Come fly with me, but pack lightly!

Just came back from my first-ever visit to Vancouver Island. Had an interesting time, but more about that in a future post. What I want to discuss today is the flight home.

I flew Air Canada. I can honestly say I prefer them to the competition. I haven't flown WestJet since three years ago when they refused to let me pre-book a seat to go 1,300 miles away to my niece's wedding while I was using crutches after tearing my knee cartilage. Instead, they suggested I arrive 2 or 3 hours early to guarantee myself a seat with leg room.

My flight out to Victoria via Calgary was uneventful - sort of what you like in a flight. We got to the Vancouver airport early to fly home only to find out that our 7:00 p.m. flight would now be leaving at 8:30. No explanation, other than the plane was late leaving Ottawa for Vancouver.

We boarded the the Airbus (now that's a good description...) and detecting no scent of smoke we concluded the delay could not have been caused by a fire onboard, so we decided we'd stay on.

The flight was packed because of flights being re-routed due to the snow storm that socked Alberta and Saskatchewan. But what really added to the fun was seeing people try and stuff their 'carry on' luggage in the overhead compartments. I saw one couple struggle with five bags they were lugging on board - two laptop bags large enough to store that 17-inch monitor as well, a purse that could be used as a flotation device and two wheeled suitcases the size of barbeques. Needless to say, they (and others) had to troll up and down the aisle trying to find a spot where they could wedge in their gear. The result - the flight left another half-hour late.

Give your heads a shake, people! Only carry on what you can actually carry. Is it really necessary to bring that IKEA dresser (I don't care if it's assembled or not) on the plane with you? Are all your items that valuable that you fear the baggage handlers or security personnel sifting through your bags?

Us? We carried my wife's small purse and one bag on for the two of us, with a few snacks and a couple of books to read in order to pass the time - when I wasn't shaking my head and laughing at others trying to pry their 15-square-foot duffle bags from the overhead bins. If you're one of those people, remember to pack the Vaseline next time.

Oh well, at least we were not flying Northwest. Didn't have to choose between the livestock and no-livestock section.