*This post is just about the travel experience from Austin to Raliegh-Durham. I will do another post about our visit*
*This is quite a long post, sorry*
May 5th of this year, my brother-in-law got "married" in Winston-Salem, NC (they actually went to a JOP in November 2011 and didn't tell us until about 1 1/2 to 2 months before the "wedding"). We left Texas on April 28th and came back home from the trip on May 6th.
Boy, was it ever a trip. I will first off like to let you know that, I DO NOT travel well, motion sickness and myself go hand in hand. Kinda sucks for me because I LOVE roller coasters. You would think that spending summers as a kid in the hills and mountains of North Carolina that wouldn't be the case. It got really bad right after I had Lil Man. I didn't get the nursing approved version of "Dramamine" for this trip, not saying that I didn't think about getting it multiple times before hand and went to Wal-Mart multiple times to get items for the trip. Slipped my mind...
We flew out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA or if you want the airport code AUS) on Southwest Airlines. Please let me say this, every experience I have had with Southwest has been good if not great. But from the beginning of our purchase of the tickets it was great. The price, although it gave me a heart attack, was the best one we could find. And we could have up to 2 checked bags for each person to fly for free (up to 50lbs). I was cutting it close on one bag.
Well, before our flight I had some concerns, travelling with 2 children under the age of 5 and one likes to run off and the other, well, I didn't want to carry around the entire airport. I had to bring the double stroller. So I called Southwest's customer service line and talked to a very lovely woman, I wish I could remember her name, and asked her about gate checking the stroller and also if there would be a charge for sending the car seats on through to our destination RDU. She said no charge and that she really did hope I bring the double stroller. I like customer service people like that, who are honest and nice with you. I don't like the snarky people, like when you try to explain a service call to AT&T people, and they sound like they really don't care about themselves or you. Anywho! Southwest Airlines customer service were not like that at all.
Well, April 28th arrived and we left before the sun came up and made pretty darn good time to the airport. Sr had already done the online check in and we with our 3 suitcases, double stroller, 5 "carry-on" bags, car seat and 2 kids did the curbside check-in. Everything was tagged, the awesome guy at the outside check-in even put a plastic bag around the baby's carseat. In my book, that early in the morning, you're thinking about someone else, even if it is your job: AWESOME!
So, we finish that and on to "The Gambit" I call all security checkpoints that, just something to lighten the mood for me. Oh, let me say this I am so very thankful that God has blessed me with some adorable children. ABIA, your TSA people are pretty darn good! Straight, to the point, nice and helpful and the majority of them had smiles. One I think even told me to quit apologizing for having a lot of stuff. I think I was pretty fast for having a baby in my hand trying to unload and repack everything with just one hand and let me say that double stroller is heavy with one hand.
We got to the gate and our gate person suggested that we get a tag for the stroller so we could get it when we got off at our places it would be there when we got off the plane.
Nashville airport (BNA) was pretty cool they had a play area! Yay! From there we hopped our flight to RDU and we had the entire Duke University Lacrosse team on our flight. We are Duke Basketball fans. Even though we don't watch lacrosse, I am a fan because all of those guys on the team were nice and respectful. The two guys who sat in front of us were really nice and survived Sr talking about Duke basketball, from before these guys were born. Yeah, I felt old.
May 6th, the day after the wedding and I had maybe 4 hours of sleep. We all get up and are out of the door for the 2 hour drive to RDU, same amount of people, stroller, baby's carseat, the carry ons, and 4 suitcases. Yup, we had to purchase an extra suitcase. Yay for 3 ticketed passengers and for bags flying free on Southwest! Again, from getting our boarding passes up to the gate awesome employees from Southwest. There was even a TSA agent who helped me with the stroller.
Minus my issues in general with travel, from customer service, the front lines, gate personnel, to the baggage handlers who helped with the stroller (at one stop it was already opened and ready for us when we got off the plane), to the flight attendants. My experience with Southwest was great. It always has been. If I have to fly I will try to always use Southwest when ever I possibly can. Thank you Southwest Airlines.
