Friday

I knew the travel day wouldn't go as planned as soon as TSA in Bellingham confiscated the overnight oats I had prepped for breakfast. Perhaps it was because they had only been in the fridge for three hours and hadn't fully reached an oatmeal-like consistency, but who knows? I could have gone back out of security and eaten it, but at 4:30 am, I just wasn't ready to eat! Of course, they gave me the option of checking it in my luggage, but I didn't have any. So, I had to watch them throw my food in the garbage.

The flight to Seattle was quick and uneventful. Upon arrival at Sea-Tac airport, I was hungry. I took the train to the beautifully renovated N gates, where I found a sweet spot by the window. Many people were in the airport, which amazed me, especially so early in the morning. I wrote last week's newsletter, drank a delicious Americano, and watched the comings and goings of airline traffic.

In our house, we are fans of the Kara and Nate YouTube channel and have been watching them for at least four years. In their videos, they give flight attendants a gift, usually a box of chocolates, whenever they board an airplane. On a whim, I bought a bag of candy treats from an airport store to give to the flight attendants on my upcoming flight. I wrote a little "thank you" message on the bag of goodies with the blue permanent marker I always carry with me.

Boarding had started and I felt a little nervous about giving something to the flight attendants. As I got on the plane, I gave the treats to the flight attendants who were greeting passengers. Almost immediately, they exclaimed, "Wow! Thank you so much! What is your name? What is your seat number?" I overheard them chatting as I walked to my seat, "How nice! These are some of my favorite kinds of candy..."

If I had been feeling down, this experience would have certainly put me in a good mood! So, I recommend bringing a box of chocolates or sweet treats for the flight attendants on your next flight. It will definitely bring a little joy to their day (and yours!).

After finding my window seat, I evaluated my seatmates to see if they were the type to engage in conversation or not. I’m currently reading Malcolm Gladwell's book "Talking to Strangers," and if you haven't guessed by now, I am one of those people who talks to strangers. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, I do a brief intake to see if my conversation will be well-received. It turned out that I was sitting next to a couple from Eugene, Oregon, who were traveling to Nashville for business. They were fantastic people to sit next to, even graciously letting me get out to go to the bathroom twice! 😂

The flight took off smoothly, but during our descent into Nashville, the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker:

In case you haven't noticed, we have climbed back up to cruising altitude. Due to high winds in Nashville, air traffic control has asked us to circle the Nashville airport for 1.5 hours. However, we do not have enough fuel to do that, so we will be diverting to New Orleans to refuel before continuing on to Nashville.

As I sat in my seat, I remained hopeful that I would make it to the opening plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) conference. No worries.

The sun greeted us in New Orleans, which was a welcome change from the dreary, cloudy days of Washington. While looking out my window seat, I observed the fuel truck connecting the hose to the wing. Once the fueling was complete, the pilot informed us that we would have to remain on the ground in New Orleans until we received word from Nashville that a landing spot was available. The delay was due to ongoing tornado warnings and high winds.

Several passengers deplaned to stretch their legs in the jetway.

I decided to remain in my seat and was relieved when the other passengers started returning to theirs. The captain announced that it was time to head to Nashville, and I knew I would make it to the conference in time!

The flight attendants gave another safety briefing, and then we waited patiently for takeoff.

I looked outside and saw someone bring the blocks out and put them in front of the airplane tires.

Then I watched as a baggage cart was wheeled around and the baggage ramp was moved toward the plane.

And then the words no one wants to hear when you are on a flight and have a destination that needs to be reached that day…

This is the captain. The pilots and crew have timed out. The flight to Nashville is cancelled. Please exit the plane and proceed to the gate agent who will be able to help.

BAM. That solidified it. I was going to miss the first night and at least Saturday morning sessions of the conference. Bummer.

Everyone gathered their stuff and people were immediately on their phones calling Alaska Air customer service and wondering what was going to happen now.

I came out of the jetway and saw a long line of passengers waiting to talk with the two gate agents.

Geez. This is going to take a LONG time.

About three minutes later, I heard people saying, check your email.

Sure enough, there was an email from Alaska Airlines, letting us know they were sorry for the change in flight. Included in the email was a link to pick your hotel and meal vouchers. Within seconds the vibe of the section of the airport we were in changed. A little bit of frustration, but for the most part, people were chill. Everything was going to be okay. The flight was to be rescheduled for the next morning at 9 am.

I was so impressed by the way Alaska Airlines handled this situation. Millions of hats off to them for having solutions to issues like this setup and ready to deploy!

Quite a few of us checked in to the airport Hilton, and soon after, overran the hotel restaurant who was obviously not staffed for having so many new customers all at once! I ate dinner with some nice women from the flight who called Nashville home.

Saturday

Saturday was an early, but very relaxing morning, getting to the airport with enough time to use up the meal vouchers that we were given the night before. As a souvenir for being in New Orleans, I purchased a can of Cafe du Monde coffee ☕️ and some fresh beignets (they have a shop at the airport!).

The plane that we had gotten off of the night before pulled up to the gate and we greeted the same flight attendants (sans a treat this time).

I chose the aisle seat for this short flight and found myself sitting next to two people traveling for work to Nashville. As it turned out, they were from a marketing and branding firm in Seattle, and one of them was a former employee of Starbucks. We talked throughout the flight after I asked them for one piece of advice they would give to someone starting out in their entrepreneurial marketing and branding journey.

We arrived smoothly in Nashville - with most of the passengers clapping as we touched down.

After taking an Uber with a driver who let me know how he felt about politics and politicians (I did not mention that I was going to an event organized by the Clinton Global Initiative!), I arrived late to the conference.

Or maybe, was I right on time? I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. The people I met and the conversations I had during the whole canceled flight ordeal were terrific. They were interested in my projects and wondered how and when they would be able to tour Benin. I received advice and was able to practice my pitch about what we are trying to create.

So here is to taking advantage of those situations that are unexpected, talking to strangers, and to Alaska Airlines for having handled a difficult situation with ease.

None of this would have happened if everything would have gone according to plan.

Stay tuned until next week when I will take a deep dive into CGI U and my experience. Until then, I leave you with a replay of the first session that I attended.

Have a wonderful week…

Stay well and smile often!

Debra

PS…Shoutout to one of my reader’s for sending me coffee last week!

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