Liveblogging Air Travel Misery: My Night at Chicago Midway

Please indulge me for a moment to share an anecdote that embodies everything that’s wrong with domestic air travel in America today and the powerlessness that can overcome even the most seasoned traveler when things go wrong.

Tonight I was scheduled to fly from Reagan National (DCA) to Chicago Midway (MDW) on ATA Airlines (as a Southwest Airlines codeshare), connecting to a Southwest flight to Los Angeles International (LAX) for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I arrived at DCA two-and-a-half hours in advance of my flight, and was told even at that time that my 7:05 PM flight would be at least 40 minutes late due to fog and rain in Chicago.  The late inbound flight ultimately made us an hour-and-a-half late.

I was supposed to have an hourlong connection at MDW (arriving 8 PM for a 9 PM flight).  ATA gate agents claimed to have been coordinating with Southwest here in Chicago, and the lead flight attendant insisted that the cascade effect of delays would make my flight late as well and that Southwest would take care of us.

Such assurances do not mean much in the current airline regulatory environment.  By the time we got to MDW at 9:39 PM, the flight for LAX had already pushed back at 9:16 PM.  A helpful Southwest gate agent rebooked me on the first flight tomorrow morning, at 6:55 AM, but let me know that I would not be due hotel or meal vouchers or any other form of compensation.  That’s because the official reason for my flight’s delay was weather, and, according to US Department of Transportation regulations, passengers affected by weather delays are entitled only to onward passage but nothing else.

So I’ll be spending the night on a cot, provided to weather-delayed passengers courtesy of the City of Chicago.  (I even get a pillow and a blanket!)

Due to the incompatability of the reservations systems of ATA and Southwest, the Southwest agent here could not print my boarding pass for the morning, but said I could go to the ticket counter to attempt to do so.  All I had was a card summarizing my reservation and the events of my misconnect.  The ticket agent also could not check me in, meaning I will still have to obtain my boarding pass in the morning.

But the agent also could not guarantee I would be allowed back through the security checkpoint to get to the cots, since I was not in possession of a boarding pass nor an authorizing security document (which she was unable to print as well).  She personally escorted me to the checkpoint, where the screener checking boarding passes and IDs called for a supervisor.  Several minutes later, I was cleared to go back into the sterile area.  But for training purposes, the screeners nearby wanted to study my Southwest-issued “misconnect rap sheet!”  Of course I obliged in the name of national security.

I must extend major kudos to the Southwest and Transportation Security Administration employees who did everything in their capacity to make me a little more comfortable tonight.

Now I sit, alone in the din of piped-in holiday carols singing to no one in particular, cleaning crews meticulously erasing the detritus from a busy travel day, and other stranded passengers staking out places to camp.

If anything, this episode makes me extremely grateful for the shelter that awaits at home.

It also illustrates the dysfunction that can plague any transportation system during irregular operations, especially when the standard contingency plan is Fend for Yourself.  This situation would be an even worse burden for a family than for a single passenger.  All I know is that I won’t have to go through this particular episode again: ATA is pulling out of DCA altogether, abandoning the Washington, DC market the very day I fly back next week.

I also know I’d much rather endure a long delay from the comfort of an Amtrak train or in accommodations that Amtrak reliably provides in the event a guaranteed connection is missed.  Wouldn’t you?

Goodnight from Midway, and a happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  Stay safe out there.

—Matthew Melzer
NARP Communications Associate