Getting to Paradise

There’s just something about airports that make you want to leave them immediately. The stress, the desire to leave, what be it, no one thinks of having fun in an airport. Even if you are going to Hawaii.

Before we even got to the airport, my mom realized that I only had 20 minutes of time to get to my layover flight. So we drove up to Carlsbad early, to try and get me an earlier flight. When we got there, the woman (who was SUPER nice!) got us the earlier flight so I had more time for the layover one. She then told us our layover time, but it was 4 hours off!

We told her this was wrong, and she informed us that United (the airline) decided to take upon itself to move me because they thought I couldn’t make it in time. !!!!!
It was ridiculous. The best she could do was put me on standby to the flight I used to be booked on, and hope for the best.

Much to say, they canceled the earlier flight to LA, so that I had to take the later one, no thanks to the rain that seemed determined to meet me on my way into San Diego and out. I was in the last seat at the end, 11A. Two other women came to the back with seat numbers 11B and 11C. No such seats existed! The plane was not full so there was no problem. Being in the exact FURTHEST POSSIBLE seat from the door, I got out of the plane and ran as fast as I could for my next flight. Running past the departure tv’s, I read on the screen that they had already boarded. I still ran there in the hopes that there still was a chance. They had NOT already boarded, but were in fact just starting. I went up to the people at the counter, and they said that I was indeed on standby, and to wait to see if there were extra seats. Of course there were not. I wanted so bad to run past security and get on that plane. Was it really so hard?

I felt better when a girl next to me started talking to me and told me that she had been there in the airport since 7 am just trying to get to Hawaii. At least I had a companion. We waited until the plane left, and then I got food. I read Beedle the Bard and my new book, Uglies, until they started boarding people.

I once again was all the way in the back, just not the very back this time. This family, a father, mother, and baby child came, and the man was like, “you’re sitting in my seat.” I had made sure that I was in my correct seat, so I said “No, I don’t think so.” He showed me his ticket, and I pulled out mine, and they were both the same seat number!

A steward happened to be right there, and took both of our tickets. I guess she saw that he had a family, because when she came back she told me to get up. I was gonna be like there is no way in HELL that you’re taking me off this plane, but she just said follow me, until we were out of hearing distance from the man. “you’re going to be flying First Class today. Merry Christmas!”

It didn’t register for a minute, but when it did I was smiling ear to ear! Wahooo! Finally some payback for all the crappy stuff that had happened! I walked up to seat 3F, and sat down. There was so much more room! I sat down, with only one other person in the aisle section with me. Right when I sat down, A steward came up and asked me if I wanted a drink immediately!

When she came back, it was an actual glass (made of glass, to clarify) and had a lime in it. I noticed that there was a lot more pockets to put your stuff in, and also no tray tables attached to the backs of each seat.

Then, the TV came on and the usual “if the plane divebombs…” but then there were commercials for Hilo Hatties. It made me laugh that they were still showing commercials that had obviously been filmed from the 1980s! It made me wonder if the first class cabin was that out of tune with reality that the conservative styles back then don’t exist anymore. I hope they aren’t. The movie they played (really bad, it was about some dreamer who becomes friends with this kid who continues to bully him) was also set in the 1980’s in England! Weird…
Then, they handed to everyone a little bowl of nuts. The nuts were all micro waved, and I must say nuts taste way better when warm. There were Cashews, Macadamia, Pecans, and Almonds. A bit after that, they started handing out these towels. They gave me one, and it was wet and warm, with antibacterial on it. Then they told us we were going to have dinner, so take out our trays. I was thinking, where the hell are the trays?
The people next to me had obviously been through the weird and foreign customs of first class before, and pulled the trays out of a slit in the arm. It was amazing!
Then they gave us salad, a roll, and a brownie. I was angry because they said we were going to have chicken! Also, the stewards kept offering me wine like every ten seconds. Everyone else drank wine pretty much. I tried to eat the salad, but once again the taste of eating grass came from the salad and almost made me gag. I ate the bread and the brownie, both of which were very good. THEN they came out with the main course! The chicken was good, the mashed potatoes passable, but the cooked carrots tasted like how I’d imagine eating your fingers would taste.
One thing I found shocking was that they gave us actual stainless-steel utensils! I hope the terrorists never figure out that the flight attendants literally hand you knives if you buy first class…
Then they offered coffee and tea to everyone. This definitely is first class! For all it’s weird / stupid customs, like making me take the hot towel, and talking to me when I have my headphones on, because they somehow think I can hear them, it is pretty cool. It is a lot better than sitting next to that little girl who was probably crying and not getting any dinner!