Do you also feel this way?

A day in an Airport

Palpitations, jitters, deep breaths

I have been traveling nationally and internationally for past 10–15 years. Specially before every international flights, I start to have some uneasiness and bit of apprehension as it is the first flight. It is not the fear of flying but all the preparation and process of flight is more daunting. I start to have agitation from the start; from the choosing the airlines, date and time of the flight and choosing the seat. Which airlines is better, which one has a better leg space and which airlines provide warm and good food to clean toilets and cheerful and friendly flight attendants. Then which flight and route has “ just enough transit time” so that I don’t have to run 100 meter dash inside the airport aisle when there is too short transit or miss my plane oversleeping when a transit time is very long. Once flight, date and time is confirmed, then it is the baggage. How many baggages and how much of weight is allowed? What is the size of carry-on baggage?

My travel buddies

Sometimes, you don’t need to pay for your luggage and other times, you need to prepay for the luggage otherwise be ready to pay “extra” at the airport when you check-in. Some international flights allow 2 check-in luggages, each with 23 kg and others only one with 30 kg. If traveling by business class, then there is no worry about the weight ( till now only once I have travelled in business class). OK, now number of check-in baggages and carry-on is finalized. Then comes in which bag should I carry all my electronics? One computer, phone, kindle or I-pad and their charger and power bank.

What should I pack in my luggage? It all depends on where you are heading to? Is it rainy? Then make sure you have an umbrella. Rainy and windy. Umbrella won’t work. You need to have a raincoat. Rainy, windy and cold. Raincoat, thick jacket and boot. So if traveling to cold place you need to pack thermals, caps, gloves, sweaters and thick jackets and all the space in the suitcase is taken by these items and there is hardly any empty space for other stuffs. It is fine if the stay is short but for the long stay, it is tricky as you don’t want to wear same sweater and jacket all the time ( as in pictures from different places, you will be seen in the same attire). You cannot also take more as you won’t be able to buy new once when you have little space remaining in the suitcase you have brought. Now finally you are done with packing and ready to head off to the airport. Final weight check and shows 1–2 kg more. Now what to take out? You have already weighed your suitcase several times and carrying 20kg many times makes you feel that your regular bicep workouts finally is of some value otherwise it will give you the bicep soars.

Finally you headed for the airport and you are the last passenger to board even though you left home quite early. Happens. And even then the baggage check shows 1 kg more and asked to pay extra or take out the stuffs. Take out 1 kg and put it in your back pack. Finally luggage checked in , boarding card in your hands and directed to security checks. At security check, the personnel there finds that your photo in the passport and how you appear in front of them does not seem to match and makes you wait wondering. Having passed such security checks , once or twice a year, it still feels intimidating. Sometimes, queue in the security check is so long and security officer won’t allow to hasten the process even when flight time is so close; other times the security checks are totally electronic and you have never experienced it and other times, you are asked many questions and it becomes difficult to understand what they are asking and you ask them repeatedly “ pardon me” infuriating the officers. Once done, for security checking, taking out all the electronics, jacket, shoes etc and when you have four trays with all your stuffs all over the places , you tend to grab all those stuffs at once. Calm down, Relax and One by One. First passport and purse and then electronics and then rest. This is my way.

Now today, after all the proceedings and passing throught the securities and collecting all my belongings, I am heading towards the gate even the flight is 5 hours late. Once you reach the gate, only then I can relax or even fall asleep. Even if I fall asleep, other passengers may wake me up or airline staffs will come looking for me (happened twice).

Today as I write this, my flight is delayed by 4 hours.

Do you also feel and have butterflies before you fly?

Comments are welcome.

3 hours after above paragraphs.

There is an announcement of the cancellations of all the flights flying to middle east, India and Europe due to closure of airspace due to US-Iran conflict. All the checked in baggages are off loaded and we are asked to take our baggages. There is uncertainty of next flight. Everyone around looked puzzled, tensed, angry, loud, sad, teary ( everyone has different ways of expressing their stresses). Airline staffs are trying to counsel passengers at their best and the current situation is not in their hands as well. Trying to think through the situation. Talking to people in similar situation may be helpful to find out the solution. When you are in foreign land and you are a stranger in the city and on top of that uncertainty of Airspace closure. What to do next. Book a hotel but for how long? Wait in the airport but for how long? Go back to another city where my sister is and from where I flew to this airport. But before any decision, I need some food so that my tired brain can work efficiently.

Here in this situation I remember a saying by Edith Egar “ When facing challenging situations, determine what is within your control to change and accept what is not changed. Learning to respond rather than react to difficult situations.”

Now again, same routine and proceedings before I can take my flight back home.

7 hours after the first paragraph.

Now all the flights are cancelled and while looking for the solution, decided to stay back to my sister’s place, taking again another flight. In the midst of all, I realized that I am not well prepared for it. No power bank and no local SIM card. I saw my brother-in-law’s face teasing me as he insisted me to take them and I just brushed him off. Somehow the battery did not die in my phone , so I was able to get tickets to go back. With tickets I was a bit relaxed, and then after I headed towards next terminal. As I walked by few meters, I realized that my carry-on was missing. I could not remember when and where it was with me last time. I started to panic. I went back to all the places that I had been. I rushed here and there dragging my big red suitcase. I went to baggage carousels , check-in counters, elevators , bathrooms but could not find it. The airport was now more crowded as most of the flights were re-routed,delayed or cancelled. Everywhere I looked around , I could see black little suitcase like mine and realized most of the carry-ons were black ( Now I realized why we need to carry odd looking , bright and funny colored bags). I started to lose hope of finding it. All my stuff, including few gifts were now gone, I thoguht. At one point, I was ready let them go but deep down I felt that I will get it ( I call it my SECRET ). After searching for about 20 minutes, I gave a last try at the airlines counter. They told me that it would be difficult to find and since it was my carry-on , they are not liable for it. At the time when I was turning back, a guy appeared with my bag. He asked for its identity. The police officer found a postcard that my friend gave me and in that card , there is mention of my name and country. Thus police officer handed the bag to the related counter. What a relief. I found my bag.

A lovely card, Thank you Friend

As Murphy’s law states “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong ..at the most inopportune time.”

Boarding passes in a day

Now everything is falling in place. I am at the gate for the next flight waiting. We boarded on time, seated and fastened our seat belts. There was an announcement by the pilot. Initially did not give much attention to it. But realized he was announcing the we need to de-board as there was maintenance issue in the aircraft. We were then guided to new waiting area and to wait till another flight arrives. The flight arrived after about 90 minutes and once every passengers came out, we were boarded to that plane.

Finally after one and half hour, we landed.

No complains, No hard feelings. Everyone at home also now relaxed.

The day is over and I am with my family again, my Heaven.