airport adventures

I take a lot of pride in being grown up. I've raised my children to adulthood. I am relatively confident in my skills as a mother. I've always got really excellent free advice for anyone in the thick of things. And this week I thought I could help my sister out with a little errand she had to take care of.

My niece Kaitlyn needed to be at the Calgary airport to catch a flight to Grande Prairie on Friday morning. Kaitlyn's been making this trip since she was 3. She's definitely not intimidated by airports.

But now Kaitlyn is 12 and no longer qualifies as an unaccompanied minor on the plane so it was with a little trepidation my sister agreed to let her go. "As long as someone can go with her to the gate, it should be ok."

My sister is recovering from surgery so I volunteered to make the drive to Calgary to deposit Kaitlyn. I needed a day off anyway and the flight was early so that would leave the whole afternoon for shopping! I was actually looking forward to the whole thing.

I decided to invite my other niece, Alexis, to come along so I would have some company on the way home. It was beginning to look like a great idea. Alexis and Kaitlyn would get to visit on the way up and I would have some special time with Alexis after we sent Kaitlyn on her way. And Kaitlyn would have a grown up and a friend to send her off safely.

Everything was going to plan. We woke up early and left home on time. We arrived at the airport a full hour and half before her boarding time, parked the car and headed to the departures level. That's when things started to unravel for me.

For one reason or another, Kaitlyn has never gotten a passport and I was quite nervous about not having a passport for her. I have NEVER let my children travel without a passport. It's kind of like a security blanket for me. (although, when you think about it-the passport does not guarantee anything!!!) I was also getting nervous about asking to accompany her to the gate even though I am not her mother...The letter my sister had provided was NOT NOTARIZED so my anxiety grew as I made my way to the stupid self serve kiosk. Seriously, whatever happened to those smiling attendants just dying to serve the harried traveller?

Adding to my impending panic was the fact that there was about 200 people snaking their way through the line to the baggage drop. It was crowded. I was nervous; responsible for a child that wasn't mine and not sure how to get exactly what I needed from the impersonal machine in front of me.

Things went from bad to worse as I realized the itinerary I had in my hand did not have a barcode...step one; place barcode under reader. 

As I stood by the kiosk looking absolutely spooked, I met a friend from Magrath - a fellow traveller! "Where are you headed?" she asked with a big smile. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere," I replied with a nervous grin. "I'm just getting Kaitlyn on a plane to Grand Prairie."

"Ha...I'm taking two dozen kids to Montreal for a Judo tournament," she laughed and carried on through the crush of people with all her little ducks in a row. Effortlessly.

Step two; scan passport. I started to FRANTICALLY scan the crowd for someone who might be able to tell me what to do. Finally, I saw an agent herding people this way and that. I overheard her say "Grand Prairie"as she shoved a guy and his bags down a line to my left. 

"Excuse me?" I asked as I approached the girl in uniform. "Could you help me out here? I have to help Kaitlyn get on the plane to Grand Prairie and I don't have a bar code and she doesn't have a passport and GULP, Blubber, sniff I AM NOT GOING TO CRY ABOUT THIS...."

Whereupon I lost it and just sort of stood there crying, looking pathetic as Kaitlyn and Alexis shifted uncomfortably at my side. 

The agent shifted her gaze from me to Kaitlyn and said, "How old are you Kaitlyn?"

I pulled myself together as Kaitlyn replied, "Twelve." 

"She's a big girl." The agent looked at me and said, "She'll be fine."

"She's a lot littler than she looks!" I wailed. And then in an effort to act my age I said, "This is ALOT harder for me than it is for Kaitlyn!"

Taking charge of my hysteria (to her credit) the agent then directed me to relax; she'd help us out, there was no problem and Kaitlyn would be fine. Did I want to take her through security and to her gate? Then pointing all the way across the terminal to a single desk manned by one person behind a computer she said, "See Liz over there? Go tell her Mae sent you and that Kaitlyn needs to check in and you need a pass for yourself and Alexis to accompany her through security and to her gate." Then she actually unhooked the rope and led our little group of three PAST everyone else waiting in line and deposited us at Mae's desk.

Three minutes later we were through security and seated at Kaitlyn's gate enjoying Tim Horton's doughnuts and a Calgary Herald. 

I was a little embarrassed and in an effort to make light of the situation I grinned and asked, "OK girls. Did we learn a lesson in this whole little adventure today?"

Without missing a beat Alexis responded quite seriously, "If you cry, you get to go to the front of the line."

Yup. That's what we learned today.