Ready for an Adventure and Education!

By Tricia Adams

London and Paris, here I come! I’ve got my passport, plane ticket and tourist guide books. I’m ready for an adventure. I’ve also packed my notebook, computer and camera. I’m also ready for an education. After studying and working in museums for years, I am eager to see how they do things in other countries.

Only one problem: they won’t let me on the plane!

I get to the airport three and a half hours early and am shuffled back and forth to different terminals. An agent tells me I have to wait two hours for the counter to open. Another agent tells me to take the train to the terminal on the other end of the airport. Then after over an hour of waiting in line yet another agent tells me that the computer says there is not enough time and won’t check me and my luggage in. They tell me I have to take the train and go back to the other terminal and get them to re-book me onto a different flight. After another hour waiting in line, I tell the agent I need to re-book and get on a later flight. The agent looks at me as If I have three heads and tells me she can’t help me and I will have to call the corporate office to re-book. After four hours at the airport, I call the airline only to be told the next flight they can get me on is the same flight tomorrow. No matter how much I want to cry, I bite my lip, call my ride to come pick me up and am determined to try again tomorrow.

Now this should be easy. I’ve had all the trouble yesterday and the rest of my trip will be smooth sailing. I know which terminal to go to from the start. I get there over four hours early. I go to the kiosk to check in and check my baggage. And again, I’m told that it can’t process me and I need to see an agent. No worries, it’s probably just because I had to re-book. Not going to panic yet. I step into line and speak to the agent. They tell me that the computer is telling them that there is not enough time for me and that they can’t check me in. Apparently he saw the look of terror on my face because he immediately told me not to panic and that he would get it taken care of. After all of this trouble, it turns out that the computer was saying that there was not enough time to make my connection in Canada and the agent just had to override it. I’m guessing this was the issue all along and I could have gotten on my flight the day before. EXTREMELY VALUABLE LESSON LEARNED!

I check my bags, say my goodbyes, breeze through security and I’m finally off for London. Adventure awaits and I will not be deterred!