MIDWEEK MUSINGS: A week ago today I spent a lot of time in LAX ( Los Angeles Airport) as my kids' plane departed 3 hours earlier than mine. In fact, that's how I got my subject matter for today's musing.
You see I went to my scheduled gate and when I realized there was a flight 2 hours earlier. I asked the American service gate agent if he could check if I could get on standby, he responded " No problem." American has changed their rules that even if you have an economy ticket, you can go standby now for no extra fees. Great!
The only issue was I would need to change wings to get to that flight. It was a hike and the waiting area there was packed. By looking at the monitor I saw I was #6 on the standby list. I heard the gate agent repeat that the flight was overbooked. I stayed by the monitor to see if there was any movement. Only first class travelers filled some of the few open seats.
During the hour wait, I noticed 6/7 TSA ( Transportation Security Agents) setting up 3 computers beside the boarding lines . It was announced that the passengers should have their ids ready to show the TSA agents, as they would be randomly chosen to be stopped and searched. Now, remember, they had already gone through the TSA before arriving at the gate. OVERKILL. I watched in curiosity as to who would be stopped before boarding. It delayed the boarding process and only people of color were pulled. There were a lot of people holding passports as their id's. It infuriated me as it was very obvious this wasn't random. How terribly scary for these travellers!
I didn't make it on that earlier flight and upon my return to my original gate where half those agents were already setting up. To add to the hassle, there had been a plane change and it was a smaller craft minus 5 seats. After getting in line to board, I was informed that my assigned seat didn't exist. I was told to step over to the desk and the agent asked why I didn't get on the earlier flight. I quipped " there were no seats" and I had been standby anyhow for an oversold plane. Now, I wasn't sure if I'd be getting on my original flight. Never a dull moment.
Boarding was delayed, and after everybody was on the plane , I entered as I had the row seat almost in the bathroom. but I had a seat. Then we proceeded to sit on the tarmac an hour due to weather in Dallas. Drats my connecting flight was barely an hour after the original takeoff time... The good news was twofold as I was able to watch a movie I had missed in the theaters A Complete Unknown, (Bob Dylan),a terrific diversion since my connecting flight might depart while we were en route. We were landing at a D wing gate and my next gate was in B wing, way on the other side of the train line.
I did make the next flight since we had to wait for the copilot who actually had been on my LAX flight. Too funny. Turns out, all flights were running an hour late due ton their bad weather.
The last thing we all needed on our traveling day was TSA PLUS...
