And so it begins....

Part I

My friend, MaryAnn, arrived early this morning to take me to the airport. I even managed to sleep last night

OMG—I am at HIA waiting to board my flight to Philly. I actually heard the plane arriving before I saw it. Eeeeee---eeee---eeeeee. It looks even smaller in person. Then I saw the pilot arriving and being admitted to gate C3. He looks about 14. He is now ‘checking’ the plane over.

I have been assured that my luggage will be checked the whole way through to Papeete. I guess we shall see. The big suitcase weighed 50.5 pounds per the airline scale. I guess they give you some leeway or they don’t care. LOL  No, actually, the woman at check-in was very nice and very funny.

I’m not sure why but the last couple of flights my boarding passes have been noted with TSA Precheck. I did not purchase it but I have it. That means, I can leave my shoes on and if I had a jacket, I could leave that on too. They did not make  me go through the ‘make you naked’ scanner either. Just a plain ol’ metal detector. So far, life is good.

I hear the plane revving up outside although we don’t board for another half hour. No luggage aboard yet either. Hmmmmm. I see someone loading a bag of ice onto the plane. I guess we will be having beverage service. A double Bloody Mary for me. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere right?

A plus for using HIA is that there was absolutely no security line—well like 5 people. It was painless. Unlike BWI where security is always a nightmare. I only hope we don’t have to gate-check all the carry-on. I am in boarding group 2 so hopefully, there may be room for my stuff.

Rush hour at HIA:

Dunkin’ Donuts was open and I treated myself to a pumpkin spice donut. Meh. Glazed would have been better.

We actually have a jetway! I was very surprised. Hopefully, this flight won’t be as bad as I anticipate. But my Ativan will still be in my pocket!  

Next stop Philadelphia. Thankfully, the Pope and I came to an understanding and he is staying in NYC until tomorrow so my flight from there won’t be impacted.

Part II

Walked down the jet-way and OUT a door and down a flight of steps and across the tarmac to board my flight. LOL The jet-way had me confused. I did not have to gate check anything though.

Arrived in Philly after a surprisingly ‘ok’ flight aboard the Buddy Holly plane. Upon arrival, at Gate F22, I had to take a shuttle bus to the A gates. That was interesting. (Made me think of that bus we had to ride in FCO, Italy.)  As our bus drove along the RUNWAYs, we had to stop several times to Yield to departing planes. At one point, we were driving alongside a taxi-ing plane. It was interesting though because I got to see the business side of the airport—luggage being loaded, refueling etc…

Arriving at the A-B gates, I immediately made my way to the Admiral’s Lounge. What a difference this makes in the whole airport experience!  You enter by a not very visible doorway, like a secret club….make your way down a carpeted staircase and to a desk where your ‘credentials’ are checked. Then you are in. A quiet space with complimentary breakfast, snacks, drinks—including alcohol. There are comfy chairs with power supplies and a secure wi-fi connection that is password protected, newpapers, magazines and beautifully furnished restrooms.

Part III

After an uneventful, but very full flight, I arrived in Chicago. The taxi to the gate was almost as long as the flight. I made my way to the Admiral’s Lounge, once again. It’s very large and it is very busy. The view is of the tarmac. They have some nasty looking food out for free—but of course you can buy better stuff. My stomach feels disgusting though. I’m sticking to coffee. Each flight is getting progressively longer. This one to LAX is about 4 or so hours I think.

Part IV

I was paged at the gate and asked if I would switch seats so a couple could sit together. The man said the move was up three rows and still a window. I said OK. Not so sure that was a good move. It started off OK, the middle seat was empty and stayed empty as the plane filled up. The very last person on the flight was an off-duty pilot and he took the middle seat. He was very nice to talk to and very informative about airplanes. He told me to ask away. All was going well, until we reached cruising altitude. Without any warning at all, the man in front of me reclines his seat right into my laptop. He didn’t get any more endearing as the flight progressed. First he fidgeted and kept pressing back on the seat, shaking my tray table. Then he starting coughing and sneezing—repeatedly—without once covering his nose or mouth. UGH He twisted his hair around constantly and wiped his nose with his hand. I could feel the germs settling on me. I used my anti-viral inhaler a bunch of times. I hope it works.

We arrived in LAX after doing a touch and go landing and had to circle—but we still got in early. Once again, I went to the Admiral’s Lounge and immediately asked for a shower. They are very nice. After scrubbing the day’s dirt and germs from me, and changing into comfy clothes, I am now in the quiet lounge typing this report. Beside me is a plate of complimentary cheese & crackers and some vegetables. I’m going to wait until I transfer over to the International Terminal to get a real meal. After chilling here for a bit, I will head over to the complimentary bar and have a few drinks. I think I hear a Bloody Mary calling my name.

My Air Tahiti Nui flight doesn’t leave until almost midnight and it’s only about 5:30 here.

Pictures of the shower in the Admiral's Lounge.