Stuck on the Plane

My daughter and I took our time this morning getting ready to go to the airport.  She wanted to eat at the little bistro at the front of the hotel, saying their chocolate muffin was delicious.   We had coffee, orange juice a banana and a muffin while we sat by the fire in the lobby.    Then we went back to pack up and head out.

We weren’t able to get seats on the plane due to over booking, but I wasn’t overly worried we’d get on the plane due to offered incentives.   I also wasn’t too worried we wouldn’t get seats together because usually people don’t want to sit beside a five-year-old without their mother.  (I would have been fine with someone else entertaining her for the flight and knowing her, she would have made a new best friend.)

We got to the gate with plenty of time to spare given the inbound plane was delayed and we had an extra forty-five minutes before boarding began.   We got those seat assignments (together) without even a question asked and when boarding began we got on the plane and settled in for the reasonably short flight home.

When we landed I texted my husband who said he was leaving the house as I sent the message.   I figured we’d get to the pickup area at about the same time.   It was then that the captain came on the speaker, telling us there was a problem.

The problem was the entire airport was out of power.   There was a regional outage (meaning larger than the airport).   The airport did have generator backup running, but it didn’t run everything and for good reason, power went first to things like the traffic control tower and other essentials.  

What was out of power for the time being was the gangway, which needed electricity to move from its parking location to connect with the side of our plane so we could disembark.   We were right there at the gate, but without power, we weren’t going home yet.  

Most of the passengers were understanding (because how can you get mad at the airline when there’s a power outage they have no control over) but some passengers weren’t so understanding.    I was just glad we were home, or almost home at least.

There was conversation between the pilot and the ground crew about getting a stairway up to the plane, but as there was no ground entrance for us into the terminal it wasn’t a straightforward solution.    In about twenty minutes they were able to divert power around and we were able to get into the terminal.

It was interesting what did have power when we got inside.  There was reasonable lighting and planes were still planning on boarding and departing from the lit monitors and announcements I heard.    The moving walkways and escalators didn’t work but that was just more walking for everyone.   From the looks on their faces I could tell there were serious problems for some passengers…the Starbucks concession didn’t have power.

The Big Boy Update:  My son was glad to see both my daughter and me when we returned home today.  He did a lot of hugging and smiling at us.   He was happy to see us, but it was clear he was trying to ingratiate himself with us so he could ask where his Lego Dimensions present was.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter and I were in the pool “at Detroit” as she calls it, going back and forth between the hot tub and main pool.   I like sitting in the hot tub because, well, it’s hot.   My daughter, not so much.   She told me, “I’m attracted to cold” and headed off to the main pool, which she decided was her house.