Note: Bug Bytes are simple snippets, quick thoughts. Thanks for reading.
When Jacques and I flew home from Florida near the end of March, we were stunned to be the only two people in the entire terminal at Palm Beach International Airport. The bathroom was so clean you could have eaten a slice of ham off the toilet seat. (I know. Ew.)
Our plane arrived from Hartford, Connecticut, to our relief, and about a dozen people filed off. They immediately dispersed, leaving us alone again. The co-pilot walked by then to visit the head.
“Hello, folks,” he said, greeting us personally. “I think we’ll get out of here early tonight! That okay with you?”
Indeed it was, and as promised, within fifteen minutes—about a half hour before we were scheduled to board—we heard over the loud speaker at our JetBlue gate: “Janice Beetle and Jacques Roberts, welcome to JetBlue. We have chartered a private flight to Hartford for you tonight. Welcome aboard.”
Kemay, the airline agent who’d made the shout out, waved us up to the booth, scanned our boarding passes, and wished us a great flight. As we walked down the Jetway, we heard him over the loudspeaker, saying this to the empty terminal: “This is the final boarding call.”
On the plane, we had two flight attendants each. They greeted us with, “Welcome aboard Mr. and Mrs. Roberts.” They videotaped us during the welcome address and seatbelt explanation. There was a joyous mood.
It was one of the lighter moments of the COVID-19 pandemic that I will always remember.
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