Originally Posted by alanw

Jan 2002, I was on a UA flight BOS-IAD to connect to an AS transcon back to SEA. I had three hours to wait in IAD, and had been travelling for about two weeks. I was out of clean clothes, coming down with a cold, and loaded down with a briefcase that contained TWO laptops and a projector, plus a heavy wool overcoat. Large rollaboard was checked through to SEA even though there were two seperate (E) tickets. I was very, very cranky.

We sat on the ground in BOS for three hours, no explanataion other than "mechanicl problem". I several times explained to FAs that I had a connecting flight in IAD and could they please try to help make sure I was able to get home? They showed a bit of concern but basically said, "you'll be fine, don't worry."

I ran off the plane when we got to IAD and ran as fast as I could to the AS flight's gate. This was a long distance, through the bloody pods twice, and arrived completely out of breath just as the AS flight had closed and the plane was backing away from the jetway. "PLEASE!" I bellowed at the person on the other side of the door. They just shook their head and gave me a "you shoulda been here" look.

I let loose with an F-word that I'm certain was heard throughout the concourse and flung my overloaded briefcase at the door with all my might. The sound of two laptop screens shattering, their chassis twisting, is not pleasant. Within 30 seconds, THREE IAD cops had surrounded me. To their credit they were polite and just wanted to make sure I wasn't a danger to myself or anyone else. Once they determined I wasn't, they wandered off, leaving me sitting in the middle of the departure area.

FWIW, the AS flight was an e-ticket and since they had closed the flight they also sent all their ticket agents home. UA told me if I had a paper ticket they would put me on one of their flights via ORD that night but with an e-ticket, I was SOL. Despite the valiant efforts of some NW agents who tried to fake-print me a ticket as a NW codeshare on the same flight (didn't work) I spent another 24 hours in IAD, another night at the dreary airport Hilton, and caught the next as flight back the following day at 5:30 PM.