As I recall, Mom drove me to the airport. Of course, I was still flying Delta at the time, which is why I had to change planes in DFW. One of the reasons I prefer Continental is that Houston is a Continental hub.
Panel 5: Portland was abbreviated 'ptlp' because spot called it that. A popular song of the time was "Lump" by the Presidents of the United States of America (it's a rock band), and spot started calling the city "Portlump", or 'ptlp' in her bizarre and intricate online shorthand.