The sign of a good vacation is that you don’t want it to end, but it can be a nightmare when it doesn’t. We got home today after a long and unexpected journey.
It was such an amazing trip. We soaked in the warm weather, walked on the beach, and slept 9-10 hours per night with no alarm clock waking us up. We sat on the balcony in Hilton Head Wednesday morning, looking at the ocean one last time before we checked out. We drove to Savannah to spend the night in a hotel near the airport as our flight home was scheduled for 7AM Thursday. We grabbed dinner and went to bed early.
I woke up around midnight from a nightmare. While the details are hazy now, I recall that I dreamed that I had done something horribly wrong that led to people getting physically hurt and was trying to avoid getting in trouble for it. Whatever I had done was caught on camera and there was no getting away with it. I woke up hoping that after using the bathroom and going back to bed, that I wouldn’t revisit the same dream. As I crawled back into bed, I noticed a bunch of notifications on my phone.
Those of you living in Wisconsin know that Thursday morning we had an ice storm. At 8:35, Allegiant notified me that our flight to Appleton was canceled. A month ago, I was talking with a co-worker about my hesitation with flying with Allegiant. I noted that if United canceled a flight, at least there were more United flights that day to rebook. Allegiant’s next flight was Sunday, and it was fully booked already. The next flight after that was the following Thursday.
I stared at my phone, panic setting in as I didn’t know what to do. Diana woke up and asked if I was alright and I told her about the cancellation. I weighed our options. We could extend our stay, which would rack up hotel and food charges we hadn’t planned on. We could rent a car and drive 16 hours, probably requiring a hotel stay in the middle of the trip. We could try to find another airline to fly out of. We could somehow try to get to another city where Allegiant has flights to Appleton on Friday or Saturday.
Knowing the mess that airports are going through right now, my first thought was to rent a car. However, there was not a rental car available anywhere near Savannah for a one-way trip. I checked United and found a flight that left at 9:30 from Savannah, connected in Chicago, and landed in Appleton by 2 on Thursday afternoon. By that time, the ice storm should be over, and at least we’d only be a 3-hour drive from home rather than 16.
I booked the tickets, got a refund from Allegiant, and sat in bed quietly trying to sleep until 4 AM. I know I dozed off for at least a little bit, because I had another nightmare. I don’t remember any details about it other than it was unpleasant. We ate breakfast and took the shuttle to the Savannah airport. Check-in went smoothly, and the flight to O’Hare was on-time and uneventful. We didn’t get to sit next to each other, but had only one row between us.
When I took my phone off airplane mode, I noticed that our next flight was delayed by 20 minutes because the arriving plane was delayed due to high winds. My first instinct was to just get a rental car and drive home, and I’d probably be home before our scheduled flight got to Appleton. I checked prices and could get a car for $60. I pushed that instinct aside, telling myself it was only 20 minutes, and while it will probably be delayed again, eventually it will take off and we will still get home before sunset.
About an hour later, I heard the gate agents talking about how the Appleton flight was still showing up at their gate even though there was another flight scheduled to depart from that gate in an hour. They made a call, and 5 minutes later, my United app updated me that our new gate was T2TBD (Terminal 2, To Be Determined). That was enough for me to decide to go the rental car route, but when I checked again, there were no cars available. I asked Elizabeth if she felt comfortable coming to get us, but she was afraid to drive to Chicago with the ice and rain we were getting. We made a backup plan that if nothing else, she would come get us the next day.
I was starting to feel anxious and helpless, my stomach in knots. I watched as the gate stayed T2TBD but the time kept slipping later and later. Using the app, I put us on the standby list for the 4:45 flight.
When booking this flight, I had paid for Priority Boarding for both of us so that I could make sure to get our carry-ons on the smaller Embraer jets without having to gate check them. What I didn’t realize was that it also gave us priority on the Standby list, as Diana and I were #1 and #2 on the board of standby passengers. Shortly after I signed up for Standby, our original flight was canceled.
The 2 hours before that flight were the most stressful of the trip. There were so many upset passengers in the terminal, and I felt awful for the desk agents who had to bear the brunt of their anger. I made sure to tell them I appreciated them, that they were doing a good job, and to thank them for being there for us.
I barely ate or drank anything while at O’Hare. I think I had one yogurt, a 6-piece chicken nuggets, and some chips all day. Despite not eating, the stress kept my blood sugar over 250 the entire time. It didn’t matter how much insulin I took or how little I ate.
After another delay, the Appleton flight began to board. We waited anxiously as the plane filled, hoping that at least two people didn’t make their connection or find another way home. The gate agent called the flight attendants to get the count. A moment later, my name was called. I said, “Is there room for two? I won’t travel without Diana,” and he said “… and Diana. Four other people behind us on the list also boarded.
Again, we didn’t sit next to each other, but we were so elated that we actually made the flight. There was a joviality between the passengers, many of whom were rebooked from other flights and not sure if they would get home, either. I had a great conversation with the guy next to me, who had been trying to get to Green Bay all day and was able to get rebooked on this flight. The doors closed, and relief set in.
Then it happened.
The pilot came over the Intercom. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the captain. I’m sorry to say that the plane is heavy as we’ve picked up some extra fuel, and we’re unfortunately going to have to open up the cabin doors and deplane some passengers in order to get us to Appleton.”
I couldn’t believe it, and I knew that as a Standby passenger, I would be among the first to go. The agent came down the aisle, speaking to four other passengers before getting to me. “I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to gather your belongings and step off the plane.” I told him that I understood and stood up to leave, with Diana close behind me.
I can’t explain the feeling I experienced, elation followed by complete and utter devastation. I fought back tears as I walked back up the ramp to the gate and they closed the doors behind me. The man who had to break the bad news to me was extremely apologetic. He got us meal vouchers and a hotel room, and began to apologize again. I interrupted him, saying, “I’m so sorry that you were put in the position to deliver such awful news. I appreciate what you’ve done for us.” I shook his hand, and could see the anguish on his face.
By this time it was 6 PM. We called the hotel shuttle, only to learn that he would not be there until 7. We walked toward the cab line, and were told that due to demand it would cost $70 to get to our hotel 8 miles away. Instead, I installed Uber and booked a rideshare for $40. We got to the hotel at 6:30, checked in, ordered delivery with the meal vouchers, and settled in for the night.
I woke up after 10 hours of sleep, took a shower and got dressed in yesterday’s clothes as I didn’t make room in my carry-on for a clean change of clothes. We ate hotel breakfast and waited for Elizabeth and Augusto to get there. The photo is them pulling in to the hotel parking lot. We took them to Mitsuwa Marketplace for lunch and shopping before going home. The drive went extremely smoothly.
Before going home, we stopped at the Appleton airport to see if our luggage made it there. Despite saying it had on their computers, there was no sign of the luggage in the airport. I filed a report and once it shows up, we will have it delivered to our home.
There are two Japanese phrases that fit this situation. The first is “Makeru ga kachi” (To lose is to win). It reinforces that patience and avoiding an unnecessary conflict is often a greater victory than winning that conflict. The second, “Nanakorobi yaoki” (Seven falls, eight rises), emphasizes the importance of resilience in the face of difficulty. When I look back on this trip, I will choose to focus on the delightful experiences we had on the trip, not the painful trip home.
