We are finally on our way to Italy after what seemed like a long week of making final arrangements and packing.
We successfully got everything packed in our suitcases and they weighed in at about 45 pounds each, under the airline limit if 50 pounds. We had set a goal of 40 pounds but that was just not achievable. We tend to carry too much electronics and probably some other items, specifically toiletries and cold medicines, that we could purchase once we are in Italy, but it is comforting to know we already have them with us. At least we have the option of leaving some of the toiletries and medicines there for the flight home if we need to lessen the weight.
We got up about 6:30 AM and started getting ready. The plan was to leave the house at around 8:25 AM for the twenty-five minute drive to the airport. Our first flight to Atlanta was scheduled to depart at 10:13 AM.
Mom was picking us up for the ride, and showed up promptly at 8:15 AM. We loaded up the car, said our goodbyes to our cat Sophie, and were on the road right on time. The daily commuter traffic had subsided by this time and it was a pleasant drive to the airport. We said our goodbyes to mom and headed into the terminal to check in.
We had a little trouble with getting through security, they only have one body scanner, but had two x-ray lines for carry-on baggage, which caused a back-up at the body scanner. Then a lady had an issue, so the TSA security agent, a male, had to wait for a female agent to come over for additional body pat downs.
We both got through without any issues, although I also required additional hand scanning, so we had to wait on a male agent to come back over. Not the most efficient security operation we have seen.
I also got tagged for additional screening of one of my liquid items, a small bottle of Calamine lotion I was using to clear up some poison ivy I picked up on my ankle last week doing yard work. That required two different chemical wipes before it was cleared. It was sort of funny, the older ATS agent knew exactly what it was, but the younger agent had no idea, I guess it is not used that much anymore.
With security completed, we headed to our gate and waited about 45 minutes before we boarded. We were in one of the last groups called, but luckily found space in the overhead bins for our backpacks. It was a short 40 minute flight to Atlanta, and the weather was perfect.
We deplaned and had to go from Concourse C to Concourse A for our connecting flight to JFK Airport. After arriving at Concourse A, we found a deli to get some lunch, two ham and cheese sandwiches and a large water for a measly $26.00. We then waited for our next flight to leave at 1:49 PM, having about 2 hours and 30 minutes total for our layover. Luckily, the layover will be shorter in New York.
The flight to JFK Airport from Atlanta was nice, the weather was good, and the ride was smooth. We arrived on time, but had to change terminals in JFK for our next flight. They only use buses to transport between terminals, which is a little archaic, but it went smoothly.
We had a little less than a two hour layover once we got to the gate, so we settled in for our wait. We were scheduled to begin boarding about fifty minutes before departure, but that was delayed due to a maintenance issue. When everything was fixed, we began boarding, but we left about an hour later than scheduled. Luckily, we don’t have any more connecting flights, so we were not that concerned with the delay.
We settled in, and once the plane reached altitude, they began beverage service. International flights are nice because adult beverages are free. Unfortunately, they were out of Canadian Club when the flight attendant’s came by our seat, which was the only thing on the drink menu we really like, so we had to substitute Jack Daniels to go with our ginger ale. A bit later, they did find us a couple of mini bottles of Canadian Club on another flight attendant’s cart on the other side of the airplane, but that was all they had on the plane, period.
The in-flight meal for dinner was not bad, we opted for the chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, and there was a nice cheese and grape side dish, with a salad and a roll, plus dessert. We opted for some red wine with dinner.
After dinner was cleared, we both finished watching the movies we had started earlier in the flight, and then tried to get some sleep. Neither of us really slept much at all during the flight, it is just too uncomfortable. We maybe got 2 to 2.5 hours of sleep before it was time to get up for breakfast.
The breakfast was a little sparse, we had pain yogurt, a muffin, some cheese and some orange juice.
Overall, the Delta flight was nice, one of the smoothest transatlantic flights we have had, there were no instances where the seat belt fastening warnings for turbulence were signaled by the pilots.
The weather was nice in Milan for our arrival, and we exited the plane to go through customs. The line was quite long for customs, and we waited at least 20 minutes or more to be processed. They used a completely electronic system to scan your passport, and also used facial recognition on a camera to verify your identity. The biggest delay was people, mostly passengers like us from the USA, not being familiar with their automated system.
That will be all for this post, we will continue on the next post “Arrival in Milan”