What a weekend.
From delays getting to Seattle to start things off, to having my plane surrounded by police cars, to failed corporate credit cards, to my not knowing any Chinese, to the regular mayhem, there was something for everyone.
It started with me being about seven hours late getting to Seattle.
Routine things – broken planes and bad weather, were at the center, but it still made for a long Friday. I’m glad it was a travel day, and the only thing I really missed was a free dinner.
I had to get the network travel people involved once, however. The airline was going to bump me further back in line and wait for an even later second flight when the Travel Department found me a seat on an earlier one.
So, I’m late for the production meeting, which wasn’t that big a deal, but the guys had already ordered dinner, so all I got was some leftover chips and salsa.
Saturday was a chilly and damp day in Seattle. The temps were in the mid 40’s, and with all the humidity, it was a biting chilly.
We got our game on the air, and it was a good second half, and there was a great crowd at the stadium.
Finished, another guy and I hopped in a car to head for the airport and a flight to Los Angeles, our destination for the night before flying to Houston Sunday morning.
Yes, there are no direct routes in my world.
My interpretation skills came into play when I got on the plane.
It was a small regional jet, and I was in an aisle seat next to a lady.
I had barely gotten into my seat, and another lady was standing beside me, talking fast and talking in a foreign tongue.
After about 30 seconds of ignoring her, a gentleman in the seat across the aisle said “she is talking to you.”
I found out later that this guy is a professor and knew Mandarin Chinese.
Now I’m totally at a loss as to what this lady wants. In her hand she has what looks like a small recording device, which turns out to be some type of translating machine.
The professor and I get her back half a step, and on the screen it says “Would you trade seats with me?”
I guess the lady beside me and the one on the other side were traveling together.
I didn’t have any issues with it, but the airline attendant did.
“You are flying in business class,” she said. “You are not giving up your seat.”
So, with wonderful diplomacy, she moves a guy from a couple rows back into the seat beside me, and the lady who was on my left left to sit a few rows back.
With all that, off we went
We got to LA and caught a shuttle to a hotel only minutes away. Up to the desk we went to check in for about six hours before heading back to the airport.
“Yes, your reservation is here,” the nice desk clerk said.
“But your corporate credit card won’t go through. The arrangements were not made in time.”
What???
So, I put the room on my card, making sure to get receipts for my now growing expense report, also remembering that it takes a long time to get those things paid back.
About a half-hour later the same nice desk clerk calls my room and says that the proper coding had been found and that the charges would be reversed off my card and put on the network card.
So, being skeptical, when I checked out Sunday morning, I asked for a copy of my persona credit card receipt and sure enough, the room charge was still there.
So that meant an email to the travel department and let them fight it out the following Monday.
I got to LAX and weaved my way through their construction messes, and found my plane to Houston.
I boarded, took out my book and got ready to fly.
Then, the cops showed up.
I looked outside and there were three police cars sitting around the plane. The lights were not on, but I was pretty sure they were not bringing the late coffee service.
The plane was closed up and we were supposed to be going, when the captain comes on and says “Folks, American Airlines has informed us that we are not to move. They said personnel will be coming on the plane.”
Everyone started looking around to see who they were coming after.
I had a dickens of a time getting through TSA earlier that morning, but I was sure it wasn’t three police cars worth of trouble, but strange thoughts do go through your head.
We say for about 40 minutes, and nothing happened.
The captain came back on.
“We have been cleared by American to leave. We are heading for Houston immediately.”
So there.
We taxied out and pushed east for Texas. I was not sure if there would be Texas lawmen there to greet our plane or not...
There were none.
I got off the plane, called for my ride, and headed for the football stadium, where I knew I would be safe.
It was also about 75 degrees, so the chill of Seattle was replaced by some good sweating.
That game went really well, and again we had a good crowd and good broadcast.
With a Sunday evening game, there again was no way to get back to Indy on Sunday night, so I got to have dinner with some of the crew and get a decent night’s sleep.
The trip home Monday had no delays, no cops and no excitement.
I get more of the same this weekend.
It’s back to Seattle Friday.
It’s back to Los Angeles Saturday evening.
The game Sunday, however, is in LA, so I’m staying put for 24 hours. I’ll fly back to Indy on the red-eye Sunday night.
I’m working on my Chinese...
Safe travels.
Jeff Nelson works in national television. His column appears each Thursday in the Journal Review.
