turned out it was a terrible plan
to fly home through Grand Rapids. Yeah, I saved like $150 in airfare, but I forgot about how my flying to and from Michigan in winter is cursed, and that if I was stranded in the airport it's not like in Kalamazoo, where my mom lives a 5 minute drive away and can just come pick me up.
So, I got to the airport early on Sunday night only to find out my flight was delayed 3 hours, which screwed up my connection back to DC. The earliest they could get me out was the next morning. I was flying through Newark, which as I later learned, had a security clusterfuck at about that same time; I'm not sure that my delay was due to that, but had I actually made it onto the plane on time, I probably would have been stranded on the tarmac at Newark anyway, so whatever.
Of course, the airline didn't have to put me up in a hotel because "it wasn't an airline problem." Luckily, hotels in Michigan are cheap, so it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. At least there was internet.
SO one 4 am wake up call later and I'm back at the airport. Everything goes peachy (three hour layover in Chicago aside) until about five minutes after I step foot into the airport at DC. I was sitting on the toilet when the lights flickered and went out. Turns out automatic toilets don't flush if there's no power! Now I know.
Yes, the entire airport lost power. So the baggage claim was unable to function.
Eventually some power was restored and baggage started coming out, but not mine. I stood at the Delta area for, oh, about an hour before I got in line to claim my bag as lost. I pulled out my tag and .... noticed I'd flown United.
Yes.
I blame the 4 am wake up call and the dramamine, but I'd been waiting at the wrong airline's baggage area. By the time I made it to United's area, my bag was sitting in a lonely lineup on the floor by the offices, unclaimed. I'd started my trip on Continental, so I have no idea where my Delta fixation came from.
Then there was an uneventful metro ride home, and I didn't make it through the door until 3 pm. Seventeen hours after I was scheduled to arrive.
I must be psychic, because I'd taken Monday off from work.
So, I got to the airport early on Sunday night only to find out my flight was delayed 3 hours, which screwed up my connection back to DC. The earliest they could get me out was the next morning. I was flying through Newark, which as I later learned, had a security clusterfuck at about that same time; I'm not sure that my delay was due to that, but had I actually made it onto the plane on time, I probably would have been stranded on the tarmac at Newark anyway, so whatever.
Of course, the airline didn't have to put me up in a hotel because "it wasn't an airline problem." Luckily, hotels in Michigan are cheap, so it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. At least there was internet.
SO one 4 am wake up call later and I'm back at the airport. Everything goes peachy (three hour layover in Chicago aside) until about five minutes after I step foot into the airport at DC. I was sitting on the toilet when the lights flickered and went out. Turns out automatic toilets don't flush if there's no power! Now I know.
Yes, the entire airport lost power. So the baggage claim was unable to function.
Eventually some power was restored and baggage started coming out, but not mine. I stood at the Delta area for, oh, about an hour before I got in line to claim my bag as lost. I pulled out my tag and .... noticed I'd flown United.
Yes.
I blame the 4 am wake up call and the dramamine, but I'd been waiting at the wrong airline's baggage area. By the time I made it to United's area, my bag was sitting in a lonely lineup on the floor by the offices, unclaimed. I'd started my trip on Continental, so I have no idea where my Delta fixation came from.
Then there was an uneventful metro ride home, and I didn't make it through the door until 3 pm. Seventeen hours after I was scheduled to arrive.
I must be psychic, because I'd taken Monday off from work.