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The reason we booked this trip was not for a vacation but rather for the burial service of my wife's mom, Shirley Cepinko. She died on Sunday, June 3, 2018. Shirley was 96 years old and had just entered hospice care at our Anaheim home. So, her death was not totally unexpected. Her husband of 70 years, Irving Cepinko, had died at age 93 just a few years before. Barbara Cepinko (my wife), Cheryl Mack (Shirley's caretaker), and Steve Grande (myself) were flying for the burial in Floral Park which is not far from New York City. She would be buried at the same grave site as her husband and Barbara's younger brother. Barbara grew up on Long Island in New York. We figured as long as we were in the New York City area that we should visit Barbara's old haunts and also show a few of the New York City visitor sights to Cheryl who had never been to New York City before. When we fly domestically we usually fly on Southwest Airlines since we have a lot of points on that airline and can fly free. I also have earned a "Companion Pass" so that my wife, Barbara Cepinko, can fly fee with me where I fly without using any additional points. However, the problem with Southwest Airlines is they have very few direct flights, especially when traveling from coast to coast. Southwest Airlines almost always requires a change of planes and layover along the way.
We also have a lot of points with United Airlines but we usually save those for when we fly internationally as Southwest Airlines flies to very few international destinations. However, while searching for the best deal on a flight to New York, I found a non-stop flight right out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Newark, New Jersey. Usually when flying transcontinental from Orange County we have to fly out of Los Angeles (LAX) in order to get a direct flight for a good price or a lower number of points. But, I did find a non-stop flight for a low number of points on United Airlines out of Orange County direct to Newark, New Jersey, just outside New York City. So, we flew on United Airlines rather than on Southwest Airlines. |
