Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous

     It has been a harrowing day for me. I knew that I had to get up at 4:00 AM to catch a plane, so as usual in these kind of situations, I woke up at 2:00 AM and couldn't get back to sleep, knowing I had to get up at 4:00.  I was awake of course when the time came and got dressed and drove from the motel to the airport. It was pouring rain, but I was happy that there was no fog. That is what generally occurs at the Prince George Airport on early fall mornings.

     I got my ticket, passed through security, and boarded the 6:00 plane, no problem, but we didn't take off. Instead we got a message from the captain that the plane had mechanical problems and he decided not to fly it. I was happy we had a responsible pilot, but was sad realizing that by delaying my first flight, all my two connecting flights would be lost. 

     By the time they got another plane in Prince George to take us, it was 10:15 and already my connecting flight from Vancouver was gone. The ticket agent told me things would get straightened out in Vancouver. When I got there, I was told I would have to spend the night in Vancouver at Air Canada's expense and  continue on my way on Friday--a hassle, but what could I do. 

     As Passenger Service started to rebook my flights a couple of new problems appeared, mostly the result of it being the Thanksgiving long weekend in Canada, and the hotels that were generally used were booked solid and the head office in Toronto didn't like to spend money on the expensive Vancouver hotels.  

      After a couple of hours waiting as the agent tried to solve the problem, looking at routes where there might be hotels available, they told the guy in front of me, who was also going through Chicago, to go out and find his own hotel and send in the receipt for hopefully a reimbursement, he left to do it. I stuck around and ask if there were any red-eye overnight flights, and the checking started all over again. 

     I have to hand it to the agent who was helping me, she was determined to solve my problem, and she did, even pressuring the head office to get me a hotel and they finally did. I am now reaping the rewards of all that airport misery, as I sit here in a fancy hotel room digesting a really exquisite meal, all on Air Canada's dime. It's the kind of lifestyle that I never choose for myself. 

     The photo shows my table and the view of the harbor that I had as I ate fancy sea food plate and dark chocolate mousse with pistachio sauce.  It was certainly a world different from my usual.