Sometimes business travel sucks
Jul 10, 2000, 2:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Charlottetown/Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 346
Sometimes business travel sucks
I didn't want to go on this trip, as a friend of mine, Wilson, had passed away Tuesday night and the funeral was set for Saturday. Unfortunately, I couldn't skip the meeting, and the only flight I could catch back east on Saturday wouldn't have gotten me back in time.
It's at times like this that no matter what the benefits of frequent flying, when your work depends on it, it can really interfere with your life and your friends back home.
2000/07/07
I booted home from work to finish packing as I was up too late the night before reading a novel. Then I swung by a co-worker's place in a taxi to pick her and her mother up before heading to the airport. I thought this might be cheaper than taking two cabs, but was uncertain as taxi rates in Charlottetown have been fluctuating recently. I chatted with the cab driver and found out the current scoop. If you take the Yellow Cab, the company that runs the taxi stand at the airport, the rate from downtown is $6.50 + $4/additional passenger; from the airport it is $10.00 + $4/additional passenger. My favourite cab company, Co-Op Cabs, whose drivers know where I'm going even if I'm too incoherent from travel-weariness or too much ice in my whiskey, charges $6.50 in either direction, + $3/additional passenger.
CP2879 YYG-YUL 1640-1725 BAe 146-200
operated by AC/Air Nova as 8879
We checked in. Cathy's mother wanted a window seat but couldn't get a seat with her mother in steerage, so she upgraded herself to Business, as did I (her mother was on an award ticket and thus couldn't upgrade). Oh, and they only took 1 500-mile sticker instead of two. I'm glad they figured out that the distance between Charlottetown and Montreal was less than Charlottetown-Halifax plus Halifax-Montreal.
When we went to board, the gate agent upgraded her mother anyway. How nice, we thanked him very much (although quietly, so as not to cause everybody else in the waiting area to holler for an upgrade).
Service on the flight (one seat open in J, several in Y) was very nice, starting with Nestle frozen pops (25% real juice!), followed by an offer of wine (what wine goes with 25% real grape juice?), which I declined until the meal service, followed by hot towels to wipe the purple, red, yellow, and orange stains off my lips, followed by a cold dinner of grilled chicken breast, penne salad, marinated artichokes, soft white cheese, grapes, and a choice of white rolls, multi-grain/raisin rolls, or mini-baguettes. I had a multi-grain roll, followed by a mini-baguette when Genevieve came around again. I also had the Montevina 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon (California); a chardonnay and a fumé blanc were also offered. Genevieve apologized to one passenger that the white he had chosen was not properly chilled. Oh, and special meal requesters, rejoice! The couple behind me (I was in 2D) had also upgraded, and one of them had pre-ordered some sort of special meal. The flight attendant gave them the choice of having their Y class meal, the J class meal, or a J class low-fat meal. Then came an offer of ice water; Genevieve had prepared a tray of glasses, some with lime, some with lemon, and some plain. What a wonderful flight; I thanked her for my most comfortable trip with Air Canada/Air Nova ever. Once we got to Montreal, we walked Cathy's mother to the baggage claim and then we headed to the Maple Leaf Lounge, where Cathy had a glass of wine and I enjoyed a Belgian-style draft beer. I thought about having a Klondike bar from the coolers in the lounge, but decided that an ice-cream/beer float was a bad idea.
CP965 YUL-YOW 1830-1904 Boeing 737 seat 2A
Cathy and I were sitting around in the lounge, wondering if we should upgrade, considering the flight was very short. I looked on-line and saw that both classes were wide open, which seemed to indicate that there was no reason to upgrade, except that Cathy realized that this was a CP flight and she had wads of red stickers that would expire long before she could use them, as they were no good for AC flights and she never flew AA. So she offered to upgrade us, so I offered to go to the desk and arrange for it while she enjoyed her wine. The flight ran 15 minutes late on both departure and arrival. We hopped in a cab and zoomed off to the Delta Ottawa hotel, where my newly-acquired Gold Privilege status got me the Signature room I had gotten used to (Cathy didn't have such status, and wound up with a regular room). There was a sign on the balcony door saying that they were working on the outside of the building and the balconies were not safe, but checking with the front desk I found out that this only applied on weekdays and I was free to use the balcony, which was great since I request non-smoking rooms there and smoke on the balcony. On the other hand, there went my chances of waking up in the morning to construction workers staring through the window. You can't win 'em all.
