Saturday, June 7, 2008

Airport Rage

I am currently trapped at the Minneapolis Airport, on my way home from a week in Banff for a business meeting.

I am irate.

Seven years ago, I missed my friend Dave's WEDDING because of Northwest Airlines. Inexplicably, my flight (from Newark, NJ, to Orange County, CA, by way of Minneapolis) was canceled due to "weather," when all other flights out of Newark Airport seemed to be taking off just fine. (Weather, my ass.) Of course, they kept us sitting on the runway for 3 hours, so by the time they released us from our imprisonment there were no more flights out that DAY. I left early the next morning and only made it for the reception. I swore to never fly Northwest again.

For my business trip to Banff, I had to decide between a 6am departure time out of Dulles, or taking Northwest through Minnesota. I should have known better, but I made the wrong choice. The flight here from the Calgary-Banff Airport was so turbulent that I seriously considered the possibility of driving the second leg of my trip home, from Minnesota to DC. At one point, I realized I didn't even care if the plane went down, because my emotional/mental/digestive misery would end. I spent the last half hour of the flight in a cold sweat. We finally landed and I made my way to the next gate.

The only food available is a Dairy Queen with questionable sanitation standards (evidenced by the large brown puddle on the customer side of the counter ... and it's not raining). The food looked dubious, so I got a small peanut butter cup blizzard, which turned out to be a heath bar blizzard. Whatever. I then tried to find an outlet for my laptop. The first one I tried was dead. The second one I tried was dead. The third one I tried was dead. Now I'm sitting in a hallway against a wall by one of the few working outlets as those elderly-transport carts whiz past me. I just ate the weird trail mix from the depressing "snack box" I had to buy on the first leg of the flight.

My cell phone has one tick of power left on it, and my charger is packed in my checked luggage.

Oh, and my flight is delayed indefinitely.

WTF? I just want to go home.

4 comments:

Cami said...

DT was to fly out of Kansas City to come home for a 8AM business meeting tomorrow in Tysons. But, his flight was canceled, so they are putting him on a flight that is bringing him home by way for Denver and Vegas. Instead of picking him up at 8PM tonight, I get to pick him up at 7AM tomorrorw.

5 years ago, I got stranded in the Minneapolis airport due to weather as well. It was Northwest as well. Funny thing is, my mom was also flying through Minneapolis on the same day on another airline and got home just fine. I, too had packed my cell phone charger in my checked baggage. Crazy coincidence. If you have to stay over night - stay in the Westin (or is it the W?) - it's great!

kermitfan80 said...

Oh no!!! I hope you get (got?) home ok. Smooth travel vibes to you!!!

Chelle said...

I can so completely empathize with that situation. I always have to apologize to my fellow travelers whenever I fly anywhere because any flight I am on WILL BE LATE. I can't remember the last time I wasn't stuck for hours upon end in an airport waiting for a flight that wasn't delayed.

The last time I flew it was out to Texas for my job interview a few months ago, and my 4 hour layover in Denver turned into 6, getting me in at midnight the night before my interview. The next day my half hour layover in Denver turned into a 4 hour layover, getting me home at midnight that night. I was ready to rip my hair out.

I hope you made it home okay and got some good food in your tummy.

caramama said...

That sucks.

May I also recommend that you never fly Air Jamaca? It sounds pleasant, but it's not. Trust me.