When I travel, or go anywhere really, I like to be on time. Obviously. I like to be more then just 'on time', I like to be there early. Really early. As an old marching band instructor used to say "To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late and to be late is unacceptable."
Growing up, my mom used to arrive places super early as well. Both of these things have given me the mindset to be early for EVERYTHING. When traveling, especially when trying to make a flight,train, or bus, a tour group or anything really, it is important to be early. And this isn't even considering trying to be on time for something in another country!
So this story begins with me attempting to fly from Orlando to San Francisco for my recent trip to California. I arrived at the airport my usual 3 hours early. I had breezed through security, taken the airport tram to my terminal and was sitting watching youtube videos on my phone. I was ready to go sitting at my gate.
On my way in I had noticed some dark clouds approaching, not thinking much of it since it is the rainy season in Florida and it rains mostly every day now. However, I had failed to realize that I would be flying out around 6pm, when thunderstorms are usually occurring. It had not dawned on me until the moment the thunder, lighting and torrential downpour started, that this could maybe, possibly delay my flight out.
As I was sitting at my gate watching youtube videos, announcements that some flights were going to be delayed started happening. The previous plane that had boarded at my gate was just sitting on the runway outside. At this point I was still hoping the rain would stop and my flight would be on time. After about an hour or so of this, about an hour and a half before my flight was to leave I decided just to double check my airlines app to make sure my flight was still scheduled to be on time.
Well what do you know. My flight was delayed! I was supposed to have a layover in San Diego, and now looking at my new arrival times it looked like I was going to have 5 minutes to make my flight to San Francisco from San Diego. I frantically grabbed my stuff and started looking around for a gate agent. At first I started speed walking in the wrong direction then turned around and saw a line forming at a desk near my gate. Thankfully that was who I was supposed to talk to, so I got in line.
When it was my turn I approached the desk and explained my situation and with little hassle, I just showed my boarding pass and the woman booked me on new flights. With these new flights, that meant I had to get myself ASAP over to another gate. This flight was already boarding but I had made it on and with an aisle seat too! Phew!
My new flights were to be Orlando->Columbus. Stay on the plane in Columbus, then fly Columbus->Las Vegas, then Las Vegas->San Francisco.
I was still trying to figure out where I was headed as I was scanning my boarding pass to get on my flight to Columbus. But I was on my way! In Columbus, I was able to switch my seat to a window seat, which was great! On our way into Las Vegas, I was beginning to realize I would be cutting it close here. Our plane landed at 9pm and my flight to San Francisco left at 9:20pm. Fortunately I was close to the front of the plane, so as soon I was able, I booked it off of there and sped to my new gate in the Las Vegas airport. I waved at the slot machines in the airport I wasn't able to play and arrived at my new gate breathless. The plane was already boarded but the man scanning my boarding pass said they were expecting me and a few others from my flight to arrive which was a relief. Somehow I lucked out on this flight too and got an aisle seat even though I was close to the last one on board.
Still breathing heavily, I sat in my seat and could finally relax. I had made it on my flights and was finally on my way to the San Francisco airport. None of the nightmares I was imagining on the way happened. I was having visions of me spending the night in the Las Vegas Airport, me flying to SF the next day, not having as much time with my family. But it all worked out. THANK GOD I only had a carry on and had not checked my bag. Who knows where it would have ended up.
This just goes to show you should always check on your flights even if you are sitting at the airport at your gate. If I hadn't notice the change in my flight, I would have been stranded in San Diego over night.
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