Learning to be a pilot's wife

What's the first things you think of when you think of being married to a pilot? Flight benefits, right? Well, along with the flight benefits comes the disadvantage of not getting on any flight you so choose.

For those that know me well, I'm not a patient person. I'm a planner. I like to know the outcome of something before I do it. So, I've started a how-to guide on how to be a good pilot's wife:

Be patient.
So, a couple of years ago, David and I thought it would be fun if I went to meet him in San Diego while he was on a trip. I thought, why not? Throw caution the wind and jump on a plane. I made it Houston without a hitch. I thought, well, this IS easy! So, I went happily to the San Diego gate. Which is where it all went south. The flight was totally overbooked and I was waaaayyyy down on the standby list. So, I called David and he told me of another flight to try. Again, way overbooked and way low on the list. BUMMER! I tried another one. No luck. Reminder - this is the first time I've tried standby by myself. Another reminder - in case you didn't read above, I like to have a plan and know the outcome of a situation. Both were not present in this situation. Let's just say the day did not have the outcome I was hoping for (aka, I spent the night at my apartment, NOT San Diego).

Never check luggage when flying standby.
Keeping your luggage with you is the smartest thing you could ever do when flying standby because you have no idea which plane or destination you will actually make it on/to.

When we went to California a couple of weeks ago to see David's parents, we started out bright and early in Houston. We had a plan - we were going to get on the first plane to Sacramento and get there by noon. Worst case - we would get there that night around 9. Well, we never actually made it to Sacramento by plane. Nope, we made it Sacramento by driving. After a long day, David's parents had to pick us up in San Jose (3 hours away) because that's the closest we could get (and we were lucky to get that!).If I had checked luggage to Sacramento, that would have meant going to the Sacramento airport and hoping that my luggage was there. Can you say nightmare?


Plan alternatives.
As mentioned above, trying to get California was extremely difficult. When our initial plans fell through, we went to plan B, and C, and D, and...well, you get the idea. Here's a picture of some of our alternative routes we were trying:

Without alternatives, we would have ended up back at home (just like what happened with San Diego!)

Give yourself a cushion of one day on both ends of traveling.
I haven't actually had a chance to do this, because, well, I have a job that doesn't allow it, but I've heard it's a good practice. Maybe one day I'll get to try it.

Just buy a freakin' ticket.
As you might imagine, this is my favorite how-to, because I only have so much patience. I have to save that patience for times when I don't HAVE to be somewhere. Because, frankly, if I had to worry about getting to a wedding or celebrate a family reunion, I would really freak out in the airport. And, believe me (I'm sure David could vouch for this) it would not be pretty. Plus, it just feels so good to get a free ticket on Southwest. It's like flying standby (cuz it's free) but you're guaranteed to get on the plane. Ahhh, I feel a sense of calmness already.

In conclusion...
I always have to remind myself of these things before we attempt to travel standby anywhere. I'm a work in progress, but David tells me I'm getting better. And I haven't even been a pilot's wife for a whole year. I just know I'll be a pro at this pilot's wife thing in no time!