Our flight home to Chicago from Sarasota, Florida, was one of thousands that were canceled during the first weekend of April. Sarasota’s airport is small. It grew hotter, louder and more crowded as we worried and waited.
Saturday morning, we learned that an engine repair had slightly delayed our flight. A 90-minute weather delay followed. Next, a five-hour delay was added, no reason given. Then our flight was canceled.
Stranded in the hot chaos, we tried to use the rebooking links that United Airlines provided. We had no success. Not a single representative, from any airline, was on the concourse.
We went back to the main desk where one United Airlines representative was stationed. The line was packed with travelers as stressed as my husband, our two teens and me.
Worrisome news filtered through the line: no flights until Tuesday. We couldn’t even get a late checkout from our condo that morning. We knew we’d never find accommodations until Tuesday.
I secured a rental car reservation on my phone. We moved to the car rental line where we waited three hours. I prayed there would still be a car by the time we reached the front of the line. I was concerned about making the 20-hour drive home after a full day of anxiety and confusion.
I worried, too, for the people around me — senior citizens, people with disabilities, families with young children. All were struggling to problem-solve with no access to help, staff, information or resources. It all seemed so unhealthy, out of control and unsafe.
Other travelers gave me hope. Kindness was everywhere. Travelers supported each other. They were patient. They helped. They offered whatever information they had. They held each other’s place in line. They were understanding when children melted down, cried, threw up, ran around or screamed. For all the stories I’ve read of passengers behaving badly on flights, this is not what I experienced in the Sarasota airport.
When I finally got to the front of the car rental line, I felt like a winning game show contestant: an SUV was available for us! The friends we made in line congratulated us. It felt wonderful to be on the road but also confusing to have waited so long in the airport just to be starting our long journey.
The conclusion I reached, during the long ride home, is that the airlines don’t deserve us. Airlines knew that this would be a busy spring break season, so they jacked up their prices and kept selling tickets. The industry has enjoyed record ticket sales. They knew they were short-staffed and they kept selling tickets. They are fully aware, too, that Easter will be a busy travel season, and they undoubtedly will sell as many tickets as they can with no regard for their passengers’ well-being.
Now I’m embroiled in the project of trying to get a ticket refund. The process is taking me hours. It seems deliberately confusing. I feel like I’m back in another long line.
We put up with so much to travel by plane. We pay handsomely for tickets, always trying to decide if it’s worth it to pay extra to ensure that they are refundable. We arrive at the airport two hours early. We carefully pack our bags according to federal security standards. We surrender control and roll with the delays and cancellations that come our way. We rent cars when we arrive at our destinations. At what point do all of these expenses and preparations outweigh the convenience of air travel?
I am starting to realize that we have a better option — one that gives us more control. Even a long drive is a cheaper, more freeing option. Driving through Atlanta in the middle of the night was beautiful. Seeing the sun come up in Nashville, Tennessee, was glorious. The open road is calling — since the skies just aren’t that friendly anymore.
____
ABOUT THE WRITER
Eileen Hoenigman Meyer is a freelance writer in Oak Park. Meyer’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, the Lily, Fast Company, the Independent, CNBC, NBC News, Chicago Parent Magazine and others. Meyer is also a writer for HigherEdJobs.
