Travel

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Always Tip Well

Travel tip: Always tip service workers, you never know when it will come back to you. The Delta meltdown this week created chaos, flights canceled followed by long delays, etc. My trip was extended by a day as a result. But, today I am flying home from DCA, where I fly in and out frequently. I almost always do curbside check in for my bag because 1) it is more convenient and 2) I like to support the baggage guys by tipping them well. As a result, they remember. Today, as usual, I went to curbside only to be told I had to see a full service agent due to the flight change, etc. So I take my bag and walk in to the terminal where the line was at least 75 deep. And then my regular curbside guy saw me and asked what was happening. He took my ID and went directly to an agent behind the counter and returned with my baggage ticket and boarding pass and then grabbed my bag for delivery to x-ray screening and loading....and I was on my way after another good tip. Tip well, my friends.

Airplane Chairs Are Not Handrails

Thirty minutes in to a two hour flight. Two little old ladies sitting behind me. In addition to their incessant chatter, each one has already vacated their seats twice. Normally I don't care but each time, they grab the back of my chair and let it go like a slingshot. Very annoying. Note to travelers. 1) plan ahead and take care if business before you board and 2) the chair in front of you is not a handrail and there is physics involved that affect others. I am at least glad I have my ear buds and downloaded "the hangover". ;)

The World We Are In

Oh, the world we are in. We just landed and I am walking through the Memphis Airport when I noticed an airport worker standing in front of and blocking the entrance to the men's restroom with a confused look on his face. I started to walk in and he put his hand up to stop me and said "I can't let anyone in....a woman just walked in"...He said "I don't understand, the women's restroom is directly across the hallway"? So I ask, "are you sure it's a woman?" He got the funniest and confused look on his face and then realized what was probably happening. It was kinda funny but our world is in a crazy place these days

Kindness in the Airport

It is always fun and gratifying to see the kindness of humanity. I landed in Atlanta, concourse b and going to concourse d. The escalator down to the tunnel/walkway/train is pretty long at concourse b. I am guessing 2.5 stories. As I head down the escalator I look to my left to see the up escalator with one young man, maybe 5 yrs old, riding up with his camouflage rollerboard, looking behind him with a bit of panic on his face. I look down and see his mother at the bottom, struggling to manage another large rollerboard and a very reluctant 3 yr old who was not about to step on that danged old moving staircase. She too was beginning to panic as she tried to wrangle her life at the bottom of the escalator. As I was about halfway down and planning to offer assistance, another very nice lady saw her predicament and came to her aid. I could be wrong but I just imagine that this was a military wife trying to manage her brood to get the next assignment. She seemed confident and experienced, yet overwhelmed and her 5 yr old was brave and scared as he clutched his rollerboard. Kudos to the lady who offered her assistance just at the right moment to help another in distress.

Humor on Delta

The Delta sense of humor...perhaps a bit off color. Boarding on my last leg home. First class upgrade. As I step on the plane I had my blazer on my arm. I asked the flight attendant if she would like to take my coat now rather than after I was seated. She grabbed it and retorted, "do you want me to take your pants, too"? That got a great laugh among those within earshot and she quickly followed up with "I just want the one with the wallet in the pocket". She was a hoot.

Street Smarts vs Book Smarts

I am sitting on a flight with my first class upgrade, row 3 aisle. In front of me, across the aisle in row 1 there is a fairly well dressed gentleman studiously reading and writing notes. If I had to guess, he may be an engineer or maybe a math professor. He gets up out of his seat to retrieve his backpack (ugh) in the overhead bin. For those who don't get to fly very often, the overhead bin latches are not too difficult to operate. After several attempts to push the bin door closed he became exasperated and began slamming it, to no avail. The flight attendant, obviously annoyed but professional, ushered him out of her way and back to his seat and then gingerly lifted the bin door handle and quietly, even softly, latched the bin door. Street smarts vs book smarts. Geezzzz.

Yankin and Bankin into DCA

Just landed at DCA. For those familiar, most of the time these flights approach from the south over MD and VA. Today we followed the Potomac River from the north. The pilot was yanking and banking like a fighter jock until we hit the deck hard enough to wake the dead. The flight attendant announced it was not the pilot's fault, it was not the crews fault. It was the asphalt. Everyone's a comedian these days. Lol

Delta Chattanooga Team Rocks

Once again, I gotta brag on the Delta Chattanooga team. The gate agent had an early birthday card for me, along with Hershey kisses and then a mint sitting on all the seats. Very nice touch