I had a travel adventure yesterday. After being in meetings for work over the last two days (1), I was headed back to Small Town South. My travel began as I arrived at the airport early and was able to snag a spot on the flight out before mine. Success! (2) Then we find out that this flight is delayed 1 hour due to bad weather in a connecting city … Okay not a huge deal, we are still taking off before my original flight.
So I board, happy that I am travel savvy enough to successfully catch an early flight out and win the race to get my luggage on before all of the overhead bins are full (3). Success #2! Once about 1/3 of the plane boards, we notice that no one else is getting on … great. Then the voice on the overhead informs us that we will again be delayed for 2 hours. We have the choice to stay on the aircraft, or get off. Seeing as that I have my dinner, computer, magazines and sky mall (4), I sprawl out on my row of seats and began to take a quick cat nap.
After about an hour and a half, they begin to reboard the plane. Everyone gets on fairly quickly but the flight door remains open … After 20 minutes everyone in their seats, we are alerted by the pilot that the flight is again delayed. 45 minutes pass. We are ready to push back from the gate … finally. We slowly … slowly make our way down the tarmac. We are going at a snail’s pass, barely moving. Actually wait, we aren’t moving at all. Just as I begin to think that the pilot is stalling for the inevitable, he comes over the speakers, “We’re sorry to inform you that they have stopped all flights in and out of the airport (again), and frankly we don’t know when we will get in the air.” (5)
After an hour or so, the people around me begin to plot mutiny. “What’s the new law on how long you can hold passengers on a plane?" "It's like they've got us as prisoners in here." "Seriously they aren't going to even give us water and snacks?" (6) Finally we get the go ahead to take off at 11:30 - 4.5 hours after our scheduled takeoff and 40 minutes after the last connecting flight to Small Town South left the big city airport.
We wearily arrive at 1:30am. Noting that there are in fact no flights out for the rest of the night (7), I blow past passengers bedding down for the night and the Delta counter, where there are 2 Delta employees and about 100 tired, angry customers. I am only a few hours drive away from Small Town South so I head towards the rental car area. After visiting every rental car counter, I find there are no cars left (8). With no flight, no car, and no bed - desperation sets in. It's 2am and I begin to call people I know in the city. Call one -answer. Call two - no answer (9), etc. I begin to come to terms with the fact that I will be up all night guarding my belongings from the creepy airport people who are wandering around, eying everyone's luggage. Then I get a text back from Call # 1 "Did you mean to call me?" I immediately call back and beg my new heroine to pick me up at the airport and let me sleep on her on her futon for a few hours.
By the grace of God, she agreed and by 3 am, I was snuggled in her futon. 3.5 hours later, I was up again. Ready to catch my rescheduled flight at 8:30am. The most wonderful friend ever's husband dropped me off at the train station on the way to his work that I could get to the airport (T - 1 hour 25 minutes to flight). Unfortunately, I greatly underestimated the time. What I thought would take 30 minutes was more like 50 minutes (T - 35 minutes). Once I got to the airport, I realized that everyone that didn't get out last night was trying to get through security that morning, at one time (T - 30 minutes). (10) I get through security with no issues and knock over a poor older lady getting on the train to the terminal (11) (T - 10 minutes). I hop off at the terminal and began to run. Only 30 gates stand between me and my flight (12). I run up to the counter to find that my flight is again delayed (13).
To wrap things up after a minor mechanical issue, which turned into major mechanical issue (14), we switched planes. It's now 2 hours after we were suppose to take off, and we have a new gate, a new plane but not a new take off time. In fact we don't have a take off time at all. Apparently the flight attendant is injured and they are having trouble finding another. Now, I know I don't work in this industry but don't you think that you could find an extra flight attendant in say .. an airport?
After another hour, they find a flight attendant and board the team. A short hour long flight and I am home, exactly 12 hours after I was suppose to be. On this flight adventure, I did learn a few things though:
- Know people in every major city that are liable to be awake or answer their phones at odd hours
- Be prepared to buy that person a large, expensive bottle of wine
- Don't be afraid to knock over old people to make your flight
- Heels are a horrible idea for an airport, always pack sandals
- Get a good nights sleep before you fly anywhere because you never know when you may have to stay up all night to guard your luggage from creepers in an airport
1. Which went well, thank you for asking
2. Foreshadowing
3. Mr. MedSchool does not understand the importance of being on the plane first but after having my carry on checked on too many times b/c of too much luggage in the overhead bins , I am ruthless..
4. Cubicle missile launcher pg 86 … awesome!
5. Yeah, I’m not kidding, he said that. Great now we have a pissed pilot too
6. PS Lady, if you ask the flight attendants nicely, they will give you water, just not booze - they aren't allowed to give that out if the plane is stopped on the tarmac - major bummer
7. Unless I had a ticket to Seoul, Korea
8. Except for the 100 that I can clearly see in the parking lot across from the counter
9. Not that this is surprising because it is 2am and we aren't as young as we use to be
10. Printed boarding pass the night before I left the airport to skip the ticket counter - Did I say savvy traveler?
11. Take no prisoners ... make the flight
12. Yeah, may not seem like a lot but when you are dodging 7 and 70 year olds, it takes its toll
13. Not happening again .. no more delays ... argh....
14. Big oops by the Delta Mechanics team
