This is part 2 in a series of a yet undetermined number of travel inconveniences that actually enrich the experience when viewed with the right attitude.
#2 Rushing!!
Delays occur for all kinds of reasons. Many are unavoidable. Often following a delay is a panic to make up lost time for a scheduled flight, train or whatever. Even without delays, schedules can be a little tight sometimes. For instance, not being too experienced with airports and connections, we thought a one-hour layover was lots of time for a connecting flight. Problem was, we had to transfer from a domestic to an international flight and the gates were at opposite ends of the airport! Factor in de-boarding the first aircraft and making our way to a totally different terminal, we were fortunate to be able to get a quick bathroom break as we were already being called to board. Fortunately, our checked luggage was being transferred for us.
Leaving London (we flew out of Gatwick), we assumed we would have plenty of time. We opted to stay at the airport the night before to reduce the morning rush and went through security with plenty of time (after a small delay – see first post on Security). Since we had gone through security well in advance, we were browsing one of the many shops. While my wife was waiting in line, I noticed on the departures board that our flight was due to depart earlier than expected and was already doing a boarding call. The four of us began sprinting through the airport. Not knowing where the gate was made things even more interesting. Without actually stopping to get our bearings, we began a discourse on whose directional sense should be the most trusted and, at some points, took different routes to get to the same point. We were quite relieved to find our gate and see that people were still making their way down the line. And then some new excitement occurred (again, see the first post)!
Our rush to the gate in London was not our closest call for boarding. Years ago, when we were taking the kids to Disneyland, we found ourselves in a very mad dash. Departing from Canada, we of course had to go through US Customs. They had this plate on the floor that when you stepped on it, it randomly selected people for secondary screening (or not). After becoming one of the lucky selected folks, we found out the selection applied to your whole group with whom you were travelling. We also found out that the group selected just before us was an entire volleyball team, coaches, managers, parents, etc.! In secondary, luggage is opened and sorted through. The border security personnel were quite friendly and professional, but you can imagine that this was quite a time-consuming process – especially when a sports team is in line ahead of you! As they finished up and thanked us for our cooperation (not that we had a choice), we began our sprint. We could hear our names on the p.a. system and began to run even faster. The typically full waiting area was all but empty. We spotted the gate and the single staff member craning her neck in search for her missing passengers. A quick confirmation of our boarding passes to catch our breath and we were running again – this time down the corridor connected to the aircraft. I half expected to be tossing my kids and carry-on and making a big jump had the plane already rolled away. Luckily for everyone involved, it was still connected. The flight attendant at the gate told us she thought we weren’t coming and directed us to our seats. Judging by the stares we received from other passengers, we might have delayed take-off a little tiny bit.