I just got a chance to talk to my father. He was in London and was scheduled to fly back to the US – yup, the day they shut down the airports for the terrorist threats.
I was, to say the least, an eventful couple of days.
He was visiting, along with my mother, my brother, his wife, and their son, Justin. Justin was on a touring soccor team and my folks had gone to see him play.
The original flight time was around 2:00 pm London time. When they woke up in the morning and turned on the TV and heard the news. But they really had few options: the group was flying back together. So they got onto the bus to Heathrow.
It actually took them less time than usual to get to the airport: traffic was light, since everyone who could cancelled their reservation and no one was coming to pick anyone up. It was a mob scene once they got there, though – long lines everywhere. A half hour to check in. An hour or so to go through security. The plane delayed a couple of hours before they could board. Another delay after they boarded.
It was decently organized, considering. Stands were set up for refreshments right by the lines, so you didn’t have leave it to get a drink. Once you got past the security, there were enough places to sit, so that you could remain confortable. They also served a snack early, instead of waiting until the plane took off.
Security was strict getting on: the only things people could carry on were their wallets and passports.
The flight finally took off about four hours late. It actually was a relatively quick flight over the Atlantic.
But when they got to JFK . . . .
Thunderstorms were going through the area. The plane circled for awhile, but had to divert to Logan Airport in Boston.
(I was online around this time, trying to track the flight. It seemed odd to me that the plane was headed toward Boston, but the information seemed to indicate it had landed at JFK.)
They got into Logan around 11:30 (EDT). It was chaotic there, of course. The airline gave them hotel vouchers, but by that time, all the hotels were filled and the airport was breaking out the cots. They got cabs and found a hotel away from the airport.
The next morning, my brother and his family decided they had no intention of flying any further. He was able to get on Amtrak to New London, and take the ferry to Long Island (they live on the east end). My parents went back to the airport for the continuation of the flight.
Things were still confused at Logan. Luckily, they had set aside one ticket agent for those on that flight, so were able to avoid the long lines. Finally, they reached JFK around 12:30 today.
It was quite a couple of days for them.
