the friendly skies

i wouldn't categorize myself as a person with bad luck when it comes to air travel. but actually, i have pretty bad luck when it comes to air travel. in the past five years or so, i've been stranded overnight twice, had numerous (too many to count) cancelled flights (including the same flight being cancelled three times), some lost bags and some missed connections.

so i don't know why i was surprised when i checked in for my flight to san diego last week and i had no assigned seat. i mean, the desk agent didn't seem concerned so i wasn't too worried. until i realized, well, i had no seat. and my co-workers/traveling companions did.

and they were already through the amazingly, confoundingly long security line and i wasn't.

and they were on the plane (and so was pretty much everyone else) by the time i got to the gate and said to the gate agent, hey there, i don't have a seat.

(i should also add that one of my co-workers had my much-desired bagel with cream cheese with her. so, i *really* needed to get on that plane.)

the gate agent said i had to wait until everyone was on the plane, but that the flight was overbooked and it wasn't looking good.

while i waited to learn my fate, i struck up a conversation with a woman also waiting at the gate. she said she had just retired the day before and was on her way to visit her kids. but she was waiting around to see if she needed to give up her seat because she had nowhere to be fast and $600 sounded pretty good.

and i said, as it happened, i needed a seat since my co-workers and my breakfast were on the plane. and i wasn't. and when she heard that she walked right up to that gate agent and next thing you knew, i was on the plane.

eating a bagel.

i wished afterwards that i had asked for her e-mail, or even her name, so i could say thanks. she really was the nicest. maybe my luck is changing.