BOS-BOS (or "Perqs of Platinum")

12Jun
DL6293 dep BOS 1525 arr JFK 1638 FRJ 9A
DL99 dep JFK 1745 arr SEA 2102 767-300ER 3C

16Jun
DL98 dep SEA 0820 arr JFK 1635 767-300ER
DL6294 dep JFK 1730 arr BOS 1855 FRJ 9A

Why change in JFK? Well, I'd already decided to splurge and buy the upgradeable K fare. JFK guaranteed me a super cushy ride across the country (on Delta, Business Class beats out First Class by a mile). Transiting JFK would be a minor inconvenience (I really don't like JFK, I try to avoid it when possible). Anyways, it was a Wednesday (not typically a busy travel day).

Hubby would be following me out a day later, BOS-CVG-SEA. He didn't have the luxury of BizElite service; he was only to experience domestic first class. One up for me! Of course, it meant that I would be able to carry the laptop with me. Delta has laptop power in all BizElite seats, so I'd be able to leave the laptop up and running. Of course, with two batteries, each lasting approximately 4 hours, I wouldn't even need power. But it's always good to be prepared. You never know when you'll be diverted and need the extra juice!

I actually permitted myself to take the day off work, even though my flight wasn't due to depart until 1525. Normally I'd work half a day (until the last possible moment) and then leap in a cab (or take the T, even!) to the airport. Not a great way to begin a vacation/short break, certainly!

My suitcase and two carryons (one was the laptop) arrived at BOS with plenty of time. The Medalion line wasn't moving very quickly, so I chose to use the self check-in kiosks. They support bag check now; how cool! Kiosks are only usable by those on electronic tickets. Of course, that included me (I really really hate paper tickets). The bag was tagged and sent away. I was glad to be rid of it, it was very heavy. I'm not your average very frequent flyer. I hate paper tickets and I always check luggage.

DL6293 is operated by ACJet (aka Atlantic Coast Airlines). ACJet operations are out of gate 41 in Terminal C, which is one of the three seperate sterile areas (sigh). Unfortunately, the Crown Room is in a different one, and there was enough of a line for me not to feel comfortable enough to go into the Crown Room and then come out again, only to reclear security. I went through security before gates 40-42 and proceeded to sit on a windowsill and read until my flight was called. Not quite the same comfort as the Crown Room with comfy chairs, couches, and computers to boot!

They called our flight and I went on board. One of the pluses of flying alone is that I got to sit in 9A on the FRJ. This seat is awesome: plenty of leg room (much more than any other seat on the plane). I gate-side checked my backpack and carried my laptop on board. The plane was completely full.

Before pushback, the captain came on the PA and said that due to an excessive number of bags, the flight attendant would be moving people around for "weight and balance". He said that the FA would ask heavier people to move forward, and younger, smaller people to move backwards. I swear, the flight attendant made a beeline for me. Nobody who knows me would call me heavier (and I won't say here how old I am, but it would take you very little research to find out). I was quite put out by her request. Why should I give up seat 9A? In the end I wouldn't move and she moved somebody else.

A family of four came to sit in 9B&C and 10B&C, a mother, father, and two kids (3.5yo, 10mo). They were en route to BCN. The guy in front of me was bound for AMS. Everybody was talking in excited voices about their trips. The weather in BOS was even good. I had been nervous and actually considered taking an earlier flight to beat it out. "Not to worry", said my DL Guardian Angel "you should be alright".

After the reshuffle due to weight and balance, we taxied and took off. The FRJ cruises at the lowly altitude of 21000ft. The flight got a little bumpy en route to JFK. The FA did a very adequate and quick cabin service (pretzels and drinks). The captain came on partway through the flight to say that we'd have to circle JFK "for a little while" due to weather. I wasn't concerned as I booked a connection with plenty of slack (hah hah).

The cockpit was on the interphone with the FA almost constantly. I became a little concerned when she mentioned "oh, just in case we don't have enough fuel" to another passenger. A-ha. The captain must be worried that we may have to divert.

Ding Ding, Ding Ding. Final! So much for diversion! The clouds were pretty heavy over JFK, but we were cleared to land. We descended for a little bit, but that abated. Hm, that's strange.

