I suppose it's really too much to ask that I arrive at my destination on the same date that my boarding pass lists. After all, these dates are clearly mere suggestions to the air travel industry.
Tonight, I was scheduled to go back to Nashville to spend 9 days going to the NaFF offerings and hanging out with my baby schmogface Noah. When I arrived at the airport, it was sunny and lovely and still outside and the signs at the gate indicated that everything was running on time. Soon however, there was a delay... and another delay... and then, they pulled off the plane, saying that there was no way I'd make my connector... and, well, it's the same old tedious story all over again. I am an airplane jinx and really, the sooner I learn to accept this, the less stressed out all of this will make me, I'm sure of it.
Needless to say, I'm back in my apartment in Alexandria tonight. I have a rescheduled flight at 6 AM tomorrow.. which means I have to be at the airport between 4:45 and 5... which means I have to leave my apartment no later that 4... which means, in order to get my ass out the door at that hour, I have to rouse myself no later than 3. 3 fucking AM. I may have seen 3 AM on the other end of the day several times in my life but I have not once begun a day at such an ungodly hour. And by "ungodly," I mean that I assume that even God is on hiatus at that hour.
Now, I really don't know what the deal is with air travel these days...but this is really getting ridiculous. My dad suggests that I invest in a horse in hopes that he/she would be a more reliable mode of transportation. However, I don't know that my coccyx is up to the challenge. I'd be one serious mosey-er subsequent to one such trip.
This sucks. I fucking hate being a jinx.
2 comments:
Marjorie--
If the same thing happens on the way back, throw a fit and be a complete jerk to the people at the airport. As one who is never rude to waiters, cashiers, taxi or bus drivers, etc., I have found that being bitchier than the next person gets you far at the airport.
On my way back from my friend's wedding in Chicago last summer, United decided to take my luggage to Washington and leave me at O'hare, where, as Ani Difranco once said, you can check in any time you like but you can never leave. It was a glorious, sunny day from Chicago to Washington, but "weather conditions" were the alleged cause of a bunch of canceled flights.
A series of poorly-handled (on the part of the airline) encounters ensued, and I began to notice that other passengers were getting coupons and rescheduled flights while others were not. So I screamed and cursed at the sweet-faced boy at the counter, and I got a hotel room and two $5 meal coupons.
After buying some cheap granny panties to get me through, I went to the hotel and got wasted. Two other guys at the bar had had their flights canceled, too. One was a total cock smear, and he had a little packet of about 10 meal coupons. The other guy was laid-back and friendly, and he hadn't been given any coupons! So there you go.
Anyhow, sorry to hear your vacation is off to a non-start. Hope all went well this morning, and when you get back, I'm hoping you'll have a fancy job writing brilliant movie reviews for the Nashville Scene.
Thanks, Ginger!
I made it, at last-- pretty worn out and with some weird yellow stuff coming out of my nose (gotta love immune responses to exhaustion, eh?) And I saw two great things yesterday-- hopefully will have some time tomorrow to do a little writing but a friend of mine is giving a reading as part of her thesis defense tomorrow night and I'm excited about gettin to see that, too!
Anyway, jetBlue did not offer any vouchers, despite their pledge to do so... so I'll be calling them in the next couple of day to whine ad infinitum.
My tactic in airports is not to really be rude but to appear as though I am on the verge to tears and explain how I've been stranded in three different cities in the last 6 months, how it took me three days to get where I was going at Christmas, how I've had so many flights cancelled and that a 4-hour delay is simply de riguer at this point... and eventually, they feel bad enough that they upgrade me to first class and things like that. My best plan thus far is to get an irritated tone in my voice and then quickly disintegrate into tears... that way they're both a little scared of me and feeling really sorry for me. Like I could snap at any minute... it's the perfect emotional tenor, I think.
Post a Comment