Delayed – Thursday Thirteen #20

13 Things About Being Stuck in Chicago O’Hare

When I flew up to Chicago for a quick business meeting on Thursday, I didn’t realize that getting home from the meeting would be such a problem. But Thursday afternoon my flight was delayed and then cancelled and I was stuck in Chicago for at least another day.

#1 The thrill of rushing back to the airport and thinking that I could possibility get standby on an earlier flight quickly faded.

#2 Beer costs too much at the airport. Three bottles of beer cost me about $16. The buzz didn’t last long enough.

#3 Not many restaurants in O’Hare. Actual RESTaurants, where you can sit down and have a comfortable meal.

#4 Because of the uncertainty of whether or not you’re staying or going, you can’t go back into town and see some cool things.

#5 We waited hours to find out that our delayed flight was cancelled. So much for getting to the airport early!

#6 We waited for 1 ½ hours in line and still didn’t speak with a customer service agent. We used cell phones to get a discounted hotel room and seats on the next flight. It was hard to leave the line.

#7 Our next fight wasn’t until Saturday night at 10 pm. Mind you, this was Thursday.

#8 They couldn’t/wouldn’t get our checked luggage. I had only what I was carrying.

#9 Being stuck with my co-worker, Aimee the Red, was great. Misery loves company.

#10 We met lots of interesting people who were in the same situation as us. “Hello” to the mother and two teen-age sons trying to get to Virginia. “Hello” to the guy trying to get to Salt Lake City. I’m glad you got a direct flight instead of having to go through Fargo, ND.

#11 The Exel Inn wasn’t as bad as it initially sounded. Our first thought was that we hoped it was better then a cot in the baggage. It was nice, even though we had to wait another hour or so to get checked in.

#12 Thank goodness there was a Family Dollar near our hotel. Even though they didn’t open until an HOUR after their posted opening time, we were able to get cheap clothes and underwear. Yep—we couldn’t even go to a store without having to wait.

#13 Getting patted down in security was actually a highlight. After all the waiting and standing and stress, a little massage was nice!

PS: We eventually got a flight out on Friday afternoon. It felt like getting called down on the Price is Right or winning the lottery. The flight was delayed, but we still got home Friday night.

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