Lost & Found on the Way to Lost & Found

Panama Travelog #39
PTY Airport - Tue, 31 Dec 2024. 6:30am.

Today's going to be a long day. It's New Year's Eve, and we're hoping to hang with friends in a low-key fashion late this evening to celebrate the New Year. But first we have to get home from Panama. And to that end we were up at 4:30 this morning— 1:30am California time— to get dressed, eat a quick breakfast in the room, and Uber to the airport.

We headed to the airport earlier than we had to for our flight. It's not 'til 8:55am, and I would've been happy leaving the hotel at, say, 6:15am. But Hawk lost her reading glasses on the flight down here 9 days ago and wanted to extra time at the airport to check with their lost and found.

We arrived at the airport around 5:45am, before the United service counter was even open. We lined up to be first in line. But just as we did that, Hawk realized she'd lost her cell phone!

We quickly surmised the phone fell out of her pocket in the Uber. I reopened the app to start their process for reporting/retrieving a lost item. Concerns rushed through my head: Would we be able to reach the driver? Would we be able to communicate the problem? Would there be time to retrieve it before we had to go through security for our flight?

First, it turns out that Uber has a pretty solid path in their app for reporting lost items. There's a set of forms to help automate it. And drivers are paid a flat fee ($10, at least in Panama) for returning a lost item. I clicked through a few of the screens then took the first "Call the driver" opportunity presented.

Next, I managed to explain, in Spanish, the problem. The driver said he found the phone and could be back at the airport in 10 minutes, same spot where he dropped us off. I continued to wait in line for the airline ticket desk while Hawk went outside to meet the driver.

Hawk got her phone back, tipped the driver an extra $5 cash which made him really happy, and came back inside just as the United ticket desk opened. New crisis averted while addressing original crisis!

The front desk agent there was very helpful about finding Hawk's lost glasses. She called over to the airport lost and found office in the other terminal and negotiated the process for us. A pair of glasses were there, in a case matching what Hawk described. The agent had them text her a picture of the item so Hawk could confirm it. They were hers! The gal from lost-and-found would bring them over. But it would be ~15 minutes because she had to come from the other terminal. We sat down to wait— with both of our cell phones to help us pass the time. 😅

The Journey Home: Still a Drag, even with Two Clubs and an Upgrade

Panama Travelog #40
IAH United Club - Tue, 31 Dec 2024. 4pm.

We're about halfway home from Panama right now. We're cooling our heels at the United Club at IAH. We relaxed in the Copa Airlines club in Panama before our first flight, and on our connecting flight from Houston to San Jose we've been upgraded to first class. These are all benefits of my Million Miler Lifetime Gold status. Yay, status, right? Except today these benefits aren't enough to turn a drag into into an enjoyable experience; they just make it drag a bit less.

Why? Let me count the ways:

First, it's a long day. We were up at 4:30am Panama time and had to solve one crisis at the airport while trying to solve another. Both were resolved without getting too bad, but they contributed to this being a long and trying day.

Second, the Copa lounge wasn't all that great. The food there was all carbs and sugar, and not even tasty-looking carbs and sugar. I passed on all the food offerings and nibbled on the last two pieces of jerky I'd packed from home. But at least the lounge had comfier seats than the gate areas in the terminal. I mean, there's got to be something there that entices people to spend $500/year for a lounge membership.

Third, the flight from Panama to Houston... well, there was nothing wrong with it. It was full, but I had enough room in my Economy Plus seat. I watched a movie, Inside Out 2, to help pass the time. But the flight still seemed to drag.

Fourth, we have a long connection here at IAH, and it is really a drag. Our incoming flight landed at about noon local time, and our connecting flight departs at almost 7pm. Yeah, a 6.5 hour connection isn't ideal, but the alternative was an approximately 2 hour connection— which we were worried we might miss. Today everything ran fairly well on schedule, and we totally couldn've made a 2 hour connection. But you know that if we did book a 2 hour connection, there's a 50% chance the incoming flight would be delayed, there'd be a humongous line at immigration because 3 jumbo jets just landed, luggage would be slow to arrive, and/or there'd be a line to re-clear security.

Fifth, while we caught upgrades to first class, it's basically ghetto first class. It's a bigger seat with a microwave-quality meal and a couple free drinks. I mean, it's better than coach class with no elbow room, a pack of crackers, and half a can of soda, but that's damning it with faint praise.

Sixth, we're both coming down with something. I'm not sure what it is, but right now we're both so achy and tired it's painful. When we planned this itinerary we thought we'd nap on at least one of our flights and be refreshed when we land this evening— New Year's Eve. We told our friends back home we might join them for a low key celebration. Well, change of plans: I've just texted them. "I'm so wiped I may just face-plant on the bed when I get home." 😖

Update: ...And when I got home, that's nearly what I did!