So, I'm at Philadelphia International Airport? I think the name of it. The day didn't start out well, I can say that for sure.
For one thing, I didn't sleep well at all. Went to bed a bit unhappy - grandma shows up and takes over the entire house. Her way or the highway. She hasn't started that nonsense with me personally yet and I've warned them that if she does, I'm not having any part of it, she will hear about herself. I already watched her berating her son in front of her son's children, that was quite enough for me.
After that, I just got up early and drank coffee, spent some time with the doggies - figure I won't see them for quite a while - and then left. Well, after finally getting my tickets and luggage checked in, $70 for that, my bag full of clothes and a PPE bag, I was then ramrodded through the scanner
As usual, the scanner showed 2 spots on my body with red zone - one of them being crotch area of course. Of course! Every. Single. Time. No, I don't have a belt on. Yes, I empty out my pockets. This time I bit my tongue. I ain't getting in there without them molesting me. Reach all the way up to my crotch, feel my ass, stick their fingers down the waist band, it's pretty humiliating. Then they took a sample of whatever on a stick, stuck it into a computer that analyzes it. Bombs? Who knows.
After that, the computer at the podium where show your ticket to enter the jetway? Malfunctioned. Yeehaw! Plane left 40 minutes late, good thing I had a cushion of time at FWD. We raced straight over there and got there in time for the first round of passengers to load. Well I hadn't eaten anything but I didn't have time to get food so wasn't looking forward to that. And this was my first flight since covid. First leg no drinks at all, nothing not even peanuts. Second leg, a paper bag with a very small thing of preztels, a half bottle of water and hand sanitizer wipes. Gag. No inflight service. Well anyway, on the first leg, we started going around in circles. I was noticeable. Bank, straight, bank, straight, bank etc.
The captain finally comes on - the radios are down at DFW. How on earth can their communications just go down like that they can't even communicate with the flight crew? I've never even heard of such a thing. Well, eventually he gets back on - we have communication now, we're heading in.
Second flight was on time and we got here to Philadelphia 10 minutes early, straight to the gate on the other side of the airport, confirm we're at the right place and then over to an eatery for $14 wings. However, the wings are on the company. Keep the receipt, I'm all good.
So here we sit waiting on the final leg. It sounds like I may be up here 2 weeks. 2 trips a day, I'm told, 4 hours a piece to the same plant, drop and hook every time. Not sure about loading, I'm hoping it's local drivers load it and OTR takes it to the plant. Just if we can only do 2 trips a day and it's 8 hours worth of driving, those will be great days! Guaranteed minimum pay worth far more than 8 hours of driving that would be wonderful.
The dispatcher called earlier, introduced himself and then I asked questions. Daycabs, so that's the reason for the hotel every night. Back to the yard every day after you're done, so back to the hotel. It sounds easy, but he didn't say where we are going and it's possible that Boston is a destination. We are so hoping that isn't it, that it's some rural area and it's mostly highway miles like most of what I already do entails.
Well it's getting close to departure time, time to get off of here,
