Friday, August 20- Flight from Seattle
I had everything planned for my 6:20 PM flight home. Request late check-out (granted, till 2 PM), head to airport, check in, buy a Day Pass at the Alaska Air Lounge, relax till flight time. It didn't work out that way. I arrived at the airport 5 hours early only to find that you can't check bags earlier than 4 hours before flight time. And of course I couldn't get to the Airline Lounge without first checking my bags and going through the TSA lines. So, I waited, in the crowded landside area with very few services and not enough places to sit. Fortunately I've had much practice sitting on airport floors. I stood in a Starbucks line but it was barely moving so I gave up. I finally checked in and quickly got through a Priority TSA line dedicated to Elite status and Business Class passengers that I'd found in my wanderings. Well, Seattle got that right. Those have disappeared from most airports. Strike two: the Alaska Air loun...