The evening's entertainment consisted of going to my favourite bar and hanging out with friends, playing the Rocky & Bullwinkle pinball machine, and drinking too much schnapps and Sambucca. I made an early night of it, heading to the hotel at 2am, since I wanted to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my meetings the next day.
2000/07/08
I got up, got ready, and headed to the meeting, planning on picking up breakfast at Treats on the way to the office. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that the Treats between the hotel and the office is closed on weekends. *sigh* Luckily, somebody had brought Tim Horton's doughnuts and somebody else was brewing coffee when I got there. Nevertheless, I looked forward to lunch, provided by Elke's Catering. On the menu: Caesar salad, pasta salad, bean salad, roast beef, herbed boiled potatoes, white and wild rice pilaf, cheese canneloni, glazed chicken, hot chicken wings, mixed boiled vegetables, white and whole wheat rolls, and strawberry crepes. No wonder I put on weight when I travel.
The meeting broke up late in the afternoon, and I went back to the hotel to nap and to say my private goodbyes to Wilson at the same time his funeral was starting. Later that night I went out with friends in Ottawa, many of whom knew Wilson through his work with the Canadian AIDS Society and a challenge that went to the Federal Court of Appeal to be granted a widower's pension when his partner died a few years ago. I managed to get stinking drunk that night; for some reason my resistance to alcohol wasn't as high as usual.
2000/07/09
I woke up very late and realized that I was supposed to be helping to decorate a float for the Ottawa GLBT Pride parade. I hurriedly finished packing and zoomed out of the hotel, getting to the marshalling grounds 10 minutes before the parade was supposed to start. Luckily, (1) most of the decorating was done and (2) the parade was running on GST (Gay Standard Time) - i.e., late late late. I quickly took my place on the float and proceeded to freeze my booty off as the rain started. By the time the parade was finished, I was soaking wet, as was everybody else (except the driver of the float). The things I do just to be fabulous! I got a lift back to the hotel (it seems everybody decided not to attend the post-parade picnic in the rain) and cranked the heat until my bones stopped shivering, tossed my wet clothes into the suitcase, got dressed, and headed out. Checkout was smooth, and I thanked the hotel staff for a most excellent stay and cabbed it to the airport.
AC180 YOW-YHZ 1700-1932 DC-9 stretch seat 4D
I upgraded again to a half-empty J cabin. There was turbulence on take-ff, so service was abbreviated (no pre-dinner drink, no hot towel, no tablecloth). And I was the only person who didn't get a choice of dinner, so no souvlaki for me; instead I got a hot pastrami and Emmenthal (well, I doubt it was really cheese from Switzerland; more likely the package said "Swiss") on a rye roll, with pasta salad, corn/bean/pepper salad, and a Oreo brownie. I also had a couple of glasses of Bourgogne Blanc (Bouchard Pere et Fils). Despite the turbulence, we arrived on time, where I proceeded to be bored out of my mind at the Halifax airport waiting for my connection, not to mention chilled (both the smoking lounge and the Maple Leaf Lounge were air-conditioned to the point where you could store meat in them).
AC8849 YHZ-YYG 2120-2200 Dash 8-300 turboprop
seat 6B
After staring at the aquarium in the MLL for a half hour or so (they need a better light; some of the plants don't look too healthy, and the catfish can't keep up with the algae), I went down and boarded the flight. The flight was a Canadian Regional flight and crew wet-leased to Air Nova, and was uneventful. On arrival I called Co-Op cabs, not seeing the point of saving a quarter for the privilege of paying $3.50 more for the convenience of taxis sitting there waiting, and went home.
Next week I'm off to Halifax; I hope I get a chance to say my goodbyes to Wilson then, before his ashes are scattered.
It's at times like this that no matter what the benefits of frequent flying, when your work depends on it, it can really interfere with your life and your friends back home.
