Kyle Sherbine
My day began with waking up at 4:00 am and leaving the lodge at 5:00 am. Like the flight from Seattle to Juneau, the flight from Juneau to Seattle had more than half of my fellow students on it. When I checked in for the flight, I was asked if I would be willing to give up my seat for a travel voucher and be placed on a different flight. I decided that I would be willing to give up my seat. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, I mean what are the chances everyone will show up for this flight. If the flight did fill up, I would be placed on a flight that would arrive in Seattle only 15 minutes later than my original flight. Having a three-hour layover in Seattle gave me plenty of time to make my connecting flight.
Everyone made it through security. After, Paige, Colin and I waited in line to buy breakfast and coffee. Just as we were walking away from the cashier, I heard my name announced over the speaker. I went to the desk and talked to the attendant. She gave me the option to give up my seat only if I wanted to and if the airplane filled up. After the attendant explained what I would get in return for giving up my seat, I gladly offered to take a later flight. I watched as most of my friends boarded the airplane, anxiously standing there waiting to find out if I was going to be on this flight or not. As the last couple people ran to catch the airplane, just barely making the flight, the attendant told me the airplane was full. I received a $300 travel voucher from Delta and a free seat on an Alaska Airlines flight that left 30 minutes later. The only person I knew on my new flight was Paige.
The view when flying from Seattle to the Twin Cities.
Once Paige and I arrived in Seattle, we met most of the people from the other flight in the airport. We ate lunch and talked for about half an hour. We exchanged hugs, said our final goodbyes, and left for our gates. My gate was in a different terminal, which was in a completely different building. I arrived at the gate and waited. Honestly, with my luck, I was hoping this flight was overbooked too, but it wasn’t. I boarded my second flight to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
When I arrived in the Twin Cities, I had a two-hour layover. I ate dinner at Chick-fil-A and bought ice cream from Dairy Queen. I called my mom to confirm that my flight would be in Pittsburgh at 11:30 pm. The flight was quiet and peaceful, allowing me to reflect and think about my time in Alaska. My trip was rapidly coming to an end, but I was ready to be home.