PHL-BWI US Express (and some final thoughts)
Panting, we made it up to the departure gate for the earlier flight, only to be informed that there was a single seat available. That wasn't going to work, but we were able to get on standby; fortunately, CP status got us into spots #1 and #2 on the standby list, which was already 4 passengers long for a 50-seat plane.
We nervously watched as the entire flight boarded. Just as we were ready to resign ourselves to the trudge back to B/C and another three hours in the lounge, the GA motioned us over and handed us a couple of boarding passes. No seat assignments, but we rushed onto the plane and were fortunate to find that the last two open seats were together in an exit row.
Though we had seats in F for our original flight home, this was a single-cabin regional jet (a CRJ200, I believe) operated by Air Wisconsin. Fortunately, for a 25-minute flight, that makes absolutely zero difference; all we wanted to do at this point was get home, and we probably would've boarded a rickety glider if that's what USX was flying that day.
No pre-departure champagne, amenity kits or lie-flat seats here, but that was just fine. After a short (and uncomfortable, given a 6,000ft cruising altitude through a thunderstorm) flight, we were back on the ground, and elated to be home.
An amazing trip that we'll both remember forever. I'm very lucky that my fiancee has the patience of a saint, with only the slightest roll of the eyes when I tell her that we have another 20 minutes in this lounge before we go check out the next one closer to our gate, or when I pass her the camera to make sure she gets a good shot of her appetizer "for the TR".
It's all worth it for the chance to see some breathtakingly beautiful -- and endlessly fascinating -- parts of the world, in a comfortable, stress-free way that's only possible because of this crazy game we play. I (we) have a lot to be grateful for, and going on trips like this helps us remember that.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this report as much as I enjoyed writing it and recalling all of the fun I've had over the past few weeks. Looking forward to my next TR, after Bangkok and Sydney (in F this time) in December!