Voluntary Bump

Rach, Norah and I got to Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport yesterday at 6:00am. We checked in and flew to Nasville, TN on the first leg of our trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. We had a brief layover during which we ate breakfast, and got on a 10:30 flight to Denver, where we would have stayed on the plane, and gone to Salt Lake City. After boarding, there were about ten or twleve people standing in the aisle who did not have seats. The attendants were looking around trying to figure out whether or not they'd been overbooked, and I told one of the attendants that if there was a direct flight to Salt Lake leaving later in the day, we would be willing to take that. She said she'd get back to me. Then, another attendant said over the loud speaker "There was a couple volunterring to go to reschedule for a later flight to Salt Lake, if you're still interested, there is a flight leaving at 11:30 and we could use a few seats." So, I said "Let's do it." (Rachel was not in favor of this idea.)

We left the plane and went to the counter to get rerouted, and the woman there informed us that the next flight left at 3:30. (Mind you, it's just about 11:00 now.) I told her that we thought we'd be taking the 11:30 flight, so she changed the ticket, and booked us on the 11:30 flight. She told me we would have to go to Oakland, and catch the 3:30 to Salt Lake from there. But, they paid us the cost of our tickets plus $400, so I said sure. (And felt like I'd just won a game show.)

We then got on an 11:30 (Central) to Oakland, and met someone who makes music videos on the plane. Her name is Deanna Kay and she lives in Nashville and Oakland. She was really, really nice and patient with Norah. Very nice lady, Rach and she got along great. I couldn't hear much of what she said, but Rach said she was nice. At 3:30 (Pacific) we landed in LAX, and Rachel, Norah and I left the plane. (Do the math. We were on the plane forever.) We walked around LAX for a minute, and I realized, Los Angeles is not Oakland. We went back to the plane and realized that the flight to Oakland stopped in LA first. So, we reboarded the plane, and flew to Oakland. (Mind you, LAX to Oakland is an hour and a half flight. Our flight in Oakland was supposed to take off at 3:50... we are just now leaving for Oakland at 3:00. So, we have 50 minutes to make a 90 minute flight.)

Luckily for us (and not for the passengers of the Oakland to Salt Lake flight) they decided to hold the plane until we got there because there were about ten of us who were redirected. When we got on board the Oakland to Salt Lake, it was just about 4:30. We took off shortly thereafter and arrived in Salt Lake at 6:30 (Mountain.) (8:30 Eastern) So, from 6:00am to 8:30pm, Rach, Norah and I were jumping flights and going across the country. It was an exhausting, but (to me anyway) fun day.

I just now realized, that for the first, and hopefully last, time in my life I put my feet on the ground in every time zone in the Contiguous States. Cool. Here's a Google Image of where we have been in the past two days. (Including the drive from Wheeling to Cleveland.)

Let me just say, Salt Lake looks amazing. The mountains here are unreal. I knew the Rockies were pretty, but I had no idea they were this majestic. I can't wait to get out and snap some photos. I'll post again soon.