That would be the end of this post if Gus and I had not been foolish enough to book a connecting flight out of Hamilton to Saskatoon instead of our usual direct flight from Toronto. Besides the frustrating experience of flying past Saskatoon to Calgary so that we could get on a new plane and fly back the way we came, the whole transfer wound up doubling our travel time. Nevertheless, Max behaved like an angel on the plane and we managed to make it to Saskatoon with only one lost bag. Out trip back was not so smooth.
Before we left Wendy cheerfully informed us that all of southern Ontario had severe weather warnings and some areas had tornado warnings as well. Many flights were delayed. Fortunately, our flight from Calgary departed on time and with only a few bumps we landed 3 hours later in Hamilton. What a relief! No delays! Until the pilots informed us they weren't going to let anyone off the plane. Apparently there is a rule that no one is allowed on the tarmac if lightening is within 5 miles of the airport. The plane unloads directly to the tarmac, and besides, no airport staff were allowed on the tarmac either. The airport was under 'red alert' and so we sat in the plane...for an hour.
The plane was packed and insufferably hot. In spite of the fact that we were completely stationary, they wanted us to stay seated and wear our seat belts in case of a sudden turn or stop. There was no where to move and we had already been on a long flight. Max, at least, was asleep.
Finally, the pilot announced that they has some information about the storm. We were in the middle of it and it had a 30 mile radius. It was travelling at 30 miles an hour. Silence on the plane. Gus claimed to hear the collective psyche of the plane going 'ok...so that means at 30 miles an hour we will be on the plane....no wait....carry the 1....' The captain announced, 'so we will be on the plane for another hour' - the entire plane erupted in groans and shouts. Gus looked at me incredulously. "They needed him to tell them it would be an hour?"
Half an hour later they declared that the red alert has been lifted. The plane cheered. That was faster than expected. Normally, Gus and I would wait until it emptied to try to get Max off, but we were so anxious to leave that we pushed and shoved our way off with the rest. I was half-way down the ramp to the tarmac when an airport personal came running towards us, yelling "red alert! red alert! Get them back on the plane!" I quickened my pace, rushing to the end of the ramp. "I'll take my chances with the lightening," I said to the woman as I pushed past. They closed the plane doors behind us.
Being stuck in the airport was markedly better than being stuck on the plane. We were happy to meet Grandma Gutoski inside the airport with food and childcare reinforcement. We could move and stretch out. Max was now awake and he could run around, but we still couldn't leave. Half the passengers were still stuck on our plane, as was our luggage and Max's car seat. Most passengers that had gotten off opted to leave and come back for their luggage in the morning. We had no such option. We lived an hour away and Max's car seat was still on the plane. So we waited. Almost home.
Another hour and a half passed with no word. Finally, the red alert was lifted and the rest of the plane's passengers made it into the airport. Another half hour later our luggage arrived. Then a one hour drive back to Waterloo. We pulled in at 5 in the morning, a whopping 5 hours late, but we were home.
Next time, we will take a direct flight from Toronto.
No comments:
Post a Comment