I sat on the runway in Lexington for about 2 hours because … well, it’s convoluted.

First of all, a small and relatively insignificant part failed. It’s the little motor that starts the jet engines. Sort of a starter motor. Which is ok, because the engine was already started, and that’s the only time that it’s ever used. But they had to have some paperwork to let them go ahead and take off with that part faulty. So we sat and sat and sat, until they had the necessary paperwork.

2 hours.

I would have thought that, seeing as we’re in the information age and all, it would be possible to get that kind of approval in under 2 hours. But apparently it’s way way more complicated than I can possibly comprehend.

I arrived at A15, and ran all the way down to E2, at the extreme opposite end of the airport. (Well, I took the train for most of that way, but ran down the various terminals.) my flight was to leave Atlanta at 7:04pm, and I arrived at the gate at about 7:06pm, to be told that the plane had just left. I was booked on the next flight to San Diego, which was, predictably, leaving from A19.

Well, that flight was *completely* full, and I was on standby. At the very last possible minute, they called my name, I ran down the boarding hallway, and got in a seat. About 3 minutes later, the gate agent comes back on the plane and says, no, they’ve changed their mind, someone else has checked in, and I’ve lost my seat. So I had to get up and get back off of the plane.

So close.

So here I am at the Crowne Plaza, waiting for my dinner. I hope it’s good. I’m famished. And in the morning I will go the rest of the way to San Diego. Hopefully.

Why is it, do you suppose, that every time I fly through Atlanta, my flight has the gate changed, is delayed in some fashion, and/or is overbooked?

I am *so* glad I don’t have to go anywhere for a while.