Finally in the air. But we are not getting much closer to our destination, Ft. Lauderdale. The flight we are on is taking us to JFK, New York.
The problems started in the morning when we realized that the drive to the airport would be a challenge: Our flight was scheduled to take off at 1:09pm but by 9am we had three inches of snow – uncommon for Seattle. Peigen (friend and neighbor) offered us a ride to the airport in his 4-wheel Audi. So, while the whole neighborhood enjoyed the new show in front of our house, we piled into Peigen’s car and took off. It was a slow drive – never much over 30m/h until we reached Renton, where the traffic freed up. The opposite direction on I-405, however, was a different story: completely packed and full of large trucks all due to the winter weather. We felt sorry for Peigen who had to come back that way after dropping us off.
At the Delta check-in counter we were told that our flight would not make it in time to catch the connecting flight to Ft. Lauderdale and the earliest they could get us to our destination would be the following day by 5pm. “Our ship leaves at 5pm!!!” we told them, obviously shocked by the news. The Delta agent started to look into other routes but could find nothing that worked.
She finally told us that our best option would be to fly to JFK, stay there overnight and catch a flight the next morning to Ft. Lauderdale OR fly to Salt Lake City and get a connecting flight from there. We agreed on JFK, but since the JFK-flight was full and our seats unconfirmed, she asked us if we could carry-on our single check-in luggage to be ready for any last minute changes. We said we could, preceded to the security line, went through the usual hassle but then got stuck because that piece of luggage had items in it that could not be carried-on. It didn’t matter what the ticket agent had told us to do! So, Li and Bianca ended up on the ‘secured-side’ of the terminal while I was stuck with the luggage on the other side. Bianca made the additional mistake of giving me back my shoes through the security apparatus apparently another big no-no. For me to do anything, I needed my passport and ticket which was with Li and ideally the belt for my pants although the belt seemed less important that moment (oddly enough I was holding Bianca’s and Li’s belt in my hands). The security folks finally got me what I needed. I told Li to go on to the gate, while I made my way back once more to the check-in counter.
Back there, the agent told me, yes he can check my luggage but I have to make up my mind as to where it should go: what if we did not make it onto the JFK-flight but the luggage does – no good!!! But I took that risk and checked the luggage to JFK. What choice did I have? Cruising without cloth like that one emperor, I didn’t think so!
Well, all three of us made it onto the JFK-flight. At JFK we stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel near the airport for a few hours. Alan, from ‘Travel with Alan’ had helped us to book the Hotel ($150) on short notice. We got up at 5am, made our way back to the airport and checked. Bianca and I had confirmed seats to Ft. Lauderdale but Li still didn’t. (We considered switching so that Li could fly confirmed with Bianca, but the agents told us we could loose Li’s spot in the standby list if we did.) We had to consider alternative flights for Li such as those from LaGuardia to Miami. We even separated our passports and money in case she had to go a different route.
Li was very tired from the ordeal and the lack of sleep. Luckily,10min before departure her ticket changed from standby to confirmed. But when she tried to get on board, her ticket still had no seat assignment and she was sent back once more to the gate agent. Finally, things were worked out, and we all got on board. Bianca and I in 1st class, Li in 2nd.
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