FLYING SIDEWAYS

Nightmares do happen: they do come true.

Jumping out of the shuttle from the Airpark van we headed into the worst airport in the NY Metropolitan area, LaGuardia. The old buildings are dying, and not just showing their old age.

Into the terminal we go for Spirit Airlines, and this being my first venture on the airline, as we head south to Myrtle Beach and a little exploration. Up to a kiosk we go to get our tickets, finally find a machine that is working and after a few tries, out come two pieces of paper, one with my name on it and one with TLW (The Little Woman)’s name printed clearly. We are a little nervous because we realize the plane will be boarding in about 35 minutes and we need to get through the check-in. Off we go to Gate B6 and in front of us is a long snake like line that looks like it will take forever to get through.

People are coming up from the outside to enter the boarding gate thinking they have a shot at getting through immediately, and a look of surprise crosses their face as they learn that they have to go to the end of the line, a long, long way in the back. The look of surprise is quickly turned into a look of horror and shock.

Diver’s license in hand we both finally reach the clerks checking our boarding passes. TLW is good and I hand the guy my pass and license and he looks at it and says: “I need your boarding pass.”

Being a college graduate I respond in a well thought out and timely way with “Huh?”

“This is a receipt, you need your boarding pass.” Suddenly I realize, we left the pass in the machine, and now what? The guy says to me, “Go see in the machine, a lot of people do that and come back and we will let you though.” The thought is now becoming overwhelming, the idea that I have to race back to the kiosk, and hope that it wasn’t discarded by someone, TLW and I head off to find the ticket.

Reaching the kiosk, TLW says she will find someone to help and I will go to the kiosk and if by some lucky chance it will be there. As she leaves I look at the machine, and there tucked in an edge of the screen are a bunch of papers, and sure enough, there is the boarding pass! I yell for TLW and off we go.

Back through the detector we go, where they don’t make you hold your arms over your head and x-ray you! We make a pit stop and head toward the boarding area, and the boarding screen says the plane will be delayed about 45 minutes.

We find a seat and begin to people watch.

Tomorrow: You really want that donut?