(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - I could say, “I had a bad feeling…” but the truth is, it was only after I revisited the memory that I edited my emotions at the time.

An objective observation would be that I objected to what I observed, but didn’t have a premonition.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter what system an airline adopts, it’s wrong. Board by row, section it doesn’t matter, it’s still slow. People don’t step into the rows, people mess up the numbers, whatever. Go by group and people like the dude in front of me ignore it. Seriously guy, I can plainly see the “Group 3” on your ticket. If you’re going to wiggle your way through the chaos of Group 2 passengers bottlenecking like salmon waiting their turn on a fish ladder, you’d at least hide your ticket, right? Guy worked his way to the front, then called up the three other people in his party to steal all the overhead bin space and he was a Group 3er! There should be consequences to detour others, because if I have to stuff my pack under my seat because a cheater stole my overhead bin space, I will…do nothing about it.

So yeah, the ridiculousness of the boarding made us late leaving Seattle, then we sat on the tarmac because one of the runways broke, or was being repair or whatever. I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal, because I had a 70-minute layover in Charlotte before my flight to New Bern to meet up with my brother and begin the 18-day road trip that will conclude July 2 in Sacramento with two buddies from Ketchikan. Leaving half an hour late is no big deal on such a long flight. You can make it up, and we had, until fifteen minutes from landing when a thunderstorm closed the airport. We started circling. Just as it was about to open, we were at the front of the line ready to land from the south, but when the airport opened, it did so from the opposite direction which put us 40th for a north approach.

After circling for an hour, we touched down. But with forty other planes now on the ground, there was massive traffic, and we sat on the tarmac for another hour. It was 11 p.m. by the time we got to the gate and I saw that my flight was officially canceled.

I’d have to spend the night on the floor of the Charlotte airport. It’s not a huge deal because what’s the difference between that and sleeping on the floor of the Matanuska, Taku or any other state ferry like I did in high school?

But I guess these are down south germs. Who knows, in a week – or whatever the incubation period is – I might become seriously ill and start fishing with worms or eating at Long John Silvers.

Jeff Lund ©2016

Jeff Lund is a Teacher, Freelance Writer, living in Ketchikan, Alaska
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @alaskalund
Contact Jeff at Email – aklund21@gmail.com

http://www.jlundoutdoors.com

SitNews ©2016
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

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