Sunday, June 25, 2023.
1:45am Pacific: Wake up and get ready for a looong day. Finish the last bits of packing.
2:15am: Say goodby to the airbnb and start the drive to the airport.
2:57am: Arrive at the airport and return the rental car to en empty garage.
3:10am: Check in at the American Airlines counter.
3:15am: Get in line for baggage drop.
4:00am: Baggage check actually opens and everyone realizes we’re lined up going the wrong direction. Remind me: why did we need to be here three hours before the flight?
4:10am: Pass through security where they scrutinize my backpack and it’s content for at least 15 minutes. I fully admit there’s a lot of random bits and pieces in it, but this is excessive. The bag is literally empty and they are still separately running individual pieces back through the scanner. Explain to the security staff that, no, there is not a hidden blade inside my multi-tool because I specifically bought it because it doesn’t have one so it can be carried on for air travel.
4:25am: Finally leave the security checkpoint and get in line at US Customs. Vancouver International Airport offers customs pre-clearance, so once we pass this checkpoint we are considered to be in the US and everything is handled as a domestic flight from that point.
4:30am: US Customs is supposed to open. Tell me again: why did we get here three hours early?
4:35am: US Customs actually opens.
4:45am: Pass through US Customs with no fanfare whatsoever. Still no stamps on the passports. 😕
5:00am: Find a coffee shop and grab chocolate croissants and a yogurt parfait for breakfast.
5:05am: Arrive at our gate.
5:15am: Boarding begins for the flight.
6:00am: Our flight departs on time.
11:45am Central: Arrive in terminal B at DFW and hop on the airport train heading toward the gate for our connection in thermal C. The train does not visit the terminals in letter order, so it’s a bit of a ride.
11:52am: Exit the train at terminal C and start walking toward Dickey’s BBQ for lunch. Notice an Auntie Anne’s and make plans for a post-lunch snack.
11:53am: Get a notification on my phone that they’ve changed our gate. No big deal, we have plenty of time.
11:55am: Another notification that they’ve changed our gate. OK, at least it’s in the same terminal.
11:55am: One more! Really‽ Back to B we go. Let’s deal with that after lunch.
12:15pm: Finally get our food from Dickey’s BBQ. It’s pretty good.
12:50pm: Our gate hasn’t changed in a while, so we feel safe heading back to B. Despite the indirect train route, there is an easy way to walk there. It’s hot in the sky bridge; the first half anyway. (Ooo, foreshadowing!)
1:03pm: Pass another Auntie Anne’s. You what that means! Ellie and Amber both choose cinnamon sugar pretzel bites, while Mackenzie and me go with original pretzels with cheese.
2:45pm: We should be boarding, but instead they announce that the plane is too hot. It’s 100° outside and nearly as hot inside the plane. They need to cool it down before we can board.
4:15pm: The staff at the gate announce they’re ready to board us, but they need our help. They can’t cool the plane during boarding, so we need to go fast before it heats up again. We start boarding immediately and the plane is thankfully a very comfortable temperature.
4:35pm: It’s only been 20 minutes, but we’re fully boarded.
4:40pm: The plane pulls away from the gate. It’s already starting to heat up.
4:45pm: We make it airborne and it starts to cool down again. A delay of about an hour and fifteen minutes.
6:30pm: Arrive in Madison just over an hour late after an uneventful flight beyond the delay.
6:50pm: Grab our bags from baggage claim and blow that popsicle stand!