Near Miss

For the next two weeks I’ll be traveling to Singapore, Manila, and Tokyo. Because of the multi city tour, I didn’t have any round trip tickets and thus I will be catching 7 different flights to make it to the three different cities using different airlines. I’m sure you would agree with me that so many flights with connections is guaranteed to result in lost luggage. Therefore, thanks to my minimalist lifestyle, I was able to pack two weeks of cloths in a bag that fits in the overhead bin. I was so proud of my packing proweless that I declared victory to my wife last night as I fit it all into one suit case.  

Well, thanks to the kick ass company I work for, because my flights are over 4 hours long I can fly in buisiness class (and sometimes first class with a few upgrades). And when you travel business/first class, you get to enjoy the lounges in the airports. Which, finally gets me to the point of this post. I was enjoying the Admdiral Lounge in the Nashville airport and causally waiting to board the plane. Ten minutes before it was to depart, I headed to the gate. The agent at the gate dropped on me: “Sorry sir, you’ll need to check that bag because all of the overhead bins are full” Me: All the way to Dallas? Agent: Is that your final destination? Me: No Agent: It will be checked all the way to Your final destination. Me: Singapore? Agent: If that’s your final destination, yes Me: (Staring in disbelief, how can this be happening?) Me: You mean all the space in first class is already taken Agent: Yes. (Proceeds to put ticket on my bag) Agent: (seeing my distress) So, go ahead and board and try to find a spot for your bag, if you can, no need to check it. Me: So you are telling me there’s a chance? Agent: Loyd, there is a one in a million chance. Me: (walking down the jet way like a boss laughing to myself) Well, as it turns out, with a bit of maneuvering and repositions of bags, I was able to find a place for mine and the crisis was averted. The moral of the story is for all those nay sayers that make fun of my minimalist efforts can go fly a kite, no more lost luggage for me. Unless I’m traveling with my wife, which will always require me to check bags. Or, if I don’t board the flight early enough to place my bag in the overhead bin, that could have the same disastrous result.