FlyerTalk Forums - EXP qualifying (?) run from hell

I just returned from my supposed run to qualify for EXPlat for the first time.. What follows is the account and misadventures that occurred in the attempt. I'm venting here, but I arrived back home safe, and that's what counts. I am surely glad I am possessed of nearly-infinite patience, or maybe it is just stubbornness. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

My original itinerary was:
Oct 12 AUS-DFW-STL-ORD-SAN
Oct 13 SAN-LAX-STL-DFW-AUS

which was ~6400 status miles, about
20k total w/bonuses for $118 on AA/TW
metal. I tried to pad the schedule
with as much time as possible between
connections, which turned out to be a lifesaver.

I left Austin on a very foggy Friday morning, arriving at Bergstrom at 7:00 for a 9:00 flight. The lines weren't too bad, but the problems started when I arrived at the checkin counter and found out that I had (erroneously) thought that it was on an e-ticket and that the paper tickets must be at home. Driving back to the house and back would have taken at least 2 hours, so I paid the $100 re-issue fee and headed for the AC. The flight to Dallas ended up being overbooked and they were offering $250 vouchers, which I was tempted to take, but in the end they didn't need volunteers. The fog outside was still bad but planes were taking off ok. We push back from the gate, taxi 5 minutes, then stop, and are told that DFW has closed because of low visibility. We sit on the ground for 40 minutes before taking off, arriving at 10:50, 50 minutes late, at C26 and the next flight is at 11:15 out of B11. I actually manage to make it over to B11, to find, no plane, no people, no agent. I check the boards and it still lists the flight. There was another STL flight on TW listed at B12, I went there and found out the 11:15 had been cancelled, and the flight leaving from B12 closed right as I got to the agent. Grumble. Next flight out was listed at 12:30, but most likely delayed. No worries, my flight from STL to ORD wasn't until 3:40, so I still had time. 12:30 became 12:50, we finally board, then sit on the tarmac for another 40 minutes before we take off, arriving at STL at 3:15, again at the opposite end of the terminal for the next flight. STL was just packed, there was bad weather there as well, and alot of flights ended up being delayed, including the ORD flight. We finally took off around 4:30, and arrived in ORD at 5:30. The flight ORD-SAN at 6:55 was on a three-class 767, I'd inquired about an upgrade but first class was full, I was able to get a seat in the business section, which was fine by me http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif. Dinner was the obiquitous penne pasta or beef burgundy. We actually left on time and arrived in SAN early. Caught a shuttle to the Hilton Gaslamp and checked in. Their executive level was full, so I didn't get to see those rooms, but my room on the 6th floor was still quite nice. Wandered around the Gaslamp quarter for a bit then crashed.

Woke up at 4:00 on a foggy Saturday morning in San Diego for a cab to the airport, there was already a huge line when I arrived. I waited in line for 20 minutes only to find out I had gone to the wrong terminal, as I was flying on Eagle to LAX and had to go to the commuter terminal.
Again waited in line at the commuter terminal, now it was 5:15, only to arrive at the desk and they announced that all flights were cancelled due to fog in LAX, and that they were sending us on shuttles to LAX instead. So we actually ended up DRIVING 2 hours in a minivan through dense fog. This is a problem. With my original itinerary, I needed the miles from all 8 flights to make EXP, any chance I would be able to get those 500 miles for that segment even though it didn't fly? Arrived at T3 around 7:45, checked in the AA line only to be told to go over to the TWA line since the flight was on TW metal. Finally got my boarding passes something like 3 hours after my first attempt in San Diego (not tooo bad), then joined the huge line at security in T3, which was backed out nearly to the parking garage. Luckily it moved quickly (20 mins). Large military presense here as in the other airports. I passed through security quickly, never was searched and didn't even have to turn on my laptop. I guess I have an innocent looking face or something http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif The flight to STL was also on a 767, and TW upgraded me to first since I was PLT. We left about 40 minutes late due to bad weather in STL. Breakfast was cherry blintzes and sausage, or fruit and cereal. Arrived STL at 3:20 at C26, with my flight to DFW leaving in 20 minutes from C7, I was on it in 7 minutes! The flight to DFW left on time, and there were only 10 people on the flight, very empty compared with all the other flights which were at least 80% if not totally full. Arrive in DFW to gorgeous weather, and an hour or so until my Austin flight. The Austin flight was full as usual, we ended up sitting at the gate for over 40 minutes while various people's luggage was loaded on and off. Arrived in Austin 8:30 pm, 14 hours after beginning the morning in SAN, ~36 hours since leaving Austin the morning before.