Okay, so I remember this one time, really clearly. I was all hyped up, you know? Had tickets to see the 49ers play. It was a big game, one I’d been looking forward to for months.
Packed my bags, got my jersey ready. Headed to the airport feeling pretty good. Got through security, grabbed a coffee, feeling that pre-game buzz already, even though I was miles away.
Then I looked up at the departure board. And there it was. My flight? DELAYED. Not just a little delay, like 30 minutes. Nah, this was one of those ‘indefinite’ delays at first. Man, my heart just sank. All I could think about was missing kickoff.
So, the waiting game started. First, they said maybe an hour. Okay, I thought, I can handle that. Still tight, but maybe doable. Then another hour got tacked on. Then another. The gate agents? They didn’t know much, or weren’t saying much. Just the usual “we’re working on it” stuff. It was so frustrating.
What I tried during the wait:
- Called the airline customer service – got put on hold forever.
- Checked flight tracking apps like crazy – they just showed ‘delayed’.
- Tried looking for other flights – everything was either full or ridiculously expensive.
- Just sat there, pacing, watching the clock tick.
Hours went by. I saw other people getting stressed too. Some folks were yelling, others just looked defeated. I was somewhere in between, mostly just anxious. Kept picturing the game starting without me. Would I even make it to the city that night?
Eventually, like, five hours later, we finally boarded. Five hours! The flight itself was fine, but the whole time I was just doing the math in my head. Landing time, getting out of the airport, travel to the stadium… was it even possible?
Landed, ran off the plane, grabbed the first taxi I could. Told the driver, “Step on it! Trying to catch the Niners game!” He did his best, weaving through traffic.
Got to the stadium… late. Missed the entire first quarter. Missed the kickoff, the opening drives, everything. Walked in, found my seat, and the vibe was already going strong, but man, that initial excitement I had? It was kinda dampened, you know? Soured by the whole airport ordeal.
Yeah, I still saw most of the game, and the Niners played alright. But that whole experience, that delay… it just stuck with me. It wasn’t the awesome trip I planned. Just goes to show, sometimes things are totally out of your control. Still love the Niners, but man, I really hate airport delays.