This differs from prior essays by focusing on personal experiences with some anecdotal references to TSA and inflation.
My mom died on August 5. I may write a eulogy post separately from this essay. It's difficult when you lose the one person who has always loved you unconditionally. It wasn't a shock; my elderly Mom was in hospice care and had some serious health issues. I think the timing surprised me because I recently had called her and she seemed to be in good spirits given the circumstances. I knew. however, things were serious when my brother in law did a facetime with 2 of my sisters the weekend before her imminent passing with my mom looking very sleepy and really didn't say much I could hear. It reminded me of my dad's passing in 2014; they kept him alive long enough for me to fly in from West Virginia (he was dying from complications of sepsis) so I could say goodbye. His eyes tracked my movements but he had a breathing tube down his throat and couldn't talk.
There were arrangements to be made: a funeral home and my Mom's home parish in a NE San Antonio suburb did not have a staff priest or pastor to say the funeral mass. (My mom will be eventually buried in her Fall River, MA family plot.) So it wasn't until late last week until I could make travel plans for this past Monday's (8/11: I've been working for days on this post) service in the 11 AM hour slot. I naturally started with Southwest, usually a price leader--plus Southwest still owed me for a 2022 roundtrip I had to cancel because I was too ill to travel at the time. But I ran into a huge problem because in the interim they overwrote my old password. I had to reset the password--but for some reason they still had an obsolete AT&T account in my profile (this was confusing since I had receipts of my 2022 trip sent to my gmail account). I had dropped the AT&T account years back when AT&T wanted to charge me to keep the email account. I had to call Southwest customer service. I was told I would have to jump through hoops to get my email address updated, that they had stripped customer agents of the capability to make edits. In fact, it would have to be processed through their bureaucracy but the process would take longer than my travel plans would allow. (I haven't started that process yet.) She did explain that my 2022 flight credit of about $462 roundtrip could be applied--but Southwest's available ONE-WAY fares were over $500 to SAT--not even direct. I refused to spend that kind of money without checking other fares.
I checked via Google and found a roundtrip on Spirit to San Antonio through Nashville on Sunday and return via Frontier late Monday, for a base rate of about $320. This was misleading because there were extra costs to add a piece of luggage or carry-on plus another fee to add things like select available seats. (I'm overweight and did not want to risk a middle seat if possible.) When you added the essential add-ons and taxes it was more more like an additional $200. Still, about half of my best alternatives via SWA
I then developed buyer's remorse for problems with each airline, discussed below. But I had to replace my luggage recently over the last couple of months. I got a good deal on a new set from Walmart. But it had this new fangled combination lock that is apparently TSA-compliant. But I couldn't figutre out where the button was enabling me to change the default combination. (My baby brother figured it out There's a tiny button that blends into the black plastic.)
I also had to drive my car nearly an hour away and park. I never tried the public parking spots. I think years back (1998-9) I had started using offsite Preflight Parking/Bullseye Parking; I think in part I didn't want to risk running into a parking shortage issue on the day of travel, and offsite parking let me make reservations/guaranteed availability. I think Bullseye went out of business years ago. This time I worked with a vendor who marketred parking spots at airport hotels like at the Marriott. I was supposed to check in at the front desk to get a parking permit. I guess I haven't been at a Marriott in a while because I didn't see anyone staffing the front desk (or something like a bell at a counter). Then someone said I had to go to the last counter and a clerk would see me and come out. Finding an open spot was easier said than done; hundreds of spots in front lots were filled.
