Getting There is Half the Fun

I found today's quote on iGoogle rather ironic:

The saying "Getting there is half the fun" became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines. - Henry J. Tillman

Let me tell you about my Sunday adventures:

I got to Dulles two hours in advance, easily checked in and got through security. Arrived at the gate with an hour to spare and noticed the flight was delayed half an hour. The equipment was delayed leaving JFK and would arrive late in Dulles. By the time we touched down in JFK, I had 25 minutes to get to my next gate.

As soon as the seat belt sign was turned off, my seatmate jumped up to allow me into the aisle. There were four of us standing in front of the door, ready to bolt. By the time the jetway was in place and the door opened, I had 15 minutes to lift-off on the next flight.

As I passed the desk for the arrival gate, I called out "Tucson?" as I passed by, and the agent called back "Gate 2" and pointed to the hallway down to the shuttle bus. As I approached the bus, the driver had just closed the door. The attendant opened the gate and the driver opened the door. I jumped on, the door closed, and we pulled away. When I reached the destination terminal, I jumped off and ran down the hall. When I got to Gate 2, I was told they had been calling my name, and the gate was already closed. The agent at the next gate radioed down to the flight attendant and then opened the gate door. I raced down, walked onto the plane, and the flight attendant closed the airplane door!

Someone was in my window seat and I asked that she move. I sat down and breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

And to my utter amazement, my bag arrived in Tucson right along with me.

Oh, by the way, although we were scheduled for 8:05 departure, it was really 9:05 when we achieved wheels-up!

Gotta love air travel!