SATURDAY DECEMBER 9TH, THE FAILED TRIP

 SATURDAY DECEMBER 9TH, THE FAILED TRIP

I was to be waking up in Madison, South Dakota, this morning, but I’m waking up in my own bed in Georgetown, Texas. At least I won’t be disoriented about where the bathroom is and whether there is a snack!!  

*****

During my academic years, I traveled frequently.  I always attended ISECON, one other conference (it would vary), and a trip for accreditation.  My most memorable trip was to Kazakhstan for an ABET accreditation.  (ABET had a policy for international accreditation trips that the team would fly business class - so it was nice to be treated as a “royal” customer!!). 

I got used to getting to the airport early, nicely going to the gate agent and asking if there was a seat in the exit row (and generally, there was).  I am taller than the average, and the extra legroom would allow me to cross my legs or stretch out a little. 

Of course, not all flying is perfect.  I’ve been stuck in various places by lousy weather or mechanical issues.  One Christmas morning, we were flying to Austin to visit our daughter - and it was when Cincinnati was a minor hub for Delta.  We got to Cincinnati, and the airport was full of people sleeping on the floor.  Seemingly, an ice storm came through the night before, and they couldn’t even get people to hotels.  But our flight wasn’t affected, and we made it to Austin okay.

We had a delay once because the light in the lavatory was out.  (In an emergency, if I need the bathroom, I can feel my way to the toilet!! <grin>)

****

But, airlines have changed from “The Friendly Skies” to “Ugly Greed” (okay, that might be too harsh).  Over the years, people have called airplanes “Cattle Cars” - where people are stuffed in going from city A to city B.  

And I don’t blame them.  Travel might not be one of the Declaration of Independence's promises of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” - but traveling can frequently be a “pursuit of happiness”!!!

Because of terrorists, travel has better security - but the lines get long. You could arrive at an airport thirty minutes before your flight and should be there at least two hours before.  Once, I was a “known passenger” and could go through expedited security.  But, not flying lately, I’ve become a ‘nobody.’ (At age 76, there is a slight advantage - I don’t have to take off my shoes!!!) 

So, through security, I was at my gate two hours early.  I found a place to plug in my phone, play games, and send messages.  

And, yes, I had gone CHEAP.  I had the essential travel - no assigned seat.  I would have to pay more for an assigned/reserved seat - for each part of the trip. The approximately $35 it would cost me would help defray the hotel's rental car cost. Alas, that meant I got assigned a seat in the plane's rear.  (At least it wasn’t a center seat). Deplaning would take a while for all the rows ahead of me to get their bags from the overhead bins and out the door.

There was a mechanical delay on my first flight - about an hour.  That got the plane to Dallas about an hour late.  I originally had a 45-minute layover.  But I had twenty minutes from our arrival gate to the departure gate.  I can’t run like I used to, but I did walk pretty fast (for a seventy-six-year-old lady). When I arrived, the gate was closed, and no more people were getting on that flight (even though there were five minutes before departure.) 

After waiting in line at the rebooking area, I learned that there were no more flights to Sioux Falls that evening. The flights to Sioux Falls on Friday were already full. I could be booked on a flight to Chicago - but on Friday, I’d have to go standby to Sioux Falls - if space were available - and I would miss the special luncheon/reunion. 

I opted to return to Austin and not go to Sioux Falls.

Lessons Learned:

A lesson I know - but choose to ignore - is always to take the first flight out in the morning - and even fly a day before you need to be at your destination.  I picked the last flight of the day and missed the connection.  

This is another lesson that will take a lot of work to learn.  Don’t be a cheapskate - buy a seat - big deal, it’s only money, and I can’t take that with me. (And, take a seat towards the front for quicker deplaning!!!) 

***

A lesson I want to try (and did once) - don’t park at the airport.  Cap Metro (the Austin area bus system had an “Airport Flyer” bus that loops between downtown and the airport.  I need to figure out how to get to where I can feel safe about leaving my car five days in a row.  I feel okay about leaving my car overnight or maybe two days.  But people driving by after four days will say, “Hmm, that car is abandoned,” I might not have a car when I return.

****

A lesson I remember is being friendly to airport/airline staff.  Everyone is human and deserves my respect and love (“Love your neighbor as yourself”).  

Almost everybody at the airport looks preoccupied and sad.  I walk around (like usual) with a huge grin and smile.  I try to establish eye contact.  I can even talk to people.  We were in the last boarding group, and a senior lady [and I’m not an old lady] was next to me. I asked her why she was going to Austin - did she live there? She said “no”. She would visit her son and his family.  I had my granny basketball shirt on, and I kidded her about playing granny basketball with me. But she was ready to talk - nothing important but acknowledging she was human.  

Yes, travel can be complicated.  But - I still believe that LOVE WINS!!!  And that LOVING YOUR NEIGHBORS can apply to any (and every) person.

Karen Anne White, © December 9, 2023