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February 19, 2008

bumped to business class

Have you ever had the experience of getting bumped to first/business class? It happened to me, last night. Let me tell you about it.

After a lovely 36 hours of layover in Casablanca with my friends (ahem, in the rain), Cindy brought me to the airport to check in for my flight. We were just about right on time to check in with the appropriate amount of time, but as I kept getting the run around about where to re-claim my bags and how, it kept getting closer to the time i should be boarding, and I hadn't even checked in yet! At 6pm, 1h20minutes before takeoff I was at the counter with my bags. And I was told that I was on the wait list because the flight was full.

What?! Did I understand incorrectly? I had done everything in french up to this point, so I asked her in English. And she said Wait List. How could that be? I'd been checked in since GRR on Saturday Morning! I was politely told to stand aside for 15 minutes and then they would know. 15 minutes go by, I check with her again, and still nothing. A crowd was gathering - 15 of us in all. They told me that I could wait until "tomorrow" or go on the 11pm flight. But I have a meeting in the morning, I said. "We'll see what we can do."

I went and sat down with Cindy - praise God she was still with me! - and had a coca in the cafe across the lobby. I came back, another 15 minutes later and waited at the counter. A man came by and took my name, and another 10 minutes went by. Then he walks by me, not looking at me, with a ticket in hand, and walks to another ticketing agent. On his way back by, he says "go see the monsieur" (we think, b/c it was not at all loudly). So I walked up to the counter and stood next to the guys already waiting there. For some reason my name was on the ticket. He processed me, processed my bags, gave me the boarding pass, and motioned me over toward the security gates.

Walking over to the checkpoint, I was looking to see what seat I was in, expecting to see 47-J or something... and I saw 3C. 03-C. Huh?? I was the last person on the plane, at 3 minutes to posted departure, and 3C was occupied, as were all the overhead bins for my carry on suitcase and the laptop i was carrying. the guy in my seat was from 2-A, and would prefer to sit next to his fiancee than the guy in 2-C, thank you very much, so I sat in 2-A. 20 minutes and a glass of apple juice later we're still at the gate, not yet pulled away and they announce that we're having some technical difficulties and they're having someone come down and inspect... another 20 minutes and another glass of apple juice later they announce that we'll be de-planing until they can figure out what to do.

And so we deplane. I exit into the terminal and stand there, looking around for where to sit and wait. they guy from 2-C stops and asks if i have a "right to the VIP lounge". No, of course, but he has the right to invite one other so I could join him if I wanted. Y'all ever been in the VIP lounge? There was an espresso bar, juice bar, and a buffet of beautiful little french pastries. For crying out loud.

Two and a half hours later we were invited to reboard a new plane.

Dinner made me weep. Real silverware, real glasses, real plates, and three courses, unless you count dessert. Foie gras (which I hate but the fig chutney was great), delicious chicken, A CHEESE COURSE, then they cleared away the linens and dishes and ten minutes later came around with coffee and dessert.

i slept like a baby after dinner, in my lazyboy. arrived at 1:45AM in dakar, took me an hour to get through passport control and baggage claim and finally out through customs and the mob waiting outside. in the process of getting to my room (shared with melissa) i woke up people in three rooms b/c the guy at the desk told me room 575 and not 579 and my knocking woke up bulus and david t and the sywulkas and who knows who else! whoopsy...

meetings started at 8:30, with a lovely french breakfast of croissant, chocolat chaud, beurre et confiture. :) i'm a bit tired now, but going to push on through... it's nearly 6 and meetings have just concluded for the day. back on again at 8:30.

your host for this episode : carrie; February 19, 2008 10:02 AM

Comments

from the peanut gallery of : Dan ; February 19, 2008 11:02 PM

from the peanut gallery of : Mom & Dad ; February 20, 2008 11:44 PM

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