The Joys of Travel

Really, I can’t make this stuff up.

• Storm in Chicago delayed us landing in Chicago.
• Crew boarded plane bound for Calgary and after 30 minutes got off and said needed new aircraft. (Turns out that the original plane had been hit by lightening TWICE and the computer was wonky.)
• No equivalent plane on ground at O’Hare, but one identified en route.
• New plane diverted to Lansing during storm in Chicago so it is waiting to take off in Lansing.
• Storm that had been in Chicago now in Lansing.
• Two hours later, Lansing plane takes off and comes to Chicago.
• We board and wait in line (drag racing) with bigger aircraft hoping to get off ground. (Two lines of 5 deep aircraft each inching forward trying to beat the leader of the other line.)
• Then we learn that new storm to west of O’Hare so air traffic control decides to switch runways from E/W to N/S.
• At last, first in line to take off, and we sit and sit and sit.
• Pilot announces that bird hit engine of previous plane taking off.
• Maintenance sweep of runway to remove deceased bird.
• Finally, 4 hours later we take off for Calgary.

Yeah, travel is so glamorous.