Before I started my current job, my fear of flying was largely
based on the fact that I’m putting my fate entirely in someone else’s hands
with every flight. The more I fly,
however, the reasons I dread air travel have become more about the many
customer service catastrophes that can befall you at any given moment.
Recently, I had one of those days where I felt the full
force of the domino effect of Murphy’s Law.
You see, when one thing goes wrong in the airline business, it negatively
impacts several other things, and before you know it, you’re in a tailspin of
suck that can last for days.
To be fair, my latent hostility toward the Cleveland
airport had been building for a couple of weeks. For starters, it’s conveniently
located near absolutely nothing, making my average commute to work or my hotel
once I arrive at least 30-40 minutes. And
that doesn’t factor in how long it takes to get a rental car at the
airport. That’s because the airport
rental area is nowhere near the airport. You have to walk a mile from baggage
claim to a shuttle, which wanders through a maze of construction sites and
frontage roads with potholes the size of a Buick. All in all, this process takes at least
another 20 minutes.
Supposedly, all of the “improvements” at the airport are
for the 2016 Republican National Convention.
I have a feeling if there really are riots, it won’t be because of Donald Trump; it will be because the airport and its surroundings are so messed
up.
So, one Friday morning when I’m more than ready to get
out of Cleveland for the weekend, I started with dropping off my rental car and
doing the 20 minute commute.
Fortunately, once I arrived, the security point check-in did not take
nearly as long as it appeared it would.
This is one area where I will compliment the Cleveland airport. They have this screening process down fairly
well.
I had plenty to time to catch my 11 a.m. flight on United
to Chicago. Sure, last week’s flight was
delayed an hour due to mechanical problems (the last thing you want to hear
about the plane you’re about to get on!).
But things were going so smoothly today.
What could go wrong?
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