Memento - A Picture Tells A Thousand Words

Jets ~~No Go~~ Gone

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Face of a Dead Airline

This Wont Stop Me From Having A Happy Birthday

Death of An Airline
Los Angeles, California (March 11, 2005)

Remember Tom Hanks in Terminal?

No. Am not going to be like him, hopefully.

Here's my story: (This was typed live as it was happening. That explains the subject-verb agreement between entries.

Woke up at 8am, checked my contact lens, after I dozed with them still on. 3 hours ago I decided not to sleep anymore since it was like 6am in Toronto, but unfortunately the gods of sleep were stronger.

8:10 am, I checked my email, my messages, and then checked my cellphone.

"Pls Kol me at work. JetsGo Bankrupt canceld ol flyts! U nd 2 rebook wid odr airlns". My wife is a better speller than that but probably the urgency of the message was more important than being correct.

No shit. That's my plane back to Toronto - T.o.d.a.y!!! Why????

So checked Google News, here and here.

So I called up my wife, told her I saw her message and in the same breath asked for her credit card number (thinking I need more credit on my card as I need to check out in this grand hotel). While doing this, I concurrently checked online for an alternative flight. There's one!!! There's one! West Jet and its the only one for today and nothing for Saturday and Sunday. Gotta have that. Booked online. Got the number and heard the voice of my one and only.

Rushed to the shower. Checked out. Lo and behold. The office paid for my hotel charges already. Galing, saved me time too. In 1 minute, grabbed my bag and asked for a cab. In 5 mins, the cab arrived but one more problem. I don't have cash. But saw the familiar MC and Visa logo on the cab. Problem solved.

Whew, good thing taxis accept credit cards. And off to LAX, all in 15 minutes.

8:50 am, in line to check in. Lady behind the desk joked, "we have to give him a boarding ticket, its his birthday tomorrow." and two others joined her, laughing in jest, looking at my passport. I made my patented corporate laugh, ha ha ha.

9:00 am, got my flight ticket. Whew. 9:10 am, lined up behind x ray machines and miraculously was out of it in 10 minutes. 9:20 am, I discovered there was free wifi and started sending my messages to the office via Yahoo Messenger.

9:40 am, a man saw me doing stuff with my powerbook and asked how I got connected. I told him how.

9:42 am, he's back and asked again, this time with his Powerbook. After several seconds, we got him connected too.

9:45 am, all the Powerbooks, ibooks are now out and I could charge them for consulting on this one, and at least 2 more followed suit.

10:00 am, West Jet flight is already asking for some names. I hope they dont call me. I hope. Boarding time is 10:50 am.

10:40 am, they're calling someone's name...someone like Boman Estor...not Junnie or whatever...but its not mine.

10:46 am, no lines yet....

10:50 am, went to the men's room and saw I looked like him, I was in my bed clothes pa pala. At least hindi pajamas.

Nonetheless, thank you God...am just thankful I'm waiting for the gates to open instead of coming home on Monday.

Labs, I'm coming home....ill be there 5 mins before my birthday. As promised, Ill be home on March 12. Happy Birthday to me. Deathday to Jets Go....

******

Update: Arrived in Calgary at 3:45 PM, and we will soon depart in an hour. Moving around Calgary Airport is like visiting a huge museum, dinosaurs, bears, deers, and all the stuffed animals around you makes me feel like really - I've arrived in the great white north. At least they have wifi too.

5 hours to go....this is one big birthday party for me huh?

This report is an analysis of the death of the airline that made their penny fare to LA a memorable last plane ride for me.

****

Finally arrived at Toronto's Pearson International at 11:45 pm and a 12-minute ride to the apartment almost made me spend my 36th birthday in a taxicab, with a middle aged Indian cab driver as my date....:)

Actually with everything that happened, I was in my labs arms at 12:05...March 12...

darn elevator....

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