Comicwoman
Feb 20, 00, 5:59 pm
Snow. After more than a year of DEN/ORD vommuting, surviving the AA pilot walkout, Chicago weather, I got nailed. It is now 16:40. Friday Feb 18th. We should have deplaned 40 minutes ago. But let me start at the top.
Thursday night, I call AA to check on my flight status. No snow in Denver, yet, and none yet at ORD. But the winter storm alerts are all the news. AA tells me my noon flight on Friday has been cancelled. But I have been rerouted already. I have a choice of UA at 12:25 pm or AA at 14:30. Earlier is usually better, so I pick the UA flight. No status there, so I know to get to the airport early and prepared to wait in line. But at least I will get home.
Everything goes smoothly at the airport. All computer systems are in sync. I get my ticket from AA and go over to UA for my boarding pass. I even have a fine seat assigned.
We board the 777 in Denver late and depart even later. the FC and BC areas on the 777 look great. I do notice that a great deal of UA ids on the FC passengers. Perhaps FC stands for flight crew?? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
I settle in my seat in a plane at best 2/3s full. I get a hot meal and audio and video entertainment. Items sorely missing from the less than Super 80s AA flys on this route. The flight to ORD is uneventful.
After a 15 ATC hold we were cleared to land at ORD. Did I write land? Make that bounce. but all wheels finally were on the runway, so it was a good landing.
But alas, there were no available gates for our 777. We taxied to some far corner of the airport. I actually think we taxied to Midway! The pilot says that we have at least a 30 minute wait until a gate opens up. He says we can walk around and use cell phones. I grab a pillow and blanket and some empty seats. I figure as soon as I fall asleep, we will get a gate. Just then the pilot announced that the cockpit was open for tours. Cool. I am out of my seat faster than Catman can say Pepsi.
I wait in a short line and then I am in. Neat. $130-135 million plane, according to the captain. Top speed .86 mach. Our Denver based crew is supposed to return to Denver and this plane is supposed to go to Paris. Time will tell on both counts.
Right at the 30 minute mark, the pilot gives us an update. He has no news, but at least he shares that with us, along with his best guess. He heard that a 777 in a gate just requested a push back and a deiceing. We may get that gate. In fifteen minutes we will know if that is our gate.
Other announcements---ground halt into ORD. One runway open for takeoffs and landings. Some traffic is diverted to other airports. I am luck to be home.
Good news. Gate C10 is ours. Once that plane is gone. Waiting....and writing this long hand. We deplane after about 70 minutes after landing
P.S. I am posting this at the airport on Sunday on my way back to Denver. The luckiest part of my trip was gettting to my house from the airport. Due to the weather, my partner wisely refused to venture out to get me and all the limos were booked up. But I called and with all the other delays, I got a car within minutes. It took more than twice the time to get home, but I was glad I did.
Now it starts all over again.
Thursday night, I call AA to check on my flight status. No snow in Denver, yet, and none yet at ORD. But the winter storm alerts are all the news. AA tells me my noon flight on Friday has been cancelled. But I have been rerouted already. I have a choice of UA at 12:25 pm or AA at 14:30. Earlier is usually better, so I pick the UA flight. No status there, so I know to get to the airport early and prepared to wait in line. But at least I will get home.
Everything goes smoothly at the airport. All computer systems are in sync. I get my ticket from AA and go over to UA for my boarding pass. I even have a fine seat assigned.
We board the 777 in Denver late and depart even later. the FC and BC areas on the 777 look great. I do notice that a great deal of UA ids on the FC passengers. Perhaps FC stands for flight crew?? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
I settle in my seat in a plane at best 2/3s full. I get a hot meal and audio and video entertainment. Items sorely missing from the less than Super 80s AA flys on this route. The flight to ORD is uneventful.
After a 15 ATC hold we were cleared to land at ORD. Did I write land? Make that bounce. but all wheels finally were on the runway, so it was a good landing.
But alas, there were no available gates for our 777. We taxied to some far corner of the airport. I actually think we taxied to Midway! The pilot says that we have at least a 30 minute wait until a gate opens up. He says we can walk around and use cell phones. I grab a pillow and blanket and some empty seats. I figure as soon as I fall asleep, we will get a gate. Just then the pilot announced that the cockpit was open for tours. Cool. I am out of my seat faster than Catman can say Pepsi.
I wait in a short line and then I am in. Neat. $130-135 million plane, according to the captain. Top speed .86 mach. Our Denver based crew is supposed to return to Denver and this plane is supposed to go to Paris. Time will tell on both counts.
Right at the 30 minute mark, the pilot gives us an update. He has no news, but at least he shares that with us, along with his best guess. He heard that a 777 in a gate just requested a push back and a deiceing. We may get that gate. In fifteen minutes we will know if that is our gate.
Other announcements---ground halt into ORD. One runway open for takeoffs and landings. Some traffic is diverted to other airports. I am luck to be home.
Good news. Gate C10 is ours. Once that plane is gone. Waiting....and writing this long hand. We deplane after about 70 minutes after landing
P.S. I am posting this at the airport on Sunday on my way back to Denver. The luckiest part of my trip was gettting to my house from the airport. Due to the weather, my partner wisely refused to venture out to get me and all the limos were booked up. But I called and with all the other delays, I got a car within minutes. It took more than twice the time to get home, but I was glad I did.
Now it starts all over again.