Posted by:
steve benson
(
)
Date: September 18, 2010 01:54AM
The flight attendant announced over the PA system that the plane was headed to Phoenix where it was 95 degrees, no wind and clear visibility.
Then toward the end of the flight, he announced we would soon be landing in Salt Lake City. Say what? I turned to a passenger sitting next to me, who was chuckling.
A moment later, the flight attendant came back on the intercom again and repeated his announcement that we were about to land in Salt Lake City. This time the cabin erupted in a spattering of laughter. I turned to the same passenger and said it sounded like the flight attendant had a stuttering problem.
Just to make sure,however, I looked out the window and saw the familiar desert floor rising up fast as we headed for touchdown.
Whew!
The interesting thing was that when I boarded the plane to Phoenix in SLC, there was a guy in a GA-like suit, white shirt and tie sitting at the gate close to the boarding counter who looked a whole lot like apostle Richard G. Scott.
He had this slight smile on his face that seemed permanently stuck there and was sitting hunched over in a waiting area chair.
There was another, taller gentleman with him, also decked out in a dark suit, white shirt and tie, leaning over and pleasantly talking to him.
The guy who I thought might be Scott eventually got up when the first-class call was made and headed down the ramp into the plane. I passed him on my way back to coach, as he was taking off his suit jacket in the first class cabin and settling into his special treatment seat.
When I got off the plane in Phoenix, I found myself walking not far behind the spittin'-image-of-Scott fellow and his suited-up traveling buddy. Both were pulling small roller suitcases behind them.
They were now joined, however, by a third gentleman (also dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and tie) who appeared to be a greeter busy shepherding them to a parking garage adjoining the terminal.
If it was indeed Richard G. Scott, here's maybe what happened:
Spot-on Scott boarded the plane in Salt Lake headed for Phoenix but got spooked about leaving the safety and security of Mormon home turf for the big bad world and tried to get the plane to return to Zion. The flight attendant was trying to accomdate Scott by announcing they were doing a 180 and heading back to the protection of the everlasting hills.
Although I can't say for sure, Scott may have raised his right arm to the square up in first class where the rest of us couldn't seem him and commanded the captain to reverse course but failed to get the crew to comply.
So apostle Scott called ahead for backup (although you aren't supposed to use cellphones in flight but he's a GA so he can do what he wants), got a third guy in a suit to show up to meet him when he disembarked and all three of them took a car to a nearby casino to gamble away money like they've been doing on the City Creek Mall.
Just a guess.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2010 02:32AM by stevebenson.