Adventures in Air Travel: A Tale of Delays and Last Minute Races

As I sit here at PDX, waiting for my flight to Vancouver, BC (YVR), and thence to Osaka (KIX) I can’t help but feel a mix of anticipation and anxiety. My initial flight out of Portland was delayed, which has thrown a wrench into my carefully planned itinerary. However, the new times should still give me enough time to make my connection - if everything goes smoothly.

My heart sinks as I receive an update that the flight is further delayed than expected. This means that when we land, I’ll be racing against the clock to board my connecting flight with only half an hour to spare. To add another layer of excitement (or stress), I have to go through passport control at YVR - which could be either quick and painless or a lengthy delay

However, there is some good news amidst this travel chaos. Back when I booked my trip I decided to invest in travel protection, which cost me around $250. Due to the delay now being over two hours, they’re now refunding me the full amount of $1200+ without making any changes to my current itinerary! While missing my connection is not ideal, knowing that I won’t be out a thousand dollars softens the blow significantly.

All is Not Lost

As we were landing in YVR we learned that there were 19 of us aboard this flight headed to Osaka. Faced with the prospect of figuring out how to re-seat us all on a different flight, they opted to hold the plane! And what’s more, the flight attendants let us get off first. Passport control for a connecting flight turned out to be incredibly easy too. We merely had to scan our passports at a kiosk, and we were good to go. So all said and done, the lot of us made it and we’re about to take off only thirty minutes behind schedule.

Next stop, Osaka!