When I was waiting at the Fresno airport, I checked flights from Denver to Indianapolis on my phone and saw a nonstop flight from Denver to Indy which left ten minutes after my connection to Chicago. Sensing an opportunity to eliminate the Chicago leg, as soon as I landed in Denver I asked a nearby gate agent, who referred me to United customer service. Arriving at customer service and seeing several people lined up for the single agent, I gave up on the idea due to the short timeline and went to the gate agent for the Indy flight. He thought he could switch me over, but he'd first have to remove me from the Chicago flight before adding me to the Indy flight. Shortly after removing me from the Chicago flight, he found out that he couldn't make the change after all since my ticket originated from a different airline. Now out of time and no longer having a valid boarding pass, I began running to the gate for the Chicago flight.

Side note: Mile-high Denver is not the best place for people to run through the airport due to the elevation and associated thinner air.

Arriving at the Chicago gate, the boarding area was empty and I was notified that the best they could do was put me on standby while they counted available seats. They came up with three available seats... and there were four people on standby. Fortunately for me, my ticket had a "distressed traveler" code printed on it, so I was suddenly #1 on the standby list and was given a seat. As I walked down the jetway, I saw a large pile of gate-checked luggage. Due to my late arrival, there was no room for my rollerboard suitcase in the overhead bins, so it was tagged and sent to the baggage hold.

Now baggage-less except for my laptop bag, I was off to Chicago.

And ninety minutes after arriving in Chicago, I was off to Indy.

Surprisingly, my bag was one of the first ones on the luggage carousel and I made it to the parking shuttle bus just before it pulled away.

Then to top off my day, traffic was beyond dreadful all the way home.

Travel is an adventure.

You dropped your clue pack! They're never going to let you check in without it!

a non elimination leg!

And all I was trying to do was get a few hours of my life back.

Side note: Mile-high Denver is not the best place for people to run through the airport due to the elevation and associated thinner air.

Thank - you! I had to try and make a connecting flight which was hopeless to begin with because of an almost 2 hour delay in Vegas. After running a few blocks, I thought I was going to have a heart attack and was shocked I was that out of shape. Now I can blame the altitude.

I did an O.J. one time while in Houston. I discovered upon arriving at terminal D that my next flight was over in terminal C, and that I only had 15 minutes to check in. I asked the lady at the help desk for directions and she pointed the way on a map, and I asked her if it was far and if I would have time. She said, "Well, you'd better run NOW." I barely made it on time and was sweating like the dickens by the time I got into my seat, still gasping from the lack of air and the heat out there.

I did one of those in Miami after having had the misfortune to be stuck with a coworker who was more occupied with flirting with a waiter than getting to the airport in a timely manner.

Karma is lovely, though. When we got to the gate they'd already released our seats. I got on, she didn't.

I'm pretty shocked that your bag made it. Denver is so big inefficient forthcoming that they actually tell you that if you don't check your bag 50 minutes before your flight, that it's not getting on the plane. *

(many a bag from Denver had to be delivered to my office back in the day since I often changed flights or didn't make the 50 minute cutoff...)

* at least there used to be signs to that effect at curbside check-in. It's been a while.

Good things about today - I flew on Air Canada today and it was lovely. My Nexus Pass was especially wonderful to get through Customs and security.

Bad things about today - I met with Canada Customs about some work related things and they have a laundry list of things that I have to provide them in about a week. I just smiled and said sure, my group can put in 120 hrs in 3 days to get you what you need. Then I realized that 3 of my best folks are out for the next week. I love regulations.

Eyes of March by Agman