Charlotte to DC in 18 hours

I really am blessed to love my job, I love traveling around and working with loads of different people.

BUT

Every once in a while it can be just down right rough.

Such was the way of things Thursday when my quick 55 minute flight from Charlotte, NC to DC became a 18 hour delay with a sleepover in Norfolk.

Yup, you read that right 18 HOUR DELAY.

Let me explain.

Thursday afternoon, my team and I finished our school visit early and headed to the airport to jump on earlier flights home, I had some things I wanted to do, so I jumped on the 2:30 flight out of Charlotte, which was scheduled to land at 4:00pm in DC, the key word being scheduled.

We take off and everything's fine. I'm reading and just enjoying the First Class upgrade (the only real perk in this whole ordeal was that I did get to ride First Class- still such a novelty :) ) when the pilot comes on and says that there is bad weather in DC and we are unable to land, so we're going into a holding pattern.

Basically flying around in circles until we're given the go ahead at DC.

About 30 minutes go by and the pilot comes on again... Still unable to land at DC, yet we need to refuel and so we're being diverted to Norfolk, VA airport.

Mind you, Norfolk is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from DC.

Noted.

We land in Norfolk, pull out on the tarmac and refuel and then we wait...and wait...and wait...

2 hours go by.

Nothing.

Pilot tells us we still cannot take off and there's been a "ground stop" at DC- which means no one can fly in or out. It's shut down.

Well he pulls to the gate and allows us to get off the airplane.

It is now 6:00pm.

If any of you have been in the Norfolk airport you know its pretty small. There was only one restaraunt in our Terminal and they had already closed down the kitchen.

Yeah..I know, it's only 6:00pm.

We were not the only flight diverted. The terminal was packed with people, whose flights had been cancelled, delayed or were diverted like us. The poor newsstand had a line wrapping around the entire store.

Chaos.

2 more hours pass and still nothing. No one is taking off and we're just camping out.

I talk to friends in DC and they say the rain is long gone (it has begun raining in Norfolk now however) but there are power outages in the area.

Finally they call my flight and we all start to board. Yipppppeeee!

It is 9:15pm.

There is buzz about our crew however, something about their work hours and having to land in DC by 10pm at the latest (its a 30 minute flight from Norfolk). We're all too excited to worry.

We load up and roll out.

It's 9:34pm.

We're heading down the runway and picking up speed and then...

well then, we're not getting enough speed. I'm realizing that we don't have enough speed to takeoff....

and then it happens.

He makes a U-Turn on the runway.

Yes, a straight up U-turn.

It is silent.

We pull back into the gate and we're all just staring at one another mystified.

After about 5 minutes, the Pilot comes on and says "You may have noticed we're back at the gate. It is illegal for me to operate the aircraft at this time."

That's it. That's all he says.

We unload.

It's 10:00pm and the next flight isn't until the morning. The Gate Agents start rebooking and I'm booked on the 8:00am out of Norfolk.

We were on our own for the night (Airlines don't cover hotel costs if the delays are due to weather) and luckily I know some people in Norfolk. My friend Alisabeth's Mom lives there and she let me crash at her place. We had a quick little sleepover, but it was wonderful.

I finally landed in DC at 10:00am on Friday after another Crew delay that very morning. And yes, it was my same crew from the night before.

What joy.

Those of you who know me well, may ask, why didn't I, the Road Warrior just rent a car and drive the 3 1/2 hours home?

Work. That's why.

When I usually fly in on Fridays I don't have to go into the office.

What was I rushing home too? Ha ha ha..

It was madness, but it was an adventure.