So, all ready for a Happy New Year? I've got to tell you, I just hope I'll get home by then!
I was at the airport after a treacherous drive Sunday morning, on time and ready to fly. The previous night, the temperatures dropped into the twenties and teens and we got several inches of snow. How many? It depends on exactly where you were, but at the airport I could clearly see six to eight inches.
We were slated to board at 8:20 for an 8:55 flight, but by the time I got there, the flight had been delayed until 9:40. With no pilot or flight crew having yet arrived at the airport, we were delayed to 10:40. That was about when the crew arrived. But they started hustling around and getting the airplane warmed up, so we were permitted to board a few minutes after 11:00. By that time, flight time had been delayed to 11:40. Deicer was sprayed on the aircraft and we pushed back from the gate.
Thirty minutes later, we were back at the gate.
Visibility and weather conditions had closed in on us and it was not safe enough to take off. Well, better safe than sorry, right?
We kept getting announcements that it would only be a few minutes until around 2:15 when they opened the door and said we could get off the plane and get food and restrooms if we wanted, but to take everything with us if we deplaned because we might not get back on. I elected to stay onboard. The restroom was right behind my seat and I'd already eaten, so I opened my computer to work for a while.
A few minutes before three, everyone was hurried onboard again for immediate takeoff. We were back from the gate by ten after and waiting for deicing one more time. The deicing truck, ran out of fluid. It had to go back to the garage to refill. At 3:25, we pulled back up to the gate and were told the flight was canceled. There was a lot of hoorah about how we'd be automatically rescheduled on the next available flight or we could call Alaska Airlines ticket desk. Better yet, just go online to use our convenient app. Hah!
By 4:30, I'd collected my luggage and left the airport just nine hours after I left the house to go there. About five, I got an email saying I couldn't be automatically rescheduled and to call about future arrangements. I went online to reschedule, I was told it couldn't be done online and to call. I called. "Call volume is extremely high and wait times are long. To avoid staying on hold, press '1' and we will enter you for a call-back. You will not lose your place in line." I pressed 1.
The next morning, having not yet received a call-back, I called again. Busy signal. All morning. Early in the afternoon, I finally got through to the same recorded message. I stayed on hold this time. For over two hours! That's before I finally pressed one again in the vague hope they might actually call back. Not yet.
In the meantime, I went online and purchased the first available ticket (and only available ticket this week that I could find) for departure Thursday morning at 8:55. You probably have already looked up the weather report here in Everett Washington and know that our forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday is for more snow and cold. The high since Sunday has not gotten above 25F.
Now, I'm dealing with the flight insurance because I have four extra nights in Everett WA, meals, and emergency heart meds since I didn't have enough to last the week. I sit here and wait for the gods to smile.
I'll just mention, by the way, that my daughter and son-in-law are slated to arrive in Las Vegas to visit me on Saturday. I'd really like to be there to welcome them.