June 17, 2009
Seattle - Honolulu
On the early morning of June 17, 2009, I went to the Renton Airport to kick off my 19-day China Trip. I was full of happiness and excitement, because literally it was the first time I have ever travelled alone. Unfortunately, Northwest Airline tore out the joy in my soul as soon as I checked in my baggage. I waited 20 minutes just to learn that the agent was actually not literate enough to handle their computer system, and another 15 minutes to learn that the flight path had been altered because of the volcano eruption in the North Pacific Ocean. Worst of all, I was eventually forced to stay one night at Honolulu, which added an extra day to the trip and caused me to lose a day in Asia.
My flight was originally from Seattle to Hong Kong, flying over Toronto. However, because of volcanic activities on a mountain between East Asia and North America, my flight was rerouted to fly over Hawaii instead. I tried to figure out the flight hours immediately, but nobody from Northwest Airline was able to answer any of my questions. So I boarded the plane, then I was informed that the plane wouldn’t be able to take off before some operational problems were settled. Then, all the passengers were held in the aircraft with very bad ventilation for one hour before the plane eventually took off, when the caption of the aircraft promised that it would only take 15 minutes. This delay added another hour to the trip, which made my flight exceed the legal daily flight6 hours for pilots, hence my plane was not allowed to connect to Toronto from Honolulu. Therefore, all the passengers ended up staying at Honolulu for one night.
“Are you kidding me? I flew five hours and then you tell me that I am not going to Hong Kong today? I don’t want to sleep at Honolulu. I want to go home and fly tomorrow if you have some operational issues today.” I wondered why Northwest Airline didn’t simply delay the flight to the following day after knowing that they were not able to bring the passengers any closer to the destination. Who would want to take a five-hour flight to another city within the same country just for a sleep? And why did Northwest Airline still ask their passengers to board the plane while they had operational issues?
I was extremely upset even though Northwest Airline was willing to provide hotel accommodation and meal vouchers at Honolulu, because the delay and the rerouting means it is going to take me 24 hours to arrive at Hong Kong, when it would have only taken 14 hours. To a passenger, time is the most valuable thing, not to mention the inconvenience in claiming, loading, transferring and re-checking in baggage at the airports, buses and hotel.
I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I never expected to go there under this kind of circumstances. I closed my eyes, exhaled deeply and thought, “Well, staying one night at Hawaii for free could be a good thing.” I convinced myself that this trip is supposed to be fun. I couldn’t let the flight delay spoil my trip.
I finally landed. I could tell the hot and humid weather of Hawaii as soon as I stepped out of the airport. An airline agent was already standing there waiting for us. She showed us the way to a bus, which was painted all over with tropical flowers, and took us to the Ala Moana Hotel. Honolulu is more urban than I expected. Aside from harbors, yachts, beaches and palm trees, you will also see high buildings and shopping malls all over the city.
The sun was setting by the time I checked in the hotel. I made a snap decision to walk to the beach while there was still a little sun light. Palm trees were sitting along the beach. The sun in the pink sky descended into the sea and sparkled on the water. I took a deep breath as I felt the breeze. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Maybe my first trip on my own meant to be unusual and unforgettable.
An hour passed and the nighttime finally came. So, I walked back to the hotel, had a quick bite to eat and went back to my room. “Good night and sleep tight, Edith” I started telling myself, “there is another 12-hour flight to come tomorrow.”
Buses on the street were painted all over with tropical flowers
The sun was setting by the time I arrived at the hotel
My room was kind of neat, only that I didn’t have much time to enjoy it. I have kept a business card of the hotel and decided to go back there next time when I visit Honolulu.
The night view from balcony
Stay tuned for my next stop to Wuhan.
At least you have some very nice pics, keke..
Thanks for the really interesting
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