At 7:30 I was at the lobby of the hotel in Savannah. I checked out and asked them to call me a cab.
They called Yellow. By 8:05 the cab had not arrived. They called a second cab company, Big Mike’s, who picked me up. Two blocks on the trip, we saw two Yellow Cabs parked, their drivers talking on their cell phones. It’s a 25-minute drive to the airport, so I got there less than the recommended two hours before departure time of 10:10, but it’s a small town and the airport wasn’t that busy.
Boarded the plane at 9:55. At 10:40 we were still on the runway.
And at 11:10.
And at 11:40. We’d had something called a “bird hit” which left a 1/10 inch dent in the side of the plane, and required repair.
At 11:50 we finally got going. We taxi’d to the runway, then had to wait 15 more minutes because ground control in Atlanta didn’t think we were coming and had to reschedule us into the flow.
We arrived at 12:45. Needless to say, I missed my 12:35 connection. Delta re-booked me on a 2:35 flight. I was pleased to see that I’d been upgraded to first class. I ate a Whopper at Burger King and waited.
Oops, it wasn’t really a confirmed seat. It was a first-class seat on standby. So I had to wait while all the other passengers boarded, not knowing if I was getting on or getting bumped to the 4:35 flight. Fortunately Delta’s shitty record getting other planes to Atlanta on time paid off. Someone missed their connection to the 2:35 plane and I got the first-class seat. At least I got a couple of free Coronas for my troubles. Wish they’d had lime slices.
The plane landed at 3:25, only 25 minutes after the scheduled arrival time, which for Delta is an outstanding performance. I got my luggage, hopped a cab, and was home.
7:30 to 3:50. No, wait. 7:30 to 4:50 Eastern Time. 9 hours 20 minutes. I could’ve driven from Savannah in 10. It would’ve taken slightly longer, but I’d have been in control. No waiting, I could leave whenever I want, stop wherever I want. I’ve long had a rule that any destination within a 6-hour drive, I’ll drive rather than fly. May extend that rule a few more hours.
I am never, ever flying any connection involving Atlanta Hartsfield Airport again. That place is an air traffic control nightmare. I don’t care what I have to do. Hopefully Southwest will be here in a couple of years, taking over the AirTran spots, and air travel from Memphis as we know it will change forever.
I need a beer.