Somehow I made it to Phoenix. It sure was a miracle that I did. Of course, I haven't made it where I need to be yet, and I don't think the rest of this trip will go without problems, but there is always hope, right?
I am headed to Utah for a family reunion. My flight plan takes me through Phoenix. I had the same flight today that I took a couple weeks ago for my friends' wedding. But there was a big difference in how things worked out.
First, today was a crazy day at work. I did over a hundred interviews (that's pretty good, especially for being new) and my last case I had to send to fraud. It didn't turn out to be fraud, but since that was the last case of the day, and then I had to wait for the fraud team to do their job, and then finish the process of adjudicating (which the case was brought back to me at about 4:25, I was supposed to leave at 4:30), I didn't leave when I wanted to. In fact, even though I took annual leave to be able to leave at 4:30, I didn't leave until 4:45, which is the time we are officially done with our day. So that annual leave was wasted. Oh well, it was only 15 minutes. But still, I left only ten minutes later than I did last time, so I thought it would be ok.
Boy was I wrong. I was shocked to discover a huge line already formed at the border, and getting longer. And I'm talking about the supposed express/fast lane. It took more than a half an hour just to get to the U.S. side of the border, then I had to go through CBP. To make matters worse, my GPS was not very helpful in getting me to the airport. Maybe I need to do an update on it because the exits it was telling me to take had different names on the signs then the GPS thought they were. By the time I figured it out, it was too late to take the exit. With that little snag, I got to the airport at 6:00.
From there, I still had to park and get to the terminal. Luckily I quickly found a parking spot, but when I got out, I didn't know how long it would take before the shuttle would come, so I started walking towards the airport. The whole time I was praying for a miracle because I knew that they were already bording, if not already borded. I also knew that they close the doors before the time the flight is set to take off and that if they closed the doors before I got there, there would be no getting them to open the doors.
As I was walking quickly towards the terminal, I saw a shuttle. At least I thought it was a shuttle. Unfortunately, I wasted several minutes before I realized it wasn't coming to pick me up and take me to the shuttle. I set off again for the terminal as fast as I could walk. I have to say that I really had to go to the bathroom at this time. In fact, I had had to go before I left work, but because I was late leaving, hadn't taken the time. I figured I could go when I got to the airport.
I got to the terminal and saw that the clock said 6:05. I didn't compare with my own clock to know how long it had really taken me, but I still had to get through security. I was really lucky that the security line wasn't very long. I was even luckier that the people in front of me were really nice. I asked them if I could go ahead because my flight was leaving in 20 minutes. They let me go. After I got inside the terminal, I took off running. As I was getting nearer to the gate, still with a full bladder by the way, and running, an airport employee asked me if I needed a ride. I wasn't too far off, but my mouth was dry and I was starting to feel light headed from the exertion outside previously in the hot desert sun and running inside. I got on, and another lady was running towards us, so we waited for her. Turns out she was trying to make the same flight and got into the same situation at the border as I had. The airport employee wasn't sure if we would make it, but we were off.
We arrived at the gate just as they were making their last call for the two of us. They let us on. I still really had to go, but at least I made it on my flight. It was a true miracle.
I ended up sitting next to a lady who has been working in El Paso for the past month. She is a nursing consultant and will be working in El Paso for another 2 months. However, she lives in Phoenix. Anyway, we ended up talking for most of the flight. The flight to Phoenix from El Paso is a really short flight, and I ended up missing the window to get up and go to the bathroom. After we landed, I finally made it to a restroom . . . 4 hours after I first started needing to go.
My flight to SLC is delayed, too. That's why I'm not sure how smooth this trip will be. But, I don't think anything could be as bad as Memorial Day weekend!
I am headed to Utah for a family reunion. My flight plan takes me through Phoenix. I had the same flight today that I took a couple weeks ago for my friends' wedding. But there was a big difference in how things worked out.
 |
| Border traffic: what's the good of an express lane if it takes forever? But then again, if I had had to go through the regular lane, it would have taken ten times as long . . . |
Boy was I wrong. I was shocked to discover a huge line already formed at the border, and getting longer. And I'm talking about the supposed express/fast lane. It took more than a half an hour just to get to the U.S. side of the border, then I had to go through CBP. To make matters worse, my GPS was not very helpful in getting me to the airport. Maybe I need to do an update on it because the exits it was telling me to take had different names on the signs then the GPS thought they were. By the time I figured it out, it was too late to take the exit. With that little snag, I got to the airport at 6:00.
From there, I still had to park and get to the terminal. Luckily I quickly found a parking spot, but when I got out, I didn't know how long it would take before the shuttle would come, so I started walking towards the airport. The whole time I was praying for a miracle because I knew that they were already bording, if not already borded. I also knew that they close the doors before the time the flight is set to take off and that if they closed the doors before I got there, there would be no getting them to open the doors.
As I was walking quickly towards the terminal, I saw a shuttle. At least I thought it was a shuttle. Unfortunately, I wasted several minutes before I realized it wasn't coming to pick me up and take me to the shuttle. I set off again for the terminal as fast as I could walk. I have to say that I really had to go to the bathroom at this time. In fact, I had had to go before I left work, but because I was late leaving, hadn't taken the time. I figured I could go when I got to the airport.
I got to the terminal and saw that the clock said 6:05. I didn't compare with my own clock to know how long it had really taken me, but I still had to get through security. I was really lucky that the security line wasn't very long. I was even luckier that the people in front of me were really nice. I asked them if I could go ahead because my flight was leaving in 20 minutes. They let me go. After I got inside the terminal, I took off running. As I was getting nearer to the gate, still with a full bladder by the way, and running, an airport employee asked me if I needed a ride. I wasn't too far off, but my mouth was dry and I was starting to feel light headed from the exertion outside previously in the hot desert sun and running inside. I got on, and another lady was running towards us, so we waited for her. Turns out she was trying to make the same flight and got into the same situation at the border as I had. The airport employee wasn't sure if we would make it, but we were off.
We arrived at the gate just as they were making their last call for the two of us. They let us on. I still really had to go, but at least I made it on my flight. It was a true miracle.
I ended up sitting next to a lady who has been working in El Paso for the past month. She is a nursing consultant and will be working in El Paso for another 2 months. However, she lives in Phoenix. Anyway, we ended up talking for most of the flight. The flight to Phoenix from El Paso is a really short flight, and I ended up missing the window to get up and go to the bathroom. After we landed, I finally made it to a restroom . . . 4 hours after I first started needing to go.
My flight to SLC is delayed, too. That's why I'm not sure how smooth this trip will be. But, I don't think anything could be as bad as Memorial Day weekend!
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