Not so fast

The previous entry stated that today I would "leave the 4:30 p.m. sunset and predicted ice storm behind." Well, maybe not. Here at Montréal's Pierre Trudeau International Airport, it's pitch-dark outside at 16h37 (as they write it here) and I am not leaving anything behind just yet. My original flight, which connected at JFK, is canceled. So, instead of flying first class from New York to the Western Edge, I'll be flying in a regional jet to Atlanta, hoping like hell the flight that is scheduled to leave at 10:40 p.m. isn't somehow screwed up so that I can scrunch myself into seat 32D on the way home.

I should be happy to be getting home, I guess. The disembodied bilingual PA voice just rattled off a long list of flights, ending with, "please pick up your luggage." They're not leaving Montréal tonight.

You learn a lot about airports by spending time in airports. Can't get a wireless connection? Set up shop right outside the door of the hoity-toity airline club. You can usually hop onto its signal. Can't find an outlet? Look for a Coke machine. It only requires one, and there's probably another back there. If you're comfortable with sitting on the floor, you can set up a mini-office there and most people won't even give you a second look. Try doing that while taking up three chairs.

Meanwhile, I wonder: If I get stuck here tonight, do I have to clear Customs again?

Updated, 5:24 p.m.

What the hell ... Let's just live-blog the first gawdawful travel day of the 2006-07 winter.

Delta has three flights this evening from Montréal. One goes to Cincinnati, one to Atlanta and one to New York. I was on the New York flight. It has been canceled. I'm interested to know what they've done with my fellow JFK travelers, because you can't fit everybody from one regional jet into another. I have my seat on the Atlanta flight, though, and you're going to have to pry me out of it.

The Delta gates are kind of in the basement of the international departures area of Trudeau Airport. The area is starting to fill up fast. The Cincinnati flight is delayed, also, although that may not affect me; it appears that most of those passengers are actually going to Cincinnati, and those who were going to miss connections already have and don't have any hope of making said connections in Atlanta. So the excess people in here apparently are going to Atlanta with me.

Somebody's trying to get rebooked on Continental. No luck; Continental's planes aren't going anywhere tonight.

My flight shows a 6:50 departure. We'll see.

Home
Strangely, everything went very smoothly from there. Landed in Atlanta on time, landed in Tampa on time, not much to complain about, all things considered. I was home 30 minutes later than scheduled, which is not atypical.

Of course: five hours after arrival, I found myself on the way to Disney World. That's another story for another time.