Conked in the Head

We are hearing a lot about enraged and confrontational airline passengers.

I was of the belief that most people get smashed at the airport bars and then they lose their sensibilities when they board the plane,

Maybe it’s more than that.

I had a 6 a.m. flight scheduled for Monday. I hustled out of bed at 4:00 and jumped in the shower. I heard my phone beep…signaling an incoming text. At 04:05!

It was from United:

“Your flight is delayed until 08:00 as the crew came in late and needs more rest time.”

I went back to bed for another hour of sleep.

Then I thought about my connecting flight.

(Yeah - no straight flight to Boston!)

Another beep.

“We re-booked you on a flight that will arrive in Boston at 1 p.m.”

“I was supposed to be there at 09:30!”

I still needed to go, but all free minutes built into the trip were gone. 

“Whole day is going to be a race,” I thought. 

Didn’t get back to sleep.

The first flight out was delayed again. On the second flight we all boarded the plane and sat there for 20 minutes as they “got the paperwork in order.”

Landed. Shuttle to rental car station. Drove an hour to the site. Spent two hours doing my job. Back in the car for the hour back. Returned the rental car and caught the shuttle to the terminal. I was hungry but didn’t have time.

I made it to the plane out about three minutes before it boarded.

It was now 7 p.m., - 13 hours after the alarm went off. We boarded the plane, and sat there on the tarmac - another half-hour delay.

I had to once again worry about the connecting flight. As the plane landed I received a text telling me that the plane was ready to board in 15 minutes!

They also explained that I was landing in C terminal and it would take me 17 minutes to get to my gate in Terminal A.

At 15 hours after the alarm, I made it to the gate.

“You had three minutes to spare,” the man who checked my boarding pass said. “You shouldn’t cut it so close.”

I growled at him. Hustled to my seat and was in the process of securing my seatbelt as the flight attendant worked to jam a bag in the overhead.

She dropped it.

On my head!

“@&$@&@!” I screamed 

(It was a Italian curse phrase that left my mouth).

She didn’t know what I said, but she knew I was mad. I rubbed my head as she apologized over and over again. I didn’t respond.

I know she felt badly about it, but my head hurt! I wasn’t about to let it go!

Just as we were about to pull back from the gate, she came over.

“Would you rather sit in the exit row?” She asked.

So, I got free leg room with no one sitting beside me.

An hour later, we were circling the Buffalo airport waiting for clearance to land.

“Sorry for the inconvenience.”

18 hours after my alarm went off I crawled back into bed.

“How’d the trip go?” Kathy asked.

@&$&@$

The Italian curse phrase again.

But hey, they were sorry for the inconvenience!