Several years ago, I
took a wonderful vacation to Italy. Relaxed, rested and inspired by the
wonderful country, it's people, art and food, after three weeks it was sadly time
to return home. I went to Da Vinci airport in Rome for my flight. Since I had
mileage, I was lucky enough to be seated in first class. Nice way to travel. There
was a very pleasant young man in the seat adjacent to mine and we enjoyed
chatting over cocktails that the flight attendant served. Free in first class.
Nice touch. But then, considering the cost of a first-class ticket, drinks
should be free.
However, after about
two hours, it seemed we would never leave - and we never did. The captain
finally announced that there was a problem with the plane and we would have to
debark. The reason for the aborted flight was that on the flight to Rome from
Newark, New Jersey, the plane was struck by lightning and it blew out the communication
system. Oops.
We were all led to
little buses that took us to a motel in Ostia Antica - about 10 minutes from the airport. The
accommodations are okay but the food was terrible. Who said you couldn't get a
bad meal in Italy? We all made new acquaintances over drinks as we patiently
waited to leave the next morning when the buses were scheduled to pick us up
and escort us to the airport. I think fellow travelers were becoming a little
testy when it was announced that although the airline had flown a new
communication system to Da Vinci, the mechanics were unable to install it. Tempers
started running very high and people started beckoning there inner a bitch as
we were told that the plane would not take off and we had to return to the
motel till the next day. Bummer.
Off I went with
dozens of others and spent the day doing nothing. We ate the bad food, drank
less than terrific wine and chatted. The next morning, day three, we returned
once again to the airport. By then the security guards (gorgeous young men in designer
uniforms) all knew us and welcomed us back with big smiles. They never even
checked our carry-ons or passports. We boarded the plane and amazingly enough.
it took off. Amusingly, a plane arrived from Newark in the event they never
fixed the communication system. That one flew back to the states three quarters
empty. Continental could have done that in the first place, don’t you think?
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