Right out of Seinfeld

After 3 days with Enterra staff at retreat, I head to Dulles and check in for my 1645 United flight to Indy.

I check in, entering my FF#, whose absence I found strange.

The machine asks me if I checked luggage from my "incoming flight"--also puzzling. I said no.

Then I ask for receipt and it listed me flying in from Vienna. It also said my flight cost 2100 Euros.

I question the United checker. She can't figure it out. I call Jenn, and she said UA kept telling her I was already scheduled on the flight. But United charged us $550 on my AMEX, and the receipt I held listed a VISA.

Hmmm.

Lady then checks to make sure there's not 2 Thomas Barnetts. No, she says, you're the only one.

So I check the bag, go through Clear Traveler (very nice at Dulles because you go through a separate crew security gate), and then head to Terminal A.

I resist the Five Guys temptation (burgers) and start blogging. Flight is called and I step up. Ticket taker gets weird alert, but checks again and it's okay, so I head to plane.

Then we're turned back and told mechanical delay, so back into terminal.

Then we're called again and I show stub and board.

Get to 13F and see middle-aged (roughly same age) white guy who's maybe 5'11" (I'm 6'2"), slightly balding, neatly dressed business casual in my seat. So I figure he can have window and I'll take aisle.

Then burly guy shows up with crewcut and says politely that I must be in his seat. I tell guy in my seat and he shows us his 13F. Burly guy seems to know him, even defer, and so I point out that I have 13F too.

Then I notice "Thomas Barnett," plus "premier executive," plus my FF#.

Burly guy, apparently junior to my namesake, volunteers to go up and report problem. I watch and see that steward seats him up front.

All these voices start commenting from behind in a manner I instantly recognize as military, and I realize this guy is the crew's senior officer.

Steward comes back, collects tickets, demands ID, and then just laughs, saying this is first time in his many years that two people with the same names are boarded to occupy the same seat.

They let us both stay on, to my amazement, because the flight seemed full.

Thomas Barnett turns out to be an Army National Guard officer coming back from a year in Kosovo with his comrades, heading home ultimately to Kansas. He had been under the overall command of Admiral Harry Ulrich until Harry retired at the end of 2007 and joined Enterra.

Weird, huh?

And some top-notch security all around, I'd have to say.

Comments

[Michael]

You met yourself on your way home. That could be a spiritual experience, or just a sign you've been travelling too much;)

[Robert L]

You to say you're multiplying?? Wow, and I mean WOW!! :)