Sure, it was a fast u-turn in comparison with my journey report on the flight as much as Oakland. Open seating labored nice for us then, but it surely was a special story on the return. In actuality, I’m fairly joyful to see assigned seating come to the airline.
The morning of our return began very early. We had a hot-air balloon trip scheduled, and that meant arriving at 6:45am. The climate was iffy with rain round, however they stated we have been adequate to go. Our balloon was the primary of six to launch, and it was apparently a uncommon day when the winds took us north as an alternative of south.
We had unbelievable views and actually loved ourselves… till I acquired an alert saying our flight residence was greater than two hours late. It then slipped to a 4 hour delay. Crap. However right here’s my advert for Southwest’s app. I used to be capable of pull up the reservation and alter it proper there IN THE SKY for no cost. After weighing our choices, we settled on a flight to LAX that was one hour sooner than the unique flight. I checked in instantly after altering, however after all, we ended up with a brutal C7 and C8 boarding cross. That sucks, particularly on a B737-700 the place we might be a few of the final onboard. I attempted to pay for the A1-15 improve, however there weren’t any obtainable.
That is when issues acquired dicey for us. Our balloon pilot apparently acquired grasping making an attempt to see if he may stretch our trip longer than the promised 40 to 60 minutes. At an hour and half-hour, we have been up within the foothills on the lookout for a spot to land, and he wasn’t discovering it. You don’t management the balloon; the wind takes you the place it desires to go.
After one failed try in a small patch of an open clearing, there have been some transformers approaching, and he determined he needed to put it down in a really small patch of land. He skimmed the timber to sluggish us down, ripped a number of holes within the balloon, took a number of giant branches down, and plopped us down in a really small almost-clearing subsequent to some grapes.
Safely on land, we have been now getting considerably involved concerning the time. Would we even make it to Oakland in time for our flight residence? The balloon firm was doing the whole lot attainable to be sure that didn’t occur. As a substitute of getting us out of there, they’d individuals come up in vans to attempt to pack up the balloon first, paying no consideration to the 19 passengers onboard. The balloon had been draped out over the vines, and so they saved wrestling with this factor, ripping it at each flip.
Within the meantime, they wouldn’t allow us to get out of the basket for awhile for some unknown cause. Finally they did, however everybody was centered on making an attempt to avoid wasting the balloon and never on getting us out of there. They lastly did get us into vans and we headed again, but it surely was now going to be an in depth name for our flight.
On the brilliant facet, that morning noticed an air visitors management mess in California due to each staffing triggers and low ceilings. It was not good for airways, however possibly it might give us some buffer. By some means, since our airplane was coming from Portland, it confirmed no delays. After all.
We pulled as much as the airport nearly an hour earlier than departure, and I relaxed a bit. However then, I noticed the very lengthy TSA Precheck line and acquired nervous once more.
There have been CLEAR sharks telling those that if they’d an Amex Platinum they may skip the road. They didn’t inform them anything about sharing biometrics and all that, which I discovered pretty shady. Ultimately, it took us practically 20 minutes to get via safety.
Happily, by the point we acquired to the gate, they nonetheless hadn’t began boarding. I don’t know what was occurring, however there appeared to be prolonged delays in getting some wheelchair passengers off the inbound flight. After which after they did get off, it took ceaselessly to preboard the group which will or might not have truly wanted to get on first.
The airport was a cacophony of Southwest brokers begging individuals to verify their baggage. That’s what you get whenever you begin charging for checked baggage; individuals attempt to deliver the whole lot on. My bag may match below my seat if wanted, and my spouse determined to take an opportunity she may discover a area onboard for her bag, however we knew probabilities weren’t nice.
They lastly referred to as the C group, and the lady in entrance of me was fully bewildered. She simply stood there on the pole, checked out her boarding cross, regarded on the agent, after which regarded again once more. I couldn’t inform if she wanted assist or not. In spite of everything, she was in the appropriate place. However lastly she walked over to the agent, and I may hear the response. “No, it’s open seating, you don’t have a seat task, simply take something.” She walked again over confused, saying with mock outrage, “I’ve by no means heard of an airline doing that,” pondering everybody round her would nod in settlement. We didn’t.
Southwest 2741October 26, 2025
From Oakland➤ Scheduled Departure: 110p➤ Precise Departure: 136p➤ From Gate: 26➤ Wheels Up: 145p➤ From Runway: 30
To Los Angeles➤ Wheels Down: 242p➤ On Runway: 24R➤ Scheduled Arrival: 235p➤ Precise Arrival: 248p➤ At Gate: 18A
Plane➤ Kind: Boeing 737-7BD➤ Delivered: Might 8, 2006 to AirTran➤ Registered: N7726A, msn 33924➤ Livery: Sizzling Canine on a Stick
Flight➤ Cabin: Coach in Seat 3B➤ Load: 100% Full➤ Flight Time: 57m
On the airplane, I requested the cheerful flight attendant on the entrance if it was solely middles at this level, and he or she stated yeah. So, we determined to separate up. Whereas my spouse determined to push again and search for an overhead bin with room — she discovered it within the subsequent to final row — I simply grabbed a center up entrance and put my stuff below the seat, squeezing me into the center.
I used to be going to take row 2, however that individual within the window already had the shade virtually totally closed. I went to row 3, the place I discovered a really sleepy girl with the window open.
The flight attendants have been doing baggage ninja work, looking for room for the previous couple of individuals to place their issues as an alternative of creating them get checked. Throughout the aisle from me was a man with nothing below his seat and solely a backpack within the overhead. The flight attendants requested if they may put that below his seat, and he stated one thing about how he paid for a checked bag. I didn’t fairly comply with, however I can see that the flight attendants determined to simply not confront him additional. It was most likely the appropriate transfer.
It took ceaselessly to shut the airplane up and get it able to go. At one level, the pilots got here on saying that we had been given a wheels-up time of 1:42pm which was about 20 minutes away. It took so lengthy to get shifting that we truly missed that point, solely moving into the air at 1:45pm.
As we climbed into the cloudy skies, the lady within the window promptly slammed the window shut. WHAT? This was an outrage, however I couldn’t say something. The legal guidelines of the sky say that window was hers. I regarded throughout the aisle, however then that individual shut it as effectively. One of the best I may do was see the sliver of window nonetheless peaking out from the seat in entrance.
Then, my seatmate determined she was uncomfortable in that place, so she switched.
COME ON! Not cool.
I spent the following 20+ minutes making an attempt to get linked to wifi. It didn’t go effectively. The factor simply saved spinning, however I suppose it did hold me busy for a bit. We reached cruise altitude, and about midway via the flight, it magically began working… barely. At the least I used to be capable of get to the shifting map and finally watch a spotty NFL recreation. With no window, it’s all I had.
I had a cup of water and snagged Maui Monk pretzels as effectively. After which it was time to descend. LAX had poor visibility that morning, however did it nonetheless? I had no concept. The window was closed. However then, about midway into the descent, the window girl opened her shade nearly midway in order that I nonetheless couldn’t actually see something as a result of her head was in the way in which. Little did she know, she made a robust enemy on that flight.
After we lastly acquired off the aircraft, I may see it was sunny, although with plenty of moisture within the air.
I acquired off the aircraft rapidly however then I needed to anticipate ages till my spouse acquired off on the again. We cruised by the newly-JetBlued gates which appear to have gotten a little bit of a makeover.
Then we headed outdoors. It’s not Lengthy Seaside, however with the ability to stroll to the LAX-it lot subsequent door and hop in a Lyft on a Sunday with little visitors was about pretty much as good as LAX may be.
