Saturday, February 26, 2011

DCA, and Annoyed with Crew Tracking (again.)


Location:  Smelly Cat Coffeehouse, NoDa, Charlotte, NC

Crew tracking can kiss the fattest part of my ass.  I don’t mind sitting reserve, but don’t give me overnights and call right before I get on the flight, take them away, and put me back on reserve.  My friend was working a charter flight to Mardi Gras, while I was sitting in the crew room finishing season 5 of Weeds.  Yesterday I was in Austin.  I woke up early, and my flight out wasn’t until 6PM.  72 degrees, no humidity, no clouds.  Awesome day for a walk, and I was full of energy, so I went for a very long 5 mile walk around town, only to be questioned by the Austin Highway Patrol for “looking suspicious.”  Apparently I wasn’t wearing the state-mandated big-ass belt buckle and cowboy hat.  Last night I was supposed to go to Newark, spend the entire day there (which meant train to NYC for the day,) fly back to Charlotte, and go back to Newark again tonight.  I had an entire trip where I could sleep really late.  Not only that, it’s really windy in Newark, and bumpy cross-landings are fun.  Then I went to Wilmington, where I always have famous people on my flights.  Of course they took that away, and gave me a DC overnight with a 7AM flight out in the morning, and Memphis and Phoenix overnights.  Which work, only I couldn’t find the DC flight in the system, so I called and I was told that I would now sit reserve until midnight, and do an O’Hare round trip today.  So naturally, rather than a bed, I slept in the crew room last night, and will sleep there again tonight.  There or my car.  I have a headache due to my current state of pissedoffedness.  At least I still have my long Pensacola overnight the last day of the month.  If they take that away I will have words with them.  The good thing to come out of this is not having to do the long flight from Phoenix back to Charlotte.

My last 3 days off I sat around the house bored for the first two days, and then couldn’t take it anymore.  I booked a flight to DCA from Columbia, because there were three people on the plane.  Nothing like having a plane to myself.  After that I took an empty Airbus to LaGuardia, and then back to Columbia on another empty plane.  I fly just to fly.  I walked around DC for a bit, took a few pics, and ate a nice brunch near Metro Center.

EDIT:  As I was typing this crew tracking called and gave me 2 overnights, which I can deal with.  But they took away my Pensacola overnight, which I'm not happy about.  Picked up Newark tonight (after Chicago round trip,) and a Savannah overnight.
Airbus at DCA

Austin skyline from my walk yesterday

US Capitol

Ditto

Clouds over SC

DCA terminal

DCA tower

About to descend through the clouds

Dawn over SC

Washington-Dulles from cruise

Empty Airbus, with my receding hairline

Itinerary booked the night before.  Notice the price.

Seagul doing an impression of Jesus

Philadelphia International Airport

LaGuardia

Approaching LaGuardia, before the left turn to land

Lower Manhattan

Ditto

Washington Monument

View of Manhattan while approaching LaGuardia

Ditto

United/Continental Airbus

Panthers Airbus at DCA

Philadelphia from cruise

Seagulls in DC

Statue of Liberty

Sunrise over SC

About to take off and make the left.  Stewardess got bitchy that I took this pic.  She got over it.

Just descended through the clouds, over the Potomac.

Ditto

View from DCA

1 comment:

  1. you should always pack your oversized belt buckle and cowboy hat just in case you wanted to take a leisurely stroll. That is if you can get them past the TSA. "I swear! it's not a weapon!"

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