When I left the house yesterday morning for the airport, I knew that my departing flight from Austin Bergstrom Airport had been delayed. I wasn't overly concerned because there was a huge gap in my departing flight time to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. out of Houston.
As a first order of business, I checked on road conditions from Blanco to the Austin. Unlike the day before, there didn't appear to be a problem with ice on the roadways. Monday morning when I pushed the garbage receptacle from the garage to the roadway, the concrete driveway was very slippery because of a layer of ice. As turned out, the garbage pickup for Monday was postponed until yesterday.
I breathed a sigh of relief when the driveway wasn't slippery yesterday morning. It was a good omen that the commute to the airport would be problem free. When I checked in for my flight I inquired about pre-boarding because of the orthopedic boot. They gladly accommodated my request and suggested I go through security in the opposite direction than I normally go because it was closer to the gate.
I didn't see signage for TSA pre-check, but the security person who looked at my driver's license told me I wouldn't have to take my shoes off; they would abide by the pre-check guidelines.
The overly zealous agent at the x-ray machine subsequently told me to take my shoes off. I showed him my pre-check boarding pass, and he said: "This isn't a pre-check line. You need to take your shoes off.
I wanted to call him a "crackerjack" but I didn't. I also managed not to say: "When donkey's fly!" I did say, "I'm not taking the boot off. I will just go back out the way I came in and find the pre-check line." He compromised by allowing me to keep the boot on but required that I take the other shoe off.
He thoroughly examined the boot with some kind of instrument. He then required me to hold out my hands while he wiped some kind of solution on them. I recognized that he was doing his job, but I found it annoying. For $85 bucks every five years you can avoid all of that if you get in the right line.
Once the plane left the gate, we sat on the runway an additional fifteen minutes to avoid the backup in landing in Houston. At least I was on the plane and had arrived at the airport in time to to have breakfast and drink two cups of coffee.
I also noticed a couple messages that the plane from Houston to DC, was delayed. I chose not to be stressed. I had plenty of time. The only meeting I had scheduled in DC for yesterday was dinner last night with the board chair. The board meeting is scheduled for 10:00 this morning.
Once inside the terminal in Houston, I received a message that my flight from Houston to DC had been cancelled. It was like playing a game of Monopoly when you land on the square - "Go to jail. Do not pass goal. Do not collect $200 dollars."
Reportedly I could fly out of Houston to D.C. this morning. What was I supposed to do in the meantime? In addition, I would still miss the board meeting. It also didn't help that I had a prepaid non-refundable hotel reservation in DC until Friday.
My question of the ticket agent in Houston left me frustrated. They offered to fly me back to Austin. I asked if the cost of my ticket to D.C. would be refunded? She responded that I would need to send an email to SWA and ask. She did not know if I would receive any reimbursement or not.
So I left the house at 5:00 a.m. yesterday morning, and I got back home at 5:00 p.m. and I basically haven't been anywhere.
All My Best!
Don
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