I figured since we all fly and it can suck royally, there must be some good stories out there.
This isn't so much of a story regarding a near death experience, but more so a chain of events that added up to probably the worst 24 hours of my life.
My wife and I were on our way back from our honeymoon last summer. We were returning from anguilla. Our flight went from St. Maarten to Miami, then on to Raleigh. We were scheduled to leave Saturday morning and get in Raleigh about 9pm saturday night. The important part is this...I was starting my residency monday morning in Cincinnati, a 10 hour drive. So we are planning on getting in Saturday night, catching some z's and then make the long haul to cinci sunday so I can start monday.
We take the ferry over to St Maarten, no problems. I'm not sure if any of you have been in the St Maarten airport before they recently renovated it, but it's small, hot and crowded. Our original flight was delayed 3 hours. No biggie, right?! We should make the Raleigh flight.
We finally take off from St Maarten and are on our way to Miami. Some time into the flight, I notice the plane is circling. I wake my wife who tells me I'm paranoid and to relax. The pilot then gets on the system and informs us there are storms in miami, we do not have enough fuel to hold, so we are diverting to the bahamas. So we turn around, land in Nassau. Sit on the tarmat for 2+ hours. Apparently, unscheduled stops require a lot of paperwork. So, we refuel, get in the air and are on our way to Miami.
We land in Miami at sometime late that Saturday night. We have 30 mins to catch the latest Raleigh flight. We run like maniacs through the airport, get stalled in customs, miss the last flight out. Due to the weather, Miami is a zoo. We are told that all flights back to raleigh on sunday are sold out and we will have to wait till monday. I tell me wife no way in hell i can miss my first day of residency at the hospital, can't be pegged as that-guy and pigeon-holed as the weak link.
So, wife's mom works for american. Finds us a flight out of Orlando Sunday morning at 11am, lands in Raleigh 1pm. I'm convinced I'm driving the 10 hours after that to Cinci.
We rent a car. 2 am. I drive 240 mfing miles from miami to orlando. Get a hotel, sleep maybe 2 hours. Wake up, head to the airport. FLight is delayed an hour, no biggie. I'm still convinced I'm driving to cinci that day.
We take off at 12pm from orlando to raleigh. Wife falls asleep, I'm exhausted but stressed. We are approaching Raleigh, but hmm...it seems to me we're circling. Not possible, I tell myself. God isn't that cruel, is he? I wake my wife, who tells me I'm a lunatic and to chill. 2 mins later, pilot gets on. "Folks, seems that there are some storms around RDU. They want us to hold for about 30 mins, but we don't have that much fuel. We'll be heading to Richmond to refuel". At this point, I am ready to kill somebody, something.
So we go and land in Richmond, another 2 hours on the tarmat dicking around, get up in the air, and FINALLY land in RDU. 5 or 6ish Sunday night. I've slept maybe 2 hours in last 2 days. We get to my wife's house, I'm still convinced I"m making the 10 hour drive to cinci. Long story short, wife's family convinces me (thankfully) not to do it, too risky. So what is my choice. It's 6pm, there's one flight to cinci from raleigh but it leaves in 45 mins to 1 hour. I plunk down 1000 f-ing dollars for a one way, haul ass to the airport, have only my caribbean clothes in the bag. Get to the cinci airport, I then have to rent a car and drive to our apartment without my new bride. I reach our place in cinci at 11pm that night. 36 hours of travel, 2 hours sleep, 2 divertions to other airports, hours stuck in a plane without AC on, a 200+ mile drive from 2-6am, and a 1000+ dollar one way ticket to make it to my residency. I wish I could make up a story like that. One unscheduled landing is rare, but TWO IN ONE TRIP!!!
The kicker to top it all off....I have a tag in my bag notifying me that the National Security Agency NSA or whatever they are inspected my bag. I had my laptop in it, but in a flying case that's indestructable. Well, those stupid f@(ks took out my computer to inspect it but put it back in my luggage not in the case. Destroys it, ALL honeymoon pictures gone. (was uploading from camera to laptop...i know, dumb). File a report, they laughed at me.
The fact that my wife didn't up and divorce me that next day shows me I married the right gal.
