Detroit and Airline Delays

So, Thursday, we arrived bright and early at the Omaha airport, only to find out that our flight was delayed.  We assumed it was due to the weather.   The airline agent tried to get us on a later connecting flight from Detroit to Virginia, since we’d miss our originally scheduled connecting flight, but to no avail.   Our choice was to fly to Detroit and have the airline put us up in a hotel for the night (at their expense) or leave the next day.   We figured the weather delay could happen the next day, as well, so may as well fly to Detroit (what the heck… we’re on vacation anyway).

So we wait in the airport for 2 hours and then fly to Detroit.    The pilot announces that the reason for the delay is a mechanical malfunction (hence the reason the airline has agreed to pay our hotel for the night..  We find out later that they don’t do this with weather delays.  They only offer you a 10% off coupon).

Detroit has a really large airport.   There are many shops and many people waiting in the “please issue my tickets and/or check my luggage” line.   The airport staff directs everyone to stick close to the ropes in the line.   The line is so long that the zig zag, roped-off line has exceeded its capacity and is now trailing into the lobby.

We get to the counter and the ticket agent is new.  She doesn’t see the note about the hotel.   She goes to get a supervisor.   The supervisor doesn’t see it, until we insist it’s there somewhere and Ian goes to pull the Omaha agent’s name, etc., from his iPod.

So we go down two levels and finally find the place where hotels pick up people in vans or buses.   Ours is a 9-seater van.  We are mostly away from the airport, when the driver circles around to pick up one more person.  The van is full of people and luggage.   People are exhausted and not happy with the reason they’ve got to go to the hotel overnight.   Most of them seem to be delayed by the airline for one reason or another.

The hotel is nice, but it’s not where I want to be.  I want to be relaxing in Virginia, not worrying about getting up at 4am the next day and what to do when we get to the airport.  I’m not looking forward to lugging the luggage around, making sure everything’s packed and going through security at the airport again.

But at least we have a decent room, hot water, a hot dinner and a decent beer.

The next day, I’m up at 4am.  Ian and Brit are up at 4:30.   We get out to the lobby around 4:50, along with many other people waiting to be shuttled to the airport.. People who are unsure whether or not they’ll be leaving Detroit today or not.   We just hope that we are.

Long story short.. Security is a crazy place.  People want your ID.  People are hustling for boxes to put their shoes and stuff in.  We’re travelling with 2 laptops and each requires a separate bin of its own.  Together, we must have 7 bins.    People are hurried to get through the scanner and collect their stuff at the other end.

Suddenly, I cannot find my ID.   I’m vocally trying to recount where the ID could or could not be.   Ian thinks I am freaking out.  I am, a bit.  🙂

We eat breakfast.  Burger King is out of cinnaminis.  Bastards.   I calmly tell Brit we will get her sugar donation from another vendor, and we do.

The departure gate is swapped mid-waiting for the plane to be boarded.    The plane does not board till 1/2 hour after it’s due to.   Nobody assures us that the plane will board soon until it’s already 10 minutes late for boarding…

to be continued..