Travel by flight has become common amongst most for professionals due to scheduled commitments, youngsters due to a heavy pocket, and seniors because of the convenience of short and safe travel. The only drawback is the need to be at the airport a few hours before departure, naturally adding to the overall travel time, whereas one can board a revved up bus, or hop on to a just started train. Recently the husband and I had a pulsating domestic flight experience when we disembarked from a taxi at a metropolitan airport, only fifty minutes before take-off. The reasons? Initially the immediate non-availability of the ubiquitous Uber, and later on messy traffic jams at unexpected junctures. We knew it was touch-and-go boarding our flight, and were mentally prepared to return home. But we inched on deciding to give it a valiant try despite the odds.
At the outset we were put off when the taxi was directed to drop us at the third lane beyond the entrance and we had to push our luggage through two lanes to reach the airport entry point. The humongous Friday queue outside left us stunned and I knew there was no way we would make it inside until after take-off. It was then that I noticed another entry point, but the guard waved us away to the serpentine queue. I was reminded of my mother’s words that one should never underestimate the gift of the gab, and I goaded the husband, who was looking anxiety personified, to explain our plight to the guard, and surprisingly she let us through, although it was the VIP doorway. It seemed she was suitably impressed by the husband’s demeanour. Thanking her profusely we made it to the baggage check-in counter, and as expected it was closed. The airline’s manager had nothing to lose and got our boarding passes printed directing us straightaway to security, tugging along the entire luggage. We rushed to the lift cutting through a serpentine queue for the escalator.
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As we reached the security point we were aghast to see the ‘temple queue’ once again and requested the airport official to help out as the take off was in thirty five minutes. He expressed his inability to assist and suggested we approach the passengers for help.
Luckily I spotted the girl who was in the lift with us, almost at the starting point of the queue. I walked up and requested her if we could join and she readily agreed, surprising me. Another hurdle crossed, and the security was done in ten minutes, fortunately without any hassles. We almost trotted to the departure gate which was another 100 metres away and a floor down. There was nobody at the counter and our hopes were dashed as we assumed the boarding had closed with only 15 minutes left for take-off. I then noticed the queue behind me and could not believe that it was for the same flight. We were informed that the delay in boarding was due to maintenance issues but the real reason was the late arrival of a union minister who was to board the same flight. I thanked him remotely from the waiting shuttle as I spotted him, in spotless white, boarding the plane.
