It has been two years since I've travelled. I don't like that.
There's been a few reasons why - primarily a global pandemic. Don't get me wrong, we're not out of the pandemic yet but there is a vaccine and enough safety measures in place to make travel possible again. These didn't happen over night and didn't come a moment too soon.
The plan was to go on a small trip to Mexico for my actual 40th and then my "birthday trip" in February - a cruise to Antarctica. This plan was cancelled and refunded (the cruise portion - the Mexico portion wasn't anything more than an idea) thanks to the pandemic.
All things considered, it's probably better that I didn't travel for my 40th birthday. Even without the pandemic it would have felt more like running away. There would have been very little draw to return. Shortly before my birthday last year, my best friend died. Then on my birthday, Alex Trebek died. I didn't have any personal attachment to Alex Trebek but it didn't help the grief.
So now it is 2021, we can move a little freer, nobody important has died in the last two weeks. Things are looking up in my world! I booked a trip to Dreams Natura. I've sold AM Resorts a lot as a travel agent and figured this is the right time to check them out. I book through Air Canada Vacations which may have been my folly; there is limited to zero communication when I need it, including things like transfers.
The day of travel, I actually got some sleep! This is rare but it happened. It wasn't a lot of sleep but it was sleep none the less. The plan was to be on a bus at 0549. For a multitude of reasons this plan did not go through. I did not panic because I also had an alternate plan and an emergency back up plan. I ended up at the airport half an hour later than I planned.
YYC is generally a good airport. You can navigate it quickly, the people are friendly, things make sense, security is speedy. This is not pre-pandemic YYC. Pandemic-YYC is a shit show. The domestic terminals are empty. Yes, it is early in the morning, but there should be at least business travellers. There is no one. It is eerie. As with all things airports, there is a reason for this; the airport will tell you they're streaming everyone through the international terminal to reduce exposure. The airlines will tell you it's because people quit due to the vaccine mandates and there isn't enough staff. I don't think either is true.
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| There was a bear at the Banff Springs Hotel! |
At check-in, I managed to get an upgrade to business class just by asking. This sounds pretty excellent! I get lounge access and meals on board (as opposed to my plan of getting Subway and eating it halfway through the flight). And then......security.
Usually at YYC - especially in the morning - security is a breeze. 20 minutes to half an hour in line, done. No big deal. This time? Over an hour. Both domestic and international travel was all filtered through the same security check point. Add in people who don't know how/forgot how to travel, and it was a nightmare. If this was for reduced COVID exposure, they are doing it wrong: hundreds of people crammed in an area with little to no social distancing. Someone at the front is upset they have to dig through their carry-on to pull out their laptop. Someone else is upset they have to take off their belt and jacket. These are not new requirements! They have been around since the dawn of man! There are even signs! I feel bad for the CATSA people working and having to put up with these idiots.
Eventually I got through and had about 10 minutes in the lounge. It is a hike from the gate to the lounge but damn if I wasn't going to do it.
I got on the plane and settled in. The woman who sat beside me had the absolute audacity to ask if I'd consider moving back to coach. Apparently, her and her husband always have these seats but Air Canada said their dog-in-a-carry-on wouldn't fit between them (but would fit in coach), so her husband had to give up the seat. When she sat down, her husband made a comment about the dog absolutely being able to fit but if coach is the answer he'd sit in coach. The dog probably could have fit between the seats but I wasn't giving it up. The woman was not happy and made a terrible seat mate. I was watching Canada's Drag Race and she asked me not to as it offended her. I smiled behind my Pride mask and asked if she had a problem with gays. She stumbled over her answer and I suggested that if she did, maybe she should watch something straight on her own screen because mine was going to be be gay as hell. When breakfast came, she asked if I could please not eat my maple butter pancakes while she was there because the smell was too sweet for her. I told her I can't eat omelettes so I didn't have any other choice. The Baileys on ice I ordered was "so cheap looking, not what she was paying for in business class." I told it was a good thing she wasn't drinking it or paying for it. Everything I did she had an issue with. I didn't care! I was in business class and she wasn't going to take that away from me.
The flight was bumpy almost the whole time. The combination of this and me forgetting my sunglasses (yup - go to a sun destination and forget your sunglasses!!!) lead to a massive headache on my part. The service in business class was reduced and the seats were not lay flats. Overall it was a meh experience. Glad it didn't cost me more than asking a simple question.
Next: Viva la Mexico!
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