Purchased and Presented to Me

We dined last night at the remarkable Beatrice Inn, where they serve village-sized portions of meat dishes.  My sister is chums with the chef who is wonderful and in as much as we were there for her birthday, we received enough meat for several villages.  We ate too much, we drank a lot, we laughed and then, I returned to her apartment around midnight, so that I could gather my things and head to JFK for my 2:20AM flight to Shanghai. 

A nice young gent of Chinese persuasion took my passport at the counter and began to check me in.  “Yes, I’m the 2:20AM flight to Shanghai.” I explain in Chinese.  He takes my passport.   “You mean Beijing.” He replies.  “No, I’m on the Shanghai flight.”  Indeed, in about seventeen hours, I’ll be standing in front of a room of MBAs.  Fortunately, this is a business class flight and I’ll get some rest, have time to shower at the hotel and be ready to roll.  “Sir  there is no flight to Shanghai tonight.”  “Oh yes there is, I reply.”  I reach in my pocket and thumb threw my emails to find the one from the travel service associated with the university.  And though I’d clearly ordered a flight from New York to Shanghai, what was purchased and presented to me, was a flight to Beijing.

The plucky young guy mentions that China Eastern, across the hall is going to Shanghai tonight.  “Please, then.  Get me on that flight!”  He rings them up and asks if it’s too late to squeeze another business class passenger on board.  “I’ll take economy.” I add.  But they have already closed up their check in procedure.  If you’d had a China Eastern ticket it might have been possible, but . . . I’m afraid they said “no.”   I turned and looked at them turning off the lights at the counter and considered dashing over to beg. 

Later, on board the flight I use my phone’s WiFi to get on line and consider my options.  I get into Beijing early enough at 4:20AM. But the earliest flight down to Hong Qiao isn’t until 6:50AM.  Hard to believe there isn’t something earlier.  That will get me into Shanghai just after nine, precisely when the course is scheduled to begin.  It will have to start an hour later.  I write the team there in Shanghai to let them know.

Air China business class from New York to Beijing at 2:20AM isn’t very crowded.  Sign of the times?  The stewards and stewardesses are all pleasant and it feels warm to be able to speak in Chinese again.  The requisite, not so undercover Chinese cop, with his angular haircut and buff black shoes has got a seat across the aisle.  I’m still full and the food is not necessary.  Fortunately, as it is terrible. 

Thursday, 7/18/19