Don’t we just love traveling?
The adventure, the new sights. The excitement of going to a new location. I do love traveling. But sometimes, airports just annoy the hell out of me.
Today I’m flying from Vancouver to Phoenix to spend the holidays with my parents. The day started like any other day. I decided that I would leave early for the airport, since I did not have much else going on. So I took the sky train almost three hours before I was scheduled to leave.
I get to the airport, and try to check in with west jet, who code shares with delta now apparently. The kiosk wouldn’t take my information . And once I got to the person to check me in, she had no idea how to a, print my second leg boarding pass, and b, deal with the fact that I should not have to pay for the bag that I am checking.
Next, being the frequent traveler that I used to be, I was hoping to jump past the line waiting for security. Ohh, it’s a short line, so we don’t have a nexus line today I’m casually informed. Okie dokie, I’m not sure what you don’t consider a line. There goes another 20 min. FINE! My nexus will at least get me thru customs! The passport guy hmmms, and haaas. You’ve been randomly selected for further processing! Yay!
This time I don’t wait. I stand around as I’m asked all sorts of questions. I finally find out, someone with the last name leon and my birthday has been causing some trouble, and somehow I got flagged because I have the same aforementioned birthday, and our names are similar? I casually ask why, if I have gone through a thorough background check with nexus, am I being further questioned at all. Ohh, it shouldn’t of happened! And don’t worry, it won’t happen next time you fly. Possibly.
Great. I wonder who’s going to show up early agin next time…..
So, I pass all the gauntlets. I get inside, grab seem food, and get over to my gate so I can quickly FaceTime with Noa before I head out. While I’m doing so, a west jet employee decides to serenade us with some of her flute playing! Lovely.
Luckily, the flight left on time, and was uneventful. I land in LAX, and learn, I need to change terminals. sigh. I hike across, I learned this on a previous adventure in lax. Don’t take the bus. It takes longer to wait for it than to walk to your terminal. I go and find the delta check in. Print my boarding pass. And go wait in another security line up.
Finally thru, I scavenge for a carne asada. There are none, drats. I do find some healthy salads and some short ribs though, not bad for an evening snack.
There has been a silver lining though. As I finish writing this, I’m sitting on my delta flight, with a gin and tonic in hand, having been upgraded to first class. Uhh, and its a strong one,
It’s crazy what we put up with when we travel. Taken out of our routine, thrust into awkward and uncomfortable situations, crammed into tin cans. But I suppose we don’t have an alternative. Ultimately I suppose it’s our joi de vivre that makes us able to cope. I know once I land in Phoenix, it’s onto my ritual of Mexican food, drinking hoppy beers, and spending time with my family.
52 min till touch down the pilot informs me. May the holidays begin.