Figures... My Daughter is at The Paris Airport

 My daughter was supposed to fly home for Christmas. She was going to stay just a week, and then she and  her brother were going to

 fly to Geneva, Switzerland, and travel around while on Christmas break. Her flight from Geneva to Paris to Pittsburgh was to take place yesterday. So, with snow in the forecast, she had to travel from her small village, Louhans, by train to Geneva. Well, she didn’t want the trains to not run and miss her flight, so she left 2 days early and stayed in a hostel for two nights.

 Her flight from Geneva to Paris was at 7:25.a.m yesterday. (Sunday, December 19). There was no internet access at the airport, so she had no way of knowing that the last leg of her flight was canceled. That wasn’t going to matter, as her flight from Geneva to Paris was delayed by 8 hours. She would have missed her connecting flight anyways. When she got to Charles de Gaulle airport, she had to wait in a 6 hour line of misery. Just to be put on standby for the flight to Pittsburgh this morning.

 One woman had fainted and hit her head when she fell. Alex was shaky by the time she made it to one of three desks that were handling the rescheduling and had to ask for a glass of water. She did make friends with people in line, and they took turns using the bathroom, eating and using the phone, etc. keeping their place in the stupid line.

 Her last phone call was late, after the desk people had closed shop and left the stranded people in the terminal with the air-conditioning running. Yeah, that’s right. They turned the air conditoning on at the airport.  Alex was freezing and wore her coat all night long. Where she slept, I am not sure. Her purse was probably her pillow.

 Well, needless, to say, I want her home. I haven’t eaten, and don’t feel like writing a funny post. She called me today at 5:00a.m. my time and told me that the guy at the ticket desk let her in. There was one spot open, and she got it. She had to return in an hour for her boarding pass. Yay! I was going to get to drive to Pittsburgh to retrieve my tired little airport rat. Ha. Or so I thought I was going up there.

 I noticed that her flight kept getting pushed back. All of the other flights to the US were still flying: Detroit, JFK,  and Minneapolis, just to name a few. Someone did not want to fly to Pittsburgh. It was canceled after being pushed back from 11:10 to 12:30 to 1:45 to 3:20 to 4:10, then canceled at 2:15. What the hell is wrong with you people?  You can’t do that to me.

 I didn’t hear from Alex until 1:30 my time. (7:30pm her time.) She was on a shuttle to a hotel, provided by Air France.  She told me that they put her on the same flight as today’s and yesterdays. Then we were cut off. I haven’t heard from her since. I did find out that that flight isn’t scheduled tomorrow.  So, wth? Is she on standby? Is she on a phantom flight that doesn’t even exist? And why the hell is the air conditioning on after midnight at the airport. I’m sick to my stomach.

 Alex will only be home until Sunday. I don’t care. She went to this much trouble to get home for some of my wonderful 7-layer bars. I want her home. Will she get a flight out tomorrow?  I would say no. That’s just how the ball is bouncing.

 She was up at the top of the Eiffel Tower when troops came in and evacuated it a while back. The train station was evacuated while she was sitting, waiting for a train to Dijon. Looks like there was something in her row. Everyone scurried outside. And now she is stuck at the Charles deGaulle airport.

I don’t like Paris.

UPDATE: Tuesday morning, December 21 at 3:00am. Alex called. The airline made up a special flight just for the Pittsburgh airport rats. It was supposed to take off at 11:10. I was still refreshing the Delta page every 2 minutes. They finally boarded and are in flight as I write this. I can only imagine the whoops and hollers as that plane took off…for sure this time. She sat on an airplane 3 different times. She did inform me that there are 30,000 bags sitting in a pile at the airport. Hers is there somewhere, but she may never see it again. But, I will have her home, she has plenty of clothes to get by. Thanks everyone, for your kind words. I appreciate it. The plane was delayed for 3 hours..Pittsburgh her I come.

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