I Missed My Flight Because I Was Trying To Be Fancy

I Missed My Flight Because I Was Trying To Be Fancy

The entire family is out of town for various reasons so I decided to take two days to visit my family in Thunder Bay. It is a short flight from Toronto but I got to the airport early to take advantage of the Air Canada lounge pass we had bulletined to the wall. Not the real wall because that would be cruel, the cork part of the wall, just to be transparent. I would never really want to be transparent and don’t understand why it is so desirable. Who wants to see the colon actually doing its job? People who want people to be transparent haven’t fully thought that through.

As I am currently enjoying an alcohol detox from a summer of overindulgence, I had an apple, water, and watched Bachelor in Paradise. Don’t judge until you see it, then judge. Just like you can’t complain about politicians if you don’t vote. Samsies.

I arrived at my gate with time to spare when they announced a delay. I asked the agent if I could get on the other delayed flight that was scheduled to depart half an hour earlier than my delayed flight. She told me it was going to be $150 which kind-of negates the free fancy pass. So I passed. There was more Bachelor in Paradise on after all. I walk/ run to the lounge to continue my fancy water with decomposing strawberries floating like dead bodies on it and watch the end of the show while pretending not to be interested in that drivel. Super fancy.

I diligently eyed the departing flights’ screen behind me with its delayed red bar blinking at me like a beacon of bad news. With a 10.55pm departure, I left the comfort of my leather chair and walked to the gate at 10.25, amazed at my responsibleness of giving myself plenty of time. I arrived at the gate at 10.28 and saw the gate agent printing manifests. I love when I’m somewhere just in time–it feels efficient. I was playing a game on my phone when I received a text updating my flight departure time. I was already anticipating the walk back to the fancy waiting area and deciding to go with decomposing grapefruit when I got to the end of the text (sent at 10.34) reminding me that the departure time was now 10.15pm. A cool 19 minutes earlier. Yup. The plane was gone. While I’d been sitting there, no one looked for me. I didn’t feel fancy anymore.

I contemplated that leather lounge chair overnight but instead opted to go home and finish a load of laundry. Because nothing tops a fancy night like washing linens.

All told, with $85 in Ubers to and from the airport for a flight I didn’t catch, it looks like a bargain to get on that earlier flight with only a $65 delta. If the agent had mentioned that the airline was going to pull a fast one and I was going to miss my flight and it would really only cost me $65 to get on the flight leaving at that minute, I would have pressed that red button and taken the deal. (A Deal Or No Deal reference, not a missile launch reference to be transparent again.) When I asked the agent who was booking me to leave in the morning what happened she told me, “The plane arrived and we were able to get everyone on board to leave closer to the scheduled time.” Everyone. Hmmm. “It wasn’t before the original departure time so we can do that.” I only wish I had taken a picture of the delay board to prove my story. Instead, I took this picture of me being fancy and watching Bachelor in Paradise. Ah, the memories.

 

You can’t tell, but my pinky is up in the air while I take this shot. I didn’t expect to miss my flight and be sharing this with you, so I’m not even looking at the camera. Don’t take it personally, it is not as if I think I’m better than anyone because I’m in the lounge. Missing my flight knocked all that out of me pretty fast.


Comments

  1. The flight took off earlier than the time it was supposed to take off because everyone who was taking the flight (minus one) was on board…I’m still trying to process that. That’s also my worst nightmare.
    And no judgment on Bachelor In Paradise. I’m going to paraphrase the British comedian David Mitchell (not to be confused with the British novelist David Mitchell) who said there’s no such thing as a “guilty pleasure”. If something gives you pleasure, no matter what it is, that’s great, and anyone who tries to make you feel bad for liking it is the sort of person who goes around changing airplane takeoff times.
    Christopher recently posted…Who Am I To Judge?My Profile

  2. I thought the point of the fancy lounge was to keep you apprised of the time you had left before your flight leaves (as well as the opulent drinks and comfortable seats). When we used to fly for business purposes we always sat at the gate – as close to the doorway as possible. I was petrified to go to the ladies room just on the off chance they would call our row and I wouldn’t be able to get on because they sold my seat to someone else.

    • I thought they would tell me too. There were 8 people in that lounge. 6 were men. It would not have been that hard to find me and they scanned my boarding card twice, so they knew I had at least checked in there. On my flight home, I was the chair by the gate. Lessons learned: Don’t try and be something you are not and being in the front row doesn’t make you a keener, it makes you responsible. Take that all you mean kids in school. Front row is the bomb. (There were no bombs on that flight and this is not an endorsement of bombs anywhere.)

  3. Those airlines have a lot to answer for. Your post reminded me of this song about Irish budget airline Ryanair. Give it a listen, it might make you smile! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN9VcCzMSqg

  4. With your flight simulator training you should have just commandeered a jet and flown there yourself.
    Arionis recently posted…These Doctors Are Jamaican Me Crazy!My Profile

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