2000/07/07
I booted home from work to finish packing as I was up too late the night before reading a novel. Then I swung by a co-worker's place in a taxi to pick her and her mother up before heading to the airport. I thought this might be cheaper than taking two cabs, but was uncertain as taxi rates in Charlottetown have been fluctuating recently. I chatted with the cab driver and found out the current scoop. If you take the Yellow Cab, the company that runs the taxi stand at the airport, the rate from downtown is $6.50 + $4/additional passenger; from the airport it is $10.00 + $4/additional passenger. My favourite cab company, Co-Op Cabs, whose drivers know where I'm going even if I'm too incoherent from travel-weariness or too much ice in my whiskey, charges $6.50 in either direction, + $3/additional passenger.
CP2879 YYG-YUL 1640-1725 BAe 146-200
operated by AC/Air Nova as 8879
We checked in. Cathy's mother wanted a window seat but couldn't get a seat with her mother in steerage, so she upgraded herself to Business, as did I (her mother was on an award ticket and thus couldn't upgrade). Oh, and they only took 1 500-mile sticker instead of two. I'm glad they figured out that the distance between Charlottetown and Montreal was less than Charlottetown-Halifax plus Halifax-Montreal.
When we went to board, the gate agent upgraded her mother anyway. How nice, we thanked him very much (although quietly, so as not to cause everybody else in the waiting area to holler for an upgrade).
Service on the flight (one seat open in J, several in Y) was very nice, starting with Nestle frozen pops (25% real juice!), followed by an offer of wine (what wine goes with 25% real grape juice?), which I declined until the meal service, followed by hot towels to wipe the purple, red, yellow, and orange stains off my lips, followed by a cold dinner of grilled chicken breast, penne salad, marinated artichokes, soft white cheese, grapes, and a choice of white rolls, multi-grain/raisin rolls, or mini-baguettes. I had a multi-grain roll, followed by a mini-baguette when Genevieve came around again. I also had the Montevina 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon (California); a chardonnay and a fumé blanc were also offered. Genevieve apologized to one passenger that the white he had chosen was not properly chilled. Oh, and special meal requesters, rejoice! The couple behind me (I was in 2D) had also upgraded, and one of them had pre-ordered some sort of special meal. The flight attendant gave them the choice of having their Y class meal, the J class meal, or a J class low-fat meal. Then came an offer of ice water; Genevieve had prepared a tray of glasses, some with lime, some with lemon, and some plain. What a wonderful flight; I thanked her for my most comfortable trip with Air Canada/Air Nova ever. Once we got to Montreal, we walked Cathy's mother to the baggage claim and then we headed to the Maple Leaf Lounge, where Cathy had a glass of wine and I enjoyed a Belgian-style draft beer. I thought about having a Klondike bar from the coolers in the lounge, but decided that an ice-cream/beer float was a bad idea.
CP965 YUL-YOW 1830-1904 Boeing 737 seat 2A
Cathy and I were sitting around in the lounge, wondering if we should upgrade, considering the flight was very short. I looked on-line and saw that both classes were wide open, which seemed to indicate that there was no reason to upgrade, except that Cathy realized that this was a CP flight and she had wads of red stickers that would expire long before she could use them, as they were no good for AC flights and she never flew AA. So she offered to upgrade us, so I offered to go to the desk and arrange for it while she enjoyed her wine. The flight ran 15 minutes late on both departure and arrival. We hopped in a cab and zoomed off to the Delta Ottawa hotel, where my newly-acquired Gold Privilege status got me the Signature room I had gotten used to (Cathy didn't have such status, and wound up with a regular room). There was a sign on the balcony door saying that they were working on the outside of the building and the balconies were not safe, but checking with the front desk I found out that this only applied on weekdays and I was free to use the balcony, which was great since I request non-smoking rooms there and smoke on the balcony. On the other hand, there went my chances of waking up in the morning to construction workers staring through the window. You can't win 'em all.
The evening's entertainment consisted of going to my favourite bar and hanging out with friends, playing the Rocky & Bullwinkle pinball machine, and drinking too much schnapps and Sambucca. I made an early night of it, heading to the hotel at 2am, since I wanted to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my meetings the next day.
