3-18-22 Flight to Milan

So the long day into night begins with me leaving home for Detroit Metro Airport.  Then to JFK.  From there will fly to Milan Malpense Airport in Italy.  It’s actually not that terrible.

Since you fly over night you actually have a pretty good chance of sleeping or at least resting since they turn off the interior lights.  Then you break through the clouds to find the Alps on one side and Italy on the other.  Unfortunately on this trip .. we leave an hour late from JFK – no reason given and when we land it is cloudy and rainy – so no great shot of the Alps.

The flight was somewhat entertaining though.  I exchange seats with a traveler who’s husband was in the row in front.  No big deal   … I think anyway!  Nothing is ever easy you know.  We get reseated and I am still in an aisle seat – just a row in front and on the opposite side.

Then, just before takeoff the lead flight attendant comes on over the PA system and says “We have a full flight … please remain in your assigned seats – do not change seats due to Covid mandates.”

All of my neighboring seatmates are looking at the three of us involved in this thoroughly terrible thing we did … even if it wasn’t that terrible.  They are laughing and shrugging shoulders as if to say.  “We ain’t squealing on you!”

We remain right where we are … breaking Covid regulation “#6538A sub paragraph B.”  What a crock of shit.  Knowing my history, I will probably be arrested when we land in Italy.  But what can they really do to us … dump us off the jet somewhere over the North Atlantic??

I am now sitting next to a young girl of about nine or so who is obviously traveling with her Dad (on the opposite side).  Early in the flight she dumps her juice on her pants.  Luckily, she has a bag with spare clothes.  She gets changed.  A little while later just after dining service begins she has to use the bathroom.

Cart is blocking her way to the restroom in our section so she tries to go forward to business first class or whatever the hell is in front of us and the flight attendants won’t let her go forward.  Man, to me that is really weird.  I guess Covid regulation “#$7234Ba”.

I tell her dad to let her come out on my side of the aisle because the cart is farther down the aisle.  But he refuses and says she can make it for a little while longer.  I did want to shake the guy by his lapels (“shake him by his lapels” …. That’s a pretty quaint phrase don’t you think?) because the poor kid is in tears.

The opposite aisle finally clears and the little girl gets to run to the bathroom.  She gets back to her seat … dinner is served to her.  Some sort of cheese ravioli with marinara.  She can’t cut it and the dad is getting perturbed again.  He helps her and she promptly drops a fair amount all over her sweat shirt.

Dad ain’t happy!

They get some more clothes out of the bag in the overhead bin.  She is OK again.  Then I start to think about it.  I am traveling with just my backpack in the overhead.  If anything drops on me I am totally screwed.

The juice missed me … the ravioli missed me (but not by that much) just hoping we have no more meal service or I might end up wearing wet clothes the rest of the way.  Like Kris Kristofferson sings “Why me Lord?”

Well, the good news is that nothing else happens.  We finally drop through the clouds and find the airport (why don’t they call them “jetports?”) in Milan to touch down to light rain.

They don’t arrest any of we three violators of Covid regulation “#6538A sub paragraph B.” for changing seats.  The three of us have a laugh as we proceed through Customs etc.

Italy here I come!