11 February 2023
Ever since 17th January when Maggi fell and broke her patella a major topic Maggi has worried about our trip to Seattle on February 11th.
The trip has absorbed 100’s of hours of conversation. At first it seemed impossible, but after our visit to the consultant, James Youngman, it all seemed more possible. The final visit to the hospital last Thursday confirmed we would takeoff on the 11th. We enquired about upgrading from Premium Economy to Club, but decided against when the price came in at £3,500.
Adam, who had arrived at our house late on Friday drove Maggi and I to Terminal 3 because we had booked with American Airlines via British Airways. I had very low expectations about American due to previous experiences of internal US flights. However we received excellent service throughout the journey. I much preferred the American Airlines lounge to BA’s, it was beautifully quiet with good quality food and drink.
Maggi couldn’t take advantage of any assistance because the wheel chairs don’t allow her to sit and keep her leg straight. We therefore had to make slow progress to the plane with her walking with the help of her crutches.
We had been assigned the baulk head seat f Premium Economy and there was plenty of room for Maggi’s leg to remain straight. The service was excellent throughout and the food was probably better than BA, but not by much. I went to the loo in Business Class and this was far superior to BA.
The walk from the plane to the customs and border control was even further in Seatlle than London. Maggi and I were probably the last of all the passengers to arrive at the baggage carousel but no bags had arrived so we weren’t late. However we waited almost to the final bag before all our luggage was ejected onto the roundabout. Alex was waiting with the girls and we drove to their home.