![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ckdGot up, ate a vague breakfasty type collection of food from the con suite (which was very well stocked, kudos to the folks responsible), and got packed for the return trip.
1100 panel on Schools of Magic: very good. However, I didn't take notes and it's been over a week, so that's all the description I can come up with at this point. Sorry.
After that, had some nice conversations with folks, headed back to the room to finish some things, spent some time hanging out in the green room, checked out, made a last "goodbye folks" pass around the atrium area, and headed out the door to catch the 1330 shuttle to the airport...for a 1635 flight.
Yeah, three hours ahead. The shuttles on Sunday ran only every other hour, so there wasn't a 1430, and I didn't want to leave the hotel any later than that in case there was traffic, the security lines were a nightmare, and/or the gate was halfway to Calgary. I did have an offer of a ride to the airport, but leaving at 1500 would still make me a bit leery. This meant missing a couple interesting panels, but that's life.
The good news was that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kip_w and family, who I'd wanted more time to talk to, were also on the shuttle; this meant my con would last a little bit longer. We arrived at MSP, went our separate ways to our separate check-in counters, and I checked in.
Kiosk check-in took almost no time, and the security lines were short; by 1400 I was already near my gate. There was an earlier UA flight to Chicago at 1530, so I figured I'd try to get on that, and (with luck) also get on an earlier ORD-BOS flight and arrive home somewhat less tired. Since there wasn't anyone at the desk and boarding for the earlier flight was an hour away, I headed to the (singular) US Airways gate to see how Kip & company were doing.
We chatted for a while, I headed back to my gate to see if I could get on the 1530, and a gate agent arrived. Once she had a moment, I asked if I could get on the earlier flight; she said there were plenty of seats, and printed out a new boarding pass, as well as a standby card for the earlier ORD-BOS flight.
Two minutes or so later:
"I've just been told that our aircraft has a mechanical problem and will be delayed for two hours at the current estimate."
I, along with all the other folks on the 1530, get rebooked (most of us onto the 1635 flight I'd started out with). I do wind up with a better seat for my trouble, at least. This also leaves me more time to chat with Kip & company, as well as get something resembling food so I won't have to eat at ORD.
The 1635 leaves on time, and arrives at gate B1 at ORD. I look at the monitors to see if I can catch the earlier BOS-ORD flight...and it's running slightly late! It's also leaving from B16, at the other end of the concourse.
I run down the concourse, reach B16, and the door is closed. However, right behind me, a couple other people from the MSP flight arrive; they, however, were booked on this flight originally (since they'd been scheduled to take the 1530 from MSP before the rebooking). The agent opened the door, ran down the loading bridge, and said "hold it", then came back to scan their boarding cards.
As they headed down toward the airplane, I asked the agent whether there's any chance of my a boarding the in their plane, since I was on the standby list. She taps a couple of keys on her keyboard and says "get on board and take 13F".
As it turned out, 13F was full, so the cabin crew told me to just take an empty seat; I did, and wound up in 7E. (At that point, middle seat, who cares? I'm on the plane.) 7A and 7C were occupied, as were 7D and 7F.
The door closes, and an announcement is made that Mr. So-and-so should come to the first class cabin; his upgrade has cleared. The guy in 7C gets up and heads forward. I move to 7C. My good luck continues to hold.
An uneventful flight later, I arrive at BOS a bit before 2130, an hour earlier than my original scheduled arrival. This is early enough to catch the MBTA's Silver Li(n)e "airport service" (1600-2200 Sundays only; this is so they can claim to have started service by the January 2005 deadline required in the Big Dig mitigation settlement) to South Station. A change to the electric trolleybus at Silver Line Way (with a few minutes' wait), then on to South Station to board the Red Line and home in about an hour from the seat belt sign going off at the gate. Not bad for a trip that didn't cost me $25 in cab fare! (Didn't cost anything, actually...the T pass was already paid for.)
I so want to go back to Minicon next year. I may try to stay an extra night on one or both ends to simplify the travel logistics and/or see more of Minneapolis (I never left the hotel).