After about five minutes, the captain came on and said that due to a new thunderstorm cell, we were out of fuel and we had to divert. Unlike the last time I was on a diverted flight, he did not go out of his way to explain to the passengers that "out of fuel" really means "out of reserves". None of the passengers became concerned that we were about to drop into the drink, however.

Our destination? BDL! Hm. I've never been to Hartford (except whizzing through on the freeway). He promised that we'd get on the ground and hopefully get straight back to JFK. I looked at my watch and realized that my SEA flight would probably go without me. Urgh. And FRJs have no in flight phones.

Well, not much I could do about it. I figured the moment we landed and docked in BDL, I'd ring up DL SMS and get them to fix me up. But what did that mean? Did I want to go on to SEA (the Palm version of the DL timetable said that wasn't possible; the last flight of the night was gone)? Did I want them to put me up? (Unlikely for most people, as this was a weather diversion. But I'm Platinum, so perhaps they'd oblige if I asked nicely enough). What other options are there?

I had another complication. When I checked my plane-side bag at BOS, I put it on board feeling fairly confident I could get it back by 1800. Why 1800? I had medication in there that I needed to take before 1800. We touched down at 1720 and docked (not at a gate, just a hardstand) at 1730. I knew darn well there'd be no chance of reaching JFK by 1800.

After the seatbelt sign was turned off, I decided that health came before travel plans. I flipped off my belt and went straight forward to the FA. I explained my dilemma to her and gave her my pink planeside bag tag (and described my bag). Within five minutes she had brought my bag to me: phew!

While my bag was being fished out of the back, I called 1-800-Special-Member-Services (you don't really think I'm going to put the telephone number here, do you?). Funny anecdote: even though most of the rest of the plane was calling Delta (either the standard 1-800-221-1212 or the SkyMiles number) while I was speaking with the FA, and had a good three minute lead on me, I was the one who got the agent first. Oh thank god for Platinum.

I got a gem of an agent (you'd hope so for SMS!). She said that Delta had already protected me on an 0610 departure out of LGA (eugh). No mention was made of hotel accomodation (and I didn't ask). I made a lightning quick decision. "Can I go back to Boston tonight and on to Seattle tomorrow?". Why stay in a hotel (paid for or not) when I could sleep in my own bed and then fly with hubby? She said "that should be possible" and put me on hold.

I figured that they'd stick me on the last ACJet of the night from JFK-BOS. Due to a funny quirk in the Delta electronic timetable, it didn't have any of the ACjet flights in it, so I couldn't see what that last flight would be. I also had neglected to pick up a copy of the paper timetable in BOS. But I figured there had to be at least one more I could catch...

I was on hold for about fifteen minutes (others in the plane finally got agents during this time). She came back and offered me a Shuttle flight back to BOS and then the same routing (BOS-CVG-SEA) as hubby on Thursday 13 June. Bingo! I was set! She put me back on hold while she sorted it all out. When she came back for the last time, she told me that my record was really really ugly and I'd have to get it all sorted out on the ground in New York.

I have to wonder, at this point, how many rules the agent broke sending me back to BOS. Did she break the rules because she was a nice person? Because I was Platinum? Because of the weather delay? Some obscure combination of all three? I don't care, as I got what I wanted. But if Platinum factored into the equation at all, it's enough to make me think about doing some mad mileage runs to requalify.

I rang hubby. It was quite a funny conversation. "Go on, ask the question". It took him about three tries to figure out I wanted him to ask "where are you". When I told him he was flabberghasted. I promised to telephone him with more updates. I then called my sister who was supposed to be meeting my flight and put her on warning that I might not be arriving as planned.

Before long, we were fueled up. The captain came on to say that we had been cleared back to JFK, but that the weather was still hanging around. It was a 31 minute block time from BDL to JFK. We didn't touch down until after 1900, and then had to hang around the apron waiting for rush hour to go by. One lowly FRJ among 767s, 777s, 747s... it was quite a ride. I love planespotting at JFK at rush hour (yes, even though I don't really like JFK).

The whole time, the captain did a great job of keeping us informed (since it was the captain on the PA I must assume that the FO was flying). The FA was also great, giving out what information she had and staying cheerful.

