My story post 57

 

I don’t travel much, the traveling I’ve done has mostly been between California and Hawaii.  Usually things go OK but sometimes…. Not.

 

The summer of ’82 my wife and I went to Oahu for a couple weeks. I off course took my surfboard.. a 6’3.  When we got to LAX and the terminal we were to fly out of there was a line at check in a mile long. The line wasn’t moving at all but since we were all the way out by the door we couldn’t tell that the line we were in was for some delayed international flight and our flight to Hawaii was checking passengers at the end of the counter, but because the area was so crowded we couldn't tell.

 

I kept thinking there was no way we could get through this check in line and get to the plane in time.  Then the friend we were meeting and going on the trip with walks up and says “ you’re going to miss the flight, come around this stupid line and get your stuff checked. So we hustle around the crowd, check our stuff and run to the gate.

We’re like the last people to board this 747 on a summer day going to Hawaii. Guess what?  The pickin’ plane is all but full, and because we’re the last 2 people to board there are only single seats available anywhere.  So I get seated next to a couple strangers and my wife is seated about 6 or 7 rows away from me with a couple guys… she doesn’t know either.

 

I’m thinking this isn’t the way to start a fun couple weeks in the tropics. I get up, go to a flight attendant and complain. “what the heck, we get stuck at the airlines chaotic check in counter, because we got stuck at the chaotic check in counter we almost miss our flight. And then when we finally get on the plane you guys seat my wife with a couple strangers?” I say.  “ this is a 5 hours flight,  this ain’t right.”

 

The flight attendant knew of the situation at check in… which is why things seemed a bit chaotic on the plane as well, she said, “hold on a minute, let me see if we can straighten things out.”

 

As the crowded plane started to quiet down and was about ready to pull from the terminal, the Flight attendant came back to me and asked if I’d get my wife and follow her saying.. “I’ve got a place for you.”

 

So my wife and I follow her into first class, then to the stairs that go up to the upper area of the 747, above first class and seat us.  There was another couple on the other side of this cozy little room, windows on both sides, with big wide comfortable seats. We sit down, buckle up and the plane took off.

 

After the plane got in the air the flight attendant came back to check up on us and brought us a bottle of champagne.  What started like a nightmare ended up a sweet dream all the way to Hawaii.

 

D.R.



 



 

My wife Suzi at the Honolulu airport circa 1982