Friday, May 16, 2008

We finally made it to the check in line five minutes before they closed.  Needless to say, our leisurely two-hour window quickly shut and our trip had just as quickly become very stressful!  Once we checked in and went through customs (another whole ordeal with a child and woman in a wheelchair) Grandma was finally able to ride in the chair.  With Fireese in her lap, I rushed through the airport to our assigned gate only to find out that we had to take a shuttle bus to the plane!  The bus brought us to a tiny waiting area where we heard an announcement that the plane would be delayed an hour.  So we sat patiently in the crowded waiting room until our plane finally arrived.  When it did we realized we had to walk out onto the tarmac and climb up some very steep stairs into the aircraft.  Fortunately, Fireese took this crazy airport adventure in stride and had a smile on her face the whole time. 

We flew with Delta but it wasn’t a Delta aircraft, it was Skywest, a charter airline that runs flights on behalf on Delta from Canada to the US.  I had checked the Delta website to see what type of entertainment and meal service would be offered.  I discovered that on flights longer than three and a half hours that you could purchase a meal and they had a list of options available.  Once we were in the air the flight attendants came by with a drink and a snack pack of food (crackers, raisons and a cookie).  The only other time they came around was to offer drinks again-NO FOOD! This on a flight that was booked to leave at 3:45 and it didn’t arrive at our destination until 9PM.  I think when you fly during mealtime that food should be available even if you have to buy it.  I found out it was a lack of onboard refrigeration that eliminated that option on Skywest. Perhaps this is something that Delta should make clear to their passengers.  Airline service isn’t what it used to be. Luckily I’d managed to pack a couple of sandwiches or I would have had a very unhappy child on my hands.  Needless to say it was a long, tiring day, which flying days always tend to be.

We finally made it to our hotel at 10PM Toronto time but it was only 8pm in Salt Lake City.  I decided to take Fireese for a swim in the pool before heading to bed just to tire her out.  The next morning Signing Time was having a meet and greet party for the kids and Fireese was really looking forward to it.