We finally found our way to the hardstand that serves ACJet and were shoved onto a bus. I advised those nearest to me that the buses at JFK were LIFO, so to hang around near the doors. I didn't even sit down on the bus ride, there was no point. As a result, I was second off the bus and up the escalator.

Most of the other passengers made their way to the DL Connection desk. I wasn't sure if it was staffed by real DL employees or just ACJet employees, so I went off to the Crown Room. The agent took one look at my PNR and said "you'll have to go to ticketing to deal with this, by gate 14".

Off to the ticket desk. Funnily enough, quite a few of the people from my flight ended up there after I arrived. The agent was very patient and cheerful. He said "oh, this is a real mess!", but said that I was indeed confirmed on the 2130 shuttle to BOS with a standby reservation on the 2030. He said I'd have to go and get my bag from Area D's bag claim. I thanked him for his assistance and went off on my way.

I forgot how far away Area D is from the rest of the bag area at DL's terminal. I never arrive into JFK on a domestic flight, so how would I know? It's a pain in the ass. But I finally found it .... and then had to find an agent to assign the bags to a belt. And yet no bags arrived. I went back to the agent who made a few phonecalls and said "there are no bags for DL6293". Ahem. He said "maybe the little plane had to leave them behind". I pointed out that when we pushed back from BOS there were no bags remaining on the cart (eagle-eyed Helen fights for passengers' rights and wins!). He hemmed and hawed and put in another phonecall.

Turned out that when he asked, he'd asked the right question but the person on the far end didn't understand. DL6293 had no bags tagged for JFK, they were all bags for connection. So the bag agent had to get the ramp agent to get the bags (which were tagged for various other destinations: international and domestic), gather them up, and bring them to area D. All of the bag agents, just like the other DL personnel I dealt with, had really good attitudes. Even faced with a planeload (albeit a small one) of somewhat irate pax, they were patient and understanding. I thanked the supervisor for their attitudes.

Finally, the bag belt started moving. My suitcase was the fourth one out. Unfortunately, at this point, it was 2030 and I was NOT going to get the 2030 shuttle. I made my way out to ground transport and got a cab to LGA.

The cabbie was a riot. He was listening to the Mets game and was amazed how much I knew about Baseball. Between the pax on the FRJ who were amazed how much I knew about airline operations and the cabbie, it was my day to impress people, I guess. We made good time to LGA. It looked like there'd been a major fallout from the weather, because there were easily 150 people waiting for cabs. Even though my cabbie had not been cleared from the taxi pool, the dispatcher let him take a passenger just to get her out of the line!

I went inside to the ticket counter. The chipper agent said "and how will you be paying for this?". No no no no, you don't understand. :-) I got her to open up my PNR. She recoiled when she saw it. :-) Luckily, she quickly realized she was over her head and got the redcoat to come out and help her. I tried to tell her that she had to do an online transfer, but she needed to hear those directions from her redcoat. Of course, her redcoat said the same thing...

Fifteen minutes later and I was completely rebooked. The mess was turned into an itinerary which included Shuttle back to BOS, and then BOS-CVG-SEA on 13Jun, just as planned. Unfortunately, that meant I was converted to paper tickets for LGA-BOS and BOS-CVG-SEA. A small price to pay.

I cleared through security at about 2105 and got in line for the BOS flight. My sequence number was 139 (which I knew meant we'd have a nearly full Shuttle flight). Sure enough, it was very full. Our flight was late pushing back and then delayed even further when they changed runways at LGA on us.

But I arrived back in BOS ... later than I wanted to, but I still arrived back. There was no line for a cab, so hubby (who had graciously come out to meet me), one suitcase, and two carryons were soon in a taxi and on our way home.

 :

I wrote this from DL1401 and DL697 on 13Jun. Luckily for me, there were no problems. On those flights, as on DL6293 and on the ground at BOS, JFK, and LGA, the Delta front line staff were proof once again why I fly Delta. Not on the front line, but just as vital to the success of my trip, my Delta Guardian Angel made this trip bearable. I sat in First Class on DL697 thanks to his quick fingers (well, I would have cleared at the gate anyways, being Platinum, but it was nice not to have to stress over it).

I don't think I'm going to write a trip report for BOS-CVG-SEA-JFK-BOS. I think one ~280 line report per trip is plenty. So watch for my next report later this summer.

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