Saturday (December 30) we were up early to fly from Vancouver to Kelowna. The flight departed at 9:40 am. Once again, we checked in our carry-on bags at the gate.
Unfortunately, we could not land in Kelowna because of low cloud/fog. We were back in Vancouver by mid-morning.
The next challenge was to find out what had happened to our bags, and what was the plan. With help from Andrew, who was at Kelowna airport, we discovered that they would try again at 2 pm. Meanwhile, we searched for our bags on the carousel, and seeking new boarding passes.
The second time, we were successful. Andrew met us at Kelowna airport. We rented a car and he drove through the mountains to Rossland. There was snow, but the roads were clear. The bags were delivered in Kelowna.
Lessons learned.
- While I use email on my iPad, I need to become more proficient with the messaging capability of my iPhone.
- It was not clear whether Air Canada was using messaging on the iPhone to confirm the status of flights and bags.
- If cell phone is the preferred device, then it is critical that seniors are familiar with the messaging functionality.
- What happens if you do not use a cell phone, or are not proficient with the full functionality? This becomes a form of discrimination for elders.
Next weekend, we hope to navigate the roads through the mountains, back to Kelowna, followed by a flight to Toronto and then Halifax.
Postscript
Rossland is an awesome downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and mountain bike resort. It attracts a highly active, youthful clientele (link).
Acknowledgements.
Thanks to Andrew and Laurel for their help in navigating the cell phone/messaging environment. Edward added his graphics touch.
Ernest Blair Experiment 