I was supposed to have an uneventful flight taking the Link back to my Seattle apartment around 9:30 p.m. PST. Takeoff was scheduled around 6 p.m. CST. I had an aisle seat close to the front with no checked bags, so I was ready to get home, and write up a post.
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| This was supposed to be my last look out before flying back to Seattle. |
We boarded, backed out, and then stopped.
“Uhhh, we just got word from the crew on the ground that something came off the wheel. You know as much as we do.” We waited around 30 minutes.
“We recommend deplaning at this time, so you can get some dinner. Come back around 7.”
I was glad, since even though I was in row 11, I had to put my bag in row 13. I shook my head since I couldn’t place my bag like a book on a shelf. Someone stowed their musical instrument that should have been checked in. My carryon was full, taking a CPR-style compression to close and zip. With deplaning, I figured it would reset the overhead bin space so I can actually put my bag closer to me.
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| Dropped off clothes from Seattle to New Orleans, so packing was lighter on the way back. |
I jumped up and took back my bag before Row 13 got up. I walked around, and
came back. I washed my hands. I laughed at the sign because instead of singing Happy
Birthday, it prompted you to sing “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.
I tried, but the water was scalding. I tried, but stopped at “Red roses, too.”
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| Strolling around, watching the Alaska Airlines 737 wheel get patched. |
“We now have an estimated boarding time of 9:30. We will be landing in Seattle tomorrow. Our flight crew wants to get back home, too.”
Around 10, they finally cancelled the flight. They sent people to the 3rd floor, and in the confusion, I walked ahead of everyone. The worker at the desk calmly, but firmly told first-class passengers “Back up, calm down. We don’t like this any more than you do.”
There was a sign for a QR code, and a few texts with support in Seattle cleared it up for me in about five minutes. My seat was upgraded to row 6. I left the line since I didn’t need hotel arrangements. I was satisfied, since instead of arriving really late, I’d just be arriving midday tomorrow.
If this happened to my brother, he’d send a karenesque email “Make it right.” Some of it would be expected, but then he’d probably over ask while vaguely threatening to take business elsewhere.
Incidentally, they’ll be sending a coupon for future travel. I guess I’ll be flying Alaska Airlines for Christmas and New Year’s coming up.
Waiting
I stayed at my uncle’s place, and read Nimona with plans to watch it some other day. I slept around 4 hours. We left for around 5 that morning for a 24-hour IHOP where I got the plant-based power combo with pancakes and fruit. That wasn’t on the menu before so I tried it over the usual omelet. Slow wallet.
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| Picked up some New Orleans flavors. |
We had a lot of time, so we went to three different grocery stores looking for the smaller snack size Elmer’s Chee Wees. In retrospect, I could’ve gotten a larger bag, but opted for the mid-size barbecue flavored one. I also picked up some red beans seasoning, since here in Seattle, the version on the shelf already has dried beans in it. I could get Zapp’s honey mustard pretzels here in Seattle, but the Chee Wees come at a premium price.
Mulligan
Getting through security at MSY never takes long. I walked around the concourse, appreciating the art, realizing how much different A was compared to B and C, more business-oriented wings. I took a slow walk, thinking whether this art should be set aside or more integrated with the rest of the airport. I wondered what happened to the golden, hanging Icarus statue in old MSY.
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| I wish there were plaques with details, not signs to not touch it. |
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| I secretly hoped to see some Avengers fighting each other at old MSY. Anthony Mackie is from NOLA. |
It wasn’t a good sign when we had
to switch terminals from A2 to C3. We were going back on the same plane, and
they finally changed out the tire around 8:30. People sitting around me were telling each other about their hotel stays and what they did in New Orleans or Seattle. Before we boarded they bonded enough that one person felt comfortable leaving their bags, offering to buy pretzels, drinks, or a Lucky Dog before liftoff. The other person politely declined, but expressed loyalty for watching the luggage.
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| The person sitting next to me left their expensive dragonfruit drink, watered down by melted ice. |
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| Thanks, ground crew. Extra props for how humid it was. |
I was in Boarding Group F, but when I sat down, I hoped nobody would have to sit next to me. I got Seat 6A, the window seat in Premium Class. I kept saying “Close the door” as more people came in waves, like an emptying clown car.
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| A good amount of legroom with nobody sitting next to me. |
When we took off, overhead slow
claps and cheers came from behind. “This is it!” I remarked at the camaraderie that the shared experience of a canceled flight imparts to passengers.
I napped between takeoff and the beverage service ritual where I got a can of Coke Zero, no ice. I read Robins: Being Robin, and it solidified my thoughts that Tim Drake is the best Robin and Dick Grayson is the template but should just be Nightwing. I had a headache, probably from not sleeping enough, but it subsided around Mount Rainier.
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| On Old Olympus's Towering Tops, A Finn And Germ Viewed Some Hops. |
We had a smooth landing, but the taxi back to the terminal took a few laps with some long pauses.
Travelers packed the N and C concourses, expected at Sea-Tac on a weekend. Still, the walk out and over to the Link went uninterrupted. I took the Link with a roundtrip pass for $7. Passengers filled the car about halfway. We had to stop occasionally, and more people got on around Westlake and Capitol Hill.
Errands
I dropped off my luggage and headed to the comic book store to pick up some of the titles I missed from these past two Wednesdays, mostly Knight Terrors, and then went back to the Roosevelt Whole Foods for four packs of tofu and two bundles of green onions. They have the best price for tofu around here at $1.69. I left paying under $10, but my pantry was stocked well enough that I’d be good for the week. I haven’t done a breakdown by unit price, or factor in that brand of tofu needs to be drained and pressed, but it beats some of the Asian food markets by a lot. Regional price differences come into play; back home around New Orleans, the same brand at Whole Foods costs $2.49.
Remembering Bob Barker
News of Bob Barker passing hit
when I landed. Based on the news that was playing in the terminal before
takeoff, I half-expected some more flavor text and justice related to Trump’s
arrest, but scrolling through the news update was sad. Bob Barker, former host of Price is Right, died at 99.
I would always watch Price is Right with my maternal grandma in the morning before lunch. As a teacher, whenever asking students for an estimate we’d use Price is Right rules of closest without going over.
My two favorite cameos of Bob were in Happy Gilmore when he fights Happy at the celebrity golf tournament and in Futurama at the Miss Universe pageant with Bender and Flexo.
Discussion
I postponed my arrival in Seattle by about 15 hours, but I don’t think the delay was consequential at all. This was the first time my flight was cancelled while waiting at the gate, but I was satisfied with how we all handled it. I caught up on sleep with an earlier bedtime.
Other Parts of This Trip [August 2023]
- Visit Days 1-3.
- Visit Days 4-6.
- Visit Days 7-9.
- View a Stylized Reimagining of this trip back home using DALL-E.
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