Flying Out to Phoenix
Up-and-at-em at 3:30 is too darn much like work.
Since that is about when I roll out on a workday morning, it is ironically like
a workday, so the vacation gets off to an early start. Showered, dressed, loaded
up and on the road a touch after 5 and reach SDF 5:30-ish. Found out it is kinda
rough dragging 5 loaded bags (had to pack for three climates) with four hands
from the far end of row J of the remote parking lot (reminder to self —
SWA is on the OTHER end of the terminal). TSA had to inspect my computer bag
thoroughly with the explosive sniffer swabs — one of the disadvantages of
Semitic ethnicity is TSA is going to single me out for inspections, or maybe
because I trashed them online last fall for trashing my laptop. Whatever the
reason, they eventually let me go without so much as a thank you, have a nice
day or even a F.O.A.D. (ask if you need a translation). I am so fed up with this
crap that I may drive everywhere from here on out, including
Hawaii…
Southwest Airlines has
announced that they will probably be phasing out their open seating policy later
this year, and since we were Boarding Group C, I wish they had already
instituted the change. Lynda and I dind't have a choice of seats together; as I
write this somewhere over Oklahoma I am sitting behind her, messing with the top
of her head. Seat 15A right on top of the wing has no view to either side. Only
cool thing is that we are on the Shamu jet plugging Sea World. So, if any of my
friends were outside at work and saw the whale plane taking off at about 7:40,
that was us. Even the overhead bins have Shamu on their
doors.
Wish I had a widow seat so I
could look out... I need some cheese with this whine, I know. Southwest serves
better snacks than NWA or UA and we don't have to pay for them like you do on
United. Got a diet Coke and a bag of dry roasted peanuts and a snack box with
Nabisco dried fruit mix, Ritz and Cheese pack and one of those 100 Calorie Pack
of Oreo Crisps — which was tasty, but I know I used up more than 100
calories trying to get the pack open. Oh well, I guess that is a good thing as I
do need to lose weight, and I know that concept will be out the window on the
boat.
Around 10 AM, I could just make
out snow on some mountains through the window a row ahead and across the aisle
and I am suddenly racked with serious legs cramps. We have flown through mild to
lightly moderate turbulence all the way out, so the Fasten Seat Belt has been on
more than not, so we are 2 hours 15 to 20 minutes into the flight and I have not
been able to stand up, stretch or walk around any, so these cramps may have been
unavoidable. This is not to say there isn't any room on a 737, certainly much
nicer than the MD-80s and smaller planes we have been on in the last couple of
years, it's just that we aren't meant to sit still for over 2 hours at a
stretch.
We have started our descent at
10:28 and got steeper and a bit rougher at 10:32. Still can't see much and I
hope we won't smell much in Phoenix as Sky Harbor Airport used to butt up
against the stockyards. We landed about thirty minutes early, at 7:55 AM MST
(Arizona is still like Indiana was before this year, stubbornly refusing to
switch to Daylight Savings Time) or a little before 11 our time. I have to say
Southwest is certainly an in-your-face airline. Captain letting us know our
money was appreciated and the lounge act on the taxiway singing that they LUV
(it's SWA, that's how they spell it) our money. Honesty. Refreshing! Thank you,
thank you very much.
It is supposed to
be 112° today here, and it is already scorchingly hot walking through the
jetway from the plane to the terminal. Welcome to the Gates of Hell. So far the
only thing I recognize out the window is South Mountain out the big windows at
the end of B Terminal. While waiting for our flight here in Gate C3 they called
final boarding for a SWA flight and instead of saying Final Call for... they
said "folks, flight (whatever it was) is LEAVING without you!"
Well, I am off to wander around for a
few before my flight, and maybe take some pictures and maybe grab a bite to
eat.
Update:
The TSA went through all our bags in
Louisville, and just crammed stuff back in bag. I am done
flying.
Posted: Sat
- June 3, 2006 at 09:17 AM