And now I know to look for the Mercer St exit on the 99N...
SJC had a chain of events that led to some seriously unhappy people. A Mexicana flight was very late. Apparently it's some configuration that can land at only a few gates. So, an ATA flight was bumped down to the Alaska Air portion of the terminal. Which meant that all the passengers who had already checked in and passed security had to wander all the way down, and pass through security again.
Now, the Alaska Air end of the terminal is not huge--it's set up for four smallish flights over four hours--these guys are flying MD80s and 737's. Whatever ATA flies, it's a heck of a lot bigger. And the people on the flights aren't the usual "geek flight" crowd who take off to Portland and Seattle. I mean, if I'm stinking drunk at 11:30 on a Sunday morning, I'll have a good reason. This appeared to be SOP with these folks....
So, we have a really large passel of polluted, pissed-off customers who are taking it out on the security people. Heck, I don't appreciate taking off the shoes, and once again explaining, that *yes*, I have a Mac and a Windows laptop. But go deal--that's the gig.
So, having a massive line not moving because people are going out of their way to be obnoxious is no fun...
Then the Alaska Air people came and parsed us out of the line and put us into our own security line. Yes! Even with the ATA passengers trying to cut in--and I mean cut in--some cut in right before the security gate with moves that should have gotten them two for elbowing. Those seemed to get the extra special check by the security people...
So, I get through security after explaining that yes, I have two laptops (this cannot be that odd), and yes I have an iPod, and yes I have a cell phone will all sorts of interesting dongles--is it just that I don't look geeky enough?--and sit down for a wait. Since the ATA flight took over 2/3rds of the waiting area and the gate the Portland flight was supposed to have used, we were told that the Seattle flight would board as soon as Portland left.
Which was the cue for the Portland flight to leave late.
And I have someone two seats down from me, bitching to no one in particular that Alaska Air could announce *why* the Seattle flight wasn't boarding yet, yadda, yadda, yadda...
I dunno buddy--maybe they're hoping for higher brain function from their passengers?
So, we load 15 minutes late. The flight's about 1/2 full, and I find out that row 29 on an MD 80 is right across the galley. The flight attendants point out that the seats behind the galley will be empty, and I can spread out after the flight's taken off. woo-hoo!
I have a row to myself, a full can club soda, a nicely filled iPod and the O'Reilly UML book. I am livin' large on Alaska Air!
And the flight makes up all the time it lost up front, and gets into SEA ahead of time.
I have a Mustang with Sirius radio, and it looks like, for a change, Seattle is not going to have weird weather while I am up here.
Let the office trip begin!
Posted by lsefton at January 11, 2004 05:42 PM