Last week I was late publishing the final two posts on a
dream about scary clowns. I explained that my lateness was due to travel
glitches. I also promised to share my experience, interpreting it as a waking
dream. It was a classic example of this type of dream, occurring during broad
daylight, with aggravating circumstances, and causing turmoil and interrupted
plans:
An ill-fated
business trip
I needed to fly across
the country on a business trip. Like most of us, I try to find the least
expensive tickets I can. I decided to try an airline that I had never used
before and which offered what seemed like a great deal. I made my reservations,
and when the time came, I went online to check in. It was then that I learned
that an unusually large number of services normally included in the price of a
plane ticket were extra, including reserving a seat and bringing a carryon bag
onto the plane. Once I paid these extra fees, the price of my ticket was no
longer a discount. In fact, it wasn’t even competitive with other airline
offerings. “Never mind,” I thought, “I’m learning the ropes.”
This cross country
trip involved one stop each way with layovers at a major hub. My first flight
to my destination was delayed. No problem; there was plenty of time to make my
connection. Then, the connection was also delayed, and there seemed to be an
inordinate amount of confusion about when and where this flight would leave.
There were five, separate gate changes announced, with all 200-plus passengers
having to get up and move to the new location at each change. Odd! But I got to
my destination, and since my appointment wasn’t until the next morning, there
was no harm done.
I successfully
attended to my business in a congenial, affable atmosphere. Then it was time to
come home.
I was hopeful, but
also wary about what my airline would now offer. Sure enough, when I went to
check my bag, I was informed that the flight was delayed 1 ½ hours. Then I was
told, “But keep looking at the monitors, because it might actually leave on time.”
That was the most bizarre thing I have ever been told by an airline official,
but I went to my gate and waited. There were three separate gate changes for
this flight, and the departure time kept getting pushed back due to the
mechanics not being finished with the repair that apparently caused the delay
in the first place. There were also two other flights offered by this airline that
were supposed to depart from the same area, and both of them were delayed—one
for over seven hours. Finally, after much additional confusion, it was
announced that my flight was canceled and would not leave until the next day;
the repair was blamed.
At that point, I
simply went to another terminal, and bought a one-way ticket on an airline I
have used frequently. This one-way ticket cost more than my original round-trip
ticket. But this airline delivered me home on time without any glitches, though
a day later than originally planned.
Stay tuned!
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