This isn't so much of a story regarding a near death experience, but more so a chain of events that added up to probably the worst 24 hours of my life.
My wife and I were on our way back from our honeymoon last summer. We were returning from anguilla. Our flight went from St. Maarten to Miami, then on to Raleigh. We were scheduled to leave Saturday morning and get in Raleigh about 9pm saturday night. The important part is this...I was starting my residency monday morning in Cincinnati, a 10 hour drive. So we are planning on getting in Saturday night, catching some z's and then make the long haul to cinci sunday so I can start monday.
We take the ferry over to St Maarten, no problems. I'm not sure if any of you have been in the St Maarten airport before they recently renovated it, but it's small, hot and crowded. Our original flight was delayed 3 hours. No biggie, right?! We should make the Raleigh flight.
We finally take off from St Maarten and are on our way to Miami. Some time into the flight, I notice the plane is circling. I wake my wife who tells me I'm paranoid and to relax. The pilot then gets on the system and informs us there are storms in miami, we do not have enough fuel to hold, so we are diverting to the bahamas. So we turn around, land in Nassau. Sit on the tarmat for 2+ hours. Apparently, unscheduled stops require a lot of paperwork. So, we refuel, get in the air and are on our way to Miami.
We land in Miami at sometime late that Saturday night. We have 30 mins to catch the latest Raleigh flight. We run like maniacs through the airport, get stalled in customs, miss the last flight out. Due to the weather, Miami is a zoo. We are told that all flights back to raleigh on sunday are sold out and we will have to wait till monday. I tell me wife no way in hell i can miss my first day of residency at the hospital, can't be pegged as that-guy and pigeon-holed as the weak link.
So, wife's mom works for american. Finds us a flight out of Orlando Sunday morning at 11am, lands in Raleigh 1pm. I'm convinced I'm driving the 10 hours after that to Cinci.
We rent a car. 2 am. I drive 240 mfing miles from miami to orlando. Get a hotel, sleep maybe 2 hours. Wake up, head to the airport. FLight is delayed an hour, no biggie. I'm still convinced I'm driving to cinci that day.
We take off at 12pm from orlando to raleigh. Wife falls asleep, I'm exhausted but stressed. We are approaching Raleigh, but hmm...it seems to me we're circling. Not possible, I tell myself. God isn't that cruel, is he? I wake my wife, who tells me I'm a lunatic and to chill. 2 mins later, pilot gets on. "Folks, seems that there are some storms around RDU. They want us to hold for about 30 mins, but we don't have that much fuel. We'll be heading to Richmond to refuel". At this point, I am ready to kill somebody, something.
So we go and land in Richmond, another 2 hours on the tarmat dicking around, get up in the air, and FINALLY land in RDU. 5 or 6ish Sunday night. I've slept maybe 2 hours in last 2 days. We get to my wife's house, I'm still convinced I"m making the 10 hour drive to cinci. Long story short, wife's family convinces me (thankfully) not to do it, too risky. So what is my choice. It's 6pm, there's one flight to cinci from raleigh but it leaves in 45 mins to 1 hour. I plunk down 1000 f-ing dollars for a one way, haul ass to the airport, have only my caribbean clothes in the bag. Get to the cinci airport, I then have to rent a car and drive to our apartment without my new bride. I reach our place in cinci at 11pm that night. 36 hours of travel, 2 hours sleep, 2 divertions to other airports, hours stuck in a plane without AC on, a 200+ mile drive from 2-6am, and a 1000+ dollar one way ticket to make it to my residency. I wish I could make up a story like that. One unscheduled landing is rare, but TWO IN ONE TRIP!!!
The kicker to top it all off....I have a tag in my bag notifying me that the National Security Agency NSA or whatever they are inspected my bag. I had my laptop in it, but in a flying case that's indestructable. Well, those stupid f@(ks took out my computer to inspect it but put it back in my luggage not in the case. Destroys it, ALL honeymoon pictures gone. (was uploading from camera to laptop...i know, dumb). File a report, they laughed at me.
The fact that my wife didn't up and divorce me that next day shows me I married the right gal.
