ALL'S SWELL THAT ENDS WELL

[schlomo]

All is Swell that Ends Well

Yesterday on our flight from Las Vegas to Albuquerque via Los Angeles, I got ensnared in a few unscheduled but rectifiable misadventures. My wife and I are TSA approved, so I searched for the appropriate aisle in the presumably Delta wing of the terminal. The only one I saw was closed, so I figured that we had no choice but to get in line behind hordes of other passengers and submit to the cumbersome regulations at the check-out point. Just as we reached the end of the line, an attendant led us to another aisle where we had to wait interminably for a TSA agent to evaluate IDs. She got so flustered that she had to hurriedly leave her spot. Her competent replacement was ready to let us pass through until another agent told us that we were at the wrong airline entrance to begin with. I was in a bit of disarray (belt and computer in hand) as I had to do an about face, but I persevered. The attendant kindly escorted us to a TSA approved checkpoint that led to the appropriate Delta gate for our LAX flight, giving us plenty of time to prepare for boarding an hour later.

The flight from LAX to Albuquerque was uneventful until we landed. My wife and I couldn’t locate her case for sleep apnea equipment that it was my job to have carried and stashed away in the overhead bin. Not good! Had I somehow managed to have left the case back at LAX? I was crestfallen. We explained our predicament to the flight attendants, who promised to make a thorough search of the plane while we waited at the terminal. After a few minutes, one of the crew handed us the package intact. What a relief! Case closed.

I took more initiative than usual in maneuvering around airports and carrying expensive items. From now on, I think I’ll cede those duties to my wife, who has always been well equipped to do so.