Exit Rows Must be Really Expensive

As a benefit to working for an airline, I get to fly for free on said airline, and at a tremendous discount for many other airlines. The catch: I fly standby. I used to be very stressed when traveling, and in some ways I still stress, but I can surprisingly fly standby without freaking out. My mom, not so much. Cue the morning of June 24. We arrive at SeaTac hoping to catch a flight to Portland, because the night before our big trip we discovered that our direct flight to Chicago was oversold.

My mom wants to get there two and a half hours early, and I am fine with arriving with just enough time to make it through security and have 10 minutes before boarding starts. I work at SeaTac; I don't want to spend all this extra time there if I don't have to. We weren't checking bags.

I win, and we arrive an hour and a half before departure. We make it through security, walk the 25 yards from the security to the gate, and wait for boarding. We make it!

Portland airport looks like Christmastown USA.  Seriously. This place is decked out like the North Pole and the best part is that this is unintentional.

On our flight from PDX to ORD, we (obviously) boarded last after we received our seats. Whn we went up to the counter the lady asked us "are you two comfortable with sitting in an exit row?" Of course we are! More leg room and complimentary beer or wine? Sign us up! Weird how that went to the standby travelers.

Chicago, as can be expected, is crowded. Crowded and hot. Ew.

The flight out of Chicago was alright, except that once again, United gives me the one seat with a broken TV screen. At least this time the screen was broken in the OFF setting instead of ON. More details from that experience later. So I didn't sleep. And finally, we touched down in Edinburgh, Scotland, caught a cab to Alanna's house, and tried our best to stay awake! Spoiler alert: we didn't succeed.



PHOTOS TO COME! (We are currently experiencing technical difficulties and I'm late for an appointment)