(Jan 26)
After my flight from Kansas City to Dulles, Washington D.C.'s airport - I knew I was going to have to book it.
I had 49 minutes to get from the plane, through the airport, onto the shuttle bus, to the other side of the airport, taking the next tram to terminal C, finding the gate, to the next plane: Air India.
Please don't dismiss the minor detail of hauling ALL of my luggage while navigating to my next destination. Let me tell you, I was not conditioned for that much running with that much extra weight! Looking back now, I would like to tell the former me to "Buck up, sister! It's gonna get a whole lot more interesting in the next 5 weeks, and your luggage is going to get a heck of a lot heavier!"
There it is. Gate 38...almost there. As I arrive, it's completely empty. The only people there are two employees in charge of boarding passengers.
"Excuse me, I'm to board Air India 102, here's my boarding pass and passport."
"I'm sorry, that's not possible. We stopped boarding at 11:15, it is now 11:50."
Well, after trying to convey my point that my last flight hadn't even LANDED at 11:15 to no avail I was getting thoroughly upset. This employee is now appearing to text message, or maybe call somebody, on her personal cell phone. All I could think was "Really? I'm having a meltdown, and you're calling somebody on your cell phone?"
She was calling somebody to help me. Looking back now, I would've noticed this cell phone escapade as 100% normal. Culturally, the people of India use cell phones for everything, it's not only personal it's business. Rather than picking up the land line phone sitting in front of her provided by the airport, she turned to her little purple cell to contact somebody related to either Air India, or Dulles Airport.
She explained my dilemma on the phone, in some language I could not even begin to comprehend. Soon after, a man came from the terminal connected to Air India 102 to help me.
"Did you check your luggage?"
"No!" (This turned out to be a good thing, they're going to let me board the plane because I had everything with me.)
"Come with me. What was your delay?"
At this point, I was completely and utterly exhausted. After trekking what seemed like 100 miles through an airport, walking uphill both ways in snow without shoes, and carrying all of my luggage - the last thing I wanted to do was tell this random man what exactly was the delay, and how it was NOT my fault. Thank you 49 minutes.
None of it matters, I am officially on the plane. Nevermind the 37 flight attendants and passengers that are scorning me and asking me, "What was the delay with your flight?"
JFK, here I come. New Delhi, here I come.
Namaste.
After my flight from Kansas City to Dulles, Washington D.C.'s airport - I knew I was going to have to book it.
I had 49 minutes to get from the plane, through the airport, onto the shuttle bus, to the other side of the airport, taking the next tram to terminal C, finding the gate, to the next plane: Air India.
Please don't dismiss the minor detail of hauling ALL of my luggage while navigating to my next destination. Let me tell you, I was not conditioned for that much running with that much extra weight! Looking back now, I would like to tell the former me to "Buck up, sister! It's gonna get a whole lot more interesting in the next 5 weeks, and your luggage is going to get a heck of a lot heavier!"
There it is. Gate 38...almost there. As I arrive, it's completely empty. The only people there are two employees in charge of boarding passengers.
"Excuse me, I'm to board Air India 102, here's my boarding pass and passport."
"I'm sorry, that's not possible. We stopped boarding at 11:15, it is now 11:50."
Well, after trying to convey my point that my last flight hadn't even LANDED at 11:15 to no avail I was getting thoroughly upset. This employee is now appearing to text message, or maybe call somebody, on her personal cell phone. All I could think was "Really? I'm having a meltdown, and you're calling somebody on your cell phone?"
She was calling somebody to help me. Looking back now, I would've noticed this cell phone escapade as 100% normal. Culturally, the people of India use cell phones for everything, it's not only personal it's business. Rather than picking up the land line phone sitting in front of her provided by the airport, she turned to her little purple cell to contact somebody related to either Air India, or Dulles Airport.
She explained my dilemma on the phone, in some language I could not even begin to comprehend. Soon after, a man came from the terminal connected to Air India 102 to help me.
"Did you check your luggage?"
"No!" (This turned out to be a good thing, they're going to let me board the plane because I had everything with me.)
"Come with me. What was your delay?"
At this point, I was completely and utterly exhausted. After trekking what seemed like 100 miles through an airport, walking uphill both ways in snow without shoes, and carrying all of my luggage - the last thing I wanted to do was tell this random man what exactly was the delay, and how it was NOT my fault. Thank you 49 minutes.
None of it matters, I am officially on the plane. Nevermind the 37 flight attendants and passengers that are scorning me and asking me, "What was the delay with your flight?"
JFK, here I come. New Delhi, here I come.
Namaste.
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