After a very long, dragging day – flying in the evening is the worst in terms of waiting around – we are finally off to the airport for our delayed flight to Atlanta. Arriving at the new AVL terminal – we wait an interminably long time to check in, only because the customer at the desk is taking forever with some problem and there is only 1 Delta rep at the counter.  Finally, after the line starts wrapping around the turnstiles, another agent comes up and we start to move.  TSA goes fairly quickly – although the Pre-check line just dumps into the regular line with no real priority like it used to have.  Once through the scanners and waiting for our carryon bags to come through – horrors – the fire alarm goes off! No!  Is this real? Is it a drill?  They are still doing so much work it could have been just a mistake.  A few tense minutes later we learn it was a mistake, no worries, no evacuation necessary.   Phew.

So off we go through the very nice new terminal, then outside down the makeshift scaffolding like rampway to the old terminal, looking decidedly overused and rickety compared to the new terminal. We are at Gate 1, which is reached through another outdoor passage.  This construction is just crazy.  However, a bright spot, you can now get to-go alcohol!  Yes.  Bonus.  Called Sit and Sip (yeah, don’t go there with the name), we grab our beer and wine in plastic cups and go sit in the cramped waiting room until our flight is called.  At least there is that….

The flight is quick – taking off over the mountains and a beautiful sunset – and even though we are at least 30 minutes late, we still make it with plenty of time to get to the gate in Atlanta and board our short-long haul flight to Edinburgh. 

Situated in our little coach seats in the back, we make the best of the 7 hour flight, snacking on the unremarkable dinner (ravioli or chicken – neither all that great), sleeping as much as we can (maybe 4 hours?), then eating our switched out breakfast (it was supposed to be chorizo egg wraps or something – instead, it was Belgium waffles) before arriving into Edinburgh a little after noon.  All in all, not too bad a trip.