The challenges of air travel, the sequel

Life is so funny sometimes.  I just finished re-reading my post from this morning and the irony is quite hilarious.  The good news is that I am sitting on the couch in my parents home on Lake Chapala (an hour south of Guadalajara).  The story just didn’t end this morning at 9 am.

Things were looking good, the we started boarding the plane at 9:15 am for a 9:45 departure. The plane wasn’t even full, and we had the key emergency exit seating again (luxury, I tell you). On this plane, we met some really great people. First, our flight attendant, Anna-Marie, is most likely the best I have ever seen in all of my travels. She is one of the most positive people I have ever met. She loves her job, she works hard to make sure the passengers are comfortable and she anticipates what people will need. She is a true example of what excellent customer service is. Anna-Marie was kind enough to offer an older couple who were seated at the back of the plane the empty seats beside us in the exit row. We had so much fun getting to know Linda & Bill, and all of us enjoyed chatting and interacting with Anna-Marie.

Now, as 9:45 came and went, we started to wonder what was going on. Shortly after, we did receive communication from the cockpit that there was a computer problem and they had a mechanic on board trying to fix it. Unfortunately, the problem was not immediately repairable, so we all exited the plane.  Luckily, another plane was nearby and we finally left at 11:20 am.  Of course, as we approached lunch time, there was no food on the plane (except snacks) because we were supposed to be in Guadalajara by 12:45 pm.  Anna-Marie was great though, and kept us from being too thirsty or hungry.

As we touched down in Guadalajara, we were very relived to finally have arrived. We zipped through customs and waited for our bags.  Now, here is the biggest irony of all.  Remember how we weren’t allowed to board the plane in Toronto because our bags could not be on the plane in time? Our bags have yet to arrive in Guadalajara.  That’s right, even though we spent the night in Atlanta, our bags are still somewhere in the US. We think.

The best news is that we are all together.  And that Sophie & Nick are the same sizes as Dan & I, which makes it easier to handle having no luggage. We had a wonderful first evening here as a family and I’m sure that the rest of our shorten vacation will be fantastic.

Julie