Next Time the Train

A few posts back I believe, after wasting hours for a plane to depart I wrote something about “Next time a train.   Next time a train.”   I did not learn my lesson.  The train’s fast.  The train’s on time.  But the train tickets are a hassle to buy and, most importantly they let you off at the south station which is a God-awful pain in the ass to get to and from.  And still: next time the train.  I’m on the phone with Ctrip now, on hold of course, because every other idiot like me who intended to go back and forth from Shanghai to Beijing this morning is making contingency plans . . .  I have spoken to Ctrip:  As suspected I cannot buy a high-speed rail ticket over the phone but apparently I can do this with my foreign card on their web site.  I will be considering this for my next trip.  Domestic air travel in this country is fundamentally unreliable. 

Last night I went to the airport for my 8:00PM flight.  Calmly arrived with six minutes to spare till the closing of the check in and was told the plane was canceled.  All other flights that evening were sold out or similarly cancelled.  So I got a ticket for this morning at 8:00AM.  Even, I reckoned, if it’s two hours, nay, three hours late I can still be on time for what I’m heading there to do.  This morning I arrived at Terminal Three uncharacteristically early and calmly walked up to the long lines at the platinum check in. 

Waiting behind a couple who had bag after bag to check in.  They were obviously going on a vacation when everyone else here in line was a business traveler.  Finally they moved on, I put down my passport.  The young Air China lady started the process then yelled out “oh, sorry, it’s delayed.”  Really?  How “delayed?”  “Your 8:00AM flight will now depart at 1:30PM.”  The guy behind me gestured to her to help him next but she ignored him.  “OK, then give me my luggage back.  If that’s the case I need to go and see if there is another flight I can transfer to.  She leaned over to get my bag and the guy behind me thrust his identity car out over my shoulder for her to take.  I was done, and was reaching for my bag, but in the two seconds it took me to do this I kept caged the urge to turn and yell in his nose: “Who are you?  You wait for me!” 

I did not.  I took my bag and went over to the other line and learned that all other flights were sold out.  How about other airlines? I asked and he began to search.  Uncontrollably I flashed back to the guy with his identity card in my face.  I stroked the idea of grabbing and throwing the precious document off into the crowds and savored how remarkably satisfying that would have been to see him dash off angrily to find it.  And then I considered the video clip of me doing this being released on social media with an overdub suggesting how barbaric ungrateful foreign guests were and I exhaled, glad that I’d let it all go.   Next time the train.  

Tuesday, 06/13/17