Camera PV 2007 » Digital Camera » Trip Report – ABQ-ORD-RDU (AA)
Trip Report – ABQ-ORD-RDU (AA)
Question:
> That’s where I saw this: > http://www.growlery.com/bad_day_at_rdu_airport.htm > I was waiting for my bag to come out the chute, and I notice that some > guy’s leather suiter had come apart somehow. The leather looked new, > but it was torn up pretty badly. The guy’s suits had come out, and > bits and pieces were strewn about. Sad – I was sure glad it wasn’t > mine. I whipped out my digital camera and got a few pictures (see > link above), but they turned out pretty fuzzy – I guess I still hadn’t > woken up!
Ouch! That gray suit looks like it was expensive at one point! — Goliath & Wildwing’s Storage Room http://anatidae.homestead.com/
Response:
Sorry, folks, this one is boooring… The day started at 3:30 a.m. in Albuquerque. My wife (bless her) woke up before me and put the coffee on. She got me up, but I had only had a few hours of sleep. For some reason, I could not sleep last night, so I didn’t get to bed until after 1:00 a.m. I then had a horrifying discovery that woke me right up… I tried to fire up my laptop, so I could download my email before departing, and it was stone-cold dead. No lights, no nothing. I got out my backup laptop, but discovered that it was not up-to-date. No Linux installed, none of my perl scripts that I had been writing for the client, nada. Argh. Backups. Yes. Backups good. No got. Bad. Give me coffee and a cigarette on the balcony. Somehow, after unplugging the power and removing the battery from my Vaio, it started working again. Sigh of relief. No idea why it was not working, or why it just started working again. I’m just glad that it *is* working. Pack the laptop, get the rest of the packing done. Get shower, more coffee, get dressed, head out for the airport at 4:30. Got a 6:15 flight, but also, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta just ended, so I knew the airport would be full of "I never fly and don’t know how to get on a plane" types. I was right, but it was not as bad as last year, perhaps because my flight was much earlier this time around. Got my boarding pass with no problem, one checked bag. I use a plastic security tie now instead of a lock, and the TSA goons seldom molest my bag anymore. Had to fly AA instead of HP, because the ticket price difference was nearly $400. Gotta save the client money if we can… AA 1046, 6:13 a.m. in an MD-80. Not bad, I got an exit row. This does not recline, but I don’t usually mind that, and there was lots of leg-room. Not that it mattered, I was out cold the moment I sat down. Don’t recall take-off or even landing this time. I woke up when people started getting off the plane. Had a two-hour layover in ORD, which is fine. My flight in docked at gate H5, and my departing flight was due to move out from gate H3, which is fine. It could well have been a mile away, though, so the two-hour layover makes sense to me. I went outside and had a smoke, then grabbed lunch at the food court at Micky D’s. AA 1962, 12:11 p.m. in a Fokker F-100. Not too bad, it’s kind of like a very short 737. I was in 8F. The seat in front of me got the full recline treatment, but I didn’t know or care – once again, I was out cold pretty much from start to finish. I know I must have snored like crazy – I woke up with a sore throat and people staring at me. Hehehehe. Besides, there was nothing I could have done anyway – for some reason, my row was 3 big dudes, and I was the tiny one in the group. None of us could move a muscle, we were hemmed in. Got into RDU a few minutes late, at about 3:10 p.m. I walked out through security, and noticed that the TSA has no one guarding the exit – anyone could walk in through the ‘out’ gate. True, it is an ‘automatic door’ that opens and closes, but anyone could wait until it opens and then walk out through it. I looked around for someone to ask, but saw no security or police of any kind. Shrugged and went down to get my bag. That’s where I saw this: http://www.growlery.com/bad_day_at_rdu_airport.htm I was waiting for my bag to come out the chute, and I notice that some guy’s leather suiter had come apart somehow. The leather looked new, but it was torn up pretty badly. The guy’s suits had come out, and bits and pieces were strewn about. Sad – I was sure glad it wasn’t mine. I whipped out my digital camera and got a few pictures (see link above), but they turned out pretty fuzzy – I guess I still hadn’t woken up! My bag arrived, I got my rental car, and drove out to Wilson, NC. I’m holed up at the Holiday Inn Express now (there is no Marriott out this way), and now I gotta get some sleep – I’m beat. All in all, no problems to report. Just some poor guy’s luggage that got torn up, apparently by the airline. Lesson – leather suiters not a good idea for checked luggage. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks