Going Nowhere, Part Four: 20 Minutes in San Francisco

The Planning

For the third and final of my (Philip’s second and last) pure mileage runs for 2012, we flew on our final BWI to SFO trip.  (Read about the first here and the second here; I also did a mileage run to Manila and wrote about it here.)  We would again go out of BWI on Friday, this time through Atlanta, arrive into San Francisco, overnight there, then fly out the next morning, through Detroit, back into BWI.  Because we would be late getting in we would overnight near BWI.  Again, as with my run the weekend before, we made our plans but they never quite worked out perfectly.

...And The Troubles Begin

In Baltimore our inbound aircraft was late arriving from Atlanta, so we took on a twenty-minute delay, not inconsequential with a 55-minute connection time through Atlanta.  We boarded and were ready to go; or so we thought.  There was some issue with getting the engine started, so we had to have it started by a piece of equipment, which took a while.  Then, after we pushed off the gate, we were given a departure time by flight control of twenty minutes later.  By the time we landed it was too late to make the connection, which was the last SF flight of the night.  We went to the SkyClub to see what our rebooking options were.

Rebooking

I had booked the three BWI-SFO mileage runs before I booked the trip to Manila, so, with that Manila trip, I did not really need this run.  If I had been on my own I’d have had them just send me home.  When there is a situation where you miss a connection, especially when it is the airline’s fault, agents have a lot more latitude about what they can do.  But, Philip needed the miles, so we had to start from that point-of-view, and, of course, I rarely mind being in a plane.

As luck would have it, there was still space—two seats—in First on the first flight the next day from Atlanta to SFO, that would get us into SF an hour before our originally-scheduled flight back east was to leave.  We decided to take it.  Because the delay was the airline’s fault and not the weather, we overnighted on Delta’s dime.

Here’s another instance where one’s status plays a part in the quality of the travel experience.  We were traveling on two different itineraries and were each entitled to a hotel room.  I was offered the Best Western; I asked if there were other options and was given the choice between two different Marriotts or a Crowne Plaza.  Philip, as Gold Medallion, was offered the Best Western or nothing.  So, we went with the airport Marriott.  (No clue what he would have been offered if he was Silver or had no status.  I imagine a spot under a freeway underpass!)  We also each received $20 in meal vouchers.

We headed out to find the shuttle for the Marriott.  It ran every fifteen minutes and we were quickly on our way and checking into the hotel.  It was a nice-enough hotel and room, even if the guestrooms were really quite small; but, in an airport hotel, where guests are usually there for just one night, that is not so important.

Small, but quite adequate, accommodations at the Atlanta Airport Marriott

A Day of Flying

Our rebooked flight was at 08:10 the next morning, so, by the time we got to the room, there was not much time for sleep.  05:30 Saturday morning was time to rise and shine.  We were to the airport by seven, quickly through security (thanks to Pre-Check), and getting a quick bite to tide us over until breakfast was served on the plane, using one of the meal vouchers the Delta agent had given us.

Boarding was on-time and without issue.  We were traveling in Business on a 767 with an international configuration; though it was not Delta’s updated cabin, which has lie-flat seats.  The footrests and in-flight-entertainment were nice to have, the latter especially, since the international configuration meant no Internet onboard.

The flight was nice, with an attentive crew, a pretty-okay breakfast, and IFE to keep us occupied.  The flight was quite choppy from about two thirds of the way in until its end.  At some points the chop was bad enough that the flight attendants were ordered to their jump-seats.

Breakfast on Delta

We landed in San Francisco perfectly on-time and our next flight was out of the gate just across from our arriving gate.  I was upgraded to Detroit and also to BWI; Philip was upgraded Detroit to BWI but not the first leg, so he needed to get something to eat, again with those handy Delta meal vouchers.

Boarding was an absolute mob scene, for who-knows-why.  Eventually we boarded, settled in, and it was time to fly.  The flight was uneventful, except for the two idiots who sat across the aisle from me and talked to each other at such a level that other passengers two and three rows up asked them to please not talk so loudly.  It did not work.  Even with a noise-canceling headset on I could still follow their “conversation,”  dreadful and boorish as it was.

Lunch on Delta

We made it into Detroit and set out on the sprint to our connecting gate; we had just 37 minutes to make it to the flight to Baltimore.  When we arrived at the gate about ten minutes later, the flight had already boarded, so we quickly got on and found our seats.  We pushed off of the gate about ten minutes early and were likewise early getting in.  We found our shuttle to the BWI Doubletree, checked in, and ordered up some room service, which was surprisingly good.

Doubletree BWI

Beating Hurricane Sandy Home

The following morning we slept in a little and then had breakfast at the hotel before checking out, getting to the car, and heading home.  Hurricane Sandy was set to hit so we stopped by for groceries and provisions, and we were home before the rain began.

Again, even though there were delays and missed connections, the end-goal was achieved:  the accumulation of qualifying miles.  For me, the trip netted me 5294 qualifying miles and 11,912 redeemable miles, and all for $170.  Not too bad.  And, for Philip, including our booked trips, he’ll requalify for Gold.  Also not too bad!