Stateside, but not yet in DC

Well, we are in the states, sitting in the business lounge at JFK. We managed to get Cayenne, our African Grey, on the plane at Tel Aviv (with a little luck and a LOT of hutzpa..she didn't actually have reservations, mainly because the travel agent the Consulate used, the one who did NOT win the contract to become our regular agent and therefore had no incentive to do a good job for me, also has the misfortune of being an idiot). Cayenne did fine on the trip. We got to JFK this morning at 6 am and had to sit and wait until 9 for the USDA folks to come get Cayenne. Then we took our bags through customs and checked them in at Delta.

Our flight to DC was late arriving, and when we finally boarded the plane, I asked the stewardess to check and make sure our pets made it on board. Oops! They tell the ventilation system on the plane was broken and they couldn't have the pets there. And they weren't going to tell us!!! They also didn't have our bags on board...so the plan was to send us on our merry way with no bags or pets and NOT TELL US!!!! They said they could re-book us on the 4 pm flight, the one our pets, and hopefully our bags, would be on. But they said we'd have to wait in the regular waiting area, not the business lounge, because we weren't flying business class to DC. Never mind that we paid a full business-class fare and that the only reason we weren't in business class on the DC leg ISN"T OFFERED! Anyway, we came to the lounge anyway, and of course we were actually entitled, but we are furious. And the poor pets...by the time we get to DC, they will have been in their crates for 24 hours.

And to top it off...the screen on the cell phone died...so now I can't see anyone's numbers or check messages. And I won't be able home now for at least another 4 hours! Sigh.