Please see Agent.
These lovely words stared back at me from the kiosk check in screen at American Airlines. They tried to act innocent, but I knew what came next.
I had the flight time wrong for my departure to Miami, and would not be able to make it there in enough time to catch my connecting flight to Belize. The gate agent and I tried just about every possible configuration for getting me on a plane and to Belize, but they just got more expensive by the minute. Finally, with a $175 transfer fee (ACK!) and a 1 day delay, I bumped to the Saturday flight.With a quick call to my friend, roommate, and erstwhile airport taxi, Breezy, I was back home within the hour.
Fast forward 6 hours.
Not one to be caught resting, I attacked a few outstanding items. Tax preparation, various first aid items, returned an extra flashlight to REI, and even had lunch with a friend. About the time I was walking into REI, my phone rang.
“This is American Airlines calling you about a cancellation.”
Not what I wanted to hear.
North Carolina gets snow perhaps twice a year and it stays for 24-48 hours. It almost never totals more than 4 inches and as a devout snowboarder and snowmobile enthusiast, I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the paltry dusting. North Carolina Natives, on the other hand, Panic. The airport itself is quite capable of handling the snow and functioning properly. The problem and source of the resulting flight cancellation is that people from NC will not attempt to leave their homes if there is snow on the ground and thus will not go to the airport.
So, with no one but myself to blame for missing my flight, I have sentenced myself to two more days in NC before I leave for parts warmer.