“Survived” the trip… bout all I can say… Don’t EVER fly Delta if you can help it… They absolutely SUCK!!!
Wed- Worked all day, haul ass to DCA, get through security and barely make the airplane for a 1700 takeoff; which backs away from the gate and immediately goes on a 48 minute ‘ground hold’ due to WX in ATL. 90 minutes later, pilot says we’re going as soon as he can start the fans we have 7 minutes to make our takeoff slot…
BUT…
Dumbass pilot tries to start the fans off the APU while still pumping AC into the cabin, result? One APU shutdown… So there we sit on the ramp on 28VDC, not moving and no APU (and blocking the ramp). 20 minutes later he finally gets the APU to restart, and both fans going; we taxi to the holding area and sit for another 30 ish minutes…
1 1/2 hours later we land at ATL, only to spend 45 minutes in the penalty box, since there are no open gates (and I watch my connecting airplane taxi out and take off)… Finally get to a B gate, get off, harried agent won’t even talk to us, she is “Too Busy”… so go stand in line at ‘customer service’ (NOT!!!); it’s now 2130 and I’m looking up flights on my phone, while I stand in line. I finally get up the front, only to be told I’ve been resked for 0800 Thurs AM departure-
Nope- Not accepting that, point out there is a 2225 departure on ASA going to Panama City; but agent doesn’t want to do it. I force the issue and finally get a boarding pass. Problem is, I’m in Terminal B, ASA is Terminal E and it’s now 2205, do the OJ through the terminal to the tram, do the OJ to the E gate, only to find out that in fact I was NOT assigned a seat and am standby for the flight… sigh…
Get the last seat on the airplane, finally get to Panama City at 2315, only to find they have cancelled my car rental, the only thing available is now $97 a day, vice the $37 a day I had (Thank you VERY much Avis, I’ll never darken your doorstep again)…
Oh lovely, it’s a black car, with black vinyl interior… In FLORIDA no less, in the middle of the summer.
Finally get to the hotel at midnight-30, at least they didn’t give my room away… Get a 0400 wake up call and crash.
Up at 0400, pierside at 0500, underway at 0530. Computer problems, but finally get them solved and get systems up, and get to work. Problem is, units are NOT working… After about 4 units, tech ‘remembers’ they changed the initiation procedure… Lovely…
Knock off at sunset, finally get some sleep, back up at 0500, more work until sunset, go to crash and no air in the bunk room… Lost one of the AC units, only cooling is on the bridge and in Ops Center. Damn…
Too hot to sleep, go back to work on other stuff. Finish up at 0500, speed run back to the beach at 1100; flight is available just after noon, jump off the boat, run to the car, throw bag in trunk, jump in car and promptly scream foul words… Remember the black car, with black interior, in Florida? Yeah, I’ve got waffle burns on the backs of my legs (shorts), and my butt…
Go get water out of the hydrant, pour over driver’s seat- It literally steams off, but after two glasses I can at least sit in the seat. Haul ass to the airport, get picked for “random” security check, make the flight by literally about 2 minutes.
Get to ATL, this time I only have to go from B to A terminals, get to the gate, only to find out I have no seat on the connecting flight??? WTF??? Apparently my seat was “mis-assigned”, e.g. somebody put a non-rev or buddy fare in my seat and I got bumped. I sit for two hours in ATL, can’t afford to pay for food in that damn place when a BAGEL and a 12 oz cup of coffee is $9…
Finally get on a flight, literally the LAST frikkin row of the airplane, grumpy flight attendant, and the third of three airplanes with NO water in the Lavs. I’m wondering if Delta is so broke they can’t afford water? I mean, THREE flights out of three with no water??? WTF???
Finally get back to DCA, and I ‘hope’ it was the FO making the landing and then he JUMPS on the brakes rather than tap checking em; cause if that was the Captain, it was pretty frikkin sad…
All in all, another “fun”, “exciting” trip… Yeah, right…
I needs me some recoil therapy tomorrow to put me in a better mood!!! Night all…




