In The Beginning

Day 1 - Saturday, Dec 20

Let me introduce you just in case you have made your way here without the benefit of knowing the ins-and-outs my family life. I am traveling to Australia/New Zealand with the Helfrichs - Monica (my daughter), Barry (her husband), and their four kids: Evan (15), Carter (13), Gordon (10) and Ruby (8). Debbie is staying behind because long, complicated travel adventures are a bit too much for her to accommodate with her visual impairment. So, we are a family of seven embarking on an adventure of 9286 miles from home (Indianapolis). When people asked me, "Are you going anywhere for the Holidays?" I simply answered, "We are heading south - very south!"

After three basketball games this morning - resulting in three victories for Evan, Carter and Gordon - everyone was packed with their new suitcases and backpacks for the trip. We departed the Helfrich household at 2:15pm to get to the Indy airport. We anticipated a crowded airport after repeated news reports of the heaviest travel day of the Holiday Season. However, when we arrived, we went right to the front of the line - no one in front of us! And we didn't even do TSA Pre! Maybe the media exaggerated the crowds? Maybe they created some (unnecessary) "breaking news"? Maybe they like to make a mountain out of a mole hill? Well, I guess not ... we enjoyed our 1 hour and 45-minute wait until boarding!

 

Our first flight was delayed leaving Indianapolis. It was a curious situation unlike any I have ever encountered at an airport. The flight departure was listed as “On Time,” and we were waiting for our plane to arrive at the gate. All the tracking sites (AA app; FlightAware) indicated that our plane had landed and we waited to see it arrive. But alas, a long time passed and NO PLANE! Well, maybe it’s a long taxi – but wait! We are at Indianapolis International and there are no long taxis to the terminal. The websites said the plane was at the gate … yet we were sitting at the gate and NO PLANE! After waiting for a protracted period in Terminal A, Gate 14, we saw the tail fin of an AA plane coming around the corner of Terminal B. There was a large AA plane BEING TOWED by one of those ground vehicles, and sure enough … here comes our plane up to our gate. It took 45 minutes to get towed from the Terminal B gate to our Terminal A gate.

OK, I had to ask someone. As might be expected, no one knew the answer for sure, and the ONLY concise (honest?) answer I got was, “It went to the wrong gate.” How does that happen?!?

Anyway, connections were generous in LAX so it didn’t make a difference. We were generously given early boarding due to our child-herding status.