I had been on a whirl wind tour of the USA on work related business. I was gone for almost a month. Living out of a suitcase for that long gets old fast. Anyway, I had arrived in Chicago from Salt Lake earlier in the day. There was to be a connecting flight from Chicago to Atlanta, but for whatever reason it was not there. I waited in the terminal for 6 hours, and finally a plane came to take us to Atlanta. It is now 10:00pm on a Friday night.
I was looking around, and noticed there were very few people in the terminal waiting with me. Most, if not all, were business men and women. Suitcases and business attire. Like after a long board meeting. So, I am thinking to myself, the plane will be maybe ½ full at best. I was not the only one to notice this, as several of the people there also took note of this fortunate situation.
It is not 10 minutes prior to boarding the plane, and the terminal is very quiet and most of the shops are closed with the exception of the bars and coffee shops. We are all smiling, as it is starting to turn out to be a small gift at the end of a long wait.
About 3 to 5 minutes prior to boarding, I hear what sounds like a large crowd coming down the terminal hallway. In addition to the noise, is the sound of children’s voices. I quickly sit up and start to look with a muted fear.
Apparently, an Atlanta middle school had taken the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders on a field trip to the zoo in Chicago. This was their return flight. I quickly looked at my seating and noticed I was 3 rows back from the front and on an isle seat. Some relief in that seating arrangement allowed the color to come back into my face.
We boarded the plane and it was a romper room. The little girl next to me was yelling back 15 rows at her best friend and asked me if I would change with her friend so they could talk. I looked and said no. The little girl proceeded to cry and throw a fit. Next, the boys apparently thought it was an absolute riot to do the ole “pull my finger” thing, and not hold back. What a lovely aroma.
And, the topping on the crap cake is, about a third of the way into the flight some of the children started to get sick, as in vomiting. Apparently, the lunches supplied to the children at the zoo were tainted, and about a quarter of the kids were really nauseated.
We landed in Atlanta and there was emergency people awaiting for the sick kids. It was a fiasco from the beginning.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
This would be my absolute worst nightmare on a flight – children AND vomiting? Yuck.
I really feel both like laughing at this and feeling pity for you. Children AND vomit AND farts AND wahwahwah? That SUCKS
That's just awful. And I have a 9, 8 and 3 year old. My sympathies!
Wow – a field trip to a zoo in Chicago, and they live in Atlanta. This had to be a private school with very wealthy parents. What the heck is wrong with the zoos nearby? Can't they just take buses to a zoo in the Atlanta area?
No kidding!!!
If they were going to travel to a zoo the why didn't they just go to San Diego?
Wow , where were the chaperones on this trip?