I have never found air travel to be a particularly pleasant experience. The lines, the waiting, having to partially undress to get through the TSA security checks, all this stuff contributes to the unpleasantness of flying. One way to reduce the unpleasantness of flying is to start from a small airport. The TSA lines are shorter, the parking is easier, and the agents are usually in a better mood.
Grand Rapids is on the small side and is usually pretty benign. I have usually not had many problems flying out of Grand Rapids.
The Duluth Airport is definitely on the small side. It takes three minutes to walk from the far side of the long-term parking lot to the check-in counter. There are only four gates. I noticed that the woman who was at the ticket counter also was outside loading baggage and worked at the gate counter also. She actually smiled and wished us a good day when checking in.
The TSA line took five minutes. It was the usual take-the-shoes-off routine, but with only six people in line, it went quickly.
I love small airports.
Until I don’t.
Looking at the monitor, Delta had exactly one flight departing to Minneapolis today. United Airlines had one flight. That’s two total. So if something happens, there aren’t a lot of other options.
Something happened. And there wasn’t a lot of options.
There was an announcement made that there was a mechanical issue with the aircraft. They were waiting for a call back from the maintenance guy and they would keep us updated. “This is a simple issue, should be an easy fix” was the statement.
A half-hour later, another announcement, similar to the first.
A little while later, I got a text saying that the new flight time was 4pm. Many others got the same text because suddenly there was a big line at the gate counter. Apparently the contractor they use for repairs was MIA and they were now driving a maintenance crew down from Minneapolis, which is two and a half hours away. Looks like we will be missing our connection in Minneapolis.
When I reached the front of the line, I got us rescheduled for flights into Pasco at 8:42pm. Original time was 4:58pm. Not terrible, but still inconvenient.
Not wanting to spend lots of time sitting in the airport, we walked the three minutes back to the RV and made some lunch. While we were there, I received an email from the airline saying that the new departure time was 1:30. If that was correct, then we can still make our original connections.
Looking out the window, I could see a guy working on one of the engines. Simple issue? Maybe. The captain stood there watching him for a while. It almost appeared that this guy was consulting a thick book while he squatted next to the open engine panel. I hope he knows what he is doing.
So now we’re back waiting in the airport for a flight that *might* leave at 1:30. Stay tuned...
Update: 1:30 came and went. Outside, the maintenance guy continued to poke at the innards of the engine. Small problem? Not looking like it. I received a text saying the new flight time was 2:00. 2:00 came and went. Finally the guy appeared to finish up and closed the covers on the engine. Shortly after the announcement was made that the boarding process would soon begin. A cheer went up from those waiting in the gate area. Catching our connection was looking doubtful, however.
We boarded the plane and were soon airborne. When they announced our arrival time, we had a glimmer of hope that we would make our connection. Our four-hour layover had shrunk to under a half-hour, but it was still possible.
We came into Minneapolis at gate C11. We were in the very back seat of the plane so it took us a bit to deplane. When we checked the monitors, the plane to Pasco was soon to depart from gate F1. Now we’re sprinting through the sprawl of MSP to make it to a gate that could just as well be in the next county.
As we rounded the corner into the F concourse, we heard the announcement, “Final boarding call for Flight 2926 to Pasco. Paging passengers Friend, party of 3”. We sprinted into the now-empty gate area to find nephew Jason waiting for us. We were the last to board the plane. Not sure if our luggage will make it. We may be making a stop at a supermarket for the essentials contained in that luggage.
Another Update:
We walked down to our seats, past everyone who were probably thinking we were the culprits that delayed their flight. We were surprised to see Naomi, looking very pregnant, in a seat in first class, and then Andrew and Peter, a few seats back. So there were six Friends on this flight.
We arrived in Pasco on time and in one piece. And our luggage was among the first to arrive at the baggage claim. My faith in small airports is being restored.
Another thing about small airports: the rental counter is not in some separate building four miles away by shuttle. It is literally ten paces from the baggage claim. So we were soon on our way for the final leg of the journey: a one-hour drive to Zillah.
I learned later that several siblings were monitoring our progress closely. And praying. Those prayers were answered. We made our connection, we were on time, and we are now at our destination.
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