Leaving Las Vegas

Waiting to change terminals... again
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Today was a very early start - getting up at 4am to leave at 5am so we are at McClarren Airport for our 7am Departure to Dallas. Not as many people around in Vegas at this time of the morning - and those that are are a sorry site. We drive to the airport and then can't locate the Alamo car rental return area. After a panic call to their customer service number we actually see the Allamo shuttle bus and follow it to the destination (off-Airport). The drop-off process is very easy and then we are on the shuttle bus back to the Airport. It is now 5:30 and the lines don't seem too bad through security - they are moving quickly. Joe and I fast-forward through the first-class line while Paula waits in the economy line. By the time Joe and I take off our shoes and unload the laptop and carry-on bags and go through secufity - Paula walks out of the other security gate. On the way to the gate we get the obligatory starbucks grande latte! We board the flight and have an uneventful flight to Dallas.

Dinner at the sportsmans bar
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Everything is bigger in Texas

The airport here is organised very well. Four terminals with a skytrain connecting them all. We locate our gate and then find the nearest American Airlines Admiralty club to sit and wait for an hour until our flight is boarding. When we get to the gate, we find that our flight has been cancelled for mechanical reasons. We stand in shock wondering what to do now. We went back to the Admiralty lounge to see about resheduling our flight. 45mins later we are more or less resigned to the fact that we are staying overnight in Dallas as every flight is overbooked and we have bucklies chance of success on a standby list. We have one chance to still get to NY due to an overdue flight with people on board with connections who are going to miss their flight. We wait at the gate with crossed fingers, seeing our names grow closer and closer to the top of the standby list. We get to 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the list, when an announcement comes over that the flight is full! Doh!. We try standby lists on two more flights (funnily enough in opposite terminals at the aiport - so we got to ride the train twice more) - an hour apart, but have to be there at boarding time for a chance to get on. We never get higher than 11 on the standby list as the people on the earlier flight that was delayed somehow get above us on the standby list. We have no luggage - this has gone ahead to NY and will be there for us when we finally get there. Returning to the Admiralty club, we are given overnight accomodation at a nearby hotel, and food vouchers ($5 breakfast and lunch and $10 dinner) each. By this time (4:30pm) we are all very very tired and just want to eat (breakfast was a long time ago and we are all just running on hope and adventure).

We board the Big Bass Brewery and Steakhouse coutesy shuttle bus with a big fish on the side and 6mins later are checking in to our Hotel. Let me tell you, this place is a palace compared to the places we have stayed at to date. The gent that checked us in also gave us compliementary toothpaste, toothbrush, deoderant. We go to dinner in the sportsmans lounge at the hotel which is very very nice. Many TV's and each table can have a speakerbox - you pick the tv you want to watch and you then hear the audio for it. Very cool, We all head to bed for an early night to try and catch up on some sleep, and knowing it is a 5am start the next morning.