Sugah's Trip to China

What? Already

Wow. I've already had an adventure. Go figure. I have flown almost all my life, I can definitely hold my own when it comes to travel, yet after this morning I felt like a neophyte for sure!

So our flight was late leaving Indy. I arrive with 25 minutes to spare to get to my flight to Tokyo. I leave the gate and run into the terminal to figure out where I'm going. Uh, yeah, there's no Japan Airline flights listed. Crap. I run over to the ticket counter, no agents to be found. Double Crap. I can go further into the terminal or I can leave the secure area and go to the baggage claim/ticketing area. JDTC!!!

Oh, what to do. If I go out of the secure area I risk security being too busy and missing my flight. If I go further into the terminal I could go too far out of my way and risk missing my flight.

I scan again, no agent. Oh a Pilot, I'll go bug him. He says "Uh I think that's in the International Terminal #5. I don't know how to get there, I don't want to screw you up as you've only got 20 minutes (yes he looks at my ticket). Finally a gate agent shows up and I ask him. He tells me to go out of security, go outside, get on the tram and go to #5. I'll have to go back through security.

Well I book it outta the airport, sprinting through the terminal (making me regret chain smoking before I left) and hop on the train. I felt like the McCalister Family in the movie Home Alone - running through O'Hare airport, dodging people left and right.

I make it to terminal #5 (now I'm down to 10 minutes) and there's no security line! Aleluah!
Until security says "um, are you on JAL? You need to go back to the ticket counter and get a JAL ticket." What?! Are you serious? Why didn't anyone tell me this? I see the line, it's 50 people deep. I'm screwed........

I get in line starting to panic while I curse the AA service rep who told me "you'll have plenty of time, the flights will be in the same terminal."

All the sudden I glance up at the clock. It's an hour earlier. DOH! Indy's on Eastern time now, not in line with Chicago like usually this time of year. Flippin' A. I have plenty of time. And I have to laugh that the pilot didn't notice that I had plenty of time when he looked at my ticket.

I felt like the biggest idiot on earth. That's a true Chrissy story if I've ever told it.

So I'm sitting now in the Air France lounge. I got a free pass from JAL for my business class ticket (thanks again DAD!). When I first walked in, I was the only female in the lounge (heck, I was the only non-asain in here). I slowly walked through the quiet lounge to the back half. There's all the women, stashed behind the wall. I have to wonder, why do all the women flock back here? Is it expected? Is it because they don't want to be the first one to sit among the business men? Or was it simply like my situation, there weren't any tables open.

This is going to be one hell of a trip.

posted by Chrissy @ 10:59 AM