Coming home

Although my business in Indianapolis was supposed to last till midday today, and I had counted on sightseeing in the area as well, the absolutely sorry nature of my business contacts dictated that I call off everything the first thing yesterday morning, and fly back to the "land of dirty hippies" - California - on the first available flight.

(Perfect Girl will certainly not be intended for an audience like the morons I had to deal with in Indy, for sure.)

Needless to say, I was very unhappy on my flights home, but I managed to make a few observations anyway.

The first leg was operated by an Airbus A320, staffed by a crew coming in from Denver and returning there. They were having a hard day for sure, thanks to a freak snowstorm in Denver that caused de-icing delays. But they kept a smile on their faces, and were looking forward to a 2-hour break back at the Denver hub before heading off elsewhere. Keeping a smile yesterday was a challenge for me, certainly! I wonder how Sarah will pull it off.

The second leg, a Boeing 767, brought me back to Los Angeles; it also had to be de-iced, but the crew kept me well-informed and as close to happy as possible. Otherwise, it was a pretty ordinary flight, except for the rather large aircraft. I was finally relieved as the Grand Canyon, then Palm Springs and Inland Empire, unfolded under me.

United Airlines runs a survey site at ualsurvey.com, where I can submit my thoughts within 7 days of my flight for a chance to win 100,000 frequent flier miles. I gave both flights very high marks. And of course, I want Sarah to consistently get high marks - even if she is doing domestic duty and flying routes to Indianapolis or some other forsaken place. (Of course, by now, Sarah should have enough seniority to hold a line rather than flying reserve.)