I was aware that TSA had finally dropped the requirement to remove shoes. But I most loathe their fixation with belt buckles and removing belts. I still have some dexterity issues post hospital/rehab threading jean loops. I am always drop my pants in the process of going through the screening. It happened in Baltimore and I automatically did it in San Antonio when one of the agents told me too late I didn't have to do that. I still have minor dexterity issues after my March health incident in threading bely loops behind my back while standing in them, and there is the rush of other passengers reclaiming possession of bin items after screening I also had to be reminded to take off my medical alert device I got after rehab
Probably my most "reasonable" meal from a cost perspective over my travel was a $7 Egg McMuffin meal. Oddly, it was from the only chain restaurant I would encounter in 3 airports during meal times with very limited choices in Nashville and Atlanta. Actually as I'll discuss, my stay at Atlanta was too brief. I was not impressed with McDonald's coffee, although the worst coffee I ever had was actually at a McDonald's in Orlando around the late 70's--it was like stale, strong, inky remnants from the pot. You should never serve that to a customer; you serve from a fresh pot and dump that sludge. It took years after Orlando before I ordered another coffee from McDonald. To be honest, the clerk had warned me they didn't have creamer, etc. I just don't get how a McDonald's runs out of creamer given how much coffee they serve. I drank it black which I do on occasion; but what impressed me about this cup was how hot it was (almost 5-10 minutes before I could sip it) and it wasn't that fresh. Not as bad as that Orlando cup but probably the second worst
The first leg of my first ever experience on Spirit went well. The biggest issue I hsd had was seat selection while booking reservations. Well, I did show seat selection on relevant pages, but they weren't showing up on the summary page before submitting the reservation. That still mystifies me; I know I didn't pay for premium-priced seats in economy, but I had selected standard aisle seats and didn't understand why the summary page wasn't showing them. I have written academic articles on usability, and this encounter violated that criterion. I just hoped this was just a bug with the summary page and was relieved when my email confirmation arrived, it showed my aisle seats. I came out of rehab weeks back at mt lowest weight in about 30 years, not surprising given my recent health trauma. I've still got weight to lose, but I was relieved I could buckle up without asking for an extender. (the same would hold true on my last 3 legs).
I knew I had a long 4-hour layover in Nashville at about 10:40 am. Little did I know that this would turn into my worst travel nightmare. This was like an isolated terminal island of roughly a dozen gates with ground transportatiom to and from other terminals. Ironically I was due to take off from my initial arrival gate although I don't think San Antonio showed on departure lists or the prospective gate over the next 3 hours. There were 2 eateries in the terminal, a sports bar and a coffee shop. Well, there was also a convenience store selling packaged sandwiches, snacks, anf beverage bottles, and a few vending machines at both ends, although not meal alternatives but basic snacks. I decided to have an early lunch at the sports bar. Just about every choice on the menu started at about $15 , about a third burger plates, salads, BLT's or fish entrees.. I was pleasantly surprised they featured grass-fed beef burgers; I added-on cheese and it came with fries. They seemed to offer a number of locally crafted brews (no price listed) but I asked for coffee. I was still shocked tat (with gratuity) I ended up paying $25 for a burger lunch. I recently paid less than that at Lidl for 4 lbs. of ground grass-fed beef.
But then came the flight delay from hell. A number of us reserved rooms at a Hilton-owned chain. I remember paying about $60-70 for a comparable room for my folks' golden anniversary several years back but shell-shocked to find comparable rooms starting at about double that. I had tentative plans to join extended family at a chain restaurant at 7 PM in Mom's SA suburb. I was due late afternoon, time enough to get to dinner. Then apparently the plane which came in and designated for our outgoing flight didn't pass an air conditioning check. Personally, I didn't care so long as the plane itself wasn't on fire. I later conversed with a passenger who had come in on said pane and claimed she hadn't noticed any temperature problems coming in. But then we ran into a series of 1 or 2 hour delays until we got a final 4 hour delay around 6PM, this one caused by the need to rotate out the flight crew, not to mention the still unresolved air conditioning problem. No explanation why they never changed the plane. They bounced us back and forth between adjacent gates.
I finally decided to check out the vending machines, hoping to find a Snickers bar. Nope. Vending machines had changed since I last used one. It was no longer one where you saw prices under an item row. You had to press a button to see prices (almost all items were priced $4) and the machine worked via credit card where you opened the machine door and you could grab one or more items which would be charged to your card. I just grabbed a bag of pretzels, bigger than past vending machine bags but I could buy a couple family bags for that price from Lidl
Of course, the dinner plans I had disappeared after the second delay, and I phoned to cancel. When they pushed the flight past 10PM, I was near panic. If they canceled the flight I had no way of making Mom's funeral in the 11 am hour. I had a nonrefundable return flight on Frontier the next afternoon . I had to call my hotel to hold the reservation. but I would get charged full fees regardless.
