It Was Bound To Happen

My Pittsburgh flight was to leave at 10:30 this morning. At six, before she had to be at work, Jen drove me to Logan. Yeah, I’d be a couple hours early (for the two hour advance of take off security dance) but snagging the ride meant that I wouldn’t be taking the bus to the Red Line to the Silver Line – a pain in the ass normally but, when humping luggage, even worse. ALSO, that wouldn't buy me anymore time really – I’d have to leave at 6:30 anyway.

Why not drive in? I’ll be visiting my father through Monday. Parking at Logan for three days/nights would run me close to a C-note. Nope, no can do.

I managed to blow through security, pick up brekkie and settle in to blog and surf the news sites (DAMMIT, that violent Anger Troll, Gianforte won!). Yeah, it’d be a long day but there’d be a nice early dinner party with Pop, Michal and Helen later, when I got in.

I strolled over to my gate a few minutes before boarding only to find that the flight had been cancelled! There’d been no email warning and no text. I dashed over to the Jet Blue Help desk and was told, at first, no other flights today. ‘the fuck!? They were about to rebook me for the next day when I sorta lost it. I have to get to Pittsburgh TODAY, NOT TOMORROW! I’m going to see my father who’s ill. 

The departure board this morning

She was shrugging her shoulders when I suggested she book me with another carrier who would get me there today. She said she wasn’t authorized to do that.

Well who is?!

 By this point I was molto upset and shaking like a Parkinson's patient in ful agitata bloom. Fun with nerve damage. Possibly this garners me a bit of sympathic, pro-level customer service. If so, I’ll take it.

The board just now.

She called her supervisor. There actually were two other Friday flights – one at 2:30 which was fully booked (she put me on standby), the other at 6PM which had room for me – not standby. OK, I’m on.

Now what? I didn’t have a ride home so that would mean, if I went home, two hours on the Silver to the Red to the bus before getting AND back. I wouldn’t be able to get home, back and through security once more before I’d need to queue up for standby. If I passed on this perferred possible flight time – took the 6PM flight – I'd still only have an hour at home before having to get back on the public transportation's Slow Ride.

What’s this mean? I’ve been here at Logan for nearly 10 hours.  Honestly, this is utterly surreal. I've felt trapped in airport limbo.

I think I’m beginning to hallucinate.  Is that Godzilla over there? Is Mothra with him? It’s been too long!

I’ve done a lot of walking around, my rucksack getting heavier with each step. There’s no decent bookstores, to say the least, so even when I can squeeze into a store without knocking over a display or three, I’ve already read the one or two interesting bestsellers. Also, there’s no lounge where I can duck out of the fluorescent lighting and wall to wall people and, possibly, nap. I asked!

Why was my flight (as well as myriad others judging by the departure board) ixnayed? Something about the flight deck crew being “illegal.” Once more, ‘the fuck??!!? Something to do with overtime. So then, this is a personnel scheduling banjax. Is Jet Blue not employing enough people to successfully float the biz?

Also too, what Logan needs is an inside-security-zone dorm for these and other heinous, unforeseen layovers. A world class book store with comfy chairs, a movie theater and halfway decent WiFi would be good too. C’MON this is Boston not Des Moines, get some decent, smart shit happening here!

So then, what was bound to happen. Great airlines, more often than not, don’t stay great. I used to only fly British Air when I crossed the big pond. And then they royally shit the bed. I liked Iceland Air but then there prices went way up. Dunno. If Jet Blue can’t staff their team adequately, well, I guess I’ll have to hunt up another way to get from Point B to Point C here in the previously good ol’ U.S. Jet Blue had a good run, a great one.

Possibly, for next year’s hoped for West coast trips, I should look into Canada Air.

Oh and that 2:30 stand by flight? Now "scheduled " for 6:15.