The Galley Chronicles: 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.