You're in an airport and cranky. Cumulus clouds are everywhere and you know this means canceled flights, disgruntled passengers and stormy weather (both in the meteorological and psychological sense).
I've had canceled flights before, but never on major holidays like Thanksgiving — thank goodness. But I can only empathize with all the passengers sitting in the airport, setting up tents, playing solitaire on their iPhones and trying desperately not to let their nerves become as raw as meat in a butcher's window.
Michelle Maskaly sent me a more optimistic point of view on this subject. It DOES pay to be patient.
On a trip from Tampa to Newark, N.J. Michelle and her best friend encountered severe weather delays as they came back from Spring Training. The plane was obviously delayed, and the two friends decided to wait it out at the airport bar. When their flight finally was ready to board, around 5 hours later, no one was at the gate. An attendant came and found them at the bar and asked them, "Are you Michelle or Kelly?"
They were a little frightened and startled, but it turns out that everyone had left on a different flight, or had just given up and checked into a hotel. It was just Kelly and Michelle on the entire plane and furthermore, they rode first class and chatted with the entire captain and crew.
The moral of this story is that there sometimes (not often) is a silver lining when it comes to being a patient traveler. Sometimes (not often) that silver lining turns into a truly platinum opportunity. These girls were lucky, but it's such a feel-good story that I simply had to share it because it shows that patience does pay.
Even if it means you sitting for hours at an airport bar with nothing but Jimmy Bean to keep you company.
- Charu Suri