A Different Kind of Night Flight

How does it come about that I am ALWAYS behind the family with four kids, or the couple who have incredibly complicated travel plans with many layovers and detours, or worse yet, about to step up to the counter and some guy emerges from my left or right with a fistful of tickets that are in mid-process unbeknownst to me? Fidgety, impatient, not wanting to leave yet wanting to rip myself away the same way one remove adhesive tape, finally my turn, I lay down the ticket, the passport and mumble “no checked” luggage. This lady has NO IDEA was a feat “no checked luggage” is. She prepares the passes, all of them, all the way through to YYC indicating that I will clear Customs in YVR. In my head I am thinking the ONLY good thing about Vancouver is the fact that I will be on my way elsewhere. “Security is right behind us but you should go to the right and you will find a short line call Gold … mumble mumble …” This is not doubt the umpteenth time she has said the same phrase today, it is 9:00PM and the tropical night is close with the smell of flowers, exhaust fumes from the open structure of the terminal building and a hint of decay as there always seems to be around lush vegetation.

Folk in front of me are arranging and re-arranging clothing, shoes off, into the bin, jackets, phones, change, sometimes a belt or watch are placed hurriedly into plastic containers as vigilant security folk peer at each of us as if …Several times over the PA the announcement has been that security is at level “orange”, heightened security. Don’t get me started on this … Idly I watch how individuals cope with the scrutiny, some folk obviously nervous, others annoyed, most tolerant. The “Gold” line moves much more swiftly than the longer, what shall we say, “Non-Gold” line. Folks in this line seem to have “been there done that”, there are no delays from instructions like “take the change out of your pockets”; “do you have a cell phone?”, “Sir, you have to remove your jacket”. No, these folks are seasoned and offer no resistance either consciously or otherwise to the system.

I shift tiredly in the plastic seat in the holding area, my back pack as a foot rest. The agent is working hard at trying to entice folk to pay and extra $54.00 for five extra inches of leg room. “Hurry, hurry, hurry” he chants, “these seats are going fast” – in fact the seats are not going fast at all. Finally a tallish, young lady takes him up on his offer, holds her arms straight up and she is applauded by the band of bored captives otherwise known as airline passengers.

The agent announces boarding, first the infirm, then anyone under two and elite, super elite, the annoying or whatever, I DO recognize that I am included in the early list. I start toward the chute and the agent that will actually take the Boarding pass tells me “Go around” as I start to shortcut. I take the long way around only to find that she has let everyone else through the shorter way. I’m steamed and when she takes my Boarding pass, I look her in the eye and say: “Why did you tell me to go around?” Totally and truly this is more for my benefit than hers as I know she has NO CLUE whatsoever who I am or what she told me less than two minutes ago. The only reason I say anything is because, if I don’t, I will feel victimized and it is a long, long night to stew.

Because I was held back, well … maybe because I was held back, my seat mate is seated, an older very portly oriental man. He eases himself out of his seat to allow me passage and of course I make up all kinds of problems I will be having – just because I’m in a snit, probably about leaving but who knows, maybe I’m just a snitty traveler! It seems to take a long time to get clearance to taxi to the runway and finally pull into the night. The plane lifts off as if there is a giant vacuum in the inky black of the sky pulling us upward. We pass downtown, Waikiki, turn at Diamond Head, pass over Kaneohe and then … an isolate light and we are wrapped as if in a camera box … or perhaps, we have truly been vacuumed up by the night sky ….. Tonight’s night flight did not include a 180 degree turn and a leisurely return to HNL while being entertained by the freeway lights and traffic. Tonight’s flight will be into daylight at SFO to continue the journey…