1100 panel on Schools of Magic: very good. However, I didn't take notes and it's been over a week, so that's all the description I can come up with at this point. Sorry.
After that, had some nice conversations with folks, headed back to the room to finish some things, spent some time hanging out in the green room, checked out, made a last "goodbye folks" pass around the atrium area, and headed out the door to catch the 1330 shuttle to the airport...for a 1635 flight.
Yeah, three hours ahead. The shuttles on Sunday ran only every other hour, so there wasn't a 1430, and I didn't want to leave the hotel any later than that in case there was traffic, the security lines were a nightmare, and/or the gate was halfway to Calgary. I did have an offer of a ride to the airport, but leaving at 1500 would still make me a bit leery. This meant missing a couple interesting panels, but that's life.
The good news was that
kip_w and family, who I'd wanted more time to talk to, were also on the shuttle; this meant my con would last a little bit longer. We arrived at MSP, went our separate ways to our separate check-in counters, and I checked in.Kiosk check-in took almost no time, and the security lines were short; by 1400 I was already near my gate. There was an earlier UA flight to Chicago at 1530, so I figured I'd try to get on that, and (with luck) also get on an earlier ORD-BOS flight and arrive home somewhat less tired. Since there wasn't anyone at the desk and boarding for the earlier flight was an hour away, I headed to the (singular) US Airways gate to see how Kip & company were doing.
We chatted for a while, I headed back to my gate to see if I could get on the 1530, and a gate agent arrived. Once she had a moment, I asked if I could get on the earlier flight; she said there were plenty of seats, and printed out a new boarding pass, as well as a standby card for the earlier ORD-BOS flight.
Two minutes or so later:
"I've just been told that our aircraft has a mechanical problem and will be delayed for two hours at the current estimate."
I, along with all the other folks on the 1530, get rebooked (most of us onto the 1635 flight I'd started out with). I do wind up with a better seat for my trouble, at least. This also leaves me more time to chat with Kip & company, as well as get something resembling food so I won't have to eat at ORD.
The 1635 leaves on time, and arrives at gate B1 at ORD. I look at the monitors to see if I can catch the earlier BOS-ORD flight...and it's running slightly late! It's also leaving from B16, at the other end of the concourse.
I run down the concourse, reach B16, and the door is closed. However, right behind me, a couple other people from the MSP flight arrive; they, however, were booked on this flight originally (since they'd been scheduled to take the 1530 from MSP before the rebooking). The agent opened the door, ran down the loading bridge, and said "hold it", then came back to scan their boarding cards.
As they headed down toward the airplane, I asked the agent whether there's any chance of my a boarding the in their plane, since I was on the standby list. She taps a couple of keys on her keyboard and says "get on board and take 13F".
As it turned out, 13F was full, so the cabin crew told me to just take an empty seat; I did, and wound up in 7E. (At that point, middle seat, who cares? I'm on the plane.) 7A and 7C were occupied, as were 7D and 7F.
The door closes, and an announcement is made that Mr. So-and-so should come to the first class cabin; his upgrade has cleared. The guy in 7C gets up and heads forward. I move to 7C. My good luck continues to hold.
An uneventful flight later, I arrive at BOS a bit before 2130, an hour earlier than my original scheduled arrival. This is early enough to catch the MBTA's Silver Li(n)e "airport service" (1600-2200 Sundays only; this is so they can claim to have started service by the January 2005 deadline required in the Big Dig mitigation settlement) to South Station. A change to the electric trolleybus at Silver Line Way (with a few minutes' wait), then on to South Station to board the Red Line and home in about an hour from the seat belt sign going off at the gate. Not bad for a trip that didn't cost me $25 in cab fare! (Didn't cost anything, actually...the T pass was already paid for.)
I so want to go back to Minicon next year. I may try to stay an extra night on one or both ends to simplify the travel logistics and/or see more of Minneapolis (I never left the hotel).
