Reactionary

When I should be home in the intermountain west after managing to leave work early to get on the plane to get to the airport, I’m in Kentucky and it’s 11PM. Yes, I’m stranded and starving. The worst part is there isn’t a cloud here or elsewhere throughout the contry right now. So why was my plane 2 and a half hours LATE. Oh, oh, this is the best excuse I’ve ever heard. The crew that was supposed to de-ice the plane didn’t show up and so we SAT THERE for an hour until the powers decided we were going to run out of fuel so they took us back to the gate. By this time I was flipping out because my layover in Cincinnati was half an hour. I went up and asked what my options were. All planes to the particular destination out of PHL were sold out and overbooked. The dude there said I had a better chance out of Cincinnati. I made him call and find out and make SURE there was a seat. If there wasn’t, I was off that plane and I was ready to spend Christmas in my apartment, alone, but at home rather than in a strange, Midwestern city where I don’t know a soul. He called and said there was a definite seat on a nonstop out at 430… as in 1630. I bit the bullet and got back on the plane.

The obnoxious PC user next to me had already stretched himself out and taken his big, disgusting shoes off as if he counted on me to get off. And later, that same guy dared to shush me during another announcement wherein the crew just said the same things they had before. Anyway, besides this moron, we eventually got off, 2 hours late and I think I fell asleep on the plane (that’s why I’m awake now but parched). When we got to Cincinnati, some gate agents were there to straighten people out. Most people were going to LA but me and another guy were going to where I was going. He was helped at the desk first and was upset because they wanted to route him through Dallas since all nonstops were full. I don’t blame him. Yet another long trip.

I was ready for the long Dallas flight or a 430 nonstop. But my agent said he had seen a seat come up for the 830 nonstop and had grabbed it. I don’t know if he had booked it for me or if I had just gone to the agent who had the seat. That was my only bit of good news. They booked us into this nice hotel which has free wireless internet but we got here too late for dinner since the restaurant was closed and so was room service. I’m starving. But more tired than anything.

And pissed off. What’s that about a de-icing crew not showing up to work in DECEMBER near a HOLIDAY? For god’s sake! What’s wrong with people? Granted, the plane was already late getting into Philadelphia, but the deicing hold up screwed everything up for everyone. That’s what I tell people at work. The only thing I miss about my hometown is the work ethic. People work and don’t make excuses or meet you with rudeness. Philadelphians are lazy and rude. How many times have I shown up at the CVS, had to wait in a huge line while the clerks engaged each other in conversations, and then haven’t even been acknowledged as a human being when I got up there.

Anyway, it’s very late now and I need to get up at 530 again tomorrow morning. When I rest and calm down a bit, I’m writing letters. Everyone is getting one, Philadelphia Airport, Delta, the Inquirer. This is why the stupid airline business is in shambles.

Posted on December 22nd, 2005 under Life •  Print •  Email • RSS 2.0 feed • Both comments and pings are currently closed