Ten minutes. That’s not too much of a delay. That’s what I thought on Thursday when I arrived at SFO with plenty of time to spare and noticed that my new departure time would be 9:10. So I waited and waited and ate and read and waited. I waited dutifully near Gate 31, because they could make an important announcement. I talked to a friend about friend things. And then the announcement came. It was really long and was actually multiple announcements. This review is already too long, so here goes a summary of sorts: Our flight would be majorly delayed. And there’s an eleven p.m. curfew for flights landing at John Wayne, so if we didn’t get off the ground before 9:50, the flight would be canceled. Yes, canceled. Not rescheduled. There was no word about possibly getting us to other L.A.-area airports. So we were instructed to line up, and we did. Long before the plane arrived. And even after the plane arrived, we waited and even started boarding before the plane was completely empty. Here’s the part I love: They were herding us and rushing us, and we boarded the plane and had the doors closed in eight minutes. Eight minutes! Have you ever been on a Southwest flight? People are idiots, and they’re rude, and they take up your time and mine by standing in the aisle trying to cram their too-large carry-ons overhead when bags fly free. Why would someone waste your time and mine to save money when there’s no money to be saved? So everyone had to be quick, like I always am, and they were. And we took off. And we landed at 10:47. And John Wayne was empty. So it was quick, but there was needless anxiety. A word to the wise: Don’t book the last flight to John Wayne from SFO.
