On My Way to Florida

I am only writing this because I can. I pulled out my laptop at Bradley International Airport to see if there was any wireless Internet access. There is and it’s free. Wow!

I woke up at an hour my friend Kevin refers to as “Oh Dark Thirty.” Actually, it’s not as simple as that.

With my cold I’ve been sleeping an odd schedule and never soundly. Sunday was no exception. I felt a little woozy in the afternoon and laid down. Then I went to sleep again around 10:00 PM.

I didn’t sleep long. Even before I got out of bed, I was hacking away. I’m sure that quashed any sleep Helaine had planned. I finally moved downstairs and watched some TV.

We left the house around 5:00 AM – late enough to get a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. There was a coating of very light snow on the ground. It looked slippery, though the car never slipped.

In less than an hour I was at Bradley. I took the two bags inside and went to check in at Delta/Song. The counter is confusing and somewhat disorganized. Delta has moved some automated kiosks in, but they still need a human with every passenger to check ID and the like. The machine gave me an error message because I had already printed my boarding pass at home (500 free miles for that).

After check-in I carried my bags to security and waited in line to be screened myself. No problems, and I wore my sneakers! For some reason Helaine’s feet are always inspected.

I am early. I suppose it’s better than being late.

In front of me, at the next gate, another Delta plane awaits its departure. It’s bound for Orlando and the number on the front wheel door says “1404.” I am documenting this in case anyone from Delta is reading this.

The front of this plane, over the cockpit window, is scratched or scraped and a few large patches of paint are missing. This is not how you install confidence in your airline. And this is the end of the plane pointing right at the window. Everyone here in the waiting area can see it.

It is my understanding that any UPS truck involved in a fender bender or otherwise receiving body damage is pulled from the road until the truck is fixed. Think about it. when was the last time you saw anything but a clean and pristine UPS truck. Maybe Delta can take a lesson here.

My flight leaves at 7:30. This is my first trip with Song and I’m looking forward to the onbaord TV.

2 thoughts on “On My Way to Florida”

  1. I’ve only flown on Delta once, and it HAD to be the oldest and worst looking plane I’ve ever been on. Hubby & I thought we’d only be trapped on it for the short Vegas to L.A. leg, since the connecting flight had a different number. No such luck–it was the same plane all the way to Dallas. Looking out on that obviously old wing with the peeling paint was unsettling–not to mention that the pilot seemed to think he was a race car driver. The actor Sir Ian McKellan was also aboard–I couldn’t help thinking he was probably scared, too!

    I like Continental’s planes (they have the newest fleet in the U.S. industry) and Air New Zealand has the best I’ve ever experienced.

  2. Geoff,I sent you a short message before but I wasn’t sure I did it correctly so I thought I’d send you another one. Just to let you know that you will truely be missed as our family weatherman. You came into our home every night and not only gave us the weather but you entertained us with your wonderful personality.Thank you for that and we wish you the best of luck with whatever you do. Paula Z.

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