Friday 23 February 2024

My Most Interesting Experience In An Airport

 About 20 years ago....I was traveling through Atlanta.  It was late afternoon....near 5 PM.

Issues had arisen with my flight (it was actually cancelled at 4 PM) and I was in some line to see the customer rep....over a replacement deal.  

I was number two in line.

Before me was this older woman....probably near forty, and dressed in a provocative way (remember, I am from Alabama).  She had a cat 'bag'....carrying "Marvin" on this trip with her.

Well....she'd  taken a little hopper flight out of Savannah, and the final leg of this trip was Atlanta to St Paul, Minnesota.

That flight (set for around 7 PM) had been cancelled.  All  they could rig up was a 7 AM flight.  Well...this brought up Marvin,  and how hotels didn't take cats.   Customer Representative tried to act concerned, but I could sense.....no, the cat issue was crap.

This went back and forth.  There were at least a dozen people behind me....waiting on action as well.

So finally, the cat lady said....could they fly Marvin and her back to Savannah tonight?  Her deal in the works?  She'd pay the $150 to round-trip back to Savannah, and return to Atlanta the next afternoon, to complete her trip to St. Paul. 

Well....yes and no was the answer.

Yes, they could fly her back to Savannah, but the only seats open for the next day was a 7AM flight out of Savannah, and a 9 AM hook-up in Atlanta for the last leg.

That's what she accepted.  But then the customer rep said clearly....we can't get to your bags, and they will continue onto St Paul.  This disturbed the provocative lady a fair bit, and added another couple of minutes of grumbling.

I felt sorry for the cat....all this travel added up on stress, and I just couldn't see a reason to drag a cat through this stuff.

There were lesser experiences....like the couple fight in Dulles over the husband finding the wife's lover text on her cellphone....or the drunken lady who woke up to realize her flight left 90 minutes prior, or the gal who discovered her $1,200 deluxe suitcase was destroyed as it came down the conveyor belt.  

Five Things

 1.  I noticed a study done....physical fitness by men and women....that women seem to benefit more.  It would only make sense....as a guy....you should lessen your hours by half...to catch up to women.

2.   Maybe just me....but does it seem like 14,000 Biden-fact-checkers have suddenly appeared since Thanksgiving....out of thin air?

3.   Something of a fact.....I think most people who go out and buy a $90 blender to make smoothies....eventually, within six moths....discover the blender also makes fantastic margaritas.  

4.  At what point with McDonalds menu-dinners....does it reach a point where you say you can't afford it?  $20?  $25?  $30?  $35?

5. It's just odd....on a 40-hour work-week calendar....Biden never exceeds six items or six hours....since day one, unless you count campaign stops or foreign dinners as work.