Flight Insanity

I know the airlines are being cautious about the price of fuel and not sending planes out half filled these days. But how distressing to rise at 4am only to find a voice mail message that the early flight has been cancelled and I am rebooked on a later flight. It will make the connecting flight in Chicago a tough stretch to catch. I am up. I am dressed, and Kiel will need to get back to drive carpool, so I decide to wait at the airport.

I discover how fortunate I am that I left my cell phone number when I made the reservation. They rebooked me because they could notify me. Others were not so fortunate. There is nothing I can do but try to rest and catch some sleep. I find it easy to sleep on the way to Chicago, but once we land, we sit on the runway. I will not make my flight. I will not make my class. I will not arrive in any timely fashion. It sort of makes the sentence at the end of the voice mail message seem trite - the one where they say they apologize for any inconvenience the cancellation may cause.

Really, they are not the least bit sorry that they have completed messed up my day and caused me to miss the equivalent of three classes because they are trying to make a profit. Really they don't care if I had a good flight or a good experience. They just do what is best for them, consequences be darned. It makes me wonder how often I have treated others that way. Perhaps I should pay a bit more attention.