I'l Be Home For Christmas, If Only In My Dreams

Well, I have discovered what holiday travel is like! After all th0se years of hearing and seeing reports of travelers unable to make it home for the holidays, I am finally one of them.
Let me start from the beginning:

12/19/08
5:00PM
Departed from Unalakleet to Anchorage.

6:30PM
Arrived in Anchorage.

7:00PM
Took the shuttle to the Courtyard Marriott with 2 other teachers.
Checked into room 251 with Sarah (who had a 9:00 flight the following morning).

8:00PM
Took a taxi with Sarah and Jeni to Moose's Tooth for delicious pizza and refreshing beverages.

10:30PM
Went into the hot tub with Jeni (and had to improvise since I left my bathing suit in Unalakleet!)

12/20/08
12:00PM
Checked out of room 251 and walked down the hall to room 232 to join Jeni and Barb for the night.

1:30PM
Had lunch with Teri, my PartyLite Leader (I am in the process of becoming a PartyLite consultant).

3:30PM
Went back to the Marriott.

7:30PM
Heidi picked me up in her rental car and we drove to The Snowgoose and met up with other BSSD staff.

9:00PM
Listened to Willis from Little Diomede play guitar/harmonica/sing.

12:00AM
Squeezed in Willis' compact rental car with his luggage, Katie and her luggage, and Ming and her luggage.

12:15AM
Arrived back at the Marriott.

12/21/08
8:00AM
Had breakfast with Jeni and Barb.

8:30AM
Ran errands with Jeni and Barb.

2:00PM
Decided to check if my flight was on time.
Found out that my flight out of Anchorage was DELAYED 40 minutes (waiting arrival of aircraft) and my flight out of Seattle was CANCELED.

3:30PM
Took the shuttle to the airport.
Joined the 40 or so people ahead of me in the Continental line.
Heard that the flight was now 2 hours delayed (still awaiting arrival of aircraft).

3:45PM
Called home while waiting in line.
My hero mother was able to reserve my name on a USAirways flight out of Anchorage at 12:05 Christmas morning and arriving to Albany at 5:50 that evening.
Found out my Continental flight to Seattle was now delayed 4 hours (STILL awaiting arrival of aircraft).

5:45PM
Found out that the flight was now 7 hours delayed (scheduled to arrive at midnight).
Made it to the check-in counter.
Found out I had 3 options:
1. Fly to Seattle and try to get a flight out from there.
2. Check my luggage with Continental and find out if there were any earlier flights with USAirways.
3. Take my luggage with me and talk to USAirways.

5:50PM
Dragged all of my luggage to the USAirways counter only to find it completely deserted except for a sign that said: No one will be available until 8PM.

6:00PM
Called home to give the family an update.

7:30PM
Went back to the USAirways counter and saw a representative.
Found out that I could either fly with USAirways or take a chance and go to Seattle.

7:45PM
Sat on the floor against the wall with my luggage while trying to call airlines via Skype to see if I could get out sooner than the 25th ( I think people thought I was crazy since I was talking to my computer!)

7:50PM
Saw a BSSD staff member.
Left him guarding my luggage while I went back to USAirways to confirm the Christmas flight.
Was told by a really nice lady I had to go back to Continental and ask if they would give USAirways permission to "control" my flight.

8:00PM
Was told by the really nice lady that she was able to get control over my flight.

8:15PM
Went back to USAirways and she confirmed that not only was I reserved on the Christmas flight but she assigned me a seat number.

She said that all of the flights are over-booked so even people who are reserved will only get on board if they have an assigned seat.

8:50PM
Heard an announcement that the flight to Seattle had been CANCELED.
Felt relieved that I at least had a confirmed flight out of Anchorage on Christmas day.

9:15PM
Reluctantly left the other unfortunate travelers who were waiting in line to reschedule their flights and went back to the Marriott.
Barb was still there and Jeni was replaced by Linda.

12/22/08
12:00PM
Left the Marriott with all of my luggage and hauled it into Heidi's car.
Hung around with Heidi for the day: Stopped by a Salvation Army shelter: the middle school students at Unalakleet made Christmas cards for the children there and taped a caring coin to each one; Fred Myers; CostCo.;Tidewater Books; Applebee's)

5:30PM
Went to the airport post office and helped Heidi pack up her bush order (which consisted of 2 tubs and a giant box) and ship it to herself in Shaktoolik (this avoids having to shop on the return trip and allows more time for her food, etc. to arrive in Shaktoolik).

6:45PM
Dropped off the rental car with Heidi.
Waited with her at the Alaska Airlines/ Northwest terminal with all of my luggage.
Barb and Linda also joined us.

8:00PM
Said goodbye to Barb and Heidi.
Went to USAirways to see if there were any open seats on ANY flight heading east while Linda checked to see if there were any open seats with Alaska Airlines.

8:30PM
Found out that stand-by with USAirways was not an option because if I was unable to get on a flight my confirmed flight on the 25th would be wiped out.

8:45PM
Went back to Alaska Airlines and joined Linda.
Called some BSSD teachers who were staying at the Millenium and they said Linda and I could join them.

9:30PM
Began the hour long wait to see if Linda would make it on a flight.

10:30PM
Linda returned unsuccessful at getting out and I went to see about a flight with Alaska Airlines.

11:00PM
Found out that I could possibly get on an earlier flight but all flights out of Anchorage go to Seattle.

11:00PM
Called the hotel and asked for the shuttle to come get me: "I am waiting at the Alaska Airlines check-in terminal".

11:15PM
Called the hotel again: "No sign of the shuttle".

11:25PM
Called again: Me: "Still no sign of the shuttle" Hotel: "You are waiting upstairs?" Me: "Yes"

11:35PM
Was told I was waiting in the wrong section.
Lugged my things downstairs to the bottom level.

11:40PM
Called the hotel again: "STILL no shuttle but this time I am waiting in the correct area".

11:48
FINALLY the shuttle arrives!

11:55PM
Arrived at the hotel and asked for a key to room 4048 so I don't have to wake anyone up if they are sleeping.
Was told that unless I could give the name of the person whose name the room is booked with she could not give me a key, AND she had to call them to make sure I was allowed to stay there. Crap! "Oh what is his name- I have never met him but we work in the same district- Frank?- Ralph?- Fred?- if you tell me the name I would know it!" She tells me his name is Floyd. "That's it!"

12:10AM
I FINALLY make it to the room after it takes me 140 steps just to get there from the elevator!

12/23/08
8:45AM
Head down to the lobby and wait for the others so we can go to breakfast.

9:15Am
Breakfast at the hotel restaurant with my new roommates and 2 other BSSD staff members who are staying here.

11:45AM
Call USAirways: NO flights.

12:00PM
Check out of the hotel room.
Say goodbye to everyone and plop down on the couch in front of the fireplace in the hotel lobby.

12:20PM
Call Continental and Delta- NO flights.

1:18PM
Finish this blog entry as I wait to see if Anna will come back or not (she is waiting stand-by at the airport).
If she comes back we will stay here for one more night. If she does not come back then I need to find a place to go.

1:20PM
Publish this post.