before take-off

We stayed in Toronto Airport’s Sheraton, which was amazingly AT our WestJet gate in the morning. No driving, no parking, no walking for miles. Incredible!

We knew something was up when we saw these folks:

And we had a special line to get into, with smiling, happy people, who chatted with one another and enjoyed the pretty ladies dancing and dancing (to Caribbean music, like Cuban, but no matter).

And the press sign-in. And a guy from tourism from the Bahamas.

Turns out that when I booked this particular flight into Freeport, desperately trying to avoid Nassau’s airport, I didn’t know it was the inaugural flight for WestJet, bringing the first Canadians into FPO in history!! There was much excitement to follow!

And at the gate they had laid out a Canadian breakfast for us – Tim Hortons coffee, tea, cookies, juices! When was the last time your airline did that for you?

And these guys were performing on steel drums, and the ladies came over and danced, danced, danced again! And of course, they had chosen a gate on the sunny side of the terminal.

And this lady had some scissors –

(Yes, I jiggled the camera on purpose. YOU try holding a bird in a carrier and a carry-on suitcase and a cookie and an orange juice and taking photos!)

And these folks got happy – the first officer, head flight attendant, Bahamas guy, captain, our flight attendant at the rear (where they park babies and animals).

And, still reeling from the lack of sleep, the terror the bird had to go through in security, the cookie and oj and the music and dancing, we got into the line to pre-board (that was cool), got our little WestJet present and got onto the plane, got the animals settled and waited for take-off and our champagne and oj.

Next chapter – the flight and on-landing.

~ by photokunstler on 4 November 2009.