From the Airport Parking Lot to the Ticket Counter

[SirCharls]

OK,

I have been doing this for awhile. But I have to admit, now that I have a BAT, and a BAC (Big Assed Case!) for it, plus the F, plus a bag for clothes, and finally a carry-on...

How in the Heck does one get from the car (in the parking garage) to the ticket counter if you are on your own?

So, I have a series of little trips I have to go on, and even though my illustrious teacher Al Baer, has this case that is a double tuba case, which cuts his total number of cases down by one (but a crucial one!), I don't have one of those. So, the past couple of trips, I felt like an idiot because I had to...

go about 50 feet with my F tuba and suitcase, then drop and hurry back to the BAT, and then do that again and again...until I was at the ticket counter. The last time, it was after 9/11 and I got in trouble. Actually, I wound up getting help from a deputy (no tip!)

But I don't want to count on the charity of the Airport Cops, so, barring getting my wife out of work, and getting her to help me...

By the way, I already have a case with wheels...already have a suitcase with wheels...but explain how having 3 things with wheels make it easier to get them from Parking Lot to Ticket Counter...there just aren't enough arms on the human body...I have even thought about daisy chaining 2 pieces together...but so far no luck...

What do I do? What do you guys do?

[jmanning]

Sounds like a dilemna. We all face this burden and there is no easy way. However here are a few suggestions:

If you can use a backpack, even a small one, for your carry-on, that frees up having to pull a third wheeled case. Another common answer is to put your clothes (try to minimize) in the bell and dead space of your case.

When I travel I use a custom-made case with 4 wheels, not two wheels. It is a small trapezoidal rolling trunk for my SAT with a dog leash for a pull strap. Even as beat up as it is, it still rolls well. The Walt Johnson cases I have are good, but with two wheels you still have to bear some of the load and deal with the wobble.

My worst trip was going to the San Fransico audition with my BAT and my F, both in Walt Johnson cases (large and medium respectively) For that trip I put clothes in my bell and had a backpack for essentials.

At my airport, there is a free shuttle from the parking lots to the terminal. If they don't have that, consider getting to the airport, or at least the terminal by taxi. You could also recruit/pay a friend or student to help you out - sounds like the walk from hell. Good luck!

[Dean E]

I assume you will buy your tickets in advance.

Drop off the big stuff curbside before you park your vehicle. Remember to tip the baggage handler who tags and loads the items, since they work for tips only. Find out in advance how early they will accept baggage. If the US national threat level is raised to Code Orange, or high risk of terrorist attack, curbside check-in may be closed.

[Ricko]

Use one of the off-site parking companies - in our town they unload your car onto the shuttle, take you to the airport, then drop you off right in front of the curbside check-in (and unload the gear). A few $$ in tips goes a long way.

They also don't charge any more than the long term parking area.

[Tom]

My illustrious teacher Al Baer, has this case that is a double tuba case, which cuts his total number of cases down by one (but a crucial one!).

Any chance of posting a picture of this setup? It's unlikely I'll do something similar, but I'd love to see what a double tuba case is like...I'm just curious.