Intinerary.

There are few experiences I'd rather have less at 1:30 am than hurtling down a runway in an E1190 feeling the tires skid over ice. It was slightly improved by the fact that we weren't turning around and heading to Montreal, but only slightly.

So, Air Canada, it doesn't make sense to send me to Halifax, from Ottawa, via Toronto. That's dumb. The following is also dumb:

5:15pm - board flight to Toronto that has been delayed 20 minutes.
5:55 - wonder if maybe I should worry about making my next flight at 7pm.
6:30 - land in Toronto, realize I will easily make my next flight.
6:40 - Air Canada realizes my luggage won't easily make the next flight, and bumps me to the next flight to Halifax at 8:30 (THANKS).
7:00 - settle in at Toronto airport gate 134 to wait for my next flight.
8:05 - realize it's unlikely my flight will be leaving at 8:30 if the flight to Victoria hasn't yet left gate 134.
8:30 - the plane I'm getting on arrives at the gate. From Denver.
8:45 - the travelers to Halifax are advised that bad weather is moving into Halifax*, so they are unsure if we will be able to land there. They figure they'll give it a shot.
9:30 - Plane departs for Halifax, with me on board.

SWITCH TO HALIFAX TIME - ONE HOUR AHEAD.

10:30 - Plane departs for Halifax, with me on board.
11:00 until 12:15 - turbulence!
12:30 - Pilot informs us we're start our descent.
1:10 - it seems we've been descending for a long time.
1:14 - I glimpse the Halifax airport as the pilot pops out of the low clouds tries to land, and guns it back up.
1:15 - Pilot informs us we'll be making one more attempt to land before possibly heading to our alternate, Montreal.
1:15:30 - I realize if I'm in Montreal, I will end up only 1.5 hours away from where I started.
1:25 - we pop out of the clouds once more, and the pilot somehow manages to put the plane down.

Cue skidding.

1:26 - I point out to Whoever Is Listening Up There that I don't want to die in this stupid plane with screaming children at 1:30 am. Thanks.

3:00 - I finally make it to my bed, 4.5 hours behind schedule.




*I knew this. This is why I didn't want to be on a later flight.