Honestly folks, 2009 is looking like it's going to be an especially travelly one. I just inherited a bunch of central FL cases, so I'll be heading south quite frequently, which could be fun, if I can squeeze in some visitation time with my peeps who live down here. The problem with work trips is that they usually involve some work, and these aren't just the fun, marketing, take-the-clients-out-to-lunch/dinner/spas-and-be-my-sparkly-charming-self kind of work trips. Blast (fist in air).
Anyhoooo.... tonight and tomorrow I'm in Tampa. So this was fun - see if you can picture it. I'm at the airport, waiting to board my flight. Texting, texting, trying to recall if I have pissed off any geese recently, asking my friends if they recall me pissing off any geese, when I hear an announcement that my flight is boarding "all passengers."
Me: (getting up, gathering my stuff, toddling over to the gate with my backpack and boarding pass)
Gate agent (I don't know her name but she looked like a Ralph so we'll call her Ralph): Elizabeth Burgess?
Me: Yes, that's me.
Ralph: You've got your own private plane down to Tampa.
Me: Beg your pardon?
Ralph: Yep, you're the only one on the flight. We'll go ahead and board you as soon as everyone's off. I'll escort you out to the plane myself.
Me: That is hilarious, Ralph.
Ralph: This is rare and probably won't ever happen to you again.
Me: Duly noted.
So, no kidding, I walk with Ralph out to the plane, which was one of those really small turboprop things like the one I blogged about when I went to West Palm Beach last year. The pilots are waving and smiling at me from the cockpit because let's face it, it's comical that the pilots outnumber the passengers. I mean, it's funny as long as it's not the culmination of an elaborate kidnapping plot. Here are some pros and cons of having a plane all to yourself.
Pro: You get to speak to and establish a rapport with the pilots.
Con: The pilot and copilot appear to be 12 and 13 years old, respectively.
Pro: No other passengers to worry about, so you take off early and get off the plane super fast.
Con: No other passengers for me to look at when we hit turbulence, gauge their reaction, and decide whether or not it's appropriate for me to freak out.
Pro: The cabin temperature was adjusted for my comfort and my comfort only.
Con: I always think I'm cold and then get hot, but it's hard to justify conveying that to pre-teens while they're flying a tiny plane in unnervingly cloudy conditions with potentially murderous waterfowl around.
All in all, it was fun, although I'm not sure how it happened. I'll try not to get used to it.
That's all I got for now... hopefully going to get a reunion with Taco tomorrow - keep your fingers crossed that it works out for me!
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4 comments:
Bets,
the bets-blog is farkin hilarious...i've made it a weekly must-read.
as a mooner of some repute myself, I have to give props to the ass-phantom from the wedding...not easy to obscond the camera, take the pic, and remain anonymous...
i would like to venture a guess about the culprit...might it be the dude with the devilish grin hiding amongst the fern? looks like the mischievous type and possibly the owner of a shag carpet bung. it's either him or gavin.
Love, Your Brother Andy
OMG, that is hilarious Betsy. I can't believe that happened to you. I felt fortunate this weekend for having 2 of the 4 flights without a passenger in the other seat. I do think I would feel weird about this though. Kind of like the teens wouldnt be as careful b/c if the plane crashed there is only the 1 passenger to die. Im morbid.
Lindsey - that crossed my mind as well, but I concluded that preservation of the pilots' own lives would motivate them to fly safely. They would want to live to enjoy their sweet sixteen parties and junior varsity football tryouts, right?
Very interesting.... so did you find out why you were the lucky one to have a plane all to yourself with teen-aged pilots??
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