Walking In Wuhan

It's been a week, so I think I can finally write with some kind of detachment from the situation. A week ago we headed to Chicago for Brooke and Jared's wedding. We flew on AirTran through Milwaukee because it was closer to where we were staying in Northern Chicago. Flights there, no problem. On the way back, Courtney and I got to Milwaukee about 30 minutes before our flight boarded. But we were delayed. Then delayed some more. Then delayed even more. We were supposed to leave at 7:30 p.m., but some weather in Baltimore had held up the flight. At 11:45 the flight arrived in Milwaukee. They decided to cancel the flight around 12:15 a.m. The reason? The crew had waited on the clock so long, that by the time they got to Milwaukee, they had the option of either continuing on to San Francisco or canceling the flight. They chose the latter. This is where it got interesting.

The people at the gate originally said the cancellation was a scheduling error, so they were going to try and book hotels for us. Thirty minutes later, they came back and said that there was a large German convention in town and there weren't any hotels. A guy in the next row over from us, however, had Super 8 on the phone with more than 70 rooms available. Then, they made the announcement that it wasn't officially a scheduling error, but a weather issue. So therefore, no hotels and they wouldn't make up the cost of taking another airline. So again, no hotel, and then the woman comes over the intercom: "The terminal is closed. You'll need to leave the terminal."

Air Tran was more than happy to rebook flights for us, of course. The earliest of which was leaving Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. So, we could stay in Milwaukee on our own dime for two days, but that was all they were giving us. They offered free snacks and tiny glasses of Diet Pepsi, but get the hell out of the terminal.

While all this was going on, they said we could get refunds, but we needed to do that in the terminal. Also, we needed to get our baggage, which was out in baggage claim. But, we wouldn't be able to get back in the terminal. So to review, Air Tran was screwing us with a smile. Some passengers realized this, so one guy gets up on a chair and says, "We have rights. Nobody is leaving the terminal. Everybody should come over here, we're going to caucus!" Come on people, let's caucus and send a message."

While all this was going on, and some passengers were trying their hands at giving power to the people, Cindi B was working her magic on the Internet. We found one-way tickets on United for $250 each that left that morning at 5 a.m. We flew from Milwaukee to Chicago -- about a 12 minute flight where you never get over 7,000 feet -- to Vegas to San Francisco. Our only solace? A $25 voucher for a future flight and a coupon for a free drink. About the only thing that kept me going was the Milwaukee scene from Wayne's World.

Band Member: Isn't Milwaukee an Indian name?
Alice Cooper: Yes, Pete, it is.