I dread traveling during the Christmas season. There’s always the threat of missing a connection or having a flight cancelled completely, leaving me stranded indefinitely. Add to that anger, frustration, and sheer confusion (not just my own but my fellow travelers’ as well), and travel becomes a thing to be resented and avoided at all costs.

This past holiday season lived up to the dreaded expectations I had pessimistically formed. My flight to LA was delayed ever-so-slightly, and I would have missed my connecting flight had it not also been held up. The 2 p.m. flight was delayed until 4 p.m. (not so bad), then until 7 p.m. (a little problematic) and then finally it fell off the departure screen entirely (expletives aplenty). Mechanical failure was the cause of the delays and eventual demise of the flight, and word-of-mouth spread quickly (as no official announcement was ever broadcast by the airlines). Scores of Chicago-bound passengers were now citizens of LAX until further notice.

To pass the time, I enjoyed a rousing game of “Who Helps Me First?” The rules are simple: stand in the customer service line while calling their 800 number. Whoever I reach first, wins. In this case, the phone rep won by a factor of a thousand. A pittance of a victory as the rescheduled flight was the following day. I still had to wait in line (for well over four hours) to receive my new boarding pass and, if the gods were merciful, a room for the night and maybe, just maybe, a credit for a meal.

In the end, I was stressed, fatigued, hungry, and downright resentful. But it was one of the best bad trips I’ve had in a while.

Why was it so good?

In spite of the tensions and frustrations inherent in a cancelled flight at Christmastime, people still came together. A family of four in the same stranded situation constantly approached me with the latest updates. When I thought I had rebooked myself on an acceptable series of connecting flights, they sought me out with news of a newly-opened direct flight and helped me secure a seat. Another victim pointed me to the correct line for customer service long before she got in line. The owners of the cutest Jack Russell terrier originally filled me in on the cancellation, and had I not heard them talking about it, I would have wasted time waiting at the gate, not knowing my flight had ceased to exist. Moods were tense, but we all knew we were going through the same thing.

Even the pain of enduring waiting in line for four and a half hours was assuaged by the people around me. Slowly I met the folks ahead of and behind me, and conversations slowly started. I met Theresa, a college student on her way to see family in Milwaukee. She gave me a recommendation for a good Lithuanian restaurant outside of Chicago. Eric, another college student, was en-route to Iowa with his grandmother. We would occasionally wave to her as she rested in a seat by a nearby gate. She smiled and waved back, not knowing who her grandson’s new friends were. Bob and Mary, and older couple, joined in our conversations of college experiences. Behind me, Emily from California and Susan traveling from Australia also chimed in. Even Jessie, a woman in her golden years, listened in and took delight in our humor. (Some names have been changed simply due to a forgetful author.)

Shared experiences

After a while, frustrations were vented, jokes were made, and information was shared. We speculated as to what prizes awaited us. Hotel? Food? A sucks-to-be-you attitude? We could only guess. As we got closer to the front of the line, the line moved more and more slowly, creating another source of humor and frustration. Something we could all share. And despite the wait, time still flew by faster than had we all kept to ourselves.

When we reached the front of the line, each of us was awarded with a hotel room for the night, a meager meal voucher, and a credit voucher towards a future flight. (Certainly those affected by weather-related delays didn’t fare as well.) And, of course, a boarding pass for the next day’s flight. As I left to catch the hotel shuttle, I wished those still in line good luck and happy holidays. Some waved and said thank you. A few, despite having an indefinite wait with no guarantee of a flight for days, even smiled.

Most of us ended up on the same shuttle, slap-happy and anxiously awaiting a soft bed, a warm shower, and something to eat. The next day, we all made it to our gate with plenty of time to spare–just in case. Fingers were crossed and prayers were made, and this time the flight left without incident. I was even fortunate enough to sit next to the Jack Russell owners, and despite the chaos, they were light-hearted and upbeat, and I refrained from my usual dozing off to enjoy snippets of conversation with them.

In the end, no last names were given, no phone numbers or e-mail addresses were swapped. We all went our separate ways once the plane reached the gate. And perhaps that’s how it should be. But despite the brief relationships I formed with these people, I won’t deny that they helped me endure the chaos and keep my sanity. And when I least expected it, they made me enjoy being stuck at an airport.

Most importantly, they helped me remain positive about traveling again this time next year.

So thanks to everyone who went out of their way to share information, stay positive, go on a food run, open up a little, or even just smile at LAX on December 20^th, 2008. You made my day.

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This article was written by Dave Prine

Dave Prine studied in Germany and fell in love with the people and languages of Europe. He's currently planning a round-the-world trip but keeps getting stuck on which direction to go. In the meantime, you can check out his travel blog and his language blog if you have any recommendations.