Reno Air and the Dog

thedailychannel.com — adventure

Reno Air.

August 1, 1998

I should have just hopped in the car and headed north. But it seemed like too long a drive. It was hot in the central valley and I had a nagging recollection: memories of danger.

It was just last month, after all, that they discovered the screenwriter's body in the canal in the hot central valley. Interstate 5 north can have a hypnotic effect on a driver.

Twenty years ago I fell asleep in my truck on that same road, lulled to sleep by the repetetive lullaby of the 4-cylinder Scout engine of my blue and white International Harvester pickup. I woke up to find myself careening back down a sidecut, where the road cut through a hillside.

I took out a roadsign, found myself back on the road, and pulled off at the next exit to deal with the aftermath of the adrenaline rush and my own good fortune in having survived.

So we decided to take Reno Air to Reno, not an uncompromisingly odd choice, and get there early enough to leave plenty of time to prepare the dog for cargo. Water, park the car, make the plane. No problem.

We had called the night before, to make sure there would be no problem with the dog. We had heard some airports were not accepting animal shipments because of the summer heat. On the way to the airport we listened to an NPR reporter interviewing a Texas grapefruit farmer on the 54th day of over-100-degree heat. But we weren't going to Texas.

Everything went well

I dropped off Irene, the luggage and the good dog Crumpet at curbside. Joe and I went to park the car in Lot C and take the bus back to terminal 3. A terminal we'll probably never visit again. At least not to fly Reno Air.

The bus went back and forth in the parking lot, dropping off the few passengers who were arriving back at their cars in Los Angeles. Then we braved the incredible traffic jam caused by weekend vacationers heading for San Francisco. By this time the SouthWest Airlines queue was out the door of the terminal.

When we arrived at the ticket counter of Reno Air, a stupid airline run by stupid employees who not only put YOU on hold, they call each other up and put THEMSELVES on hold, Irene was at the front of the line. Crumpet was wagging her tail.

We flashed our photo I.D. badges, affixed "LIVE ANIMAL" stickers to Crumpet's cage, filled the water containers with water, answered questions as to how old she was (six years), locked her up in the cage and headed for the gate.

We sat and had coffee and in due course boarded the plane.

But then there was a snag

Five minutes before takeoff, a smiling but undertrained young woman came to our row located next to the galley, and said they had not loaded Crumpet onto the plane. It was too hot in Reno. But, she said, there would be no problem taking the first flight out the next morning, which would arrive before it got too hot. She apologized for the inconvenience, but explained that when the temperature got up to 100 degrees, well, animals could die in the cargo area of an airplane.

And of course no one would want that to happen.

Too bad no one mentioned that option the night before. Or for that matter at the professionally but undercompetently staffed Reno Air ticket counter. We could have skipped locking our doggie up in a cage for no reason, and avoided a substantial inconvenience. But wait. We hadn't even decided what to do

What to do? What to do?

Irene pointed out that not ALL of us had to get off the plane. I volunteered to go get Crumpet, inasmuch as I don't fly off the handle much in situations of stress and trouble which are no one's fault in particular.

I got off the plane.

I unquestioningly accompanied the smiling young woman back to the checkin desk. We waited patiently while all the other passengers boarded the plane, and she was able to explain this unusual problem to the person behind the computer terminal.

Oops! Your vacation won't be as long as you thought...

"Wait a minute! Tomorrow is Sunday!! The earliest flight out is the same one as this one!!! It won't be any cooler at that hour of the day!!!! What about Monday? Could you try again Monday?" I'm SO sorry. You won't be charged for your flight on Monday.

Here's your receipt, just give this to Pam, she's the lead agent at the front ticket desk. She'll issue you a ticket for Monday, and you can try again.

At this point I am seriously thinking about driving 600 miles with the dog, no matter what options I'm offered by Reno Air.

Miscellaneous other fun stuff

"No, Pam's not here. Pam is at the gate."

"Calling to confirm the Reno passenger's dog is back at baggage claim. What do you MEAN it's already been picked up. The passenger is standing right here."

"Where's your ticket?" "On the plane with my wife." "Oh, I thought she got off with you. I cancelled her reservation. My counts will be off! Excuse me one moment! Hello? Hello? Those other two are still on the plane."

Home again

I braved the gigantic airport traffic jam once again (by now it was REALLY in full sway), and picked up my car at Lot C, Row H 18, thoughtfully written down by my fully literate five-year-old on the way in. I paid my $1 dollar in parking (first two hours free), and headed home to ponder the next step.

When I arrived home at one o'clock that afternoon, there was a telephone message from Irene, who by this time had arrived in Reno. "Reno Air screwed up," she said. No news there.

"They want you to go back to the airport, and take any of the three flights today." She left the flight numbers and flight times.

I was skeptical. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and took one bite, which caused the phone to ring.

The truth will out

"I was so mad!", she said, "as soon as you got off the plane, the captain announced, 'Ladies and gentlemen, our flying time to Reno this morning will be one hour and ten minutes. The temperature there is a pleasant 72 degrees.' "

"I talked to John Vinceremo the head lead agent in Reno," (she continued) "and he wants you to go back to the airport and take any of these three flights. All you have to do is ask for Pam, and she'll help you."

She seemed surprised when I wanted to talk to Pam myself.

"I heard him leave instructions for Pam myself. He said he would take complete responsibility."

"Honey," I said, "I don't have a ticket, and I don't want to go back to the airport again with the dog, unless I know I'm going to get on the plane. This John fellow, did he seem a lot more competent than all the other Reno Air employees?"

"Yes," she said. "Here's his telephone number." She gave me a telephone number in Reno. I called it, and left a message on his voice mail extension. Thank God for voice mail. Then I called the Reno Air 800 number (no charge to calling party).

hold that thought

After quite a while on inifinite hold, which I endured more pleasantly knowing it was no worse than Reno Air employees are accustomed to having inflicted on themselves by their co-workers during their confusing and hectic work days, I reached a helpful gentleman who identified himself as Greg.

"So, Greg," I started out cheerily. "I have a serious question for you. What's the temperature in Reno right now?"

"Well," said Greg, "It's air conditioned here, so it's 70 degrees, but outside it's warming up. It seemed quite pleasant earlier."

After interrupting this pleasantly nattering fellow several times, who eventually claimed to be in Las Vegas where it was over 100 degrees, and some more time on hold while he talked to a lead agent somewhere, we were able to establish that today, right now, in Reno Nevada, they were not accepting animal shipments.

"What's the temperature in Reno," I said.

"Eighty-five degrees," he replied factually, as confidently as if it were the truth, which it may well have been.

Dog on a hot tin Reno

So, not everyone at Reno Air knows the temperature in Reno.

And of course it's always easier not to ask.

But don't you think they should?

Well, Crumpet and I gotta get going. Maybe we'll go for a little drive this afternoon. Not to the airport, though.

In Las Vegas, it was probably hot enough to roast coffee

Special note: As is only fitting, Reno Air went out of business years ago. I never did get to use the extra ticket they sent me as compensation for my inconvenience, and that of my dog.

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