I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane...But Not Just Yet...

I thought this awesome Flash Mob video would be appropriate since it takes place in the setting of my story!

Once upon a time there was a college student named Amy. She was usually quite organized, but then came the fateful day of Nov. 27th...the day she was to fly back to Tacoma, WA after Thanksgiving break.

She managed to wake up at the butt-crack-of-dawn, rising at 5:15am. She got ready, packed the last of her belongings, said goodbye to the family pets, and waltzed merrily out the door with breakfast in hand. Little did she know she had absent-mindedly left her most important possession behind!

The 35 min. car ride to the airport came and went. She hopped out at the departures gate to unload her luggage and say her goodbyes, but then the moment of TERROR struck! "WHERE IS MY PURSE!?!" the frantic maiden exclaimed! It wasn't in the front, middle, or back seats! WHERE COULD IT BE!?! The purse contained her boarding pass, keys, money, and most importantly, her photo I.D. Without the last piece, she would not be able to fly! OH NO!

In a desperate attempt, Amy called her still-sleeping Uncle Rick at home to ask him if the purse was still at the house! It was. He found it exactly where she had left it...at the bottom of the stairs. Her family promptly departed from the airport, traveler and luggage still in tow, and they raced back home!

On the ride back home, Amy called Southwest (the best airline EVER) and explained her dilemma. The nice woman calmed her telling her not to fear! If Amy were to arrive at the airport within 2 hours of her missed flight, she'd be automatically bumped onto the next one, free of charge! HUZZAH! The young maiden's worries were over...or so she thought!

Upon pulling into her driveway, Amy ZIPPED into the house, snatched her purse, and jumped back in the car. They were off...again! Back to the airport they raced. It was currently 7:30am. The next plane left at 9:10am...WOULD THEY MAKE IT?

She finally jumped out at the departure gate (yet again) at 8am. Phew! She thought she'd make it! But it would still be a tight squeeze! Goodbyes were quickly said, and the young maiden hurried her little behind into the Southwest queue-line. But oh no! Right when she thought she was in the clear, she realized she only had 1 of her 2 bags! Why ever was she so forgetful this morning?

Amy hurriedly called her father to let him know the situation, but it went straight to his voicemail! But right then, the hero of the hour called back! Her father said, "You forgot the pink bag! I'm circling back around! Meet me outside!"

She leapt out of line, raced outside, and met her father. The bag was snatched, the father drove off, and the young maiden sprinted back inside...only to wait in line...AGAIN!

The service counter attendants were very nice and accommodating, but there was one minor problem. One of them was STILL IN TRAINING! By now, it was 8:15 and the young maiden was TERRIFIED that she would miss the 9:10 flight, forcing her to wait in the airport until 2pm! After what seemed like hours of waiting while the one clerk instructed the other of the proper protocol and which keys to press, the Southwest attendants got her the info she needed, checked her bags, and sent her on her way.

Like a bat out of hell, she sprinted through the airport, dodging any slow-poke in her way! People must have thought her a mad woman! She was pleasantly surprised when she arrived at security and was greeted with the shortest line she had ever encountered at that particular airport! TSA for the win!

She hurried through security, like a boss, ran into the ever-helpful Melanie and arranged a ride home from SeaTac, then promptly got to her gate to check in with the desk clerk. Three customers had missed their connecting flights on the 9:10am flight, so...She snagged a seat! HUZZAH!

In the end, the terrified young traveler got to her destination, and only 2 hours after originally planned! No extra money, no excessive time wasted in airports, but unfortunately an exorbitant amount of stress! All in all, things could have gone terribly wrong for Amy, yet she was lucky and blessed enough to fall into the right fortunes of that particular travel day.

And she lived happily ever after...well, maybe that will be true once finals are over! =)