How to fly standbye....

Ok, here's a first for me. I'm blogging from the Phoenix Airport. For those of you who follow my blog you know that I fly often. It's because my son Jon works for US Airways and it's inexpensive for me to travel on his parent pass. But there are always down falls...here is how it's done. First you go online and purchase a  parent pass, then show up at the kiosk in the airport with a credit card so the kiosk can figure out who you are, take your pass to security...I'm getting to be a pro so I know what shoes come on and off easily, I never carry liquids, I do carry my laptop so I can whip that sucker out in a matter of seconds, I never carry anything in my pockets, not even my driver's license or credit card (this was learned the hard way), I know how to stand in the scanning machine with my arms perfectly over my head as shown in the diagram, and since I've had neck surgery I have to have a female guard squab down my neck brace and my hands to make sure I am safe...after all of that I get to the appropriate gate and wait, and wait, and wait because depending on my status and senority I have to wait to see if there is a seat available. If there is n available seat I can either pay again at the customer service desk for a pass on a different airline where my senority is real low because it's not the airline that my sons works for or I can stay for the next flight which might be the next day or I can leave, rent a room if I'm not in a city where relatives live and start all over again the next day. We have been stuck in Milwaukee for two days and two nights a few times. Once I had to fly to Chicago but our luggage went to Milwaukee. I was just lucky that day because I knew my older brother was in Chicago on business and he was able to pick us up. You have to have lots and lots of patience to fly standbye and it's not for everyone. BUT, I've learned to find flights that have many seats open so I know I'll get on and I've just adapted to flying on those day and at those times. Then it is sooooo worth it. Right now it cost me, as Jon's mother, about $31 to fly from Phoenix to Milwaukee. (I'm finishing this blog in Winneconne because I did get on tonight's flight and had to move fast once they called my name.) So the moral to this story, if there is one, is....get one of your kids to work at an airline and enjoy the "friendly skies". Thank you Jon, I love you.