Travel Crews
I love a motley crew. It generally makes me feel good about mankind. And it always makes for an interesting story. By definition, a motley crew is a non-uniform group characterized by characters of conflicting personality, varying backgrounds and a wide array of methods for overcoming adversity.
I love a group of unconnected people coming together and joining forces to make the most of an adverse situation; strangers becoming their own community. Very often these little communities are formed around weather-related disasters, travel inconveniences or other drastic situations.
Boise to Salt Lake City
My last year of law school, Will and I traveled to Boise, ID for a job interview with a federal court judge on January 1, 2000. We were prepared for computer-related pandemonium as Y2K unfolded. But there were no inconveniences on the way there other than the fact that I was sick and flying, which is never a good thing. Our stay and the interview were pretty inconsequential.
On our last day we headed to the airport, ready to get back home to OK. Our first flight to Salt Lake City was delayed for an undetermined time. The minutes turned into hours...and hours...and hours. Apparently, our airplane was experiencing mechanical difficulties and had never even taken off from Salt Lake. We were resigned to get home whenever we got there; making necessary phone calls and sitting back to read while we waited.
There was a young soldier there waiting too. He was from ID and was going back to his base. He was very young and very concerned he wasn't going to make it back in time. He happened to be stationed in Lawton, OK.
As the hours slipped by, the very accommodating and kind gate agent worked to rebook all of our flights. A few were dispatched to other flights leaving at other gates in the airport, but a fair number of the group remained at the mercy of this one flight. We were re-booked to leave Boise late that night, spend the night in Salt Lake City and fly to OKC the next day.
Working Together
This young soldier pleaded with the lady behind the desk, telling her there were no excuses. He simply had to be on his base by 8 am the next morning. He was running out of time. Neither he nor the gate agent was familiar with alternate airports in the area to get him to Lawton in time.
Will and I were very familiar with that area. The four of us began working together to get him on flights that would take within reach of his destination. We finally found connecting flights on a different airline that had him flying all night, then taking a cab for the last hour of his trip and arriving no later than 8 a.m.; that is, as long as we made it out of Boise on the last flight.
We began talking to other passengers; hearing their stories and sharing ours. In the end, there were 5 of us, flying to Salt Lake, staying the night at the same hotel {without our luggage} and then catching the shuttle back to the airport early in the morning to fly to our various destinations.
We did finally make it on the last flight leaving Boise that night with the best flight crew I've ever encountered. The pilots flew as fast they could go to get our young soldier to Salt Lake to his connecting flight. The flight attendant plied us with as many snacks as she could muster up in her little compartments since we hadn't had dinner and the Boise airport isn't full of restaurants.
When we landed, we made room for our young soldier to run off the plane, calling out well-wishes and bidding him to RUN! I've always wondered if he made it, and I like to think he did. After all, we were all working together to get him there.
The remaining five members of our group made our way to the airline office to request our "overnight toiletry bags" and waited for each other to go out to the hotel shuttle. On the way to the hotel, we chatted as if we were traveling together.
The next morning we traveled back to the airport with a few of them since we were all traveling to different destinations and were on flights leaving at different times. Of course, we would never cross paths with these people again; and yet, they have a place in my memory forever.
Travel Delays
I'm pretty good at dealing with traveling bumps and hiccups. I've had my fair share over the years. It's the actual flying that gives me pause. However, once I step across the gap between the jet way and the airplane, I'm resigned to whatever the outcome is to be.
Everyone has different feelings about flying. Some love it; some hate it; and others don't care one way or the other. I have a love/hate relationship with flying, and it's difficult to explain.
Lately, I've started buying travel insurance when I purchase my airline ticket. It's surprising to me that I haven't always purchased travel insurance in my years of traveling. I have a penchant for getting sick at the wrong times and can easily conjure up perceived trouble relating to airplanes.
Travel Insurance
Apparently, I'm not alone in this change of heart regarding travel insurance. Since the 9/11 tragedy, the percent of travelers purchasing travel insurance has gone from 10% to 30% or more.
Here are a couple of articles with great information about when to purchase travel insurance and what type is best for what type of trip:
1. Do You Need Travel Insurance? This article from Today Travel is an older one, but I think the information is good with lots of points to ponder;
2. Advice on Buying Travel Insurance and Travel Insurance Tips from Travel Sense does a good job of explaining the types available and the coverage provided, plus gives advice on when to buy, etc.
The Scoop
When I fly I am always a little amazed and quite relieved when the plane I'm on safely touches down from the flight. Paranoid? A little. But you'd never know it if you encountered me on a flight. And, if you need someone to join your motley crew to help make it through a travel delay or snag in your travel plans, I'm just the person for that. Over and out...
Anna
