Thursday, March 21, 2019

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


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