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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

By Anna Boris

We all know what a struggle it can be to make a plane at 9:30 a.m. in New Jersey, but this was no problem for the Boris family. When we arrived and to our surprise, we found out that our plane had been delayed until 3:50 p.m.. Five hours later, we found out that once again our flight had been delayed.

But surprise, surprise!  flight change was upon us. As a lightning storm came through with lots of thunder, the terminal we were waiting in lost power.

And yet again, our flight was delayed. Now after so many delays I did not think my luck could get much worse.

But believe me, it did.

Our plane, which was supposed to be in Newark, was in Cleveland (I know, Cleveland) and the flight was cancelled. The airline promised a flight in two days. However, that was not going to fly with us.

Immediately my dad disappeared for about two hours, apparently calling and negotiating with people to get us a flight. Luckily, he got one…in New York.

That was our one lucky break, if you wanna call that lucky. Nearly twelve hours since the beginning of our adventure, we traveled on the now dark roads to La Guardia, New York. So you would think that our bad luck was now out of the way, right?

Wrong.

We attempted to collect our bags, only to find out (from a rather grouchy woman) that our bags were en route to Honolulu, Hawaii. At least they would be soaking up the sun…or the rain… After a lovely conversation with this woman, she threatened to have my dad, along with the rest of us, escorted out of the airport by security.

After she suggested our departure from the building, we found a shuttle to New York. Unfortunately, it only brought us part of the way there, so we resorted to taking a train to La Guardia Airport.

Upon our arrival, we found that security was closed, and instead had to find a nice comfy chair to spend the night in. Or better yet, the floor. According to my sister Hailey, she has now stepped into the shoes of a hobo.

I decided to catch a few hours of shut-eye on the floor, when suddenly my dad came running over me, gesturing for me to get up. A rat, that’s right, a rat, had just run by where I had previously been dozing.

We were now up (thanks to me) at four a.m. to check in, only to find our flight had been delayed yet again. Big surprise there. After an hour of waiting in line we managed to get another flight.

We ended up flying to Chicago and sprinting to get to our gate at the opposite terminal to catch our Honolulu flight. At last I could rest in the fact that soon I would be enjoying pineapples and coconuts, and swimming with dolphins rather than sleeping with rats.

Although the holidays are a great time for traveling, it does not always run as smoothly as you hope it will.

Airports can be a hassle with all the flights, luggage, and delays. Oh my! But in the end, it will work out and you can focus on enjoying the time spent with your family, just as I was able to do.