A couple of weeks ago, I embarked on my journey up north to my hometown in Pennsylvania. I scheduled my flight in September, got a great a price, and was set to go for my travel date in November. I had been away at college in Florida from the beginning of August until late November, and I was ecstatic to finally being going home. Everything was going according to plan. I arrived at the airport, checked my bags, and made it through security in record time. I took my seat at my gate and waited patiently as I still had about an hour until we would start boarding. My flight was scheduled to leave at 3:50pm.

3:06pm- My boyfriend gives me a call, and I am on the phone with him when the first announcement is made. My flight has just been delayed until 5:00pm. All I can think about is how upset I am and annoyed by everyone's grumbling. People get kinda ridiculous when their flight is delayed. Everyone started swarming the desk and complaining to the workers, and all I could think was, dang, I would hate to work for an airline, especially when something goes wrong, because no matter what you say the passenger will never be happy.

3:24pm- A second announcement comes on loudspeaker stating that the flight has now been delayed until 7:10pm. Well now everyone was in an uproar. Passengers were furious. Me, I was just sad. I had been looking forward to going home for so long, and now I was put in a pretty rotten situation. Stuck in the airport for three more hours, at least. My next thought that came to mind was, Great. Now I am going to probably have to buy dinner, which is going to cost at least $15.00. But it's only three hours, I can wait it out.

5:26pm- Another delay. I receive notification that the plane will not arrive until 8:15pm. At this point, everyone has accepted the fact that they are not arriving on schedule and just sort of heavily sigh to themselves. Emotions rising even more, I call my boyfriend to tell him that I won't be arriving until much later than originally anticipated. Feeling sad because I was so excited to see him, but now the reunion kept getting pushed back more and more. Of course I had to come to terms with the new delay and I told myself you have no choice, you need to go get food.

6:53pm- I reluctantly purchased a Quizno's sub, drink, and chips for a grand total of, yes, $15.00. Ridiculous.. Nevertheless, I ate my meal in peace at a work station while I opened up Netflix to enjoy an episode of One Tree Hill. I naively thought, Ok, this isn't so bad. I will be out of here in no time!

7:24pm- No plane until 8:45pm. Now I was irritable. Trying to rationalize the situation I thought, This is all happening because I didn't have any cash to tip the man who helped check my luggage, isn't it?

7:58pm- New departure time was changed once again to 9:15pm. There were no thoughts, just sheer and utter disappointment. I just want to go home. Why is this taking so long.

8:23pm- It is announced that the plane would not depart until 9:50pm. *bangs head onto desk at work station*

9:07pm- The plane finally arrived at our gate! In my head I began to sing, Haaaaaaaal-leeeee-lu-jah! Haaaaaal-leeee-lu-jah! Hallelujah!

9:35pm- I was officially on the plane ready to go. I was in boarding group A, stored my carry-on, and took my seat by the window eight rows back. I breathed a big sigh of relief, and I closed my eyes and smiled. Finally.

11:42pm- TOUCHDOWN!

Now I can hardly say that this is the worst thing to ever happen to me. It was just bad timing and disappointing to be stuck in the airport for so long knowing I could be with my family and boyfriend instead. However, when the plane landed in Baltimore, the flight attendant said something very important, "I apologize for the delay. But, let's be thankful that we have arrived safely and be very fortunate to be here and well." So, if you ever experience a flight delay, just remember that it's not the end of the world. Yes, it is very inconvenient and no one wishes to be trapped in the airport, but be glad that when the plane arrives, you board, and land, that you are safe, alive, and well. It's also comforting to know that your next flight will be less expensive as you will be compensated for the delay and inconvience. In a way, it is a win-win, right?