We left home for Harper's wish trip today, and to say the girls were excited would be a considerable understatement. We had expected to drive to the airport, but our itinerary included a special surprise.
We got to ride to the airport in a stretch limo! It was the first time in a limo for the girls, so they were thrilled. They tried the TV, ate the mints and pilfered the cold bottled water. The only thing it didn't have was a moon roof - so Harper couldn't stand up in it and wave to neighbors as we left.
So far, so good. But then we transferred from the luxury travel of a limo to the steerage class that is modern air travel.
I'm a Delta junkie - I admit it. But our flights were booked on United. I have to admit, overall, I am glad most of my travel happens on Delta.
There were issues checking in and with our bags, but it got done. Minor computer issue compared to the gentleman at the next counter who was going to LA but his bag was tagged to end up in Denver...
We made it through security without a hitch. Cadence had a woozy moment as we passed by the machines they use to test the hand-swabs looking for explosives. She asked feebly if they do finger sticks to test blood. I assured her that they don't use the same methods to ID you as they do in The Hunger Games. Her face slowly refilled with blood.
We boarded our little bitty Embraer 145, 30 minutes later than scheduled. The previous flight was late getting in from Newark. But, we still had some cushion on our connection, that is until we then sat on the Tarmac for 30 additional minutes due to an air traffic control order from Houston. We would be cutting it very close.
The flight was relatively uneventful, and the girls seemed to be mesmerized by the lights as we landed in Houston after dark. Of course we only landed after circling the city a few times... Our cushion was fading fast.
With a last minute booking comes seats in the very back of the plane. Once (finally) off, we started our trek through the Houston airport - a maze we traversed at a sprint.
We barely missed the train between concourses, and the 105 seconds we waited for the next one was our downfall.
We reached our connecting gate and was greeted by the gate agent telling us the door was closed and we would need to go to the service center. The plane was still sitting there - they hadn't closed the door to the plane yet. In fact, I watched them gather the "paperwork" and take it to the pilots. Apparently they didn't want to reprint... Have to admit, I had a few choice words, and a few slipped out. They couldn't have cared in the least. They said they "tried" to get approval to hold the flight, but "Chicago" wouldn't let them. Sounds to me like bitter old Continental employees who don't like answering to United bosses in "Chicago" personally.
We made it to the help center just in time - as soon as we were in line, they closed the line, and all the other people who showed up after us were (rather rudely I might add) told to go to a different help center - in another part of the concourse.
Still flustered, aggravated, and still out of breath, we stood in line and contemplated or next move. I called United on the phone as we stood in line and quickly learned the only remaining flight to San Antonio out of Houston was sold out. So, chances of 5 people getting on standby were nil to none.
But, when all seems lost, or completely unfair and frustrating, sometimes good things can still happen.
The lady who helped us at the service counter confirmed what I already knew - no chance of getting out tonight. And to add to it, our bags made it on our second flight - so they were already headed to San Antonio - doing us no good in Houston. The drive to the dude ranch, through San Antonio to get our bags would be 4 to 5 hours. Not a good choice.
And then we were told that, despite a delay causing us to miss our connection, they would only offer a "discounted" hotel room. Really? Really.
I threw up my hands, figuratively, but stayed calm, and even mentioned to her that she must deal with a lot of frustrated people. I did let slip that we were on a wish trip, and she of course noticed Harper's bald head.
Having finished giving us our boarding passes for our rebooked flight the next morning, the agent said she would walk us out. Strange comment...
Turns out, while she didn't want to say it in front of other customers still milling around and being assisted, she wanted to help us some more. She asked us to wait, and she went to speak to a supervisor. She came back and ultimately issued us a voucher for a hotel room and 10 meal vouchers. After that she asked for Harper's name, because she wanted to pray for her. There are good people out there, even in dis-functional organizations.
So, we are in our hotel room. Everyone but me is already asleep (it didn't take long). We're not where we thought we'd be tonight, but we're together. We had some unexpected challenges, but we also had a little bit of adventure and some kindness shown to us.
All in all, it could have been worse. But tomorrow, at 4:30am, we'll go at it again. We'll count today as a practice run.
Tomorrow we will try again.
Regardless of how it goes, we'll be together, and be having an adventure as a family.
No comments:
Post a Comment