Unaccompanied Minors 2

For those of you that aren't familiar with the movie, it takes place in a Chicago airport that has cancelled all flights because of weather during the Christmas Holiday and a band of kids is left to run wild in the airport.

Well, that not EXACTLY what happened as Rachael and her BFF, Sydni, prepared to fly to Sacramento last night to go to Lake Tahoe with Yvonne for a weekend of birthday snowboarding.....

I should mention that up until about a month ago, Rachael REFUSED to fly anywhere without an adult -- turned down a trip to Hawaii with the grandparents because she and Aubrey would have to fly to LA by themselves. After this, she's ready to fly ANYWHERE!!

You know me, I had everything all organized, copies of birth certificates, medical cards, authorization forms, itinerary, EVERYTHING. See, I had checked out the website as soon as Yvonne had made the flight arrangements. She forwarded me the Unaccompanied Minors Policy. On the Southwest website there is a link to click for the form to fill out. It is a .pdf form and has the word "SAMPLE" watermarked across it. I call the Customer Service center and ask if there is a form that I need to fill out once I get to the airport or if I can use the one on the web. She says to go ahead and fill out the one on the web. I asked her even though it says "SAMPLE" and she said, "sure, no problem".

So, yesterday, we are all ready to go........

2:00PM -- I leave my office (having worked through lunch all week so I can make up the time).

2:30PM -- Reach home, gather all the girls' luggage, pick up a bit and head out the door to pick them up from school.

3:00PM -- Pick them up from school and head to the airport -- Flight departs at 5:15PM

3:37PM -- Arrive at parking garage and head into Terminal 4 for Southwest Airlines

3:50PM -- Check in bags at the wrong counter and are walked over to the counter for Unaccompanied Minors. The agent tells me I need to fill out the "UM" form. I hand him what I had from the web and he compares to two and says it has the same information so that works. He then takes the form I filled out and uses a red Sharpie and write their flight #, how many carry ons, how many bags, etc. they have. He then asked for their Boarding Passes (that I had printed out in the morning). I said I gave him everything. So, he finds them, folds them up and tells the girls to put their UM forms and Boarding Passes on their lanyard holder. Tells me to go to Gate B7 which is, "unfortunately all the way on the other side of the airport". His exact words. OK, no problem we still have plenty of time.

4:11PM -- Pay for dinner for the girls and sit down to eat.

4:30PM -- Start walking to Gate B7.

4:40PM -- Get to Gate B7 and realize it is US Airways. Asked someone where Southwest is and he tells us to go to the "other side of the terminal" (where we checked in -- go figure!!) and check the kiosk. Starting to panic now, the flight leaves in 30 minutes!! Run to the kiosk and see that it is Gate "D"7!! OK, I'll even cop to the fact that that he may have said "D" BUT he also said that it was on the other side of the airport.

Run through the airport and got through Security AGAIN. By this time they are announcing last call for passengers McCown and Smack. I ask the TSA rep if he can call Southwest and let them know that we are in the line for Security and he asks me if I have their phone number!! WHAT.EV.ER!! Back in line again!

RUN to Gate D7 - the girls get to the check-in counter before me and I hear the rep asking where Mom is.

5:00PM -- Get to the check-in counter and the whole flight has boarded -- they are holding the plane for the girls -- 15 minutes before takeoff. The check-in counter looks at everything and tells us to go to the gate. The Gate person tells me "Don't leave, Mom, we have to make sure everything is in order." HE looks at everything (for those of you keeping count):

1. Customer Service Agent -- Yes, you can use the form off the web
2. First Ticket Agent -- Checked their reservation -- walks me over to the UM area
3. Second Ticket Agent -- Checks form, Birth Certificates, Boarding Passes - tells us to go to wrong gate.
4. Check-In Rep looks everything over, tells us to go to the Gate.
5. Gate attendant looks at everything and escorts them onto the plane.

5:05PM -- Girls are on the plane, I walk back to my car -- which, incidentally is right where the Gate is because I parked in the SOUTHWEST terminal!

5:10PM -- Rachael calls (I think to tell me she's all settled and she loves me). But NO, I HAVE TO COME BACK BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT FORMS!!!!!!!!!!

5:15 PM -- RUN back through Security to the Gate and am told by yet another person that I haven't filled out the proper form. The first thing I ask if if they are holding the plane -- nope, already gone -- probably at least 2-3 minutes BEFORE scheduled take-off -- they couldn't wait???!!??

Omar explains the whole process to me CORRECTLY, I might add. Here's the reason for the form, 3-parts, blah, blah, blah. Also, DON'T LEAVE UNTIL THE PLANE IS IN THE AIR. OK, first time I heard that one! It was the Flight Attendant that told the girls they didn't have the correct forms. Omar also explained that their Boarding Passes should have been reprinted with UM on them ALONG WITH THE CORRECT GATE #.

Again for those of you keeping track -- Second ticket agent completed FUBARed the entire process:

1. Wrong Form
2. Didn't reprint Boarding Pass
3. Didn't check them in as UMs.
4. Told us the wrong gate

6:00PM -- Got to Gate D6 to get on another flight via San Diego (but was told Ontario -- don't get me started on that one as to why Yvonne was at the Gate for an Ontario arrival). And from that point on, EVERYTHING WAS DONE RIGHT! The check-in attendant told me not to leave until the plane was off the ground. The Gate attendant came over to us and met the girls and looked at their proper form and then led them to the Pre-Board area. The flight attendants introduced themselves and led them onto the plane. I was AGAIN told by the Gate attendant to not leave until the plane has left the ground and to check with the check-in rep, just to make sure.

6:15PM -- Final call for flight which was scheduled to leave at 6:15.

6:30PM -- Plane taxis down runway and takes off -- to arrive in Sacramento TWO HOURS LATER THEN THEIR ORIGINAL FLIGHT! Yvonne is PI$$ED!!

6:31PM -- Check with attendant -- flight is "officially off the ground" and I have permission to leave the terminal.

7:20PM -- Rachael calls from San Diego (OK, they said Ontario, but whatever -- forgot to call Yvonne with new info -- WHOOPS!) -- BTW, I'm not even home yet!

7:25PM -- Call Aubrey and tell him to put a bottle of wine in the fridge for me!

7:45PM -- Get home, call John, wait for Rach to land and call me.

9:45PM -- Rach calls, now for the two hour drive to Tahoe -- Everyone is where they should be.

9:46PM -- Fall into bed, exhausted from the stress (and probably jogging through the airport!)

Hopefully, their flight back will be completely uneventful. Spoke to the Customer Service Manager at Southwest and we WILL be compensated -- $200 Travel Voucher -- no questions asked!

Until the next "trauma"........