Max Andersson is a construction engineering with his own construction enterprise. His business has taken him to travel back and forth between states for the last two years. His life is a havoc with flights and luggage now and them. Needless to say, it has been hard for his family too.
He still remembers that day.
Max rushed to the airport forgetting that it was Thanksgiving eve and the chaos that it meant. The heavy traffic to get into the airport took him by surprise. Finally, the driver left him at the principal entrance. He took the luggage and ran inside.
***
In November 14th, the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) gave the fowling news:
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2018 — Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today projected that a record 30.6 million passengers will travel on U.S. airlines during the 12-day Thanksgiving air travel period, up from an estimated 29 million passengers during the 2017 travel period…
***
Max tried to go straight to the desktop but couldn´t pass through the mass of people inside. He had to check-in the luggage full of family´s presents. The other luggage (the carry-on with his laptop, antiallergics, teardrops, mints, mobile, newspapers and so on) would stay with him. After an interminable line, he got his luggage checked and went running to the security line.
Because of his constant fly trips, a few years ago, Max rolled in the TSA PreCheck programme, through the internet. A smart way to travel that save time on airports´ security lines.
Without delay, Max went straight to the much faster PreCheck security line. He was not required to remove his belt or his shoes, and his bag wasn’t searched through. But understand, it was Thanksgiving eve and it was a big security line nonetheless.
Next, he ran to the gate. Barely made it into the plane.
***
November 14th, the Air Transport Association of America (ATA):
…The forecast translates to an estimated 2.55 million passengers per day, up 137,000 per day from a year ago. Airlines are accommodating this increase in demand by adding 158,000 more seats in the marketplace each day, with a total of 2.94 million seats available to flyers every day…
***
Max couldn’t get into a first class seat. Unexpected meetings and do project’s dates kept changing the date and time of the flight. In the end, his assistant just booked him on an economy class seat.
After so much running, Max thought that the worst was over. He couldn’t be more wrong.
The plane was jam-packed.
He walked through a very busy airplane with lots of families and children finding their seats, fly attendants shouting instructions and youth with huge backpacks bumping into everyone and everything. Finally, he got into his seat and fasted his seat belt. A relieve sensation won him over. He breathed.
Suddenly, his mobile started receiving messages that the climate was changing fast and not for the better. So, there was the possibility that the flight could be canceled. Max´s senses of alarm went off. He couldn’t face going back to an airport busted with people, and them, try to get a seat on another airplane.
But the airplane took off.
It was a 45 minutes flight. A very bumping flight. Babies were crying. Fly attendants kept running up and down, trying to cover the passengers’ need in a crowded plane.
Once the plane landed, Max knew that he still had to go through another line, the one to get his luggage.
His wife picked him up at the airport: tired, irritated and with the presents, in the luggage, all smashed. What do you expect? He didn´t know that presents should be wrapped; his assistant didn’t either.
***
November 14th, the Air Transport Association of America (ATA):
…The 2018 Thanksgiving air travel period runs from Friday, Nov. 16, through Tuesday, Nov. 27, with the busiest day projected to be Sunday, Nov. 25, when an estimated 3.06 million passengers will take to the skies.
***
That was last year Thanksgiving eve. Today Max is looking outside the small oval window. It is a beautiful sunset for fall. He just hangs up on his wife. She couldn’t believe that he is already inside the plane. A Bombardier Learjet 35, to be precise. She is happy because this year she would not receive a battered grumpy insufferable husband like last Thanksgiving eve. Max also has a new assistant, and this new kid on the block just solved the whole thing by chartering a private jet for him and four of his team members that live in Max´s same town.
He gets an old newspaper, glanced through and read:
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2018, — Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today projected that a record 30.6 million passengers will travel on U.S. airlines during the 12-day Thanksgiving air travel period…