A few years ago, my husband and I decided to temporarily escape the bitter cold of western South Dakota in January for the warm, balmy beaches of Cancun. After our ten-day stay had come to an end, and we were required to return home, we dutifully did.
Since we don’t live near a major hub, we had to take a couple of flights each way. Just the way it is. Cancun to DFW flight was uneventful, but I wish I could say the same for the flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Rapid City.
We knew there was a problem when we landed in DFW and we received texts that our flight to Rapid was delayed. Well, it is winter…
There were flights that had been cancelled and delayed all over the region due to weather, so all running flights anywhere in that part of the country were crowded. Our flight was then on again, but the airline was offering what I call “Deal Or No Deal” for people to not fly that night. I can’t remember how much they were offering, but it came with a hotel room, and the next flight was more than 24 hours away. My husband and I decided that we would not take the deal, and we would take our chances with getting home that night.
Man, that was dumb.
There were numerous delays, but ultimately we boarded our flight. While waiting to depart, we passengers were told that we had a bit of a weather delay at our destination, as we had to wait for freezing fog to roll out before we could land. We were told that we may have to circle a couple of times, but we should have no other issues. Great, whatever. I trust the pilots.
The majority of the flight was uneventful, but as we approached our home airport, an announcement was made. We had to divert to Bismarck, North Dakota because that darned freezing fog was still there. Cue lots of outraged chatter and grumbling from the passengers. My husband and I shrugged our shoulders and crossed our fingers.
When we landed, we had to sit on the plane and wait for someone to come out and unlock the airport and bring out a jet bridge, as the tiny airport had closed hours ago. As we waited, the very (very) brave pilot came out from the flight deck and addressed the passengers. He explained that we could not land in freezing fog, as the fog would form a thick layer of ice on the plane, changing the aerodynamic properties of the plane, and he would not be able to land it. This explanation was not good enough for several older gentlemen who scolded and grilled this poor pilot for inconveniencing the passengers. “You couldn’t see the airport? Why couldn’t you see it? I could see it out my window! Why couldn’t you?”
“No sir, we don’t have to see the airport to land safely, but going through the freezing fog would have caused us to crash.”
“So you’re saying you can’t fly a plane through fog? Isn’t that your job?” It went on like this for what seemed like forever until they opened the door.
Once we had all filed into the airport terminal with our carry on bags, the flight staff gathered us together and gave us the lowdown. Bismarck did not have enough transportation and hotel rooms to accommodate all of us, so we had to hang out in the airport overnight until morning. We could leave the airport if we wished, but we would not be able to re-enter the airport until TSA came in the next morning. There were two vending machines, but of course nothing else open. The flight crew was required to get rest, so they would be going to a local hotel. Some time in the morning, they would let us know what time our flight to Rapid City would be. Then they handed out a bottle of water to each person and left.
A couple of the older gentlemen who harangued the pilot for diverting to Bismarck continued haranguing the flight crew. “Why the hell do you get a hotel room? That’s just not right! What makes you so special? ENJOY YOUR HOTEL ROOM!”
My husband and I were very lucky compared to most. We were only travelling with carry on, and we bought a couple of souvenir blankets in Mexico. We used packing cubes stuffed with clothing as pillows and tried to sleep on the commercial carpeting, staring up at the strangely pretty and welcoming ceiling painted like a blue sky.
We TRIED to sleep. Maybe we had a couple of hours of shuteye before earsplitting announcements commenced at 5:30 am.
We waited for what seemed like forever until we finally received a message from the airline telling us when our new flight time was. We had some coffee, perused the tiny gift shop,and tried to ignore the older gentlemen who were now telling anyone who would listen that the pilots and flight attendants were too busy luxuriating in their hotel rooms while we passengers were left to rot on the airport floor for no reason.
Finally the flight crew entered the terminal. The same gentlemen (by this point I hope you clearly see my sarcasm shining through) heckled them as they walked to the gate. “DID YOU ENJOY YOUR REST TIME? DID YOU SLEEP WELL LAST NIGHT? GET YOUR EIGHT HOURS?” I was embarrassed. Did they really want to fly on a plane where the pilots were not well rested?
We waited in line for boarding, and these gentlemen would not shut the hell up about how poorly they were being treated. Finally, after boarding, we could see a crew de-icing the plane, and the same gentlemen were complaining that it was taking way too long to complete. As far as my husband and I were concerned, they could take their time to do it right.
Once we took off, I fell asleep. Thankfully. As the crow flies, BIS to RAP is a rather short distance, and soon it was announced that we would be landing soon. Applause!
All of the normal preparations for landing were made, and the mood in the plane was happy and light. At the last second we felt the plane rev up and return to the sky. Confusion and mild fear was palpable. The voice of our pilot came over the PA system and informed us that we had to do a go around, but we would be on the ground very soon. Guess who yelled out in protest. Yep.
Once we landed and were waiting for the door to open, one of the gentlemen stood up and complained loudly that the go around was completely unnecessary.
The vast majority of passengers thanked the flight crew as we deplaned, myself included. I don’t know if the “gentlemen” did or not, as they were in the front of the plane and deplaned before us.
Lessons learned:
TAKE THE DEAL.
Always carry a snack in your carry on.
Always carry your medications in your carry on.
Trust your flight crew.
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