Merry &%$@# Christmas

Hope my reader(s) had a good holiday. Our Christmas day wasn't exactly in the spirit of the season. Here's how it played it out:

5:30 a.m. Wake up, shower, etc.

7 a.m. Drive to Ft. Myers airport

8 a.m. Arrive at airport for 9:20 a.m. flight

9:20 a.m. Sit in airport awaiting boarding

9:45 a.m. Finally board flight

10:15 a.m. Take off for Charlotte

11:45 a.m. Arrive in Charlotte

12:15 p.m. Get to departure gate and discover 2:00 flight to Louisville delayed to 2:10

1 p.m. Discover flight is further delayed, to 3:20

1-3:30 p.m. Sit, wait to board flight (did enjoy delicious Starbucks eggnog latte, by far the highlight of the day)

3:45 p.m. Board flight to Louisville

4:15 p.m. Take off for Louisville

5:30 p.m. Arrive in Louisville

6 p.m. Discover that one of two pieces of luggage didn't make it

6:15 p.m. Realize that approximately 75 percent of passengers on the same flight didn't get their bags, either

6:16 p.m. Get in US Airways baggage service office line

7:45 p.m. Finally get to the head of the line

7:50 p.m. Leave baggage service office with claim number and strong thirst for a pint

8 p.m. Quench thirst for pint while awating last flight in from Charlotte, initially due in at 7:25 and delayed until 8:40, in the hope that our lost bag made that flight

8:20 p.m. Learn that said flight is delayed until 9:30

8:30 p.m. Take cab to in-laws' house

8:31 p.m. Vow never to fly US Airways again

8:50 p.m. Arrive at in-laws' house, open presents, eat dinner

10 p.m. Sleep

Can't wait to do it again next year. (On a positive note, our bag was waiting at the airport when we swung by on our way back to Chicago.) Of course, we also realize we weren't the only ones having travel difficulties.

Postscript: US Airways is blaming its employees for the massive luggage/delay problems over the holiday.