Flying through Fay

It's amazing how fast the weather changes.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a beautiful morning in Maryland. It was in the low 80's and breezy as my family and I made our way up to BWI airport for a flight to Florida. We were flying to Orlando and Southwest only flies direct to Orlando out of BWI. Even though it is an hour drive for us up to Baltimore, the Southwest experience is far worth the minor inconvenience of the long drive. What's so special about Southwest? Southwest is the ONLY airline still offering great rates and ON TIME flights... even during the most delayed, most expensive time in air travel. All of the major carriers are now charging you $15 for your first checked bag... NOT Southwest! You get two free bags and you only pay $25 for a third!


Gone are the days of beverage service from airlines such as United and US Air... now, even a bottle of water aboard a US AIR flight will cost you two bucks. Southwest continues to offer FREE drinks, a 100 cal pack of crackers AND peanuts. Now, if she only had TVs at every seat... I would say that I like SW better than my Jet Blue. (Note... Jet Blue still offers free first bag, drinks, and yummy snacks; but their ticket prices are far more expensive than they used to be.) Oh, well... there is still nothing like watching a marathon of What Not to Wear or Keeping Up with the Kardashians while flying across country. That is just hard to beat.


We got through security and checked in at the gate and found that they were expecting an on-time departure. We were surprised... not because of the current issues with air travel, but because Hurricane Fay had just blown up through Cuba and was sitting right above central Florida. Nice. I have to say... I really do not mind flying anymore, but put my kid on a flight and tell me that I will be "OK" flying through a Hurricane? Well, let's just say that I might not have minded a cancellation.

We boarded on time... we took off on time. About half way through the flight (and after the FREE diet soda, peanuts and 100 cal pak), Eva and I were comfortably watching an episode of Mickey Mouse Club on my video IPOD when the Captain told us that he was turning on the seat belt sign for safety. He mentioned that there would be a bit of turbulence as we made our way south through the Carolinas and Georgia and into Florida. So, we buckled up... I said the Our Father a few times and settled back in to sing Mickey's hot dog song. Bump... Bump. It's fine... I took a deep breath. Bump. Lori, do not look anxious or you will scare the child. (Its weird when you talk to yourself. I have to say its weirder to talk to yourself and write it in a blog.)

We started to descend and the bumps got a little better but the plane kept being tossed from side to side. Our Father... I could see the ground and then the air... Who art in heaven... Pounding rain... Hallowed be thy name... landing. The entire airplane of people applauded secretly finished our silent prayers.

We just flew from perfectly beautiful weather to Florida in the middle of a hurricane. It's amazing how fast the weather changes.

Travel On.
Lori

Off to Orlando for Thanksgiving

We are heading to Orlando tomorrow afternoon to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my parents. We are flying out of BWI on Southwest. I am not a huge fan of Southwest Airlines. Mainly because they tend to kid around too much on the flights. For instance, my entire family was on a Southwest flight from New York to Florida to attend my grandmother's funeral. We were all grieving and the only thing we wanted to do was sleep on the flight. When we boarded the plane, the flight attendants started their little safety announcement and one of the guys said.. and I quote... "In the unfortunate event that this flight happens to become a cruise... your seat cushion doubles as a floatation device." I nearly lost my mind. I had my entire family on board... and this was pre-zoloft... and I was having none of it. I literally tore him a.... but, I digress. So, we are heading to Orlando tomorrow...Southwest. We are packed... and we have all of the necessary stuff for travel with a toddler. Birth Certificate - check. Ipod packed with cartoons - check. Music - check. Lollypops - check. This is our first time traveling with our girl over Thanksgiving and we are a bit nervous for tomorrow. Here's what I did to prepare... first, I made sure that we we rented a car seat from the rental car company. This saves us from schlepping our own! I then confirmed that they had my preferred number in their computer... I do not want to have to wait on line with a tired toddler! The next thing I did... I called Southwest to confirm the documentation we needed for her. She is 23 months...so, just under the two year momma has to buy her a seat mark... all we need is a birth certificate. Cool. Then, I jumped online and printed our boarding passes 24 hours before the flight. For Southwest this guarantees that we will be in the "A" group and one of the first to board the flight. AHHH... but you say... Lori, you told us NEVER to pre-board with a child. Yes, I did... I get the "A" boarding to get my husband to get on board and get us seats. Then I come on last with the baby. This way she can run around the gate a bit longer and I can put her on the flight at the last second. Last tip for the night... lollypops. Kids do not know how to "pop" their ears... so, the lollys help them to swallow during takeoff and landing! So, fingers crossed.. her little ears will be fine. I;ll write more from Orlando to let you know what else I discovered. If you are heading out tomorrow... travel safe and remember to pack your patience. This is THE hardest travel period of the year! Plan well, take your time and enjoy. xoxoLori