Cleveland airport and the fiasco that awaited ME

So the day before I left, Saturday August 4^th, was a busy one. Woke up early, finished packing, printed tons of necessary documents, went to the store said my good-byes loaded up, and was off to the airport. Not too bad all in all. Got to the airport and to the ladies at check-in I must have been invisible—they talked with each other and to another man in line as I went through all the motions. Someone else even had to come over to mark and move my bags but really nothing to get too upset about. I had the greatest hugs from my grandma and tried not to cry as I walked away, excited but nervous.  Went right through security, no one was there. The TSA guy told me a day and 2 years before my birth date he was in Germany (my destination). He saw the Berlin wall fall. Went through god awful security, taking off my shoes and standing with my hands like a moose in that retched machine. Got my stuff and watched my grandma watch me until she saw me no more and she walked away, off to grapy and dinner. I walked on toward my gate, seeing the coolest thing presented my Akron’s Children Hospital and proceed to take a video off it which I will attempted to attach to this post. And then the fun really started. Got to my gate, sat down  and then noticed all the other flights out of that gate were on time. BUT MINE! I got up walked to the United Counter which directed me to customer service. Once there I passed over my boarding pass and listened to the 3 guys talk to the lady at the counter over. After forever, more like ten minutes in the real world, the lady said that I would be getting to Austria a day late. Devastating blow. She kept looking as I insisted I needed to be there tomorrow (Sunday). After about five more minutes she said that was the best she could do. I said that I had to be there tomorrow, asking how her airline was going to compensate me for the inconvenience. Following a few more words she said that I could wait and speak with the manager, the lady at the next counter over who, at this point, see a whole lot more competent. So I waited. About five minutes and she waved me over. I told her it didn’t matter if I flew into Vienna or any of the surrounding countries I just had to get there. All this because of some stupid lighting in the plains. She looked FOREVER, checking every possibility… Canadian air, Air Australia and all the regulars.    Finally, she says your best bet is to take to delay and try to make my 10:10 out of  DULLES to Frankfurt, she would try to get me a shuttle for plane to plane because the delay would put me landing just minutes before the next plane was due to leave. A glimmer of hope. I said I’ll take any chance I get and if not she said she’d get me a hotel for the night. So I go sit down to wait again. Calling grandma multiple times and Hector to complain all in between. Then a ring, the lady’s phone (who’s name is Antoinette if anyone was wondering), a shake of the head, hand through the hair, this doesn’t look good. She calls me over, my flight was delayed even further, basically no chance for me to catch my connection. They start printing vouchers for a hotel and meals. Aww drat. Well the upside I get to stay at a Hampton for free, and if by some miracle my connection is delayed, I can still leave on the last plane to Frankfurt tonight. So now I sit in the airport waiting for a cursed, doomed plane. Who knows what will happen. To be continued.

Note to self: I hate united… scratch that… I hate weather…. Scratch that… book great gaps between connections. ;)