Adventures in International Flying

For the first time in my many journeys, my plane landed one gate away from my connecting flight. Miracle! That never happens. I breathed a sigh of relief… No running breakneck speed with passport in hand, rollaboard gliding behind me, backpack jostling along. No getting to my seat with moments to spare, dripping in sweat, parched like a nomad in the Sahara. Just a nice saunter over from one gate to another. I might actually get to enjoy the 60 minutes between flights. But that was not to be.

Instead, I am required to walk two flights down stairs with rollaboard that all of a sudden weighs a ton (no escalator available as this was not supposed to be a normal transit path), jacket and scarf wrapped around me creating an increasingly elevated body temperature. I have to jump on a shuttle to not one but two terminals over. Time check: 50 minutes til flight.

Up two flights (no escalators, then merge with a crowd of hundreds who are just realizingvsame craziness is happening to them as well, and get in an immigration passport control line. In my case, it gets even squierrellier. Right before I step up to have my passport stamped, they change my lane to EU only. I have to start the queue again. And all American passports now get the once-over very thoroughly. Time check: 30 minutes til flight.

Stamped passport in hand, back down another two flights (escalators this time. Yippee!!) Then walk down the longest corridor ending up in another baggage check. My luck, I get behind the travellers who apparently have never stepped foot in an airport, must have stock in a steel factory if you count the number of magnetometer-hating devices, and work with Batman given the number of things hanging on their belts and across their bodies. Time check: 12 minutes til flight.

Finally thru security, down another never ending hallway (moveable floors on this one. Make running go even faster… Unless a wheel on your bag gets caught, causing you to fly forward, proppelled by the too-heavy backpack you are carrying, landing Superman style into grandma and grandpa who are seemingly on a romantic journey down the moveable floor. Pick myself up, dignity out the window, journey continues.) Time check: 7 minutes til flight.

Another two floors up (I am so lost at this point… How can I keep going up and down by two floors? Those close to me know I am not a math guy!!) Big improvement this time — an elevator!!! And the biggest miracle, it opens up right next to my gate. Time check: 0 minutes!!!

But guess what??? They announce a 20 minute delay right as I walk up. Unbelievable. Time to down a gallon of water, find a towel to wipe down the sweat bath, deep breaths to calm the alarmingly elevated heart rhythmn and prayers if thanks that I at least made my flight.