departure from New Haven to Philadelphia en route to Saint Louis
My alarm sounded at 5:10am and I got up to start my day. I made oatmeal for breakfast, took a shower while it cooled, and finished getting dressed and ready after I ate. Watching TV to pass the remaining time, I heard my roommate lurking around upstairs. Wanting not to discuss my plans with her, I went to my room to grab my luggage while she was in the shower and left the apartment early at 6:44am to wait for the B1.
A minute later, I heard the distinctive sound of a bus at the stop up the street, so I hurried down my driveway and crossed the street to catch it. Along the ride, a colorful older woman bellowed in conversation with a fellow passenger about her plans for the weekend and I watched through the windows to see the town along a route I had not yet traveled.
I requested a stop at Tweed when upon boarding and arrived by quarter to eight. Tweed New Haven is a clean and quiet, if comically small regional airport with one airline, which flies to a single destination. While checking in, I asked my pleasant ticketing agent why all flights go only to Philadelphia. She told me they used to fly to DC as well, but eliminated those that route after 9-11 for security reasons. I failed to see the logic in her answer, but left it alone and collected my ticket.
With ample time remaining before my 9:10am departure, I went for a walk outside.
Beyond the metal detector and single x-ray machine of the lone security isle, I sat by the two side-by-side gates, to await my boarding call. The “gates” were simply a pair of glass doors that open directly to the tarmac. My left eyebrow rose involuntarily at 8:53 when I heard the announcement that “Gold Members” may board. There were only 19 people in the boarding area and the plane was a little de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Turboprop; it was silly to imagine there could be different classes of seats.
