Our travel started on a Monday, which is unusual for us. Typical travel starts towards the end of the week or weekend. Monday travel date has its advantages – trash day is Monday so all our trash would be clear, and we had the entire weekend to pack for the trip. Another bonus was an afternoon flight. This allowed us to wash towels and linens along with having lunch prior to leaving. We like to have the house tidy and clean when leaving for a trip. There is less stress when we return, and we only need to tend to the dirty laundry which we brought back.
Check-in at the Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ) in Jacksonville was seamless. The American Airlines workers had not heard of FCO airport before. FCO is for Fiumicino or Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome, Italy. We like to believe that we are helping the statistics of OAJ when we travel to foreign locations.
There was 2 ½ hours between flights in the Charlotte Airport (CLT). We spent our time in the American Lounge. It was a busy location with few seats available. It allows us time to relax, have a drink and snack before heading to our next flight.
The flight to Rome was leaving at 6pm, which was perfect to
have dinner on the plane before settling in to sleep. The hope is that by sleeping through the
flight, we would be able to adjust to the time difference quicker.
Bonus for this flight – we were able to upgrade to Business Class the morning of the flight. Being our first time in Business Class, we were looking forward to the experience. Virg was in a seat by the window while Jerry had one across the aisle on the inside.
Amenities were noise cancelling headphones, toiletries bag,
standard size pillow and a comfortable blanket.
The seat could fully recline to a flat position. Pure luxury compared to Economy seating.
To celebrate the trip, we had champagne prior to take-off. Dinner was several courses – starters were warmed nuts, salad and beef over a bed of hummus. This was plenty, and we thought that was the meal. Our meals were rigatoni with mixed vegetables for Virg while Jerry had spicy chicken. Ice cream sundaes topped off the meal. It was a delightful, tasty meal along with a glass of wine.
We settled down to sleep. Jerry was able to get four solid hours of sleep; having his CPap helps. Virg could not fall asleep quickly, so she enjoyed a movie and tried to sleep afterwards. Though she did not sleep well, it was the most comfortable that she had been on a plane.
For breakfast, the choice was an egg frittata or yogurt with fruit. The flight had some turbulence at times though not enough to make the flight unnerving. Bonus - the plane arrived in Rome an hour early.
Customs were seamless. There were no lines. We scanned our passports at a digital kiosk then presented them to a customs agent who stamped them! Few countries stamp passports so there is always excitement when it does occur.
The extra hour that we gained from the flight was lost at baggage claim. Our luggage was not loaded on the plane at CLT. We had noticed in the app prior to leaving CLT that they had not been scanned, however we did not think much of it. With air tags in the luggage, we could distinctly see that they were still at CLT. It was not just our luggage – there were about 2 dozen other passengers whose luggage had not made the flight. Many had air tags which showed their luggage at the same location as ours.
The customer service representatives at the luggage counter kept saying to check the carousel because the status was not showing a problem in the computer. Everyone reassured her that the luggage was indeed at CLT, and the system had not been updated yet.
It took time to process the paperwork to report the lost luggage. Fortunately, we had brought a change of clothes and toiletries in our carry-on luggage. Plus, we were spending several days in Rome, which would allow time for the luggage to catch up with us. It still did not make up for the inconvenience of the entire situation.
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