1) Do not book long trips through priceline or travelocity.
A few years ago I booked myself and three co-workers to travel to a conference in Portland, Oregon through travelocity. While that site may have gotten us the best fare, doing so meant four different airlines for the four flights it took us to get to and from OKC and Portland. Changing airlines like that meant running between gates because generally speaking in large airports each major airline has their own concourse, different flights with different airlines means changing concourses which can be tricky and certainly takes time. Depending on the airport it may also mean claiming your bags and re-checking them or having to leave a secured area, having to go through security again. If I'm going to book a trip that requires a plane change, I book with a specific airline and so far that has allowed me to avoid some of that craziness.
2) Do not schedule connecting flights through DFW.
I avoid flying through Dallas Fort Worth if I can help it. I don't mind flying and I don't get motion sickness...for the most part...but the flight from OKC to Dallas is all of thirty minutes of flight time and the plane feels a little like a tin can. It is small so you feel every bump and it's such a fast up and down that it often makes me queasy. That being the case, I try to fly through other cities.
3) Schedule at least an hour between flights.
I don't like to be rushed. It doesn't bother me in the slightest to spend time sitting at the gate waiting to board. I would much rather do that, than run between gates or skip a bathroom stop just to ensure I can make it to my next flight. If at all possible I schedule at least an hour between arrival and my next departure. My preference is more like an hour and a half, because really you aren't waiting that long.
4) Only take a carry-on that can fit under the seat in front of you.
I don't enjoy hoisting my bag into the overhead bins and inevitably when I board there isn't space in the bin above my seat so my bag ends up someplace else on the plane. I avoid all of that by only taking one carry-on and making sure it's small enough to go under the seat in front of me.
In my planning for this trip I broke rules number three and four. Our boss let us go early today so I had no problem getting into the Oklahoma City airport and through security. I don't mind security. I try to be efficient about how I pack my things so that I don't hold up the line too much with the shoes and carry-on e-ray process, but security is there to keep me safe, so I don't get in a twist about it. I allow plenty of time before my flight to go through the appropriate procedures, so for me security isn't a big deal. My time in the OKC airport today was eventful only in the sense that there are some interesting people to watch. A fellow passenger was convinced that I must be going to Germany with all of the luggage I was taking. One gentleman got tired of waiting on the only attendant that was working to help people board so he tried to scan his own boarding pass. He got a pretty stern look for that one. One lady was traveling with her poodle and to keep him from being anxious on the plane she gave him medicine that made him drowsy which meant he looked a little inebriated as he was walking around before they boarded. People watching is always so much fun.
Because I had broken rule number four and had a roller bag to go with my backpack as carry-ons I had to do a valet check for the roller bag. Oklahoma City pretty well has all connection flights which means that the planes are small and the overhead bins cannot hold roller bags. The airline employee then gives you a gate check tag for you to use. You drop your bag at the end of the jetway as you board and you should be able to pick it up when you deplane. Tonight when I got to Detroit, this gate check business caused me a major problem.
I only had 45 minutes between flights tonight, I broke rule number three. As I deplaned in Detroit I also had to wait on my gate checked bag. It should be a pretty quick turn around for you to get your bag, but for whatever reason that wait this evening was about fifteen minutes. The other issue that cause a problem for me was that I got off the plane at gate B5 and had to go to gate A75 to make my connection. That is gate 75 out of a possible 78 in Concourse A. It's a long walk let me tell you! While there are escalators and moving sidewalks to assist you, it's still a long walk. What I discovered as I approached gate A70...after hoofing it for all that way...was that there is a tram at the Detriot airport. I was more concerned about remembering my flight and gate number than I was about finding the fastest way to get there and ultimately it cost me because I essentially jogged between gates. You know me well enough to know that I don't jog, but by golly I wasn't going to miss that plane!
My last flight was interesting because I sat next to two sixteen year old boys who are students at the Interlochen School of Dance, which is a boarding school in Michigan. They were very polite and kind throughout the trip. One of the two is from Connecticut and was coming home for Thanksgiving break. The other is from Denmark and he was visiting the Connecticut family for the holiday. We got into a conversation about the origin of Thanksgiving and the must do's in NYC. I'm sure they will enjoy their time here.
I am exhausted myself and am going to call it a night. It's just after 2:00 in the morning and I know that I have many more adventures tomorrow. I loved getting to hug my sister's neck and laugh at a Friends re-run while we planned our day for tomorrow. My vacation is just beginning!!
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