So I did make it to Seattle - in about twice the time it was supposed to take. Flight was delayed over three hours due to mechanical problems at the previous stop (Portland). I went to the airport at the original time since sometimes they sub equipment and my flight might have left any time. But alas - there was another flight leaving sooner but no first class. So stayed in a quieter part of the terminal double masked.
Finally got aboard - almost first on the plane after all that time in the airport - and it took about 15 minutes before we could take off after leaving the gate (San Diego has one runway). I was so happy I chose first class - and that my seat mate was masked too. Overall it was about 20% in San Diego and maybe a third masked in Seattle. He only unmasked to eat, and I left on one mask and sneaked food under it.
Then when we landed and headed to a gate, we stopped short and they made an announcement that a Port of Seattle truck was parked in front of our gate. Instead of finding a way to move the truck, apparently ground crew decided to let us wait until they could find someone to tow us to a different terminal. No closer gate! My seat mate timed it at 40 minutes from landing to gate arrival.
Tested negative tonight but will check every evening.
Oh the gate anti-Tetris is a common thing here, unfortunately. It seems to be a common pattern: flight arrives early,
but there is no gate. So the plane waits on the tarmac. Argh. 40 minutes!! Unacceptable.
Yes, that, too! The airport seems to be short-staffed… and next Monday, Alaska pilots will be voting on whether to strike or not… air travel is a mess.
Less than 6 weeks from our Canadian Rockies trip. Guess we’ll have to order the proctored Binax test kits soon, so we can re-enter the US at the end of the tour.
Had hopes this rule would be waived for vaccinated/boosted individuals at some point, but hope is quickly fading…
Just wanted to mention that the New York Times Covid World Map has European countries getting lighter (covid cases going down) and the U.S. map getting darker (covid rising). I don’t know if other continent colors can be trusted.
My daughter’s flight from Southwest was cancelled last night, she finally boarded one this morning. So many cancellations lately. Last year I had to rebook my flight to London at a specific time, I checked their daily flight records, let’s hope none of mine will be cancelled this year.
Last week I had a long phone call with my Israeli friends and I started thinking about visiting them in August. I looked on the Google Flights app and saw round-trip tickets from NYC on Polish LOT airline with 3-hour layover in Warsaw for $524! That’s really cheap!
My saga continues - got a text earlier that my Monday evening flight home was cancelled and they rebooked me at 6:00 am Tuesday . Also got an email with a phone number to click on and GOT A LIVE PERSON IN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES. I am now rebooked for an afternoon flight Monday; same first class seat. Whew. Wonder if it will actually leave on time.
We are doing some small time wine tourism in our own state because we wanted to stock up on wine for the wedding. Brrrrr… it is cold here even across the mountains! And the wind just howls. No wonder I was able to score dinner reservations for us. Last year, when we were touristing here to get our shots, we got to eat outside… I think it will be indoor dining or takeout for us tonight. Stopped at Terra Blanca, the winery we frequently visit when we come this way. There was not a soul sitting on the nice patio which usually would be packed. We found a table in a quiet corner… so tasted some Italian-style wines.
There are a number of flights from Warsaw to Tel Aviv. We did the Warsaw-Tel Aviv leg from our Eastern Europe/Israel trip ten years ago. Was surprisingly cheap then, too!
Before things in Eastern Europe went to hell, we were curious about guided tour packages of Poland (wife has Polish ancestry, and a PBS series made the country intriguing). A ten-day tour of Poland was at least $1000 pp cheaper than equivalent tours of France, Italy, etc.
Let’s just say that’s a part of the world we will be avoiding for the foreseeable future.
My son and his fiancée are settling into their life in Warsaw. She starts her job with Google tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind visiting them but a trip doesn’t fit into our schedule right now.
My son heads to Belgium on Saturday for a study abroad mini session for his vet school. As soon as he comes back he heads to Cabo with his fiancée and her family to look at wedding venues for next summer. He said he will mask on the planes because why risk it. He doesn’t have to test to go to Belgium but has to test to return. He is looking forward to being done with finals and heading on a couple adventures after a long break from them.
It seems to be a common pattern: flight arrives early,
. Also got an email with a phone number to click on and GOT A LIVE PERSON IN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES. I am now rebooked for an afternoon flight Monday; same first class seat. Whew. Wonder if it will actually leave on time. 
We found a table in a quiet corner… so tasted some Italian-style wines.
