My, Delta

April 22, 2007, Guatemala City


Morning Mass is at a nearby parish church. No choir, but a good cantor leads the sung parts.

At the airport check-in, we're behind a mission from an Assemblies of God church. From what they say, they operate on a much larger scale. For example, they did a presentation for 800 kids in a local school.

After check-in with the airline, we have to go to a bank branch in the terminal to pay a $3 or Q20 exit tax. I assume whatever this fee is could have been added to the air fare. That's one of the mysteries of bureaucracy, imposing so much inconvenience on so many people for so little return.

We're near the end of the line for the gate, just behind some folks on a mission from a Presbyterian church in Everett, Washington, and way, way behind the the Assemblies of God mission. Given how packed the gate waiting area turned out to be, the last shall be first in overall comfort.


April 22, 2007, Atlanta


Speaking of bureaucracy, there doesn't seem much point having citizens with passports fill out an immigration form, or having anyone with nothing to declare filling out a customs form.

Our connecting flight is delayed. Eventually, we're told it was delayed due to equipment problems. Then we're told the equipment problem required substituting a plane with five fewer seats, so they need volunteers to stay over and fly out tomorrow. Apparently ASA doesn't know how many seats are on its planes, and they have to count them after landing. Either that, or the gate staff was trying to build dramatic tension. Maybe they should have George Kennedy tape the flight status announcements.


April 22, 2007, Milwaukee


Home, just before midnight.