Travel Woes, Part 2

No flat tires this time! I was in Saint Louis at the beginning of November, during the government shutdown, right as the airlines were beginning to cut flights. Yeah, you know what's coming . . .

At first, all was well. I was waiting at the hotel to take the shuttle to the airport when I got the text that my flight was delay some 3-4 hours. Ugh. Lots of waiting, but okay, I can handle that. 

Got to the airport and settled in at a restaurant where I could enjoy a beverage and do some work. After a little while I got the text that my flight had been cancelled. Ugh. Quickly pack up my stuff to head over to a ticket counter to rebook.

On the way, I get another text: I've already been rebooked onto a flight that was due to depart about 45 minutes after my first, delayed schedule flight. Okay. Still a long wait, but I can handle that. 

I sit down to open the app on my phone and get more information, when I see that this flight that WAS schedule to leave shortly after dinner has itself been delayed by 5 hours! So now my ETD is midnight! Really?

That's when I overheard a woman at the ticket counter I was sitting nearby . . . she was on that flight and was having them rebook her to Baltimore, where it seemed flights were getting in better. What a great idea! I'm not sure I would have thought of that. So I jumped up and told the woman at the counter: "I'll have what she's having!" It would get me in Baltimore around 8 pm.

Okay, but then to get from Baltimore down to Reagan National so I could get on the Metro and go out to where my car was parked. Train? Not sure if they'd be running in that direction in the evening. Rental car? Yikes! Expensive for a one way rental. So texted my wife, who was working. Could she come pick me up? (usually about an hour drive.) YES! She's the goat. So, while it took her a little longer because of traffic, and even after working all day, she got me back to my car and home by around 11 pm.

Found out that Reagan National DCA was the worst airport that day, seeing (as the notice screenshotted below says) more cancellations than any other airport in the world.

But I made it home safely. I am thankful for that. I'm sure lots of folks had it worse than me.