Flying South

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Geo: -33.4691, -70.642

We are off for four weeks traveling flying to Santiago for a short stay first, then cruising across the South Pacific before flying home from Sydney. The flight from ABQ to IAH was fine and on time. Just the usual on that flight which we have made many times. We left home by 12:30 for a 2:30 p.m. flight and got there, parked, checked in and through security well before the flight was ready to board. It was perfectly on time.

After dinner at the airport in Houston at Home Team Sports, we had some time to spend in the United Presidents Club before going to the gate for the overnight flight to Santiago. This time we got to the gate early and were in line for boarding group 2 before it got very long. It seems like more and more people are promoted up for earlier boarding now than there used to be. Last summer, boarding group 2 always had the longest lines.

I had selected two aisle seats in the center section hoping no one would be assigned to sit between us. Sometimes that works, but not this time. A teen-aged girl came to sit between us, and her mother sat right in front of her between two other people traveling together. The girl was very sweet and slept most of the trip, sometimes leaning on my shoulder and sometimes leaning on Philip's shoulder. She never once asked to get up during the over nine-hour flight. It's been a long time since I had a child leaning against me to sleep and never a stranger like that. I showed her how to adjust the headrest so it gives a small corner to cradle her head. She tried it, but before long she was slumped down and leaning on me again. Oh, well. I really didn't have the heart to wake her much. Other than that inconvenience, the flight was fine—on time and all the luggage arrived with us although it took a very long time for all of it to be unloaded onto the carousel.

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