After leaving SF, Gen had a harrowing experience checking in. She did not expect to have overweight luggage. She had to scramble and rearranged things to avoid paying for a 3rd bag. After checking in, she had her carry on luggage and a clear plastic for things that did not fit in her carry-on bag. She was assured by the luggage check in clerk that it would be okay. Not! She was denied at the security point of SFO and was told to check her carry-on as it was too big. Ops! She returned to the check in area, silently hoping that she would get help ASAP as she was eyeing the time. Her watch said that she had 10 minutes before boarding. The lady at the counter was helping a family while Gen waited for her turn, trying not to look very impatient and desperate. The lady noticed nevertheless and Gen got the attention she needed. She relayed her story to the lady and told her that she would have to pay $150 for the 3rd bag. Gen invoked the airline manager’s help in waiving the fee by telling the lady helping her that she was on her way to volunteer in Africa. By the way, she had asked the airline’s customer service rep a day before if there was a way to waive a 3rd bag fee. The rep mentioned that she had to ask at the airport’s counter. And so she did and received what she asked!!! Saving $150!!!! After this, she tried to be expedited through security check due to her boarding time. The security lady looked at her boarding pass and assured her that she had time. Looking at her watch, she hoped that the lady was right. She got through security but forgot that she had a small container of unopened peanut butter in her plastic bag carry-on. Sadly, she had to give up that creamy peanut butter. An additional loss, since she had to give up a 500 ml or so shampoo already during the initial check in. However, these losses were nothing compared to the $150 dollar saving! She dragged her plastic bag carry on to Gate 68 after the confiscation of the peanut butter. She found the gate to be deserted and asked a uniformed airline employee nearby if the airplane’s gate had been closed. The response was, “The plane just arrived.” Wow!! What an unexpected outcome. Gen realized then that she had been reading her watch wrongly. Since she just returned from Nicaragua, she thought she had to subtract an hour from what her watch displayed. Whew!!! Her watch was telling the right time after all. Ops! What a stressful start to an adventure.
The plane arrived in Washington, DC at least 30 minutes early. However, Gen had to wait for close to 2 hours before she was able to claim her bags. What a “payment” for having waived the 3rd bag fee. It did get better though since she had a “luxurious” accommodation at St. Gregory Luxury Hotel & Suites. Gen and I are so used to camping and staying at cheap places that what would be normal for a lot of people would be luxury to us. So, for at least 10 days, Gen enjoyed her en suite accommodation in DC while receiving pre-departure orientation for her volunteer job in Uganda. She was able to connect with friends long seen and visited some sights.
After leaving SF, Gen had a harrowing experience checking in. She did not expect to have overweight luggage. She had to scramble and rearranged things to avoid paying for a 3rd bag. After checking in, she had her carry on luggage and a clear plastic for things that did not fit in her carry-on bag. She was assured by the luggage check in clerk that it would be okay. Not! She was denied at the security point of SFO and was told to check her carry-on as it was too big. Ops! She returned to the check in area, silently hoping that she would get help ASAP as she was eyeing the time. Her watch said that she had 10 minutes before boarding. The lady at the counter was helping a family while Gen waited for her turn, trying not to look very impatient and desperate. The lady noticed nevertheless and Gen got the attention she needed. She relayed her story to the lady and told her that she would have to pay $150 for the 3rd bag. Gen invoked the airline manager’s help in waiving the fee by telling the lady helping her that she was on her way to volunteer in Africa. By the way, she had asked the airline’s customer service rep a day before if there was a way to waive a 3rd bag fee. The rep mentioned that she had to ask at the airport’s counter. And so she did and received what she asked!!! Saving $150!!!! After this, she tried to be expedited through security check due to her boarding time. The security lady looked at her boarding pass and assured her that she had time. Looking at her watch, she hoped that the lady was right. She got through security but forgot that she had a small container of unopened peanut butter in her plastic bag carry-on. Sadly, she had to give up that creamy peanut butter. An additional loss, since she had to give up a 500 ml or so shampoo already during the initial check in. However, these losses were nothing compared to the $150 dollar saving! She dragged her plastic bag carry on to Gate 68 after the confiscation of the peanut butter. She found the gate to be deserted and asked a uniformed airline employee nearby if the airplane’s gate had been closed. The response was, “The plane just arrived.” Wow!! What an unexpected outcome. Gen realized then that she had been reading her watch wrongly. Since she just returned from Nicaragua, she thought she had to subtract an hour from what her watch displayed. Whew!!! Her watch was telling the right time after all. Ops! What a stressful start to an adventure.
The plane arrived in Washington, DC at least 30 minutes early. However, Gen had to wait for close to 2 hours before she was able to claim her bags. What a “payment” for having waived the 3rd bag fee. It did get better though since she had a “luxurious” accommodation at St. Gregory Luxury Hotel & Suites. Gen and I are so used to camping and staying at cheap places that what would be normal for a lot of people would be luxury to us. So, for at least 10 days, Gen enjoyed her en suite accommodation in DC while receiving pre-departure orientation for her volunteer job in Uganda. She was able to connect with friends long seen and visited some sights.
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