Mayday!

The flight had already been delayed twice, turning a leisurely connection into a probable O.J. Simpson dash, with no margin for error. After takeoff, we climbed up into the clouds, and then no further. A cargo bay door warning light means a turn back to the airport, and a night at a hotel, courtesy of American Airlines.

Welcoming Committee

Still, a better outcome than what happened today. The people who wanted to get off our plane did so only because they didn't want to spend the night in a hotel, and they walked out the regular doors, unhappily, but calmly.

Surrounded

For someone who travels so much, I really shouldn't watch so much Discovery Channel. Just as well that I cancelled my cable TV after becoming a consultant. Shows like Mythbusters and How it's Made may vie for Best... Show... Ever..., but on the other hand, it's probably better that I stop watching Mayday. Or Seconds from Disaster, when in a US hotel room with the National Geographic Channel. Whether due to pilot error, negligence, or cutting corners, the news is invariably bad.