Great Lakes Aviation

I started this week in Garden City. Options for air travel to Garden City, Kansas are a bit limited, becoming more so October 1. Prior to Monday morning, US Airways served Garden City from Kansas City and Great Lakes served Garden City from Denver. As of Monday, US Airways discontinued the service and Great Lakes assumed the coverage and changed the schedule. The only departing flight is at 6:55 AM. I was up at 4:30, left the house at 5:30 and, after parking and shuttling to the terminal arrived to check in a little before 6. The problem was finding out WHERE to check in. My itinerary said Terminal A, so that is where I went. I started with United, as that was the airline that I was to connect with in Denver on Tuesday evening. The first screen I checked had no flights to Garden City. The TSA guy suggested I look at the US Airways screens and I found a bottom section for Great Lakes which had the flight. I assumed (as had two other people) that I should therefore check in at that counter. Not so. They said I would have to check in with Great Lakes people, however, they had not yet arrived at the counter. There was one space between United and US Airways with no people present. About 10 after 6, three people appeared and placed a cardboard sign on the counter that said, "Great Lakes Aviation". I was finally checked in and was provided a hand written boarding pass. Then I was told the plane was going to be 55 minutes late.

When I went through security I was chosen for 'extra' screening. I'm sure the handwritten boarding pass had something to do with that!

We actually were only about 30 minutes late leaving and the rest of the flight went smoothly, but the car was another thing. Garden City only has two car rental options, Hertz and Enterprise. My reservation was with Enterprise. I got off the plane and headed to the bathroom, then toward the rental counter. This man stopped me with my name...'Sarah?' and said he would pull the car around for me. He had my name written on a piece of paper, so I guessed he was legit. He told me that he would take me to the office in town for the paper work. I got in the car, feeling a little uncomfortable, but didn't know what else to do. (The last time I rented there a person was at the counter and I got the car then). I rode the 11 miles into Garden City in uncomfortable silence after my first two efforts at small talk bombed. (I kept reminding myself that he had my name and had gotten the car from a slot with an Enterprise sign in front of it.) He actually DID take me to the office and I filled out paper work and got the car.

On Tuesday evening, when I returned the car I was to take it to the airport and drop the keys in a drop box. I did as told, no one was available at the counter. I then found a seat to wait for the flight. At Garden City Airport, they don't open the screening area until about 10 minutes before the airplane arrives. I'm sitting there watching Entertainment News about Britney loosing her children to Kevin, when, for some reason I think to check for my cell phone and realize I have left it in the cup holder in the car. The keys are in the locked drop box and no Enterprise people are available to unlock the lock box. I asked the people at the check in counter if they can contact the Enterprise people. The plane is not scheduled for 30 minutes and it's only 15 minutes from town to the airport. They called, but the Enterprise man was in some other Kansas town and said he would try to find someone to come and unlock the box. It was a combination lock. I really wanted them to just ask for the combination, but they felt that was intrusive. Then I had an 'Ah Ha' moment and thought, "Maybe I didn't lock the car." I headed back to the car and actually stood in the parking lot saying, "Please God, let the car be unlocked" before I even touched the door. God was good, the car was unlocked and the phone was right where I though it would be. I think I will ask the travel people to book me with Hertz the next time I go to Garden City.