>So far, I've budgeted $1,150, not including meals and spending money. That
>will, hopefully, cover my flight, too.
Investigate the possibility of driving into Detroit and taking Southwest. There's a good chance you'll save more than the long-term parking will cost!
Celine
Yeah so long as you don't mind being treated like cattle and are not terribly tall, SW Air is the cheapest ride anywhere. :) Plus they occasionally have specials that are even cheaper. You might want to sign up for their Click n Save emails.
Also, assuming that the Gathering will be at one of the big centers (Convention Center, Coliseum, Expo Center) and if you will be staying in Dowtown or near the site, you can forego a rental car and take the MAX. Public transit in Portland is absolutely the best in the Western States. Tri-Met buses get you almost anywhere you want to go and the MAX trains are a wonderful way to get to downtown, the airport, etc. And although lots of people do it, I wouldn't want to be from out of town and try to negotiate the downtown grid in a vehicle. I live here and on the rare occasion I have to drive downtown, it makes me nuts!
On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 15:01:11 -0400, Magik wrote (in message ):
Unless you are in a wheelchair. I cannot say enough nice things about Southwest, because the last time they flew with me, they treated me like a queen. Those people could not do enough for me, handled the whole wheelchair thing perfectly, and generally behaved above and beyond the whole darned time. Southwest is on my short list of airlines that do everything right: Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and Southwest.
Kathy N-V
And this is different from going to an event with general-access seating exactly how? The point I'm making is that we encounter a LOT of situations which are like that (or worse!), and yet only Southwest gets the bitching and moaning. Doesn't make sense to me.
BTW, *I* don't feel like "cattle being herded down a chute". It's more like being in a long line at the movies. (And there's another situation everyone puts up with, but I don't hear people whining about "being treated like cattle at the movie theater.")
Celine
A couple of years ago I had to fly somewhere on the day of The Storm That Ate St. Louis. With *no* flights being able to get in or out of one of their major hubs and people backing up in the airport, the people at Southwest were still cool, calm, professional, and courteous. They found me a re-routing to my destination; I lost a few hours, but under those circumstances I have no complaints.
Celine
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@mindspring.com (Lee S. Billings) :
]And this is different from going to an event with general-access seating ]exactly how? The point I'm making is that we encounter a LOT of situations ]which are like that (or worse!), and yet only Southwest gets the bitching and ]moaning. Doesn't make sense to me.
general access seating is not as confining, in my experience. and generally, once you have your ticket, you go through a gate, or door, and start looking for a seat. 30-50 people don't all go through the door at one time and create a stampede for the same seats.
and you may not experience the same people i do.
when i was stuck making everyone's travel arrangements, the one thing they ALL said was: "No, I won't fly Southwest."
Give me Delta, American, or United any day. my flights with them were MUCH less stressful!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
Sounds good to me. Where are you again??
Kathy K
The Gathering is not at any of those large places. I can't tell you where it is yet (not allowed - we have to wait until they put it on ISGB), but I can tell you that you are near MAX and a short ride downtown. However, you will not be near the airport. But, Tink, you will have many people around who I am sure will help with transportation. :)
You got that right. Soccer mom, remember?
Deirdre
Too bad I don't know anyone in Portland with a B&B. LOL!
I had to fly into Burbank CA once. I didn't realize that they don't have jet ways. You have to climb the steps. Not knowing this, I hadn't checked my suitcase. Not that I would have anyway, it has my jewelry and all my meds. Anyway, I'm struggling up the stairs with my suitcase. Not one employee or attendant offered any sort of assistance. When I got to the top, I made a light-hearted comment about not knowing that Burbank airport was still in the stone-age, without jet ways. The flight attendant said in a very snotty tone, "well if you can't handle a suitcase, you should check it in." I was dumbfounded. Speechless. Which is extremely difficult for me! I wanted to complain, but it turned out that she was the supervisor on that flight....... Barbara Dream Master
"We've got two lives, one we're given, the other one we make." Mary Chapin Carpenter
Aw wouldn't that be cool!!!!
Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, does this mean I get to meet you next year??
PORTLAND!!!
You can stay with us! We don't have a whole extra guest room, but we can make space... if you don't mind the hubbub, with all the kids and pets.
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