The Spirit gate attendants were not helpful to my plight, and I found out later the airline had given others--not me--$20 meal vouchers. I ended up buying a packaged turkey sandwich, chips and drink for about $20 from a convenience store. Our flight information disappeared from the gate shortly after the 4 hour delay. As if Spirit was rubbing our faces in it, Spirit showed our flight having departed on time. The only positive is we saw the gate door finally open for the first time around 9 PM. There were no interim announcements over a/c. I didn't get relief until I finally saw preboarding for the flight. My youngest brother was picking me up at SAT. My Spirit experience wasn't over yet; there was another hour in San Antonio waiting for luggage. I checked into the hotel around 3AM and scheduled a 7:30 am wakeup call.
A couple of comments on Spirit. I think news of Spirit's bankruptcy surfaced after my return. The fact is I was in Nashville for nearly 12 hours. It could have been worse; they could have cancelled the flight but the delay made it difficult to arrange other arrangements to SAT. And it highly annoyed me I never got that meal voucher. They instead sent me a similar discount voucher code to use on a future Spirit flight. I seriously doubt I'll ever use it.
I met 3 of my 6 siblings, two grown nieces and a nephew at the hotel breakfast, I hadn't seen some of my family members since Dad died 11 years ago. I am not going to eulogize Mom here. We had to settle for a visiting/temp priest. I don't expect people to how to pronounce my French-Canadian surname (my dad used to sign in at restaurants as "Gill met") but common courtesy suggests you check with the family in advance to be sensitive vs butcher the name repeatedly like he did, i.e., "gwill met".
The church sponsored a light lunch following the funeral mass. The reason I mention that is I knew I had only an hour layover in Atlanta after a late afternoon takeoff from San Antonio on Frontier. In hindsight. I should have stopped by Whataburger at SAT The flight to Atlanta was unremarkable until we touched down. I don't think I've seen a longer deplaning. Apparently they had problems getting those dudes who connect that bridge from the aircraft to the gate. We must have been on the ground for a full half hour. Not to mention this must have been the longest walk to a gate I can remember--like maybe 200-300 yards. I had no time to walk down the gates looking fot an eatery. I barely had time to do almost the exact same thing I did a day earlier--pick up a packaged turkey sandwich, chips and drink at a convenience store. I brought it directly to boarding the flight..
I knew this time I was going to get into BWI-- nd I knew I would have to call the Marriott hotel shuttle once I got my luggage. And I suspect the reader can probably guess with my luck what happened. Not the first time an airline lost my luggage but Frontier was hands down the worst ever. I filed a missing luggage claim--and to this day I've never gotten a follow -up never mind an overdue apology. They promised a 36-hour turnaround. I was given a phone number to call. No Frontier person ever returned a phone call from voicemail. I was never able to reach ant live Frontier person from BWI after filing my claim..
What happened? My luggage tag had my phone number. Two days later, Delta baggage claim called me. They said they had my luggage (plus 3 others without a phone number). They said they contacted Frontier and Frontier was supposed to show up at 10AM to pick them up--but Frontier no-showed. The Delta lady advised me to get in contact with Frontier. So do you think I got anywhere with Frontier customer service? Customer service just told me my claim was still showing s search in process . No recognition of the fact Delta had my luggage (never mind I still don't know how that happened) and why they didn't make the pickup meeting at Delta baggage claim. I got nowhere with brain-dead Frontier customer service. Luckily Delta's phone number was in my cell history and they recognized my my phone number calling back. They weren't surprised I got nowhere with Frontier. Yes, if I drove to BWI, I could pick it up from them. (Probably 2 hours plus tolls drive and I parked in daily.) The luggage had sentimental value because it had some of my past gifts to Mom. She was a collector of religious art plates.) What most worried me was if Frontier finally got its act together during my drive to the airport. Nope.
