A Plane, a Bus, and a Can of Gingerale.
I had probably the worse travel experience of my life so far. It rivals being stuck in StL overnight because the pilot flew too many hours.
Wednesday I was scheduled to take a 4:00pm flight from Newark to OHare, arrive at 5:30 and catch a 6:30 bus to Champaign and arrive at 10. Couldn’t be further from the truth. I get to the airport at 3:10, 50 minutes before boarding time. I get my boarding pass and it says 4:25. It’s already delayed. I arrive at the gate and I see the plane’s not even there. I sit around and at 3:50, the plane arrives. “There’s no way they’re all going to get off so we can board at 3:55,” I thought to myself. Sure enough, they took their sweet time exiting the plane. We didn’t get to board until about 4:10 and there was a mob at the gate. The AA person had to yell at everyone to get into a single file line and board the plane orderly. The line dies down and I board the plane. Everyone’s in the plane and we’re all ready to go when the pilot informs us at 4:20, that we’ll have to wait in line to take off and it’ll be another 15 minutes. At around 4:55 (my best estimate since I fell asleep) we took off, a one hour delay. That means we arrive one hour late, 6:30. I was praying for a miracle to make my bus.
On the flight, I wake up for drinks. I usually order a gingerale for myself. As the stewardesses are coming with the drink cart, I kid you not, 5 people order gingerale’s before me. One of the stewardesses had to go back to the galley to get more. I count the cans she brins back with her. Then, right before I get to order my drink, the guy infront of me gets the last gingerale. Who orders gingerale on a plane! I was sitting in the 16th row, so there was about 8-10 rows of people in front of me. About 30 people and they make the plane run out of gingerale! I got a Sprite as a consolation prize. But to rub it in my face, as the cart moves 5 rows behind me, the stewardess from first class carries down an arm full of drinks containing a few more gingerales. People in front of me got gingerales, people behind me got them, but not me. When they were done serving drinks, I went back to the galley to see if they had any left. Nope. It forebode things to come.
I was eager to land so I could catch my bus to Champaign. We touched down at 6:27. I guessed 3 minutes to the gate, 15 minutes to deboard, I was going to miss my bus. We reached the gate at 6:30 and it only took 3 minutes to deboard. I was running through the horrible Ohare airport at 6:33 to the baggage claim. I get there and my bags aren’t there. I figured they wouldn’t but it was worth a shot. I prayed for a miracle, right? I run to the bus terminal in hopes of catching the bus and convincing them to wait so I can get my luggage. I get there at 6:40, hoping the bus was running late or waiting for me. I talk to the man at the bus information center. The bus had already come and gone.
I get my luggage and sit around. I had called the bus company before my flight and they said I could catch the next bus at 8:30. At 7:30 I’m chillin’ out, eating a hotdog and reading my bible when I figure I should call the bus company so the bus knows to come pick me up. I call them and the they tell me I can’t take that bus. “It’s full.” “Are you serious, there’s no way I can get on the bus?” “No, sorry, there’s a load of people on it already. You’ll have to take the midnight bus.” “You’ve got to be kidding me.” “Sorry sir.” *Expletive* *Expletive* I had to wait till midnight to take the bus! I had to sit around another 4.5 hours. I wouldn’t get to Champaign until 2:30am. *Expletive* I could have gotten someone from Champaign to drive to Ohare, pick me up, and drive back and I STILL WOULD GET BACK SOONER. *Expletive* This is the first and LAST time I EVER take the bus from Ohare to Champaign.
I call up some friends who live near the airport but none of them are around so I just chill out across the street at a Hilton w/ some other people who are having travelling woes. Ohare has to be the worse airport for delays. 12:00pm finally rolls around, I get on the freezing bus, and I get to Champaign. My roommate kindly picks me up from Follets where the bus dropped us off and took me home. 3am, 13 hours (time zone change) from when I got to Newark. 10 minutes late to the bus and I’m delayed 5 hours. Never again will I take the bus. Atleast with my overnight in StL I got free food and a free hotel room. Here I didn’t get free anything. I couldn’t even get a can of gingerale.