*This is quite a long post, sorry*
May 5th of this year, my brother-in-law got "married" in Winston-Salem, NC (they actually went to a JOP in November 2011 and didn't tell us until about 1 1/2 to 2 months before the "wedding"). We left Texas on April 28th and came back home from the trip on May 6th.
Boy, was it ever a trip. I will first off like to let you know that, I DO NOT travel well, motion sickness and myself go hand in hand. Kinda sucks for me because I LOVE roller coasters. You would think that spending summers as a kid in the hills and mountains of North Carolina that wouldn't be the case. It got really bad right after I had Lil Man. I didn't get the nursing approved version of "Dramamine" for this trip, not saying that I didn't think about getting it multiple times before hand and went to Wal-Mart multiple times to get items for the trip. Slipped my mind...
We flew out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA or if you want the airport code AUS) on Southwest Airlines. Please let me say this, every experience I have had with Southwest has been good if not great. But from the beginning of our purchase of the tickets it was great. The price, although it gave me a heart attack, was the best one we could find. And we could have up to 2 checked bags for each person to fly for free (up to 50lbs). I was cutting it close on one bag.
Well, before our flight I had some concerns, travelling with 2 children under the age of 5 and one likes to run off and the other, well, I didn't want to carry around the entire airport. I had to bring the double stroller. So I called Southwest's customer service line and talked to a very lovely woman, I wish I could remember her name, and asked her about gate checking the stroller and also if there would be a charge for sending the car seats on through to our destination RDU. She said no charge and that she really did hope I bring the double stroller. I like customer service people like that, who are honest and nice with you. I don't like the snarky people, like when you try to explain a service call to AT&T people, and they sound like they really don't care about themselves or you. Anywho! Southwest Airlines customer service were not like that at all.
Well, April 28th arrived and we left before the sun came up and made pretty darn good time to the airport. Sr had already done the online check in and we with our 3 suitcases, double stroller, 5 "carry-on" bags, car seat and 2 kids did the curbside check-in. Everything was tagged, the awesome guy at the outside check-in even put a plastic bag around the baby's carseat. In my book, that early in the morning, you're thinking about someone else, even if it is your job: AWESOME!
So, we finish that and on to "The Gambit" I call all security checkpoints that, just something to lighten the mood for me. Oh, let me say this I am so very thankful that God has blessed me with some adorable children. ABIA, your TSA people are pretty darn good! Straight, to the point, nice and helpful and the majority of them had smiles. One I think even told me to quit apologizing for having a lot of stuff. I think I was pretty fast for having a baby in my hand trying to unload and repack everything with just one hand and let me say that double stroller is heavy with one hand.
We got to the gate and our gate person suggested that we get a tag for the stroller so we could get it when we got off at our places it would be there when we got off the plane.
Nashville airport (BNA) was pretty cool they had a play area! Yay! From there we hopped our flight to RDU and we had the entire Duke University Lacrosse team on our flight. We are Duke Basketball fans. Even though we don't watch lacrosse, I am a fan because all of those guys on the team were nice and respectful. The two guys who sat in front of us were really nice and survived Sr talking about Duke basketball, from before these guys were born. Yeah, I felt old.
May 6th, the day after the wedding and I had maybe 4 hours of sleep. We all get up and are out of the door for the 2 hour drive to RDU, same amount of people, stroller, baby's carseat, the carry ons, and 4 suitcases. Yup, we had to purchase an extra suitcase. Yay for 3 ticketed passengers and for bags flying free on Southwest! Again, from getting our boarding passes up to the gate awesome employees from Southwest. There was even a TSA agent who helped me with the stroller.
Minus my issues in general with travel, from customer service, the front lines, gate personnel, to the baggage handlers who helped with the stroller (at one stop it was already opened and ready for us when we got off the plane), to the flight attendants. My experience with Southwest was great. It always has been. If I have to fly I will try to always use Southwest when ever I possibly can. Thank you Southwest Airlines.
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