'Lost' in Rome
Many thanks to my DU friends who voted in the poll
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018383269
and encouraged me to write this all over again.
Lost in Rome
Background:
It was in the early 80s. Long before cellphones and long before computers were in common use.
I was a pilot for TWA…Trans World Airlines.
From time to time airlines changed flight numbers and departure/arrival times to tweak their schedules, trying to gain more passengers, or just to operate more efficiently.
I was a ‘victim’ of this practice.
My assignment was to deadhead (fly as a passenger) to Rome.
The next day I was scheduled to fly the last Rome-Athens shuttle BASED in Rome. From then on the aircraft would be kept in Athens and the shuttle operation would to be based there.
The shuttle flew Boeing 727s between Rome and Athens, Athens and Cairo, and Athens and Tel Aviv. It just made more sense to put the shuttle base in Athens as the hub.
I arrived in Rome and went to operations to find out my report time for the next day. There I was told that the last Rome based shuttle had left that morning. New York crew schedule ( where I was based) had screwed up the dates.
My next assignment was to spend a month in Athens, flying the shuttle.
Yeah, tough duty.
So…now what?
“Go to the hotel and we’ll contact you with disposition later.”
We called this ‘dispo later’.
It could be good or bad.
If you were in Columbus (no offense Ohioans) it was bad.
But if you were in Rome?
Please don’t throw me in that briar patch.
I caught the limo to the Cavalieri Hilton.
Posh.
TWA picked up the crew expenses for hotels and meals for international crews. They didn’t pay for drinks, but you’d get the waiter to list your cocktails as ‘orange juice'.
This was covered.
So…I went out with the crew I had deadheaded in with for dinner.
Excellent. Never had a bad meal in Italy.
Next morning I checked in with Rome crew sched.
‘Dispo later’ “Check back in the morning.”
I had the day off.
Hooked up with the copilot from another crew for breakfast and we decided to see the Vatican. Never been there before. Interesting. Had a great lunch at a small sidewalk café outside the Vatican wall.
Dined at one of the hotel’s excellent restaurants that night, with some folks I knew from another crew.
Checked in with crew sched the next morning.
‘Dispo later.’
Great, another day in Rome. After breakfast I wandered the neighborhood, browsing in some shops. Had another great lunch at a small trattoria. Spent the afternoon at the pool; reading, relaxing, and taking an occasional dip.
Next morning I got the same story from crew schedule.
“Look, guys…that won’t do any more. I don’t think New York crew schedule has any idea where I am. I do know that I’m scheduled to fly the Athens-Rome shuttle day after tomorrow. That means I have to GET to Athens today or tomorrow.”
“Oh. We’ll call you back.”
After breakfast I hung around in my room, waiting for their call. At noon it came. They had me set up to deadhead to Athens at 10:00 a.m. the next day. Limo pickup at 8:00.
Finally.
I spent another afternoon poolside reading and watching some beautiful Italian women in very small bikinis.
Decided to kick back that evening and just call room service.
Did some packing. Read some more.
Called room service and ordered fettuccine Alfredo and a Caesar salad.
Then the room service guy said “…and some wine?”
I hedged about a bit…”I dunno…” and then he said the magic words.
“WHY NOT?”
WHY NOT, indeed.
I was in my skivvies and the hotel’s terry cloth robe when the room service waiter knocked and rolled in the white linen covered table.
“Will you dine in here?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Or would you rather dine on the balcony? It’s a lovely evening.”
“Why not?”
So I spent my last night in Rome, watching the sun set over the city, eating my pasta and drinking my wine and thinking what a great life this could be at times.
Now the kicker…the punch line to the story.
The entire time I was enjoying my unexpected, company-paid ‘vacation’ in Rome; New York crew schedule was trying to track me down.
I had somehow fallen through a crack and they didn't know where I was.
They called my house three times, asking for me.
Miz t. told me all this several days later.
“I told them ‘You’ve got him. He’s on a trip. At least that’s what he told ME!’ It’s a good thing I trust you, buster.”
= new reply since forum marked as read
I had a dicey career with TWA.
We survived three layoffs where we really had to scrape to make it.
Damn near got foreclosed on once.
It wasn't all skittles and beer, but it did have it's sublime moments.
A 4th of July party at the American embassy in Tel Aviv while I was on a layover there.
FREE FOOD! AND BOOZE!!!
And I got the T-shirt!
Two months in Munich, all expenses paid with a permanent room at the Hilton, flying another shuttle operation.
And a month in Athens described in the OP.
Lots of good memories.
So happy you decided to make the effort all over again!
Buster!
great story, trof. thanks
You sure lucked out!
Thanks for making the effort to tell it to us again...
