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My return flight from Charlotte, N.C., was supposed to touch down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport yesterday at 1:45 p.m., but because of “labor issues,” we didn’t take off until 2:00 p.m. That meant I was over an hour behind my so-called writing schedule. You see, every half-hour increment counts. But it’s only an hour, right?
After an uneventful flight, I go down to baggage claim to retrieve my well-worn green suitcase, and I noticed it was taking longer than usual. An hour later, I started to suspect something. I can be a little dense.
As other US Airways flights arrived and hundreds of people stood around looking at each other and no luggage, it was then I remembered hearing something on the news about a sick-out.
Bankrupt US Airways late Saturday blamed more than 300 canceled flights and thousands of pieces of stranded luggage on the aftereffects of a heavy winter storm and large numbers of workers who called in sick during the crucial holiday travel period….The disruption to thousands of travelers on troubled US Airways had the carrier scrambling and caught the attention of the U.S. Transportation Department, which told the airline to quickly straighten out its operations and its labor shortages.
The company and unions say there was no organized “sick out,” but workers at the seventh-largest domestic airline are bitter about huge wage and benefit cuts the company says are needed for the airline to survive. They are also angry at how the company has been managed through two bankruptcies in two years.
Senior Transportation Department officials, clearly irritated, kept unusually close tabs on US Airways operations as the weekend progressed. (Source)
I had no idea employees at the bankrupt airline decided to teach management a lesson by delaying my flight and my stuff. Very effective.
The whole thing was comical. Luggage was piling up in corners, but it belonged to people who’d arrived hours or days earlier and had given up and gone home. Not a good sign. The wait was entertaining at times as passengers cheered for each other when their bags came out.
Reactions to our predicament varied. Some cursed and fumed. Others waited patiently and quietly. Some paced from one carrel to the next. A few stood back and observed. I paced patiently and quietly, figuring everyone has to have at least one airport nightmare story, and this was mine.
Two-and-a-half hours later, it was all over and I was on my way home. Needless to say, I found several excuses not to write, none of which had anything to do with arriving home “off-schedule.” Nice try, though.
Because I was sort of trapped at the airport, I had time to think. In the scheme of things, waiting two hours for luggage is insignificant. Being blessed by God is significant. I got to spend time with my family, who are all safe and healthy. I’m a child of God. I live in a free country and can travel where I want, when I want. My love for America is bound up in my gratitude to God. One of my long-term goals is to travel from sea to shining sea, bearing witness to Jesus Christ. I’m prepared to travel wherever I’m called.
My well-worn green suitcase can bear witness to that.
Update: My two-and-a-half hour luggage delay was mild in comparison to what others experienced: lost luggage, missed flights, etc. Do you have an airline nightmare story to tell?
