Joy of flying, part 2

Now 7:07...  (nearly a half hour after the plane arrived at the gate) We have a plane... we have a crew... we are on board (again)...they are waiting for the bags to be loaded (again) and for catering so we can drink (probably only water)... And for fuel... And for?... Meanwhile we sit...

7:17... The cabin door is closed... (Finally?)...7:20...safety demonstration (again) no one is paying attention...  We are still sitting at the gate... It feels like ground hog day... Finally, at 7:23, 45 minutes after the "new" plane arrived, the safety stuff done, we push back from the gate.  By comparison  Southwest Airlines takes 35 minutes to "turn" a plane...

They tell us the flight will be 54 minutes...wheels up to wheels down, so not including taxing or misc. stuff like taking off, turning back, landing where we started from... Etc.

7:32... takeoff roll...7:33 wheels up... For a predicted landing (aka wheels down) in Jackson at 8:27....

7:42... It is just water! But they did upgrade the snack from pretzel sticks to a "stroopwafel"... A Dutch "soft toasted waffle filled with Carmel, cinnamon and real bourbon vanilla" and as Gael notes, no chocolate...  (note to self, the spell check hates the word "stroopwafel"...)

7:58... We appear to have stated or descent... Hopefully into Jackson... But with our luck who knows (now I am just being snarky).  At 8:05 the engines, cut way back... Food service is over...the seat belt sign on..

We finally are wheels down at 8:34 (not 5:11 as scheduled... )   We unload down a portable ramp on to the tarmac....   Baggage at 8:46... (Quick but not at carousel announced or expected) ... Ian on the way to pick us up… (rushing... He is hungry)

Note... though all of this the Airline staff were polite... 

The Joy of Flying

Gael and I are on the way to Jackson... WY...  for a long weekend.

We are flying on United... Many years ago in San Francisco, then United's main hub and

maintenance base, we would say, "friends don't let Friends fly United..." but this is not the

 same airline, that airline having failed several times, and this really being Continental...

which took over United some years ago

Flying from Vegas, to Denver, and on to Wyoming... Soon after leaving Denver, 30 minutes

into the 57-minute flight the captain announced that a problem from the last flight had "cropped up again"...  The wind shield was overheating... and we needed to divert to the nearest appropriate airport, which is/was Denver...  it's deja-vue all over again...

now, back on the ground, we are taxing...and taxing...Ang taxing...Denver's airport is a big place, back to the gate, and a rendezvous with mechanics...  Possibly the same mechanics who didn't fix it last time...

Another passenger has predicted that they will delay us an hour, then will deplane... In fact after less than three minutes they announced we will be deplaning...

Now 5:00 pm... (still onboard) United has emailed Gael...  They have assigned us a new aircraft... Due to arrive at 5:33...  for a now 6:00 departure...   Two minutes later, the captain announced the same info...

Sadly, my daughter, a niece, and I have all suffered significant delays here... We refer to it as the “Curse of Denver” Some weather related... (Let's just say I know where the tornado shelters are)... 

Now 5:36, with an estimated departure of 6:15.

Back to the curse… The niece's experience involved many airports across the north east in a snow storm, while the daughter, while waiting to board, watched a rapidly growing pool of hydraulic oil appear under the wing of her designated for craft, followed by mechanics at work (for some time) before they abandoned all hope and went in search of a different aircraft...

                                                       

United now says the new aircraft will arrive at 2:43...   pm...for a now 6:30 pm departure...   

I am guessing that “2:43” is just a typo...  Well, I am hoping that is just a typo...

Now 5:55... New announcement... they are still servicing the new plane...  then it needs it's "line check"...   It will be at least 20 minutes before it is released to be towed over...  They are no longer predicting a departure time.  We note that the pilot has left the area... Supposedly for a burrito...  We try to get a beer at the bar/brew pub, but there is no room at the inn, so we are sitting on the floor of the terminal...there being no seats to be had.

At the next gate, they too are delayed... Waiting for a mechanic to fix a seat on their overbooked flight...

6:11....  New update... Departure at 6:30 for an 8:00 arrival (but still no plane)

6:23…  Now 7:00 departure….  And hope is fading

6:37…  Still no plane, but we now have the pilot back… they claim the plane now taxing over… 

for a 8:45 arrival?  The gate agent is now peering out the window hopefully (not forlornly?)

6:39…  Da Plane, da plane…  the pilots have bolted out the door to welcome it… maybe, just maybe we may get to Jackson this evening, 3 ½ hours late…

To be continued