Getting home ahead of others is always lucky

Life as an outsourcing consultant is usually good when you crack side deals and one or two large ones to keep you going through the year. Afterall, it is a food chain and everyone is dependant on a sale. Does that come easily? well...umm..aahh...a few flights, staying in hotels, creating 3 slide quick presentations, convincing yourself that you can convince the client that your methodology is convincing enough to make them feel good, missing the flights because you could not get to the airport on time and the new phenomenon in the avaiation industry worldwide - we call it "Taxi--ing Culture".

Everything seemed so right as i got into the Philadelphia airport after meeting my client an hour away. The flight was at the gate, i was on time, the sky looked a bit cloudy but was ready to welcome the Boeings and the Airbuses with open arms. Was anyone aware of what was to come in the next..well ...few hours?

The storm system that hit the east coast in the evening was at it's worst. We were categorically told that there would be more than an hour's delay after we boarded the aircraft. One hour, inhind sight would have been very good.

87 flights on the 3 runways of the Philadelphia International Airport and a good number of aircrafts at the gates, waiting to join their cousins, big brothers and peers. Apparently the whole of east coast was down and if that was not it, Texas had it's deal with Dolly that ripped the state apart too thus getting down another hub for a major airline. All airlines( United, US AIrways, North West, Continental, British..you name it) were sitting helpless spending $600 an hour for fuel on the runway waiting for instructions.

After a 4 hour "Survivor" series inside the aircraft on the runway, the crazy god decided it was time for us to get to Chicago. "We are firing our engines but we just heard that we are number 32 in the flying sequence", came a voice from the speaker system which we recognized was similar to the pilot on this aircraft.

After 6 hours of pain, we finally landed in beautiful Chicago.

At least I got saved from staying at a hotel for the night. I really get tempted to say - I am feeling lucky today.