It was not a good start to Salt Lake City for about 30 Pitt football fans — and one displaced reporter. The United flight to Denver out of Pittsburgh International on Wednesday morning — which connected to Salt Lake City — was cancelled when it was discovered there was a bent fin in one of the jet turbines, apparently caused by a bird on the incoming flight.
The Pitt-to-Denver flight held a number of fans – I was told 27 — headed to the Pitt game. Travel plans were changed – some going through Chicago and some through Atlanta – and apparently all will arrive in Salt Lake City tonight in plenty of time for Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. Mountain time kickoff.
One Pitt fan behind me in the re-booking line said “I’m tempted to just stay here and watch it on TV,” but alas he got a seat on Delta — the same flight as yours truly — scheduled to leave four hours after our original flight and should be at Rice-Eccles Stadium for the much-anticipated 2010 opener.
The football team, of course, is taking a chartered flight to Salt Lake and won’t have to worry about alternate plans.
But let’s hope this isn’t a bad omen for the rest of the journey.
