Losing My Mind In The Airport
My first time flying
I thought I was going to have a very boring article about what the airport was like for you this week, but boy was I wrong! We just came back from a trip to Ithaca, NY visiting Jenn’s sister, and it was my first time flying on a plane.
The day started off too early, with us waking up at 3:15 AM so we could get to the Milwaukee airport in time for our first flight. After bumpin’ some Brat by Charli XCX in the car and trying to stay awake, we arrived to the parking lot around 5:15 and the sun was still not up.
As we walked to the terminal, I was excited for everything that was ahead. I’d never left the Midwest before my entire life, so this was a big deal to me! I was also nervous, especially to go through the TSA. I heard they could be grumpy and kind of scary. Fortunately, this was not the exciting part of my trip; the TSA were basically how I expected them to be. Some were actually pretty nice. Some seemed like they dropped out of the police academy and were ready to abuse their power whenever possible. But overall, it was pretty mundane.
The actual excitement came once we were sitting on our plane, ready to take off for our connecting flight in Detroit. Except we didn’t take off when we should have. Instead, there had been a 10-minute delay due to some small issue that been resolved according to the pilot. So no sweat, right?
Wrong.
Five minutes later, they said there was a computer problem of some sort. We sat in our seats, murmuring to ourselves about how it couldn't be that bad. I tried to keep images out of my head of the recent CrowdStrike outages that totally rocked airports, failing as I kept worrying about whether we were going to be stuck here forever or, at the very least, would miss our connecting flight.
A half hour passed by, but hope was still there. If we left soon, we’d make it.
An hour went by and we needed to go NOW if we had any hope of making our connecting flight.
Two hours later and one missed connection later, we were still sitting in our seats when we heard the overhead page go off, saying “If you'd like to deplane and rebook your flight you may do that at this point. Please note, you will not be able to get back on the plane if you do so.”
We looked at each other, unsure of what to do. We were irritated that they were putting this choice on the passengers. It's not like we were the ones who made the plane late. We were debating what we should do when a few minutes later they said you could actually get on the plane again.
So, we got up and headed off the plane, frustrated that we were going to miss our connecting flight but still holding out that maybe it would be OK. Maybe they'd be able to find us another plane and get in at noon, like we’d originally planned.
As we waited in line, I felt anxious at all the negative energy around us. Everyone was (understandably) irritated, but the people at the boarding gate were professional and helpful.
Sadly, it did not seem like they had been communicating well with the pilot as, right before it was our turn to rebook our connecting flight, they made an announcement that all remaining passengers needed to decide whether they were staying on this plane or getting off.
I was pretty annoyed before, but now I was feeling a touch livid. We'd been stranded on a plane for two hours with almost no communication on what's going on and, finally, when the boarding agents decided to try and help us out, NOW the plane was ready to go. Luckily, it seemed like the people at the boarding gate basically said “tough” to the cockpit, turning to help the last of us and making them wait.
We were as polite as could be and received some terrifically awful news: the earliest we were going to make it to Syracuse was 10:39 PM. I wanted to cry. We still would need to get a ride from Jenn’s sister to Ithaca, which would take an hour. Meaning we would not be getting to our final destination until a little before midnight. But what else were we going to do, sprint there? So we said sure and got back on the plane, mentally preparing to be stuck in the airport all day as we boarded once again.
And then I finally got to fly on a plane for the first time. This part was fun! It felt like a very controlled roller coaster and I actually enjoyed this, a surprise to me as I hate the real kind. It was loud too, but my noise-cancelling headphones helped me tune most of it out. I looked out the window and was amazed at how big Lake Michigan really is. And, after about an hour, we were finally in Detroit, ready to camp out and wait for our next flight.
I'm happy to report that, upon getting off the plane, we learned we were going to be getting to our final destination sooner than we thought. Instead of arriving at 10:39 PM, we'd be getting in a little after 5:00 pm.
With the pleasant news, we decided to make as much as we could out of the day. We explored the Detroit airport as we got some food, took one of the little express trams, and walked around the place. Jenn took a nap as well while I wrote a bit on the experience while it was still fresh in my mind.
And after that, it was honestly all very uneventful, which is exactly what I wanted. We had no more delays getting to Ithaca and no troubles getting back home. I was very tired once we got home as flying economy is not for the faint of heart, but I was proud of myself for getting through it all despite the delays and complications.
I saw a lot of great things in Ithaca while we were out there visiting Jenn’s sister, but I think I’ll save them for next week. Until then, I wish you nothing but the best and, if you have air travel coming up, that your seat is roomy, your view is cloud-free, and that you have no delays.
What I've been listening to this week:
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
Because of the flight delay, I listened to all three of Nick Drake’s albums, actually. His music was the one thing keeping my sane while we were waiting to take off. I’m highlighting Bryter Layter simply for the fact that it was his first album I listened to thanks to a friend giving me this album. If you like Alexi Murdoch, you’ll definitely like Nick Drake.
Favorite Track: Northern Sky
Steely Dan - A Decade of Steely Dan
This nice compilation album of theirs helped me get some words in while we were at the airport waiting for our final connecting flight. Aside from Alive in America, this is the only album I have of theirs. Anyone have any recommendations on specific albums of theirs? They’ve got a lot so I’m not sure where to begin; any input is appreciated!
Favorite Track: Deacon Blues
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
God this album seems to only hit harder the older I get. Listened to this one as we were arriving back in the Midwest as what’s not more appropriate than listening to a Midwest artist? (Also if you like this album and want to appreciate it even more, Jeff Tweedy’s autobiography gave me a new lens to see the album through and I’d highly recommend checking it out from your local library, buying it, or whatever you gotta do to get a copy in your hands.)
Favorite Track: Sky Blue Sky is probably my favorite track, but On and On and On is a close second.
The Beatles - Yellow Submarine
One of my finds from a record store I visited while in Ithaca! Did you know this album was a soundtrack to an animated movie of the same name? I had no idea, but apparently the animation is still impressive to this day. Going to check this one out soon for sure; I’ll have to let you know how it is!
Favorite Track: All Together Now