Boarding Pass

For anyone who has ever traveled by air, you are undoubtedly familiar with the significance of the boarding pass.  It is swatch of parchment that gets you past the gauntlet of security and onto the jetway.  From there,  it’s simply a matter of identifying your assigned seat and settling in for the ups and downs of air travel.  However, even with that ticket to ride in hand, it doesn’t guarantee that the flight will actually push back from the gate and allow you to put your seat back, relax, and enjoy the flight.

I remember my very first flight, a trip home from Biloxi Mississippi with my Dad.  We had visited my uncle and aunt who were stationed  at Kessler AF base.  It was one of those older, propeller planes; it reminded me of the plane in the closing moments of Casablanca, only it had 4 engines which was a relief to me.  Since then,  I have flown on many different types of aircraft, including the workhorse 707,  regional  jets, the L1011, a 747, 727’s, 737’s, a 757, a 767, a 777, and the A300 Airbus.  What do these jet powered successors to the Wright Brother’s  prototype have in common?  They all carry people places, and as a result, have made global travel a practical reality.

Yes, with a boarding pass and the proper identification, you  can go just about anywhere.  However, when you fly standby, the airlines don’t issue a boarding pass until they are absolutely sure there is room enough to accommodate you.  For my sister, her family, and myself, we were fortunate enough to get the “golden” pass.  In the end, the angst associated with our standby status led to a first class trip across the pond to Milan.  The complimentary wine, the delicious crab cakes, and the heavenly ice cream sundae capped off a truly first class junket to the start of our holidays.  Ciao!