There we were, having made the decision to travel to Italy in honour of my 60th birthday. Trigger pulled; it was time to drag some dusty suitcases out of the closet and purge any travel-size items that had congealed over the last couple of years.
We assembled the required paperwork (there’s more than our pre-COVID travel!), got our prescriptions filled (travel is a little more burdensome as we age…) and chose a travel wardrobe. (Washable, Anti-Wrinkle, Versatile – me and the clothing – check.)
Keys, codes, and to-do lists were left with my daughter. (Estate info too…an optimistic traveller.)
I downloaded our boarding passes, noticing I could only download as far as Paris. Ok. This is new. Paris? Milan? Other than learning the wrong language? Let’s roll with it.
Our son-in-law showed up at the door the morning of our flight, ready to drive us to the airport. Given that the airport was on the OTHER side of Calgary, we gave ourselves plenty of time. Hugs all around, and we rolled into Departures.
We spotted the WestJet counter. Quite a line, but we had lots of time, so we were good to go. After an ever-so-patient wait, we finally reached the front of the line. Progress!
No.
We were “too early” to check-in for our flight, and they pulled us to the side, where we leaned against the wall. We asked if we could leave and come back. We were told to come back in half an hour. Not entirely bad. We found a beer, and all is good.
Back to the lineup. Still long. We waited, again, somewhat patiently. Good to go?
No.
We were told to wait a bit longer, so we held up the wall this time, finally checking in about 20 minutes later. Now…our luggage was checked in but, like us, labelled for Paris, where we had a connecting flight. I like Paris, but I wasn’t sure if we or our luggage would make it to Milan.
I got the attention of a West Jet agent who told me rather vaguely to see an Air France agent in Paris. Sounds simple?
No.
We’ll get to that little story in the next installment.
Luckily the Calgary airport is functioning a little better than I’ve heard the Toronto Pearson airport is. Hence, we got through security as usual. By “as usual,” I mean the Moustache Guy had to go through the metal detector 3 times. He had dumped change, removed his wallet, taken off his belt, shoes, and glasses…and still beeped. We have no idea why, but this happens every time. He figures it’s his good looks making them want to frisk him. He could be on to something.
I waited while the Moustache Guy reassembled himself, and we located our gate. Thank you, Calgary, for making this relatively easy. We were to become more appreciative of this ease as we moved through airports.
We settled to wait, noticing a little fake grass trolley where fur babies could do their business and commented on how that was a new feature in the airport. Later we would wince a little as a young lad rolled himself around on the imitation lawn, wondering when it had last been used or cleaned. We couldn’t look…so we opened the Kobo e-readers and enjoyed some new writers. Kobo Plus was great for this. It’s a subscription service that gave us the first month free and we were able to download a long list of books from classics to originals. Airports turned out to be our biggest reading spots. Snacks nearby, earbuds playing string music. The wait isn’t all bad.
We had splurged on Premium seating to ensure lots of space to get comfortable for sleeping. The new Dreamliner 787 offers a 2 x 3 x 2 configuration in Premium, so it was just us in our cozy little corner. I’m 5 foot 2, so legroom isn’t an issue. Still, I flail and roll and generally cause chaos around me when trying to get comfortable. Really, the person who would have been the third seat in Economy should have pitched in for the price of my ticket. Totally worth it.
Was Premium seating worth it for us? Features included noise-cancelling headphones, a bottle of water and a cute little amenities kit from Rocky Mountain Soap Co. Additionally, we were entitled to complimentary beer and wine and more deluxe meal choices.
That said, it was a LOT more, so the main draw was the space. I did, however, get into my amenities kit asap. (And maybe the wine…)
The Dreamliner 787 also has features that make it an attractive option for long trips.
- Larger windows, positioned for great views, are “dimmable” instead of having shades.
- High vaulted ceiling, wide-body (Good for my 7-foot nephew, less critical for my height, but it did help with that claustrophobic feeling.
- A quiet air conditioner and technology reduce vibrations and soften engine noise.
- Better speakers make the public address system easy to hear.
Environmentally they are a bit more efficient too. Dreamliners use 25% less fuel per passenger compared with aircraft of a similar size.
And, since health was a significant factor in our decision-making process, these features caught my eye.
- More humid cabin air means your throat and eyes suffer less dryness.
- The cabin is pressurized to 2,000 ft lower than the standard 6000 ft, making it easier to breathe and apparently helps with jet lag.
- HEPA filtering technology keeps cabin air clean. The same HEPA filters are used to keep hospital operating room air clean and safe.
Finally, I will say the staff was VERY attentive in Premium. I can only imagine Business class!
One last text to my daughter with a picture of our “bubbly,” and we are OFF! Will we make it to Milan or end up overnight in Paris?
To be Continued…
Path to Pasture 