Delay at Chicago's O'Hare
As I only just got the internet at home, I have some catching up to do. There are already plenty of stories to tell, but of course we must start at the beginning.
On my flight from Ottawa to Chicago I happened to be seated beside an Australian named Daryn Smart. He was booked on the same flights as me also from Chicago to L.A. and L.A. to Sydney. We talked about Australia, Canada, the similarities and differences between the two, where we were from orginally, and the usual stuff people talk about when they're stuck on a plane together for several hours. I learned a few things about Australia and Sydney in particular before I even got there. Namely that funnel-web spiders are bad and will kill you if you piss them off. Good to know.
When we got to Chicago, we were both surprised to find that our flight had been delayed by 5 hours, which meant that we would miss our connecting flight from L.A. to Sydney.
So we rebooked and ended up on different flights out of Chicago where would both make our connection in L.A. In the meantime, I suggested we go have a beer or two at a nearby bar. He had something else in mind, however. As he was flying business class, he had a membership to something called the Flagship Lounge, an upper class area restricted to first and business class passengers. He was allowed one guest though, and invited me to come. I had no idea what to expect. We we got in, I was amazed at the quality of the lounge. Big screen T.V., couches, end tables, carpet and marble floors, open bar and free food! And I'm not talking about Cheetoes or veggies and dip. I mean smoked salmon, crackers and cheese (brie, smilton, gouda, etc.), and Heineken, Australian wine, Crown Royal whiskey, and more. It was unbelievable. I even got my boarding pass exchanged at the desk. Suddenly I couldn't complain about having my flight delayed any more....
After living in decadence for an hour or so it was time to catch my flight. I said goodbye to Daryn and that I'd see him in L.A. 4 and a half hours later I land at LAX and proceed to my gate to catch Quantas flight 12 to Sydney. Sure enough I run into Daryn at the check-in line. As this plane was larger and our seats were assigned, I was not sitting with Daryn and so we said our final farewells before boarding. If I'm ever in the Melbourne area however, he told me to give him a call and he'd show me around abit. I might take him up on that offer.
On my flight from Ottawa to Chicago I happened to be seated beside an Australian named Daryn Smart. He was booked on the same flights as me also from Chicago to L.A. and L.A. to Sydney. We talked about Australia, Canada, the similarities and differences between the two, where we were from orginally, and the usual stuff people talk about when they're stuck on a plane together for several hours. I learned a few things about Australia and Sydney in particular before I even got there. Namely that funnel-web spiders are bad and will kill you if you piss them off. Good to know.
When we got to Chicago, we were both surprised to find that our flight had been delayed by 5 hours, which meant that we would miss our connecting flight from L.A. to Sydney.
So we rebooked and ended up on different flights out of Chicago where would both make our connection in L.A. In the meantime, I suggested we go have a beer or two at a nearby bar. He had something else in mind, however. As he was flying business class, he had a membership to something called the Flagship Lounge, an upper class area restricted to first and business class passengers. He was allowed one guest though, and invited me to come. I had no idea what to expect. We we got in, I was amazed at the quality of the lounge. Big screen T.V., couches, end tables, carpet and marble floors, open bar and free food! And I'm not talking about Cheetoes or veggies and dip. I mean smoked salmon, crackers and cheese (brie, smilton, gouda, etc.), and Heineken, Australian wine, Crown Royal whiskey, and more. It was unbelievable. I even got my boarding pass exchanged at the desk. Suddenly I couldn't complain about having my flight delayed any more....
After living in decadence for an hour or so it was time to catch my flight. I said goodbye to Daryn and that I'd see him in L.A. 4 and a half hours later I land at LAX and proceed to my gate to catch Quantas flight 12 to Sydney. Sure enough I run into Daryn at the check-in line. As this plane was larger and our seats were assigned, I was not sitting with Daryn and so we said our final farewells before boarding. If I'm ever in the Melbourne area however, he told me to give him a call and he'd show me around abit. I might take him up on that offer.
posted by Ian at 6:29 AM
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