25 hours of fun
Posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 12:53 amSunday, December 21
7:45 a.m. EST: Wake up, shower, dress, etc. Finish packing.
8:30 a.m. EST: Head out. De-ice car.
8:45 a.m. EST: Depart for Philadelphia airport.
10:30 a.m. EST: Arrive at economy parking lot. Flight not until 2:12 (left plenty of time to drive, in case of icy roads).
10:45 a.m. EST: Check luggage, proceed to security.
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST: Hang out at gate.
1:00 p.m. EST: Lunch.
1:15 p.m. EST: Flight delayed.
2:30 p.m. EST: Board plane.
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST: Sit on plane.
4:30 p.m. EST: Deplane. Talk to gate agent re: connecting flight that will now be missed. Get seat on later flight.
4:45 p.m. EST: Replane.
6:40 p.m. EST: Flight takes off.
7:40 p.m. CST: Plane lands in Chicago. Panic slightly, as next flight boards at 7:50.
7:55 p.m. CST: Talk to Dad. Discover next flight delayed until 10.
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. CST: Dinner.
9:00 p.m. CST: Arrive at gate. Discover that standby list for flight, thanks to insane weather in Northwest, has 317 people on it. Thank lucky stars.
9:15 p.m. - 9:30 CST: Notice plane still at gate, listed as going to Phoenix. Grow increasingly concerned where plane to Portland will go.
9:45 p.m. CST: Plane to Phoenix pulls away. Plane to Portland pulls up.
9:45 p.m. - 11 p.m. CST: Gate agents work to get standby people on plane.
11:00 p.m. CST: Board plane.
11:30 p.m. CST: Flight takes off.
Monday, December 22
1:30 a.m. PST: Flight lands.
1:45 a.m. PST: Meet with parents, go to baggage claim.
1:45 a.m. - 4:45 a.m. PST: Wait for baggage, which is hampered by multiple flights landing at once with very limited crew. Scurry between Carousel 10 and Carousel 7, depending on information.
4:45 a.m. PST: Get bag. Proceed to Dad’s car, now with chains due to snow in Portland area and lack of plowing in said area.
5:45 a.m. PST: Arrive at parents’ house.
Even with that insanity, I’m so happy. I could’ve been stranged in Chicago for days. There are hundreds of people stuck in airports across the contry–I really am very lucky to have gotten here. Even if it did take over a full day.