Last Saturday, after weeks of preparation, fretting, and stewing, it was THE day to fly to Seattle from Indianapolis, to visit my daughter and family. I hadn't seen their new "digs", although I had seen a lot of pictures and had a fairly good idea of how it all looked. I was unsure of the climate, though, and hardly knew exactly what kind of clothes to pack. After much ado, I finally had myself ready to fly.
One of the things that I worried about was how I was going to get through the airports with my mobility problems. I had called the airline (Southwest) in advance and was assured that they would take good care of me. Still, I wasn't sure how it would work, so I was nervous. Truth be known, I'm a nervous flyer anyway. Always, always, I am fine as soon as I get going. It's the "getting going" that gets to me.
There were two legs of the trip: Indy to Las Vegas, with a 3-hour layover, and Las Vegas to Seattle. The first leg was scheduled for takeoff at 8:20 AM, which meant getting to the airport in Indy by 6:30. I had two bags to be checked, a carry-on, and a purse. ("Bags fly free" on Southwest, as long as you only have two and they are under 50 pounds.) One of my checked bags was a suitcase on wheels. The other was a duffel...and both were heavy enough that I was concerned they'd be overweight and I'd be charged. (I was prepared for that, but it didn't happen.) The larger problem was how to wrestle the duffel in the line at the curbside check-in. Standing without support is not something I do well. I did my best. Fortunately, the line moved fairly quickly.
The Skycap at the curbside took my bags and gave me my boarding pass. Just about that time, I spied a young man in the area pushing an empty wheelchair. I asked him if he was going anywhere in particular. He asked if I was in need of a wheelchair. I was! Just as I was finishing up with the Skycap, he asked if I had located a wheelchair. I assume he asked because my ticket had been flagged for handicapped assistance, and when I assured him that I had it, I was free to go.
The fellow pushing me around was named Ken. He did a good job. He managed to push me AND pull my carry-on case at a reasonable pace with ease and without scaring me or hitting anyone. He asked if I needed to stop at the restroom, which I did, then pointed out some fast food restaurants in the concourse. Did I need a breakfast sandwich or something? Yes, please. He took me and the wheelchair through security. (He took my bags and asked if I could walk through the metal detector. I didn't even have to take off my shoes!) As soon as the wheelchair passed inspection, we were on our way to the gate. Ken wheeled me in position at the gate to wait for pre-boarding--about 50 minutes away. I tipped him well. If I had known how much better his service was than the other wheelchair pushers I would deal with that day, I'd have tipped him more!
As is always true for me, once I got in the plane and got situated, I was fine...not at all nervous. The flight was smooth, and I was sitting next to a nice couple on one of their many jaunts to Vegas. That particular leg of the trip was about three hours long. There were some clouds, of course, but I was able to see ground most of the way. I'm afraid I chattered a bit because I am always so enamored of this great land of ours. Seeing the USA from the air is pretty special!
When we landed in Vegas, there were wheelchairs just outside the plane for those of us that were too disabled to walk far, but there was only one "pusher". She had already taken one fellow and parked him at the top of the gate ramp, then came back for me. As far as I knew, she had others to push, too. She plunked my carry-on bag on my lap and just started wheeling me to my next gate, fast, nearly bowling over people walking ahead of us, including children. It was very uncomfortable for me! I had a nearly-three-hour layover before boarding for the next leg of the trip, and had just come off an over-three-hour flight. She didn't offer to take me to a restroom or suggest a place to eat. (Inside the secure area, they have you by the whing-whang. $10 for a simple sandwich? I don't think so!) Long story short, she parked me by the gate and left. Period. For the next several hours, I found a way to use the restroom while keeping track of my carry-on, buy something to eat, and find someplace to charge my phone so that it would still work when I got to Sea-Tac. Needless to say, I didn't tip her particularly well. In fact, it annoyed me to tip her at all!
The trip to Seattle was as uneventful as the first leg of the trip. Smooth sailing, once I got on the plane--a nice young couple in my row with me. More clouds on this leg so not that much to gawk at. Meg tracks the flights online, so when I texted her with "Touchdown", she sent the same message to me! She told me they were waiting for me at the baggage claim area. All I needed to do was get there!
Just outside the plane on the ramp was a fleet of wheelchairs. This time, there were more pushers. The guy that took me once again plunked my carry-on suitcase on my lap and started speeding me up the ramp. He managed to ram the chair into something, narrowing missing pinching my fingers. I yanked my hand out of the way just in time. Another pusher saw it and told the first guy, "Be careful!" And then the second pusher-guy took over my care, which was okay with me!
Sea-Tac is a big airport. I still had my suitcase on my lap, but at least this guy wasn't speeding. He took me here and there, then in an elevator....and when the elevator door opened, there was my family waiting with yet another wheelchair! I tipped the guy and transferred to the arms of my loved ones. I made it!
It took awhile for my bags to come down the belt. When they did, Meg, Denis, and the children took over. After we secured my bags, Meg started to take me to the parking lot. I wondered if the airport would allow their wheelchairs to leave the terminal...when Meg informed me that they had purchased that particular wheelchair for me! Leave it to my daughter to plan ahead so well!
It wasn't too long before we were home. Grandson Ryan gave me a tour of the house. It's a very, very nice home! Meg made my bed and fed us, and our venture began! Guess what? I survived the trip! I was plenty tired but knew that I was starting a vacation with the family that I hadn't seen since Christmas. I love them! It took me a few days to adjust to the time changes, but I'm happy!
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