying to get on a flight through Atlanta - not sure how it turned out I was done before he was, the man behind me was hoping to do the same thing that I do (I wished him luck). I walked up to the counter, showed my boarding pass and told them I should have a protected seat on the nonstop to my home airport. The re-booking agent confirmed that I had a seat, printed my boarding pass and wished me a good flight -- all done within 2 minutes. There were looks of "How", "what", "oh my goodness"...I wasn't kidding when I told them I was getting on the 8:35 flight, even the lady in front of me told me that she couldn't get on so I couldn't - I just shrugged. Yep, there were a few looks of outrage...but there were also a few 'dang you're good' looks.

See, all those travel woes....they teach ya how to have a back-up plan :-) Yep, I'm getting home tonight and I cannot say that for everyone that thought they were.........I wish all of them well and safe travels!!!

2 comments:

Ms. M said...

Why do I feel like this should have been a scene in "Planes Trains & Automobiles"? And Steve Martin should have been the next person in line behind you and flipped his lid when he saw you collect your ticket.

I think you need to start collecting cans and bottles from the roadside for recycling to make up for your jet-setting lifestyle... ;)

(2 hours and 31 minutes to go with the ol' heart monitor, just in case you're keeping track...)

kc said...

Seriously, I need to start my own recycling drive or something :)


Doesn't it sound straight out of a S. Martin/ D. Keeton movie?!?!?! It was a little bit of awesome LOL