Confessions of a frequent flyer: Part II

Ooops, I did it again. I’m on another trip to Montana and I have found myself in the airport noticing the details of the journey.

Some of the latest details of my trip:

One of my biggest fears on this (and any) trip is the fact that the airplanes that I’m boarding are always scheduled to be boarded on the ground, outside and on a day like today, in the scorching heat. I always make sure to pay attention to whatever the flight attendants say as I’m walking down the outdoor jet ways, on the ground with multiple destination points. There are always several planes, several different lines of people waiting to board to various destinations around OR and WA and I’m just convinced that I’m going to wind up on the wrong plane. I am usually always able to get myself to my required destination and I do it following a mantra I’ve created over the last four visits I’ve made:

“Check, Re-check and Confirm”

Meaning to check at the gate as I depart outside, recheck the flight number as I’m walking through the gate to the actual airplane (leaving the covered walk way) and confirm with a flight attendant once I set foot on the actual aircraft. This is a foolproof plan I tell you. So much so, that I should patent it. Because today I got on my plane. Sat myself down (in a window seat, ugh!) and waited patiently for the person due in the aisle seat. He came, we exchanged the necessary “Would you like the window seat?” pleasantries (he did! Yay!) and then it happened:

A woman comes into the aisle. She’s fuming. “You’re in my seat” she exclaims to the gentleman who’s kindly taken my window seat. I calmly explain that it was my seat and he’s switched me. She again fumes, “I’m in 16A, that is my seat!” To which I ask if I may please see her ticket. She claims that “this always happens to me”…Upon my first glance at her ticket, she is indeed slated for my seat of 16A. I’m about to suggest that she seek the flight attendant and reach to pull out my ticket when I see it, plain as day- it is there: Flight 23XX. I don’t even need to see past the ‘3”. I reach down my for my ticket and see that this flight is 2026.

“Oh honey- you’ve got the wrong the flight! This is going to Seattle!”

She looks humiliated for the scene she’s just caused in the middle of the aircraft- “well how in the heck does a person get to Redmond!!!???”

She takes off sprinting for the exit and I can see it- the expression on everyone’s face is one of laughter and disbelief. How did this woman get here in the first place?? It doesn’t matter, everyone here is just glad it wasn’t them.