I was rushing out of my building on my way to the gym when my doorman stopped me. “You know what’s coming don’t you?” His eyebrows shot up. “You always seem to be here for bad weather.”
I was intimately aware of the forecast, and had been for hours. A massive blizzard is bearing down on New York and I have to get out fast.
I’ve had this trip booked since October, and was due to fly to Amsterdam for the first leg tomorrow. When I checked on the weather this morning, I saw an alert that a nor’easter is coming, and I instantly knew I needed more information. Diving into the details, 13-17 inches of snow are expected to begin tonight at midnight and last through the day well into the evening.
I inspected the forecast closely, interrogating the hourly expectations, and quickly grew concerned about tomorrow’s 9:30 PM flight. The airports would certainly be closed with no break for a plane to land or take off.
It wasn’t long after that I received a notification from KLM that my flight had been cancelled. I read the notification with a mix of relief and trepidation.
I was glad to see that they were being proactive, but any cancellation can provoke anxiety and for this ticket I was especially on edge. I had booked the ticket with points, and tickets booked on points are low priority for the airlines. Would they care about my plans? Would they even try to rebook me?
I was seriously worried.
This was a vacation I had been anticipating for months. I haven’t been to a truly new location in a very long time, and really I needed this trip to happen.
The system wouldn’t allow me to rebook online so I would have to call and speak to an agent to find a new flight. Time was of the essence, and this wouldn’t be fast. I waited on hold for 30 minutes while the clock ticked and my pulse and mind raced each other. I frantically considered my options, using the time to stalk other airlines for a ticket.
As I waited, the hold music sounded like a dirge in the background.
My search finally paid off with a flight out today on United, and I was a mere click away from closing the deal when the phone cut over and I reached a KLM representative who could help me. He first informed me there were no flights, and offered to check flights from Newark.
This wouldn’t work and would consume precious minutes. I have been in this situation before and knew well that, when rebooking for weather, seats disappear quickly. Instead I told him not to bother and asked him to check today.
My heart leaped in my chest when he confirmed availability for the last seat on an Air France flight. It would get me to my destination a day earlier, and earlier in the afternoon.
I breathed a massive sigh of relief. This was exactly the type of itinerary I was hoping for and I didn’t hesitate to accept it.
I considered my plans for the afternoon and scrapped most of them, allowing only enough time for my trip to the gym (one shouldn’t skip leg day). Between sets on the incline leg press, I used my recovery time to book a hotel for my new night.
After the gym I hurried to lunch and straightened a few things up in my apartment, showering quickly and changing into my travel clothes.
Butterblogger is glad to be afoot, my friends, and he’s on his way to an entirely new destination. As I write this I’m sitting aboard my Air France 777, champagne in hand, the rhythmic bubbles sparkling, my breathing calming, and my racing heartbeat finally slowing down after an all-too-hectic day.
I plan to get some much-needed sleep on the flight so I can be wide awake on arrival.
If you want to know where I’m going … well, there’s a bit of a fun clue in the title. And if you can’t figure it out, that’s OK – you will know soon enough.
I don’t know exactly what I will do when I get there, but one thing is for certain – there will be plenty of great food.
I might even try the grey stuff – I hear it’s delicious.
See you on the other side of the Atlantic, my friends.
With love,
Butterblogger
butterblogger 