After getting a call that I was bottom man, and only one available for a 5am standby tomorrow morning. I checked the weather for New York, snow for next couple of days, I figured I better get up to New York. Checked the flights from Orlando to JFK, and decided on the 6:20 on Jet Blue.
Well arriving at Orlando International Airport I became aware very fast that I forgot this was a holiday weekend, Presidents day and that the races at Daytona Beach had just finished the night before.
I guess what I am getting around to saying is the airport was packed. I mean the lines at security were long, the lines at the restaurants were long, the whole terminal was packed.
Arriving at the Jet Blue gate and checking in for the jumpseat, I soon learned that there was 4 other pilots looking for a ride up to New York’s JFK and quite a few standbys also waiting for a full flight.
After checking in and getting CASS approved, CASS approved is what pilots from other airlines need to do to be able to jumpseat on a airline other than their own. Homeland Security requires this to verify who we are and that we are pilots like we say. Well after getting checked out, I pulled out my mini computer since I had a feeling I was not going to make this flight, saw that Delta Airlines had a flight also to JFK at 6:20, same terminal, other end, so it was a run over to the Delta gate to see if it was possible for a jumpseat.
Upon arriving at the Delta gates a saw a flight to New York leaving at 6pm and that it was closed yet people still on the jetbridge. Back of my mind I wondered why was this leaving 20 min early? I asked the agent if there was a chance to get the jumpseat on this flight to New York, was told yes, we need to hurry since flight was closing up and ready for departure. I went through the CASS procedure again and headed down to meet the Captain. I was welcomed aboard and told that I could take a seat in first class.
Whew, I made it, headed to JFK, wrong, during pushpack the flight attendants welcomed everybody aboard Delta Airlines flight to New York’s Laguardia Airport, uggh, wrong airplane, wrong airport. Oh well not much I could do now, at least I was headed to the right city, right direction.
Great flight, treated nice, landed in Laguardia to snow on the ground and snow flurries in the air. Now try to find the cheapest way to Long Beach and my crash pad, last bus to Kennedy had left at 8pm, it was now 9 pm. I figured a cab to Jamaica train station then Long Island Railway to Long Beach would end up running about 2 hour time with connections. So I decided it would be a cab tonight all the way to Long Beach.
Snow in New York, the line for taxis was at least 100 deep, got in the cab and told the driver I wanted to go to Long Beach, driver pulled over to the side of the road to figure out where I was going, I pulled out my trusty IPHONE, pulled up my Google map and showed him. Driver checked his book said it was off the chart for destinations from Laguardia, we agreed on a fix price and off we went.
Passed JFK airport on the way to Long Beach, had a good conversation with the driver, was told that he was from Guayaquil Ecuador, told him that I have flown there many times but that I preferred Quito Ecuador to Guayaquil, he agreed.
Wrong airplane, wrong airport, cost me 75 dollars in taxi fare, nice conversation and made it to the crash pad safe.
