Phoenix

So I got a buddy pass to fly stand-by to Phoenix. I checked the internet before I got to the airport and both available flights were soldout. I didn't have anything to do, so I figured I'd show up anyway and give it a shot. I have pretty good luck, so why not, right?

So I get to the airport and I tell the checkin girl my plan and she laughed at me and told me there is no way that I'm getting on the flight, but she gave me a pass to get through security anyway. I show up at the gate and the guy looks at me like, 'Are you kidding?' But I joked around for a while with him about how I have nothing to do today and I've got my iPod and I'll just kick it all day and if I don't make either flight, I'll just go home and try tomorrow. He ended up changing my priority and hooking me up a little, but he told me that he still didn't think I'd make the flight.

Five minutes before the flight they still hadn't called anybody (no stand-by's, no missing people from the flight) and then the announcer came on, "Passenger Ciccotelli please report for boarding." What?!! I ran up there and he laughed and said I'm the luckiest person ever. I ran down the tarmac tunnel to the end but the girl shut the door before I got there and the sign said "Departed." I banged on the door but she couldn't hear me and they moved the ramp away from the plane. Luckily, another employee was in the tunnel with me and she unlocked the door and let me out. I ran to the plane, stopping them from putting up the stairs, and I ran onto the plane. "Do you have an extra seat?" All the way in the back, one open seat. I hadn't even gotten to my seat before they closed the door and the plane started moving about 2 minutes later.

Whew.

So now I'm in Phoenix.