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Columbus Ho!
Entry 41 of 49 | show all | print this entry |
Sun, 19th Nov.
Woke up at 4.15 for some unknown reason and as Kev was getting up at 5 to get me to Palm Beach International airport for 6, it seemed pointless trying to drift off again.
Got to the airport in good time and said goodbye to Kevin. Checked in my suitcase and popped out again for a final ciggie before going through security.
Once through, I made my way to the departures area and was told by the woman on the desk that things were looking 'pretty good' with regards to me getting on the 7 O'clock flight on my standby ticket. As 1st class, followed by various rows of passengers were called onboard the sheer numbers of folk getting on the flight made me feel less and less optimistic about getting on. Finally the door shut and I realised that I had been 'bumped'. Oh well, all part of the adventure. Left a message on Jenn's phone, got a new boarding pass, wandered back out for another fag and then thought I'd try out the airport's complimentary wireless connection as there were a few hours to kill before the next flight. Got connected straight away as I sat on a settee in the terminal building. Loaded Skype, put on the headset and I was grumbling to anybody here and in the UK who would listen.
As my departure time approached, I packed away the laptop and went through security again and made myself known to the woman on the departures desk who told me that I had been rolled over on to the next flight. She did also tell me that the flight was looking fully booked. Uh-Oh! Sure enough, as of last time, I watched people board the plane and eventually saw the door to the jetway close. Myself and the woman from New Jersey who I was talking to who was on the same deal as me watched crest-fallen. The next flight was only an hour away so I hitched up the laptop in departures, loaded Skype and sat looking like a techie geek again. Left messages with Jenn, chatted to Laura and wondered how long I would be sitting in the airport. Spoke to the woman on the desk and she confirmed that I had been rolled over onto the next flight but also told me that it didn't look promising. To cut a long story short, my growing pessimism proved correct and I was left to watch the jetway door close again with me on the wrong side.
Time to go out and smoke myself to death while I pondered all the possibilities. Looked up flights on other carriers and there seemed to be some available so I figured that if the worse came to the worst, I could drag out the plastic and pay the full fare to Columbus. One last opportunity left on the standby ticket, so here's hoping....
As the 14.45 departure time approached, I sat and watched as the woman I had been chatting to got passed a ticket by a member of staff and she made her way towards the plane. Hmmm....I noticed her reading a copy of 'The Watchtower' at one point so perhaps divine intervention had come into play. OK. I could deal with that, but when another woman and her son who had earlier told me that she had been here since 9am (Poor thing) headed off to the plane with new boarding pass in hand, I was feeling a bit overlooked. I pointed out my observations to the agent on the desk and she managed to palm me off with "Relatives of employees get priority". Hmmm. She could see that I was looking rather displeased after 8 hours and as I sat with a guy who was trying to get to Cleveland I eventually heard a voice calling out "Mr. Heslin" with a waving hand that beckoned me over towards the jetway entrance. I flew across the departures lounge and was told there was a seat available (24F if I remember correctly) and I was finally on and strapping myself in wishing I had an arc-welding kit to make sure I couldn't get out again should a late arrival suddenly appear! Soon I was heading heavenwards on my way to Newark with a feeling of great relief surging through me.
On arrival. I switched on my mobile phone and there was a voice message from Jenn instructing me to ask for the training room near Gate 80 where there would be a big salad waiting for me. I was also told not to worry about my luggage as it would meet me in Columbus.
Once off the plane and in the terminal, I found the room and after a big hug I was pointed towards a table where a mozzarella salad was awaiting me. I munched gladly as Jenn carried on teaching staff the finer points in dealing with the great unhosed. Very professional and entertaining she was too!
When her class was finished, we cadged a lift to my gate on a golf-trolley type thing and once Jenn had seen me onto my plane I was so relieve to see that it was seriously under booked. I had a whole row to myself! Thanks again Jenn!
At Columbus, I was met by Laura and Ryan at the same carousel where we first met ("Ahhh!") but only after passing eachother along the way somehow. Got a call from her while I was outside the terminal having a fag. She was at the arrivals gate waiting for me.
A few minutes later, we were reunited and the cold weather didn't seem so bad.
Went to the luggage claim office and could see my case inside but the door was locked. A fellow passenger tried calling the phone number on the door to no avail and as I was thinking I would have to wait until the next day to get my case, a guy showed up and let me have it.
On the way back to Laura's we stopped at a MacDonald's drive-thru, Laura ordered and the idiot taking the order decided to take the piss out of her voice. This bought about the well-deserved retort, "Yeah, well you know what? Fuck you!", and then we drove off. Common courtesy was found at the next MacD's.
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