2000/07/08
I got up, got ready, and headed to the meeting, planning on picking up breakfast at Treats on the way to the office. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that the Treats between the hotel and the office is closed on weekends. *sigh* Luckily, somebody had brought Tim Horton's doughnuts and somebody else was brewing coffee when I got there. Nevertheless, I looked forward to lunch, provided by Elke's Catering. On the menu: Caesar salad, pasta salad, bean salad, roast beef, herbed boiled potatoes, white and wild rice pilaf, cheese canneloni, glazed chicken, hot chicken wings, mixed boiled vegetables, white and whole wheat rolls, and strawberry crepes. No wonder I put on weight when I travel.
The meeting broke up late in the afternoon, and I went back to the hotel to nap and to say my private goodbyes to Wilson at the same time his funeral was starting. Later that night I went out with friends in Ottawa, many of whom knew Wilson through his work with the Canadian AIDS Society and a challenge that went to the Federal Court of Appeal to be granted a widower's pension when his partner died a few years ago. I managed to get stinking drunk that night; for some reason my resistance to alcohol wasn't as high as usual.
2000/07/09
I woke up very late and realized that I was supposed to be helping to decorate a float for the Ottawa GLBT Pride parade. I hurriedly finished packing and zoomed out of the hotel, getting to the marshalling grounds 10 minutes before the parade was supposed to start. Luckily, (1) most of the decorating was done and (2) the parade was running on GST (Gay Standard Time) - i.e., late late late. I quickly took my place on the float and proceeded to freeze my booty off as the rain started. By the time the parade was finished, I was soaking wet, as was everybody else (except the driver of the float). The things I do just to be fabulous! I got a lift back to the hotel (it seems everybody decided not to attend the post-parade picnic in the rain) and cranked the heat until my bones stopped shivering, tossed my wet clothes into the suitcase, got dressed, and headed out. Checkout was smooth, and I thanked the hotel staff for a most excellent stay and cabbed it to the airport.
AC180 YOW-YHZ 1700-1932 DC-9 stretch seat 4D
I upgraded again to a half-empty J cabin. There was turbulence on take-ff, so service was abbreviated (no pre-dinner drink, no hot towel, no tablecloth). And I was the only person who didn't get a choice of dinner, so no souvlaki for me; instead I got a hot pastrami and Emmenthal (well, I doubt it was really cheese from Switzerland; more likely the package said "Swiss") on a rye roll, with pasta salad, corn/bean/pepper salad, and a Oreo brownie. I also had a couple of glasses of Bourgogne Blanc (Bouchard Pere et Fils). Despite the turbulence, we arrived on time, where I proceeded to be bored out of my mind at the Halifax airport waiting for my connection, not to mention chilled (both the smoking lounge and the Maple Leaf Lounge were air-conditioned to the point where you could store meat in them).
AC8849 YHZ-YYG 2120-2200 Dash 8-300 turboprop
seat 6B
After staring at the aquarium in the MLL for a half hour or so (they need a better light; some of the plants don't look too healthy, and the catfish can't keep up with the algae), I went down and boarded the flight. The flight was a Canadian Regional flight and crew wet-leased to Air Nova, and was uneventful. On arrival I called Co-Op cabs, not seeing the point of saving a quarter for the privilege of paying $3.50 more for the convenience of taxis sitting there waiting, and went home.
Next week I'm off to Halifax; I hope I get a chance to say my goodbyes to Wilson then, before his ashes are scattered.
Jul 10, 2000, 7:04 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,368
islandclub... this is an excellent report! 
This report is more than just travel... it is about how we live our lives... and it is simply human... I hope you will have your chance to say goodbye to Wilson next week.
BTW, islandclub, you are doing very important work and thanks for teaching something about GST!
Peace,
Carfield
This report is more than just travel... it is about how we live our lives... and it is simply human... I hope you will have your chance to say goodbye to Wilson next week.
BTW, islandclub, you are doing very important work and thanks for teaching something about GST!
Peace,
Carfield