Greetings from Mexico City

I guess I am extremely lucky.  I hear so many horror stories about the hassles of airline travel, but other than a few minor delays, it has been years since I have had any problems.  (Of course I have a strict policy of scheduling a layover of at least 2 hours between connecting flights, so that those minor delays do not become major headaches.)

Yesterday's journey to Mexico City was a bit more frustrating than usual, but, in retrospect, it was just a slight blip in the planned schedule.  It started off smoothly enough.  A friend drove me to Cleveland Airport for my flight to Houston.  I always arrive at the airport more than the two hours before departure.  I don't know why I always arrive so early.  Cleveland Airport, even though it is still a United Airlines hub, is one of the calmest, most stress-free airports I know.  Yesterday morning seemed even more tranquil than usual.  I waited all of three minutes to check my luggage at the United counter, and there was no line at all at security.  I was at my gate and still had two hours to spare.  Fortunately I had a book with me... one of those big, thick, historical novels that I enjoy... and the time passed quickly.  Our departure from Cleveland was delayed by about twenty minutes because they were waiting for crew members.  I wasn't worried since I had a 2 hour, 21 minute layover in Houston.  The flight went smoothly... I had the entire section of three seats to myself... and the pilot actually made up most of the time that we had lost.

Now I am at the Houston airport... so much bigger than Cleveland's.  I had to take the train to a different terminal for my flight to Mexico City.  I checked the flight status at the gate, and found that it has been delayed by forty minutes (once again because they are waiting for crew members).  So I had plenty of time to grab some lunch, and then get out my computer and send an e-mail to my friend Alejandro in Mexico City.  He was coming to meet me at the airport, so I let him know of the delay.

Finally we boarded the plane for Mexico City.  It was on of those small commuter jets with one seat, then the aisle, and then two seats.  Everyone was on board when the pilot announced that the flight had been cancelled.  We deplaned, and the person at the desk told us that we had been scheduled on another flight that was leaving in an hour.  No explanation was given for the cancelation, but I think it's pretty obvious that the airline could save some money by putting all those passengers from the little commuter jet on a larger jet that had plenty of available seats.  I had to take the train to yet another terminal, and wait in line for my new boarding pass.  I had just enough time before boarding to get out my computer and tell Alejandro that I would be even later and on a different flight.  But I discovered that this terminal did not have WiFi, so I couldn't write to him.  (Fortunately, Alejandro had checked the flight status before leaving for the airport.  When he saw that my flight had been cancelled he called the airline and got the information on my new flight.)  My seat was in the very last row of the plane... but no one was seated next to me, so at least I wasn't crowded.

We arrived in Mexico City at around 8:10 P.M., about two hours later than my original schedule.  It was really no big deal, although I wonder how many people missed connecting flights from Mexico City.  Fortunately the line through "migración" was fairly short, and my suitcase quickly appeared on the carrousel.  Alejandro was waiting for me, and drove me to the apartment that I have rented in Condesa.  We went out for a late supper at at a little "pseudo-French" café just a few blocks from the apartment.

It was a long tiring day.  But this morning the sun is shining.  It's a bit chilly, but in another hour or two it should be shirt-sleeve weather.  It's good to be back at my "home-away-from-home" in Mexico City!

  The view from the terrace of my apartment