Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024
Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Air Travel Saga Begins - Sat., Sept. 21

Here I sit in the San Antonio International Airport. It's 10:15 a.m.  I have been here since 7:00 a.m. My flight was scheduled for 8:40 a.m.

If you're familiar with air travel and Southwest Airlines, you know that if you check in 24 hours in advance you can get in the "A" boarding group. So, yes, I was in the A boarding group. We got on the plane, pushed back from the gate. Hunky dory, right? Nope, you'd be wrong.

The captain came on the loudspeaker, said they had a problem with a light on the overhead panel being out. Maintenance was on the way to check it out. Once maintenance arrived and diagnosed the problem, we were told it was the battery indicator light and we would have to take a different plane, which they were trying to set up. Our plane pulled back into the gate and we all deboarded.

A few minutes later, the gate agent announced they had reset the computer on the plane and the problem was fixed. We were told to line up to reboard, oh, EXCEPT passengers to Portland, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Philadephia. We were all being re-routed. Sigh, really? Why? It's the same plane and only one hour later getting out.

Originally I was to fly through Phoenix, then on to Portland on the same plane, scheduled to arrive in Portland at 12:40 p.m. Get this...NOW I am being re-routed: leaving San Antonio at 11:45 a.m., flying to San Diego, then Las Vegas, transferring planes in Las Vegas and arriving in Portland at 5:45 p.m. Sheesh! Who thinks up this kind of torture??

I much prefer traveling in our 5th wheel!

And here I was worried about the weather. I'll keep you posted on my progress. With another change of planes who knows what else could go wrong. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of the day will be more fun...and on time. Hey, I do have free wi-fi at the San Antone airport!

P.S. The "more fun" mentioned above has started. My name was called by the gate agent. I went up to the podium and was given a $200 voucher that can be used by anyone on any Southwest Airlines flight for up to one year. Wow! Now that I like.

Update:  As we flew into Portland, I was able to see Wilsonville and Lake Oswego through breaks in the clouds. Then we flew directly over downtown Portland and I wished my camera would have been on at that point. I could have had a gorgeous photo of the downtown skyscrapers and the Willamette River from the air.

I did capture a few photos of our approach to Portland International Airport..

Welcome to Portland!
Active, stormy-looking sky.
Fremont Bridge over the Willamette River and industrial area.
Travel Bug out.

8 comments:

  1. Travel safe. Hope you get to where you want to go. The voucher is nice.

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    Replies
    1. Made it to Portland at 6 p.m. PDT. My airport time in San Antonio began at 7 a.m Central time. That means my travel day was 9 hours long! I could have made it to Hawaii on that schedule.

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  2. "It's the journey, not the destination."

    Sometimes it helps to say that to myself. Sometimes it doesn't.

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  3. You've got to be kidding. I thought by now you would be enjoying a nice supper with your mom.... As long as your on the ground before late tonight I think you will be ok weather wise. It's suppose to be nasty tomorrow. Lots of rain and wind.

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    Replies
    1. As soon as I got to Mom's house at 7 p.m., my mom, sis and I got in my sister's car and went to Oktoberfest at Oaks Park and were there until 9:45 p.m. We had a fun time and no rain!

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  4. That's great! I didn't realize they were having Oktoberfest there. Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel is already over. Could never figure out why it's not in October anyway...:)

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  5. Seems to be the norm now to be held up for some reason or another. It is nice that they compensated you a bit, though.

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