And this is why I hate flying

After an amazing time in Seattle with my sister, I arrived at SEA-TAC today at about 11:30 AM for my 1:15 pm flight to Detroit, where I would connect to a flight to Providence with about a 90 minute layover. After waiting in line for half an hour in the bag-drop line (hey, maybe that was my mistake since I should have checked on my flight status), I was told I had to go to the "special services" line because my flight to Detroit was delayed and I would miss my connection. Oh, and I was flying Delta.

I get to the special services line, and there is a woman there who is sort of directing the folks in line. She asks if anyone has a flight at 1 pm, and I mention to her that it appears the only way I can get to Providence today is to be switched to the 12:45 PM flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul. She rudely told me that there was no way I would ever be able to make that flight (it was in an HOUR!), and told me to wait in line.  Well, they kept pulling people out of the line that needed to check into a flight to amsterdam and another one to Tokyo, so after waiting in line until 12:15, there was definitely no way I would be able to make the flight to MSP.

The Delta attendant told me that I could get on the flight to Detroit but that I would be stuck there until tomorrow afternoon. I could also take the same flights I had scheduled for today but take them tomorrow. I asked if there was anyway I could get to Providence today, but it wasn't happening. Luckily Tim had let me know that there was a way for me to get to Boston and he offered to pick me up there, so I got rebooked on the 1:25 PM departure to Atlanta, connecting to a 10:55 PM flight to Boston.

I ran off to security, and then sprinted through the terminal to my gate - where I arrived at 1:00 PM after having to take a train. I was sweating buckets, and I was the LAST person on the plane before the door got closed. There was a woman behind me in line at the "special services" desk who was also trying to get to Boston - but I didn't see her on my flgiht to Atlanta and I don't see her while I am sitting here in the ATL airport. I guess I can be thankful that I at least was as close to the front of the line as I was, because even another five minutes would have left me in Seattle and on some sort of red-eye.

The flight to Atlanta was uneventful. I was in seat 32C, and I was lucky in that I think I was one of 3 or 4 rows that didn't have anyone in the middle seat.  We actually arrived about 20 minutes early into Atlanta, and I rushed off to the monitors to see if there was a flight I could catch to Providence. DRAT! It just left. If only it hadn't taken me 30 minutes to get off the plane.

Now I am sitting at my gate, and I have finally obtained a boarding pass with a seat for the Boston flight. Fingers crossed that I make it home today - estimated arrival at my house, probably 2:30 or 3:30 AM. Work should be fun tomorrow!