Here is the full account of Cathy's saga, directly from her, as she had lots of time to write it while waiting at the (not very good) hotel in Los Angeles...

Chapter One
The Team Leader (that's me), arrives at the Ottawa International Airport ready for the journey with her team to New Zealand. I try to do kiosk check in and am told by the friendly computer to go to the Triangle counter. I queue up for the Triangle counter, for a good 20 minutes. I provide the nice man at the counter with my ticket (this is a real, coupon ticket.... not an e-ticket....no, no, no....a coupon ticket which a ticket printer will not print without a valid reservation and file locator from which to issue the ticket) and am told that, YES I HAVE A TICKET, BUT I HAVE NO RESERVATION!

Hmmmmmmm!!!! I am then told to go the Issue Ticket counter for further assistance.

Chapter Two
I queue up, first in line, for the Issue Ticket counter. The slooooooweeest person on the planet is manning this counter (or in her case womanning this counter) and 45 MINUTES LATER she is finished with the woman at the counter (of course, there is only one person manning, I mean womanning the Issue Ticket counter) and ready to assist me. By this time, it is 5 minutes past 2:00pm and I am still not even close to my 3:05pm Ottawa Montreal flight.

The woman at the counter says, "hmmmmmmmm!!!!!, this is very strange! I have never seen this before......hmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!" Five minutes later, she calls a supervisor. Five minutes later the supervisor stops playing with bags and joins us at the Issue Ticket counter. "Hmmmmmmmmmm!!!!, he says. I have never seen this before..... hmmmmmmmmm!!!"

They call Air New Zealand. Air New Zealand has my flights confirmed with them, but Air
Canada does not have reservations for the connecting flights to GET to them. Remember..... I have an actual TICKET!

Chapter Three
The Issue Ticket counter person and the supervisor start checking flights. It seems the flights that I have tickets for are oversold and they will not put me on those flights. So, they book me on the WORST POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS, leaving me an arrival in L.A. (if everything goes perfectly and we all know that that happens all the time in the airline industry) at 10:35, with an Air New Zealand departure of 11:30. Not much time!!!!!

Chapter Four
I arrive in Toronto, ON TIME, at 4:00pm (I love Toronto airport.... love it, love it, love it....) and head out to see if I can find Dave Willsie to let him know what's going on. I see Davey and, of course, he makes me smile. I then head to the lounge to wait out the next three and a half hours until my 8:30 flight.

I arrive at the departure lounge to see that this is going to be a full flight. It is now 8:00pm and we have not begun boarding. I ask if the flight is going to leave on time. They say there may be a slight ("maybe 10 minutes") delay in departure. THEN, they say "the groomers and catering have been delayed but we expect to board shortly."

It is now 8:45pm. We are now 20 minutes late and we have not begun to board. At 9:00pm, we finally begin to board. YEAAAA!!!!!!

Chapter Five
It is now 9:50pm. After moving the children that were seated in the exit row by mistake
and then moving the little old people with the YAPPING DOGS that were seated in the exit
row by mistake and then moving the people that were now seated next to the YAPPING DOGS, who did not want to sit next to YAPPING DOGS and then removing the YAPPING DOGS from the flight because the little old lady would not leave the YAPPING DOGS in their carriers and then removing the YAPPING LITTLE OLD PEOPLE who would not travel without the little YAPPING DOGS and then removing the LUGGAGE OF THE LITTLE YAPPING OLD PEOPLE from the cargo hold and reloading the luggage and then waiting for catering, yet again, to bring water to the plane, which they somehow neglected to bring the first time around and were, for some reason, unable to bring while we were dealing with the LITTLE YAPPING OLD PEOPLE WITH THE LITTLE YAPPING DOGS........ we departed Toronto.

Chapter Six
Doing the math, there is a problem. I had 55 minutes to make the connection in L.A. We are now departing an hour and a half late. This is challenging!

I am seated next to two old men who could win a dueling snoring contest. I ask the flight attendant (after she throws water all over me....by mistake) if I can hit them. She says she won't tell. I get up to let SNORING LITTLE OLD MAN #1 out to go to the bathroom. SNORING LITTLE OLD MAN #1 is still sleepy. He falls into my seat and breaks MY headphone adaptor for my own personal headphones. He is sorry, but he really has to pee!

The exceptional flight crew arrange to contact Air New Zealand and tell them I'm on my way. They move me up to Business Class just before departure to get me out the door ASAP. The door opens..... I'm ready to run...... and the gate agent says "WAIT, they just left," which I already knew because I saw the Air New Zealand plane pushing back just as we were pulling into the gate. I waved!

Chapter Seven
I have been rebooked on a 9:30pm flight the following evening, by Air Canada. I am given a print out of the new flights and a $60 hotel voucher and rushed out the door. I pick up my bags in the baggage area from HELL, make a hotel booking, wait 25 minutes for the hotel shuttle and check into the worst Westin I have ever experienced. BUT, the bed was good!

Chapter Eight
A new day dawns! I have a lovely shower! I am refreshed! I talk to Monica (our travel agent) and she tells me that after three hours of tracing, by her and a colleague, she can't figure out what happened either. So, I'm just lucky I guess. Thank heavens it was me and not one of the players!

I check out of the hotel, have a great, relaxing lunch at the hotel, take a cab to Circuit City to replace my headphone adaptor and then take the shuttle to the airport, refreshed and ready for my flight.

Chapter Nine
Upon check-in, I am told that I have to pay an excess baggage fee (which I didn't have to pay the day before) for the extra bag (uniforms you know) AND I have to pay a DATE CHANGE FEE because I am not leaving on the day I was originally scheduled to leave. I am DISPLEASED!

My face begins to get red and I start perspiring, slightly. I am VERY clear with the counter agent that he can take his date change fee and "stick it ......... with Air Canada." He goes to see his supervisor. He comes back! They will kindly waive the date change fee for me (isn't that sweet), but I have to pay the excess baggage fee.

Chapter Ten
I am writing to my friend Marco, while sitting in the Lounge in L.A., waiting for my flight. The rest of my team, including the Marco, should be safely tucked into the hotel in Wellington, while I await THE FLIGHT.

I LOVE TRAVEL!

THE END (well not yet... not really...)