I live in a town with a sweet little airport. When it works it's easy and smooth. When it doesn't (often) it's shockingly bad. One time there was a huge delay because a mechanic was needed to fix something. He lived 5 hours away in North Carolina and we waited for him to drive in. Another time a mechanic lived 2 hours away in a different part of Virginia. Another wait. At the time, I realized that skilled airplane technicians are so important. When they don't live near a country town, it can have a ripple effect.
Sunday, we arrived on time. We had been sitting on the tarmac for over an hour because our parking space was being used by a plane that was getting deiced. The deicer machine was broken and needed a part. No one seemed concerned. I need to get that slow, patient, southern blood in my veins. Patience is a virtue which I have to work on.
In my mind I'm asking, couldn't we taxi over to that empty gate just this once? Do they realize we could be sitting here for 3 - 5 hours if they need a special person? I finally walked up to the front to suggest this scenario and the flight attendant indignantly said, "You'll know when we know."
"Could you possibly ask the gate to update us?"
"I said you'll know when we know."
I returned to my seat, grateful that I was not sitting with young, restless babies like some of the mothers on the plane. Grateful that I wasn't struggling in a country conflict described by The Economist magazine I read. Grateful that my husband agreed to wait anyway and see what he could do at the airport.
It was almost two hours from the time we landed, and we were allowed to deplane. The flight attendant demanded that everyone buckle up (for the 30 second ride to the gate), or NO one was moving. She insisted a student stow away his laptop under the seat.
At this point I was smiling because it seemed like a badly written play. I felt sorry for the flight attendant knowing if she couldn't empathize or be kind, she was probably going through a rough time in her own life. It could have been five hours - only two, and we were safe. Moving on.
I like how you circled around to wondering what might be going on in the flight attendant's life to make her be so abrupt and bossy. Maybe she doesn't like flying in and out of your small airport with its possibilities for problems. In every situation there are things for which we can be grateful. And you found them - two hours instead of five hours. I hope you had a good book!
"Patience is a virtue which I have to work on."
Same, and I would be more than frustrated (even knowing there is little for one to do in that situation) with the wait.
Kevin