I have long maintained that the middle gates at the airport are purely for decoration. I believe their waiting areas are filled with paid extras placed to make an airport seem more profitable than it actually is. I say this because no matter where my work sends me across the globe, my gate is always one of the furthest from the security checkpoint. I guess it is also the airline’s way of protecting passengers from blood clots by ensuring they have plenty of exercise prior to boarding. My travel arrangements on this latest business trip proved to be no exception.
After weaving out of what felt like miles of pedestrian traffic, I finally made it to my departing gate. Looking at a nearby monitor, I was delighted to see that my flight was on schedule, which is a phenomena almost as rare for me as getting a flight out of a middle gate. I glanced at my watch. Shew. I’d made it with only a few minutes until boarding time. I began jockeying for position in line as an attendant stepped up to the microphone. Let’s get this trip over with.
“Umm… ladies and gentlemen… er… I have been told your aircraft is on the ground, but… um… we just don’t know exactly where it is on the tarmac. But we’ll get it turned around and send you on your way just as soon as it gets here.”
A collective groan swelled through the waiting area, mine included. How can you lose a plane? Especially today? Ugh. Whatever happened to the glamour of air travel? I looked at my fellow passengers. They looked as frazzled and travel weary as I was. A woman across from me dressed in sweats and hair astray slouched in her chair as she passed along the update to someone on the other end of a phone call. “This has been the longest day ever…I just want to get home.” Another turned around and made his way to the closest bar. As I looked around the waiting area the words of the poem, The New Colossus, came to mind. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
The words that so aptly described those of us stuck in airport purgatory that evening are the same that adorn the Statue of Liberty. They are the same words that for years have greeted family after family as they made their way into America. But now they no longer ring true. The borders are closing. We are more selective with who we let in.
My plane eventually arrived at the gate. I made it to my destination and back home again, but for so many, their dreams for a better life might now seem like my plane – lost somewhere out on the tarmac. Without hope, what options will they have? I recognize that we have our own problems. We don’t have resources in place for those who are already here. We can’t prevent those who wish us harm from intermingling with those possessing more honorable intentions, but I worry that desperate people will do desperate things and we will only be trading one problem for another.
Humanity learned to fly and even touched the moon. Surely we can find an answer to another impossible problem.
Allie Potts Writes 
How true.
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Great post! I love how you are able to make waiting at the airport entertaining. Also how is “The Fair & Foul” doing?
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I figured at least someone should be entertained by the situation even if it wasn’t me.
I believe the book is off to a decent start. At least I hope it is. I’m in that nervous quiet period waiting for the next round of reviews to come in.
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I completely understand, would you mind if I tried pushing it out to some other people to help you market it? If you are interested, we can discuss in e-mail some of the ideas that I had.
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I am always up for suggestions.
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Nice post. It’s really great, by the way, that the airlines you use always go to so much trouble to give you exercise and prevent blood clots. You must be so grateful. 🙂
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Oh I am. If only other industries were as considerate of my health. I also appreciate how they keep my mind razor sharp by interrupting my thoughts every two minutes over the intercom. Working through the noise really helps me hone my focus.
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Yes, they’re good like that. I also love the care they take to make me appreciate the food at my destination by serving me a slab or two of unidentifiable gelatinous gunk on a plastic tray.
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It’s their way of helping with portion control willpower.
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Yes, works too! 🙂
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Lovely post. A few are echoing your sentiments but it remains to be seen what will actually be done. Even here, we are not necessarily immune from any threats and our government is well aware of it.
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Thank you. I just hope a calmer minds will prevail.
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I know what you mean – I once had to sleep in an airport terminal and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. They’re not exactly designed to induce a zen state of calm, either.
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I agree, attempting to sleep in the terminal makes for a very long night.
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Whoever walked off towards the bar had the right idea. If time permits, I find myself in there too.
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As do I on occasion, but I prefer minimal layover times.
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Agreed, 100%. Surely with the many big brains in this country we can figure out how to balance “masses yearning to breathe free” with safety. Surely, it cannot be harder than space travel or even commercial flying.
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I know there is a solution out there. We just have to work to find it.
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