Delayed flight experience

I'm here at the airport and going nowhere. The funny thing is that this is the first time that I haven't booked to fly anywhere exotic and assumed that it would be plain sailing !  I mean I'm just taking a one hour flight to Guernsey. I have no real expectations about the weather although people keep telling me that the weather in Guernsey  is better than the UK. I'm really looking forward to spending time with an old work colleague. We haven't seen each other for a few years. So a one hour flight seems like a real dream. 

I’m sitting here now thinking it was just too good to be true. It was just a little too easy to expect that by 5pm I would have been sitting with my friend drinking some wine, laughing and catching up. Instead I'm still sitting in the airport departure lounge looking at the departure board for an update on when I am ready to fly. 

After 4.20pm I really can’t understand why I'm still sitting in departure so I go see if I can find out some answers. Apparently the 11.50am flight had been struck by lightening and the plane had to be grounded. Well, I immediately thought, I’m damn glad I wasn't on that plane! So I'm now thinking when will we get on the next plane out of here? Three hours later its all about watching the departure board for updated information. 

By 7.30pm I  was now beginning to feel a little stir crazy and claustrophobic. I have now been at the airport seven and a half hours. I soon realise that 

• there are still passengers from flight 605 that need to be placed ahead of me and who are priority to get out of this airport
• that flights after my 4pm delayed flight are actually not affected by the delay that I am experiencing and are going out on time (now I am beginning to feel a little hacked off) 
• Listening to other passengers on my flight they let me know that delays are the norm when flying with this air line and now I feel a little naive because I realise that I really am not as seasoned a traveller as I like to think and
• that I have no idea whether the food voucher, that they gave me, is worth me trading in because I can’t relax enough to eat anything just in case I fall asleep and miss my flight!

I console myself by people watching. I think is better than watching Eastenders and l tell myself that as an anthropologist I find people interesting. Well if you were trapped in an airport you would tell yourself lots of things too.

I can see that some people really got themselves prepared for the airport but I came bright eyed and bushy  tailed. That means I'm make up free. Thank goodness because I can rub my eyes and yawn without fear that any eyeliner or lipstick would slide all over my face. I don't have any children to deal with, no medicine to administer, no mouth to feed and definitely no money to give so they can go on a shopping spree. If I don't leave the airport for now I think I will take this time as a moment of bliss. The focus is actually just me. When is the last time a mother said that? 

OMG!! The board changed and I have to get to gate 16. How long had this info changed? i mean i was busy writing so is this last call? I rush to the gate and I'm not the last passenger. Thank God.  Guess what? They don’t have enough seats on the plane. Can you believe it? They want volunteers to surrender their seats on this flight and who will wait until the next flight at 10pm. Shall I tell you what I am thinking? I’ll tell you. There is no way that I am going to surrender my seat. Yes you heard me. You are on your own. Yeah you say you don't like this part of your job but hey hoe you get paid to make the decisions so make them. I mean you haven't even  given people any incentive to volunteer. Hey judging from today's  experience  the question should be would I want another flight ? Whose to say I wouldn't experience this all over again ( remember the movie Groundhog Day? Yeah right).

Just when I was beginning to feel that there was  light at the end of the tunnel they then announced that those of us lucky enough to get on this flight would have to identify our own suitcase, that were now firmly placed on the tarmac next to the plane, so that they could be manually placed on the plane. OK I definitely have taken things for granted. I could only keep positive thoughts at the forefront of my brain I mean I was getting on the plane after all the children and their parents. By the time I handed my boarding pass to the steward I was one of the last 10 allowed on the plane. Hooray!

If I tell you that the plane was small for my 5 foot 10 inch frame I would not be lying to you.   When I bumped my head as I entered the plane's doorway I wanted to turn back and say here have the damned seat but I smiled stepped forward, found a seat and started to pray. Did I arrive safely? Yes. Did I enjoy the flight? Yes. Thank you Holly (young lady seated next to me) who made it so much more bearable. 

Am I glad to be in Guernsey? Yes indeed.