Last Thursday, I took a last-minute flight to Alabama to be with a loved one who was going to be having urgent surgery Friday morning. My plane out of Seattle was delayed by over an hour, which meant my tight connection in Dallas was a lost cause. By the time my flight was starting its final descent into Dallas, the plane I was supposed to catch to Huntsville was listed as already departed 15 minutes ago.
Aiming for a back-up option, I hustled off my plane when it landed, sprinted through the airport from A6 to C38.
Then, (gasping for breath) at C38 I tried to implore a gate agent to switch me onto a flight to Nashville. I figured with a little luck I could arrive to Tennessee at Oh-dark-hundred, rent a car, and drive down to Alabama in time to reach the hospital by morning.
But then a strange thing happened: The gate agent said the Huntsville flight was listed wrong, and that it hadn't even boarded yet!
I sprinted back through the airport.
Then, (gasping for breath), reached Gate B26 just in time for my originally-intended flight. The other 49 passengers at the gate were disgruntled, impatient, and frustrated that they had been standing around waiting on a delayed plane for nearly two hours. Meanwhile, I was sweaty, disheveled, and smiling from ear to ear. I've never been so grateful for a delayed flight in my whole life.
Somehow, it felt like the cosmic wheel of airport chance had finally spun in my favor, with a 'near make' instead of a 'near miss' this time.
Aiming for a back-up option, I hustled off my plane when it landed, sprinted through the airport from A6 to C38.
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| A map of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport terminals. Ever notice how despite their adjacent position in the alphabet, Terminal B and Terminal C are about as far apart on the rail link line as they could possibly be? Every time I've been in this airport, there's a steady stream of people running the frantic B-to-C marathon with a blend of hope, desperation, and resignation in their eyes, leaving a trail of mini pretzels and foil-packed peanuts in their wake. |
But then a strange thing happened: The gate agent said the Huntsville flight was listed wrong, and that it hadn't even boarded yet!
I sprinted back through the airport.
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| Also, ever noticed that the rather curvaceous Dallas-Fort Worth Airport layout was probably designed based on Mr Peanut's dream girl? |
Then, (gasping for breath), reached Gate B26 just in time for my originally-intended flight. The other 49 passengers at the gate were disgruntled, impatient, and frustrated that they had been standing around waiting on a delayed plane for nearly two hours. Meanwhile, I was sweaty, disheveled, and smiling from ear to ear. I've never been so grateful for a delayed flight in my whole life.
Somehow, it felt like the cosmic wheel of airport chance had finally spun in my favor, with a 'near make' instead of a 'near miss' this time.
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| Although, having given it further thought, maybe I should give up the gamble and start traveling by Mr Peanut Hot Air Balloon rather than by plane from now on. |
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