... that I readily admit I did not want to participate in. But in an effort to be parsimonious, went looking for the opportunity. I have been to Virginia three times since the first of the year, twice in early January, buying some pretty expensive tickets for a ninety minute airplane ride. Hoping to figure out a way to get a better price. Wanting to go regardless of the price, but convinced there must be some way to beg, plead and/or grovel to reduce the expense of getting there. Believing there is some way to throw myself on the mercy of Delta Airlines for a discount.
Then I remembered about a someone I met through our common love of growing things/gardening who retired from Delta. I know that former employees can get a discount, or fly free if they meet the parameters. So I gathered up my gumption, and called the friend. Thankfully she was more than agreeable, helpful in allowing me to get a really reasonable price on a 'buddy pass'. In retrospect, there was no 'down side' to the benefit of her assistance in flying to Richmond - but at the time, when I understood that I would be on 'stand-by' status, I was profoundly anxious.
Wondering if I would spend the day in the Atlanta airport, reminiscent of that Tom Hanks movie where he is stranded in limbo, having found himself stuck in an airport and unable to return to his former life in a country that no longer exists. I have never been a stand-by before, never arrived at the airport lacking a clear plan for when I would be able to leave, with a firm ETA for my destination. Fearful that I would be consistently, continually bumped from one flight to the next as each flying tube filled to capacity. As the person on the bottom rung, understanding that many others standing-by would have priority over my ability to hitch a ride: pilots needing to be at another airport or flight attendants assigned jobs at different locations. Retirees with travel plans taking vacations to exotic locales, passers-by jumping the line, pushing me to the side.
I thought: be calm, be patient, this will all work out. When the Delta person showed up at the desk about 45 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave, I had to go and inquire. After wringing my hands for over an hour, I was hyper-anxious, ready for any kind of answer - good or bad. The Delta guy said: 'Oh, you won't have any problem... there are plenty of empty seats.' I expect the relief was instantly apparent on my face, as I offered a silent prayer of thanks.
Then he said: 'It's a good thing you were not here last week, when there were people everywhere on standby, hoping to get on flights all over the place. I heard about eighty people who were just hanging around, in the stand by mode, hoping to get to Las Vegas.' Which, of course, made me wonder what in the world was going on in Nevada that was so appealing, and made half the population of the eastern seaboard think they needed to all be there at the same time?
It all worked out, my anxiety was for naught. I got on the next to last row, and ended up right where I wanted to be. The oddest part: when we arrived at our destination, with an airplane full of people who wanted to all be in Richmond, 80% of them just sat there. I got up, rooted around in several overhead storage bins before finding my suitcase, and got in line to disembark. They all just sat there, seemingly stunned at an unexpected turn of events. Strange - as they knew when they got on, they wanted to go to Richmond. Wondering still why they were so surprised to get there?
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