Mobilization

To be a luge team manager requires some sense of logistics. For some reason tomorrow's travel brings military analogies to my mind: the Allied D-Day invasion, perhaps, or Germany's Schlieffen Plan in WW1. But while these were top-secret operations, the general staff at USA Luge is spilling the beans in advance. Here it is, the "Monty Plan":

Tomorrow eight United flights will bring most of our team together in Chicago. At your respective airports of origin, you should check yourself and your luggage all the way to Munich. The free checked bag allowance on United is one piece of luggage, weighing up to 50 pounds (23kg). If you are thinking of checking a second bag, be prepared for a shock: you'll be facing a charge of $50. This is a change from the Fall Trip, when we had a free baggage allowance of two pieces.

We all know that a terrorist incident was narrowly averted on December 25. The TSA's most recent guidance is to allow extra time for check-in and security clearance. There has not been a change to checkpoint security requirements.

From 9:45AM until 4:10PM athletes will be filtering in from as far away as Hartford, Salt Lake City and Dallas. Here's the order of arrival in Chicago, with scheduled arrival times, flight numbers, and arrival gates. (Caution: Gate assignments can and do change often. Flights, however, are always on time.)

09:45......UA895.......Gate C20........................Emily (bring a book!)

12:03......UA7734......Gate B22........................Shane

12:36......UA6096.....Terminal 2, Gate F7B...........Kate, Lea, Taylor

12:49......UA7374.....Terminal 2, Gate E3...........Aaron

13:33......UA575........Gate B11........................Summer, Billy

15:25......UA5910......Terminal 2, Gate F14..........Keith

15:34......UA7375.....Gate C5...........................Jake

15:49......UA577......Gate B5...........................Andrew

Five of the eight flights arrive in Terminal 1, three flights in Terminal 2. From Terminal 2, it is a 10-15 minute walk to our departure gate. I don't think it will be necessary to go through security screening again, unless you have to make a trip to Baggage Claim for some gate-checked carry-ons.

Tomorrow's United Flight 906 to Munich is scheduled to depart from Terminal 1, Concourse C, Gate C10 at 6:18PM CST. Athletes, refer to the map in my prior post to familiarize yourself with your route within the airport.

Eight athletes will be arriving in Chicago before me. I would like all of them to be at our departure gate by 3:30 PM and wait there until I show up. This will allow me to take stock of the situation and give any instructions.

January 2 is one of the busiest travel days of the year, and O'Hare is one of the nation's busiest airports. So if any problems arise with this scenario, there are sure to be plenty of people available and eager to assist. I am trying to look for a silver lining here.

Our arrival in Munich is scheduled for 9:50AM on Sunday. There we will meet Curtis, Zac and Robby, who are arriving on different flights from the group. We will pick up two rental vans at Hertz, and drive south to Igls, Austria.

Our hotel in Igls is the Hotel Eagles-Astoria. Austria is six hours ahead of the US East Coast. Pete, bringing the sleds from Frankfurt, will meet us here. To call the hotel from the USA, dial 011 43 (512) 377-4810. We are supposed to have Internet there, and I will put up a blog post on Sunday evening once we have arrived, to let you know we made it.

Customs procedures, vehicle procurement, and feeding this army always take time, so please don't be concerned if you don't hear from us before Sunday evening in Europe.