The day I leave for Taiwan is coming soon, but it doesn’t come without some headaches, especially if you are a standby passenger.
The original plan was Lucien and I were to fly from Dallas to LA, then LA to Taipei (Taiwan’s city capital). Then came the news that Lucien has to fly cargo (remember Tom Hanks in Castaway? yeah, he was flying cargo), but he had to be approved for that. Meaning that I might have to go to Taipei on my own. Thankfully, the request for approval wasn’t approved, so we went back to the original plan. During this time, we still don’t have a definite date of leaving, maybe around the 10th through 12th, but no real definite date.
And then yesterday, Lucien’s manager calls and there’s a last-minute training he has to do in New York before his training in Taipei, which will be on the 9th through 11th. And then he’s to fly straight there to Taipei, which leaves me alone again, traveling from LA to Taipei. So Lucien and I talked about it again, and we decided that I fly to New York and meet Lucien there, so we can fly together to Taipei. It seems to work out fine at this point, until Lucien called the company secretary for the booking.
So now, the problem is the booking for me. Lucien has a definite seat to go to Taipei, but I’m still flying standby. And, there’s also the seat availability issue because since it’s close to Christmas, flights are fully booked. The secretary mentioned the earliest flight I could catch was on the 9th. I can’t do that because I have to work, and the earliest day I can go is the 10th. So, the secretary said she’ll try to get anything from the 10th through 12th for me to leave from anywhere to Taipei, which means I may still leave from LA or New York.
Up to this point, there’s still no guarantee for me, though I’m definitely going. I’m still praying about it that this will push through and make it finalized.
Ugh. Headaches, I tell you!
I Have Cramps 
Is there really so much Christmas traffic to Taipei?? I mean, come on!
Though, I flew on a different flight home from Japan from my dad when I went with him. Are separate flights really that big of a problem?
Seems like there is. I don’t get it, either. Another thing is that I only have 5 flight options to choose from going there.
Separate flights are not really a problem since I’ve done that before when I flew a different flight home from Philippines from my mom when I went with her back in 2000. I do prefer going together to avoid hassles, but if it ever comes to that, so be it. The real problem is if I get a flight out before I come back to work on the 22nd, or I’ll spend Christmas in Taipei.
Well Lei, all I could think to say is that I hope there are no hassles and that the flights work out okay. Really, for you, I am just so happy that at least you get to go.
Here’s hoping you have a blast. And don’t forget that shopping money!