Remake of Airport: Trauma @ SMF

After a fairly stressful day of last minute shopping that included the purchase of size 13 Nikes for Fred, the arrival of a battery for Berlane’s Mac, a sleeping bag insert, that will work well in Rio on Victor and Luis‘s couch, and getting some of Braum’s ashes to take… rushed around and got grades in, and then just kicked back until 1am… slept until 230, got up, the blue van came and we made one more stop for a guy that kept us all waiting… when we walked into the United terminal we looked at each other and said,

“Uh oh”

For those of you United Airlines buffs, SMF United area is a travesty, if not an embarrassment when things go relatively smoothly. SMF is in the middle of a major remodel, and I cannot wait to see the old terminal bulldozed…

When things are dicey, well… and that was the case this morning at 3am, as the flights to D.C were cancelled due to the big storm, causing delays and dysfunction on both sides of the counter. We were booked for a short flight to SFO and then one to Dulles to catch another flight to São Paulo. Dulles ranking right there on one of my least favorite places on earth, must be a real picnic right now... so in a way we are grateful, tho we loose three days in Brasil.

Anyway back to SMF. Hundreds and hundreds of the capital city’s strangest people (exactly where do these people live?), who cannot handle discomfort, or trauma, who apparently have no sense of decorum or manners where vying for the attention of some of United’s ill tempered help. . It seemed like a movie, the check in to an Airport sequel. Sometimes you find yourself in a crowd, that is so surreal, or seem like they are from Central Casting. So it was this morning.

Maybe because I watch too much YouTube, this was such a bizarre scene, I kept hoping for the urban guerrilla actors guild to launch into song, and suddenly everything would be fun and confetti. But alas... this is not Grand Central Station, but SMF- a bus station with wings. Let’s review:

The ride to the airport in the blue van, they called and let us know they were 10 minutes away. Yet we ended up waiting for Doug to finish what ever he was doing inside... and most certainly no "sorry for keeping you waiting" from him as he sat in the back and began texting on his I-phone.

The upper cast South Asian family, who decided that she would stand with the kids in one line, and that He would stand in line with ½ the bags. Who caused all sorts of havoc when they consolidated, then got all pushed out of shape, and started yelling at the lady behind the desk who started to yell and cry.

Then there was the hilarious over extended family: grandma in a wheel chair, granddad a bit dotty and out of it, two sisters with attitude and with about 6 kids all less than 5, crawling and running around, as the father brought all the luggage in, and an overweight younger man, didn’t do too much either… all of them disoriented and shoved from line to line… I kept thinking those princess brides, where gunna kill the husband…

The three young goth lads, who were somehow able to get through the system and up and out (note traveling light has its rewards).

The nice young couple ahead of us looking like they were headed for adventure, who also were bumped from a flight to some place great…

I find it interesting how people slow down when things need to go faster, clogging things up, not having docs ready, or how the airlines have totally unsupported their workforce. I was surprised how one check in lady was being treated unfairly, rudely and mobbed by a group of people, and no one came to her aide.

Then the luggage belt stopped working, the check in lady next to us spilled her Starbucks all over the floor, babies started to cry, one setting off the next one…

And there we were, playing the part of the handsome, stylish bi-national gay couple, left wondering what it is that all these misfits have that we don’t… oh yeah marriage rights.

Some posts from my facebook page:

I have always found it fascinating (in a train wreck way) how badly people treat the airline workers when flights are cancelled because of weather...like it is somehow their fault there is a blizzard. Enjoy your vacation.

Yeah, its so much like schools and universities... the administration cuts and sits idly by as the people abuse those that are the only ones who can help, and who like them are caught in the action, powerless... the organization, over lack of how shall we say "feng shui" there all combined for a perfect Airport sequel... I guess I am grateful I am not stuck in Dulles...

So there is a hold in the schedule, we will attempt another launch on Monday