A small pool of hydraulic fluid appeared and then began to
grow beneath the big blue port side engine of our Airbus A320(SR)
. A mechanic
came. Our departure time came. And went.
From my window seat in row seven overlooking the leaking
engine, I watched as first the left engine cowling was propped up and then the
right engine cowling was propped up while the corners of the mechanic's mouth
went down. The long and short of it was that we had a failed hydraulic hose
which meant the aircraft was grounded until the hose or the aircraft could be
replaced. A replacement hose was offered to us through the good graces of Air
Canada. However, as is the Canadian way, eh, they took their own sweet time
about it.
We all deplaned rather than sit on the aircraft. That was a
good thing because our 45 minute delay became an over three hour ordeal.
Receiving from Delta free donuts and muffins (Tim Horton, of
course) and coffee and Pepsi products in the boarding lounge mollified us, at
least a bit. The Pepsi products gift was remarkable as Delta is and has always
been a 100% exclusive Coca-Cola account. The Vancouver airport, however, is a
100% exclusive Pepsi-Cola account. So, for the first time in my more than one
million miles on Delta, they served me a Diet Pepsi. Sweet.
At 4:00pm, with all our connections well and truly blown, we
finally bade Vancouver adieu and began our flight to Minneapolis. The engine
did not fail. One of the flight attendants announced that we would all be
receiving a $100 voucher for use on a future Delta flight and that sandwiches
could be purchased on this flight for those who were still hungry. Rooms would
be provided for us in Minneapolis. Dinner vouchers would be printed for those still
hungry upon arrival. So, the sleeping room and dinner would be free but the
sandwiches we had to pay for.
This flight contains mostly older people, many quite tired
from their cruises. When we boarded the first time, about ten of them opted for
early boarding "for those who may need a little extra time getting down the
jetway." On our second boarding, the infirm grew to at least thirty.
We were sincerely apologized to approximately seventy-five
times.
Having nothing pressing to get home to, I am oddly taking
all of this in stride. The Marriott still has my car. The condo is empty. And, Netflix and my DVR will save my missed
television entertainment for eighteen additional hours. I am told I have a seat
on Delta’s 10:10am flight to Kansas City tomorrow morning.
Of note is that when we initially boarded our flight, the
middle seat next to my window seat was occupied by a finely suited young man
whom I estimated to be an investment banker. With an interesting accent, he told
me his destination was New York. He remarked to me that he was going to be in
trouble if he didn’t get home tonight as this was his tenth wedding
anniversary. When we re-boarded, his seat sat empty.
Profoundly, no one is discussing it but I and all the others
are well and truly thankful that this occurred on the way home from the cruise
rather than the other way round. Radiance would have sailed without us. Where
and how we would have caught up with her is anybody’s guess. Juneau, perhaps?
That, I would not have taken in stride.
So, here I sit at the Doubletree bar, eating a caesar salad and drinking a vodka tonic. I need to be up in seven hours to get back to the airport so I can get home.
Drip, Drip, Drip
Friday, September 06, 2013
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Minnesota, United States
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