After missing my original flight because I missed the checked baggage cut off, I cried in the airport when the ticket agent asked me for $3,000+ to change my ticket. (You know the unintended cry where you just feel water all on your neck.)
After realizing that I was going to politely stand there until a resolution was reached and more plausibly because I didn’t scream and holler, she changed my ticket for free. Two flights turned into three. But the catch was that I still couldn’t check the bag and had 20 minutes to get to the gate.
No new tears, hung up of the phone (You know you always have to call and tell someone about it). I re packed my “at-capacity” carry on and took off. Then I hit a wall, aka the lady who looks at boarding passes. She refused to let me pass with my beautiful Paris suitcase. “I will figure it out at the gate,” I pleaded. All she would say was, “Go check it.”
So….I opened the suitcase unpacked all of my clothing, gathered it carefully in my arms like laundry, and took off for the security check.
All I could hear was wind and “Ma’am, you can’t leave that here.” The passport/ticket reviewer peered over at me to stay behind the yellow line. TSA performed a hair cavity search as if I am hiding blades in my locs. Argh!
I said nothing and kept it moving. I made it five minutes before they closed the door. And politely crammed my laundry on top of my fully-stuffed carry-on garment bag. We (me and the delightful Asian man sitting next to me) had to open it to make it fit.
As I disembarked, I asked for a Delta trash bag for my laundry and carried it…through the Atlanta airport while jumping on a Ferguson activation call…through the Paris airport while ogling the high-end couture shops and into Casablanca where the handle finally gave way spilling one of my Italian sandals on the floor periodically all through the airport.
Now here is the kicker. I unite with some members of my group who also had flight issues but checked their bags. As I helped them understand the French spoken by the baggage agents who could not find their bags, I thanked God my larger suitcase didn’t make it on either plane. And I embraced today as the start of a grand adventure. ☺
XO,
Brandi
(More to come if I can find juice for these devices. The post will likely begin with “Why are there no plugs in this room?”)