Day 7 of 7: Return to Walla Walla (almost) Morning arrived at Hotel Needlessly-Posh-But-The-Rate-Is-

Day 7 of 7: Return to Walla Walla (almost) Morning arrived at Hotel Needlessly-Posh-But-The-Rate-Is-Quite-Reasonable, Miami. The bags are packed and ready to go: Note for future adventures: The Alamo car rental return at Miami International is very busy and its shuttle system to the terminal is not as efficient as it could be. There must have been 150 people milling around, the cheapest car rentals in mexico checking out cars or returning them. The line for the shuttle was very long, and I had to wait for three shuttles before I was able to board. Thus, if returning an Alamo car in Miami, plan to arrive at the car rental return area at least two-and-a-half hours before flight departure to ensure adequate time to catch your flight. Nevertheless, the wait in the Alamo shuttle line provided excellent opportunities the cheapest car rentals in mexico to observe people who pack inefficiently. I was astounded at the massive suitcases that travelers were carrying. Were people bound for a six month trip to Antarctica? Are people packing their entire wardrobe for their Miami vacation? Are there a couple of full-grown adults in that suitcase? I use the same overhead-compartment-sized suitcase for a seven day trip as I do for a thirty-six day trip involving nine European countries so it's not clear to me what people are packing, or why. I found myself wondering what it would take to get the opportunity to inspect the contents of those suitcases. Perhaps that's the psychologist in me. Arrived at the airport and, wouldn't you know it, the Miami -- Minneapolis flight is delayed. I'm going to have a terribly tight connection in Minneapolis. On board, not pleased at this state of affairs: In Minneapolis, I got a lot of aerobic exercise sprinting though the airport from gate C2 to F13. I arrived at F13 completely out of breath, three minutes after the plane's cabin doors closed. I couldn't have missed my flight much more narrowly, and it looks like I'll have to take a later flight and stay the night in Seattle rather than return to Walla Walla tonight. This situation reminds me of an almost identical situation in Denver a few years ago, in which I arrived at the gate only to see my plane pulling the cheapest car rentals in mexico back from the gate. I don't appear to have a very good track record at making tight connections. Neither Miami (MIA) nor Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) have free wi-fi in their airports. Dinner consisted of the "triple dipper" and a glass of wine at the airport Chili's: The good news about this state of affairs is that I received meal vouchers and A FIRST CLASS UPGRADE on the next flight tonight to Seattle! Woo hoo! My first time in first class. That flight, with its roomy seats, extra leg room, and extra service, went off without a hitch and I arrived in Seattle around midnight. Now I'm staying at yet another hotel, in anticipation of tomorrow's rescheduled flight home to Walla Walla: I am now wondering whether it's possible to game the system to get free first class seats. Suppose you want to go from Seattle to New York. Suppose there are two flights on a particular day: Flight #1 is earlier in the day, but flight #2 is at the time you prefer. Book flight #1 and then arrive at the airport but sprint to the gate to arrive three minutes after the scheduled departure time. You now look as if you've just missed your flight. The desk attendant will take pity on you and give you perks like a first class upgrade when rebooking you for the next flight, flight #2, which is the one you wanted all along. Would that work? Nah, probably not.