cww.blog!

I almost flew to Houston today, but I ended up flying to Dallas, instead.

(Note that this entry may be a little long-winded; that's partially because I plan to write a letter to US Airways about this incident, and I want to be able to include certain specific details in that letter.)

When I fly US Airways, I often fly through Philadelphia or Charlotte because there are only a handful of places to which non-stop flights are available from Pittsburgh. Today, my flights were supposed to be Pittsburgh to Charlotte and then Charlotte to Houston.

I arrived in Charlotte and checked the departures board, only to discover my connecting flight to Houston, the only flight remaining for the day, was canceled, presumably due to bad weather, but I'm not really sure about that. So, I hoofed it over to the flight's gate, and someone had posted a very tacky sign, written in green highlighter on some connected sheets of paper, saying the flight was canceled and affected parties should visit customer service personnel. Handily, the service desk was only a couple gates away, but the queue for it stretched far out into the hallway.

After waiting in line for several minutes, the lady in front of me decided she would go ask a nearby gate agent if another customer service desk was available elsewhere in the airport. I looked after her roller-board bag, which had one of those inflatable neck things around the handle. Inflatable neck thing notwithstanding, she returned with a good deal of information about the situation in quite possibly record time. Notably, they were putting people on standby for flights to Houston beginning the following morning and suggesting passengers pay for their hotel rooms in a couple hotels close to the airport. Apparently, an information desk somewhere in the airport had coupons available for "distressed travelers" that provided some small discount from the hotels' room prices.

We decided not to wait in the line anymore, since nothing could be accomplished then that could not be just as easily accomplished in the morning. Honestly, I think she expected me to suggest we get a room together for the night and split the cost, but I just wished her well and started making phone calls. I'll bet she's still in Charlotte.

I spoke at length with my parents, who unsuccessfully searched for other flights to Houston. The two remaining Continental flights, delayed but not canceled, were apparently full, and we expanded our search to include Dallas, Baton Rouge, Austin, and San Antonio. There was an American Airlines flight leaving for Dallas at 6:30. What time was it just when my mom found that flight? You guessed it, 6:30. But, I looked at the departures board again and noticed that flight was delayed until 7:30. Victory!

It is at this point in the story that I must mention I had my cat, Pixel, with me in the airport. If she had not been with me, I probably would have been more willing to give up and just stay in Charlotte for the night, but Pixel needs cat food and a litter box, and I don't exactly know of any pet stores near the Charlotte airport. So, I pressed onward.

The American Airlines flight to Dallas was clear across the airport from that US Airways customer service desk. I walked quickly, carrying an 11-pound cat and my laptop bag and also talking on the phone with my mom, until I finally reached gate A9, where I stood at the counter, sweating and confused and nearly out of breath. I must have looked like a very distressed traveler.

After some trials and errors, I purchased the last ticket to Dallas. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do when I arrived in Dallas, but at least I would be in the correct state for the night!

I called friends in Dallas about road trip possibilities, accommodations, and so forth, and my parents scoured the web for flights from Dallas to Houston or Austin or anything even slightly closer.

I didn't even know what I would be doing in Dallas when I landed there; it was only after checking my voice mails and making more phone calls that I finally decided I would rent a car and drive to Houston.

Pixel and I hopped on the Rental Car Center bus outside the lower level of terminal C in Dallas, and off we went to get a Ford Focus and head to Houston. In Irving, right outside the Dallas airport, I stopped at a rather unfortunate grocery store and bought some cat food, bottled water, some sort of plastic tray, trash bags, and cat litter. With these, the back seat of that Focus became a cat's dream come true: food and water in a proper tray and a makeshift litter box made of trash bags.

Four hours later, around 2:30 AM, I arrived, tired but relieved, in front of my parents' house in Houston. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I still have some loose ends to tie up, though. Specifically, I assume my checked luggage is still in Charlotte, and I'll have to figure out how to get that back in my own possession again. I'm also planning on formally inquiring about why this crazy day happened the way it did, especially when multiple Continental flights to Houston were only delayed by an hour or two and not at all canceled. Oh, and I'll need to buy a new suit tomorrow before our Father's Day brunch, since, you know, the one I packed is somewhere in the Carolinas.

It's been an incredibly long day, and it's definitely time for me to sleep now, since I need to wake up in about six hours to go buy a suit, return that rental car, and eat a fantastic, wonderful brunch with my family.