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View Full Version : Trip report - PHL to FLL and back again


smokycmt
04-21-2005, 03:37 PM
My flight to FLL was scheduled for 10:20 am on 4/12. Just a few days prior I found out I am pregnant and quit smoking immediately so, needless to say, I was a bitch on wheels between not smoking and my preflight anxiety! HA. God love my husband.

I posted on here a few times before my flight...the anticipatory anxiety was just hell this time around...what else is new though. I woke up the morning of the flight feeling pretty good. I left enough time to have a bite to eat and get to the airport. Philly traffic is such a pain in the patoot and I ended up circling the airport 3 times for parking :fuming: All I really wanted was a cigarette, but alas, a piece of gum had to satisfy me. As I walked through the terminal it was eerily quiet and there was no line for security. I thought maybe the airport had closed and no one told me. I met up with my boss and we went to the gate...sat for a few minutes when all of a sudden the stupid fire alarm goes off and everyone jumps out of their seat to the nearest exit. I almost peed myself b/c it startled me. We ended up not having to go anywhere and boarded the plane within minutes after that happened. I was on a 757-200, big bird, old and rickity but okay. I had a window seat and no one was beside me which was great. I was completely relaxed the entire time with the help of deep breathing and my music. We landed pretty much on time and the flight was rather smooth, only a few annoying bumps here and there.

The flight home was a different story. I was really nervous for some reason that I cannot pinpoint. FLL airport was a zoo and all of the animals were waiting to board our flight to PHL...I swear. They packed us in like sardines. I had a window seat again, the middle was empty and some nice guy was on the aisle. I thought i had escaped a seat mate when low and behold this guy comes bounding down the aisle into the seat beside me. My pregnancy hormones must have kicked into high gear b/c I was mad at him the entire time. I got even more irritated after i snoped at his boarding pass and saw he was supposed to be seated in seat 26E, not 26B. He must have seen the 2 big guys across the way and decided to plop down next to me. He shoke his legs the entire time and I was staring at him while he slept hoping he would wake up and see how annoyed I was....:eek:

The entire flight I was in and out of panic mode but muddled my way through. I just wanted to get home. We landed late, of course that is how Philly works and then I proceeded to sit in Friday rush hour traffic...the horror. All in all, I think I did pretty well.

I figure if I could fly in a plane with minimal people, in first class or a private jet I would be all set....I guess I'll keep dreaming.

aerobat
04-21-2005, 05:56 PM
Hey, Chris,

I will second those congratulations!!! :cheers:
Recovery is not a straight line...it's a winding path that sometimes seems to double back on itself. Sometimes all it takes is some irritant like the bloke in the middle seat to destabilize us, because when we're first finding stability we are in a precarious transition. It's clear from your flight to FLL (and how you felt that morning) that you are making real progress! Trust that, and just put up with the annoyances...you will become less sensitive to those with more practice.

Good going, you! On all fronts!

Barb

WillFlyToDisney
04-21-2005, 09:02 PM
Smoky,

GREAT JOB! I would be annoyed too - there is nothing worse than having to endure a flight with some moron beside you (the absolute worst ones are the stinky ones that spill over into your seat!!!).

Congrats on the pregnancy and KUDOS to you for stopping smoking!!!

Kelley