Amazed!!!

Oct. 9, 2008

Traveling miracles

Posted in Travels
Our flight to NYC was quite disastrous at first.  We had to use a specific airline because we had credit with them.  The departing city was not our city, but a city about 100 miles south.  And we had a very bad experience with the airport in this city the last time we were there (waited in the security line for well over 45 min.) so we decided to leave very early. 

Turns out the airport must have fixed it's security line problem because we managed to arrive, check in, and get through security in 30 min.  So we had over 2 full hours to wait until our scheduled flight.  No biggie, we thought.  Then we find out that there is a huge storm in our connecting city.  First we're told that we would still catch our connecting flight, since all flights out of that airport were delayed.  Two hours later, we are told that we would not make our connecting filght, and that in fact, they could not fly us out until tomorrow morning!

That was not acceptable--our tickets for the US Open were for tomorrow morning.  We would essentially miss all of the first day.  After a lot of talking and fussing with the agent, we finally get a later flight to the connecting city.  We were going to just fly up there first, stay with a friend, and then catch the first flight out to Newark instead of LaGuardia, our original arrival airport. 

We would still miss the morning matches but at least we could maybe catch some afternoon ones.  This was the best we were going to be able to do.  Our bags were checked to LaGuardia, so we would have to figure out a way to get to LGA from EWR, no easy feat. 

We had to wait another hour and a half before going to our new flight, making it 6 hours that we've been at the airport.  During this time, I cancel our reservation at our NYC hotel for tonight, while F makes plans with our friend in the connecting city.  Finally we get on the plane and arrive at the connecting city.

As we are getting out of the gate, I heard an agent at the gate across the hallway announce, "final boarding call to LaGuardia".  It's for the same airline, going to NYC LaGuardia.  As we walked away, headed for the airport exit where our friend was going to pick us up, I said, half joking to F, "I should try to see if we can get on that flight."

Then I stopped and said, "hey--we should try to get on that flight!"  F agreed, so I went to the desk near the gate and asked.  I told the agent that I knew it was a long shot--after all, there were 6 of us.  She looked at our family and said, "wait."  Well--that was a lot better than "no", so we waited. 

We waited for 25 minutes while she makes more "final boarding" calls, and during this time, she lets on 3 stand by passengers who were there before us.  She continued playing with the computer, making more "final boarding" calls, and then said, "okay--I have 6 seats for you, hurry, get on."  WOW!

While we're getting settled, I called the hotel again to reinstate our original reservation, all the time wondering where we would stay if our reservation was gone.  The line was cut off while I was put on hold.  We were ready to take off so I couldn't call back.  So the whole flight, I worried about where we would stay--getting a hotel room in NYC with a reservation is expensive enough.  How much worse would it be to get a last minute room?

But God pulled through for us again.  At midnight, over 15 hours after we had left our house, we arrived at LGA with our bags and our hotel room waiting for us.  How amazing was that?!  We even found a Chinese restaurant that delivered delicious food to our room at 2AM. 

We've had some crazy traveling/airport stories, but this was one of the best.  For me, it is yet another reminder that:  1)  we are never in control--He always is;  2)  He works things out even better than we thought we could, and 3)  His timing is always perfect.  After all, the agent across the hall was just announcing one of her many final boarding calls to NYC LGA just as we were walking out of our gate.  A minute sooner or later and we would have missed her announcement and gone right out of the airport.  And really--how likely is it to find 6 empty seats on a plane where there were numerous delays departing from that city and everyone is trying to get out???   I had already accepted the fact that we were going to spend the night in the connecting city and miss most of our first day at the US Open.  What a blessing to be given back that day. 

Our trip turned out to be a lot of fun!  And our flight back home was mercifully uneventful.  Thanks again, God!

Praising His name,
A.H.
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