~Gordie Gund, Class of 2024

And More Delays

Over the summer I went on a surf and service trip in Costa Rica with three friends. While we were there, we spent time surfing, cleaning the beach, and fixing the beach’s parking lot. We had lots of fun and enjoyed our time in the warm water under blazing Caribbean sun, but eventually our time there came to an end. On the last day, we got on a bus with everyone else on the trip to get to the airport. We got in line to check our bags and started talking. Twenty minutes passed and people started to sit down. Twenty more minutes passed and people walked upstairs to get food. 

After multiple hours we found out our flight was canceled and we were stuck in a dingy Costa Rican airport. Everyone was calling their parents and some kids were even crying. Two of my friends found seats on a different plane leaving the next morning because their parents had Frequent Flyer Miles. I was told the company that organized the trip would find me a flight. Since there were no more flights that night, everyone got back on the buses and went to a nearby hotel to spend the night.

  The next morning, the two friends with frequent flier miles left and I was alone with my friend, Finn. Later that day, we got in a slightly smelly black van to a plane that would fly to Orlando. There was an adult and a few kids with us, but no one we knew. We planned to go from Orlando Airport to JFK, then Finn’s dad was going to pick us up and drive us home (we couldn’t fly from JFK to Logan because some airlines have age restrictions and we were only 14). Once we got to the crowded slightly smelly gate for the flight to JFK we got a meal and sat down to wait. Then we waited some more. Then even more. Our flight was repeatedly being delayed and we didn’t know when it was going to leave. We noticed that the gate next to us was a flight to Boston. The announcement said “Flight to JFK boarding in ten minutes.”

We also saw that the flight to Logan Airport was scheduled to board a few minutes later. So, there were two flights in the terminal, one directly home to Logan, unsupervised, which wasn’t boarding for a few minutes, and a connecting flight through JFK, which had adults we knew on it. I wanted to risk it and go straight home to Logan, but I could also tell Finn was nervous and wanted to go on the connecting flight. The whole time we were traveling, flights had been constantly canceled and delayed and if the Logan flight was canceled we would be stranded in Orlando airport with no chaperone for the night and limited options due to our age. He said that he wanted to take the safe option. We heard the announcement say, “Last call to board the flight to JFK” and saw that the flight to Logan boarded in one minute. 

I looked at Finn and I could see that he was stressed and anxious so I decided to take the flight to JFK knowing that would make him feel better. In the end both planes arrived home safe and we just had to travel more. In a way we both led each other down the wrong path together because I made the final choice but it was heavily influenced by him. 

On our way home from New York we got on a slightly smelly train (which ended up getting delayed).