Light fog, Alaska Airlines, a funeral almost missed

As I had long ago promised the Mahoney's I would join them in Grotto Iona on this day, June 17, 2012, to document the internment of the ashes of Rebekah Louise, who died Outside last August at the age of 37, I was booked to return from Barrow on the 6:30 PM flight Saturday. Rebekah is the daughter of Tim, the rancher and cowboy whose face is well-known to regular readers of this blog and the journal that preceded it.

Saturday in Barrow began with beautiful, sunny, weather, but come midafternoon a light and patchy fog moved in. I was a little worried, but I had seen and flown on many an Alaska Airlines jet that had come in and taken off when the fog was heavier than this.

At about five, we evening passengers were informed the flight had been cancelled and we were all being automatically rebooked on the 8:30 PM flight. None of the regular passengers who go in and out of Barrow believed the weather story - we had all had jets come in, pick us up and fly us out in heavier fog than this. Rather, we looked at the small number of passengers booked to go out and could not help but suspect that Alaska Airlines saw the fog as opportunity to cancel so they would not have to burn up all that gas and put out the other necessary expenses to come up and pick up so few of us.

Then Alaska canceled the 8:30 flight, too, and rebooked everybody for Sunday night. This would not work for me. I would miss the memorial service for Rebekah at Grotto Iona. They also had a Sunday morning plane, but they did not rebook us on that because they had overbooked it and so already had more passengers scheduled to go out than they could fit into the plane.

I told them I had to be in Wasilla, but they said the only thing I could do would be to try to get on standby - which, on an overbooked flight leaving Barrow is almost impossible to do. I took a look at the Era Aviation flight, but at last minute prices it was about $750 one way, which was more than I had in both of my bank accounts combined or in available credit. It would not reach Anchorage until 5:38 PM - if it were on time - which would mean that even if I took it I could not reach Grotto Iona until after 7:00 PM, when the funeral would be over.

Alaska Airlines in Barrow opens its doors at 9:00 AM Sunday morning, so, after hardly sleeping at all, I returned at 8:15 just to make absolutely certain I would be the first to get my name on the standby list - and I did. I also told the head lady about the funeral on the Mahoney homestead and that in its way it was history and they needed to get me on that plane, but she said there was nothing they could do, other than have me wait on standby. Any standby seats would open up half-an-hour before flight time.

So I waited, nervously, until the half-hour mark came. Then the head lady  indicated that one standby seat had opened up. I jumped up to go get it, but she called another passenger. He was MVP, she explained to me and had precedence over me even though my name was first on the list.

It looked liked I was going to miss the funeral. And then... she signaled to me. She had one more seat.

Soon, I was on the plane.

So, on Father's Day, 2012, I made it to Grotto Iona in time to document events both joyous and bitter as Tim Mahoney, a man who I have come to greatly admire and respect, presided over the service and then buried his daughter - the daughter also of Jaigne Olshanksky. I will make a post, but it is a post I must spend some time with. It will come later this week. I don't know what day - but here are two boys who attended. 

Comments

[Cyndy E]

If these children are from the Mahoney service (?) It has given me a memory flashback to when Jim's (the non-furry), Grandmother died. After the church service, at the Casper city cemetery, Charlie and his cousin Ben, both about 2 yrs old ran like the wind. We all let them go ;)