The day I missed my flight

British spelling

Sometimes I simply forget some of my past experiences. Sometimes that is because the experience has been a little traumatic and some other times it’s because there is no reason why my brain should keep some information immediately available if there is no use for it.

Until one day, all of a sudden, there is a trigger that brings certain memories back. And this is what happened a few days ago.

As I was reading a friend's story about how he missed his flight, images of my own experience started to pop up into my head.

It’s amazing how you can forget events that happened in your past for years, but then they can be quickly triggered by just one sentence.

And this is what happened when I missed the flight to Frankfurt, and Lufthansa upgraded me to first class

Frankfurt, here I come! Not so fast, darling!

Planes are never held back for anyone. That is just a fact. Whatever happens before boarding doesn’t count as a reason to hold back an entire aeroplane. It’s sad. But that’s the reality.

And if you think about it, it’s the only way planes can keep their schedule.

However, sometimes airport employees seem to forget passengers are not on a school field trip but trying to get to their gate to board a plane.

Once, I was delayed at the security check point in Mexico City for absolutely no reason. It seemed like the security officials thought I was some sort of suspicious criminal or even a terrorist.

Or, perhaps it was just the fact that I was taking a flight from Mexico to New York, where I was just going to be on a brief transit whilst changing planes to be on my way to Frankfurt.

I was flying the good old United Airlines. I was expecting to fly the friendly skies.

When it was obvious it was getting late for my flight, I asked a security official if they could communicate with the gate and tell them they had delayed me.

Could they possibly wait for five minutes, since this was not my fault but theirs? Of course not.

The plane took off without me. I was furious.

I didn’t leave the airport. I went to United and complained. I was furious. A volcano in eruption was nothing next to fury and flames coming from inside.

This could signify I was going to lose a job in Prague. I had been teaching in Mexico and I was en-route to Prague to do the same.

After they called someone, a United employee told me they had put me on the next flight to Frankfurt with Germany’s national airline, Lufthansa, on the next day.

As a way of apologising for the trouble, they upgraded me to first class.

So, I sat back, enjoyed a rather nice dinner on board, and slept through the night whilst crossing the ocean.

Speaking up is not arrogance.

It’s not arrogance when you complain and make your voice heard after missing a flight due to airport delays that are not your fault but the employees.

I really think sometimes security officials play power games because it makes them feel important. They held me in security for no reason. They unpacked everything from my hand luggage and inspected every single thing as if I were a terrorist.

They didn’t have the courtesy of packing back. I had to wait until they said it was Okay to pack everything back. Why did they do that, to begin with? Yes, this was before the X-ray machines, of course.

The airline had to fix the trouble the security people caused me, and I simply didn’t care what they had to do but they had to fly me to my destination so I would not have problems before I even started my new job. I was delayed for one day.

And, it was not just that.

My checked-in luggage had departed with my original flight, of course

United said not to worry. Sure, what do you expect them to say?

They said that United and Lufthansa personnel in Frankfurt would take care of my luggage.

They said I had to call them with an address in Prague and that they would deliver my luggage to that address. They did. I got reunited with my luggage after two days.

Now, looking from the distance, I am grateful I was angry enough to fight for my rights. It was not a cheap flight. It was a long-haul to the other side of the world. I was not going to remain silent and do what? Pay for a new flight?

I am sure those security officials thought it twice next time they even thought about delaying a passenger for no reason.

Until next adventure, safe travels!