Buckle Up!

A week or two ago, after my Gulfport stint, I was in a cozy little airplane flying from Warshington, DC to Sacramento. Now generally, I love me a good Jet Blue flight, but this one was especially savory, as it was only about 1/3 full, so everyone had their own row to nap in, AND a choice of THREE personal televisions to watch. So I was nestled down with my micro blanket and my half-pint pillow, for a blithe few hours of Good Will Hunting and third run sitcoms. When what should happen next, but the captain comes on with an announcement.

Now this wasn't your ordinary announcement about drink carts, or seat-belts. No. This announcement contained that one tiny phrase that all airline passengers fear with the blackest of dread. ...Slight Engine Malfunction... At this phrase, all heads snapped around to the closest other passenger visible, and eyes opened as wide as saucers. The pilot continued. ...A warning light has come on, so we are going to do the safe thing and land the plane... in New York City.

WHAT? Safe thing? WE ARE OVER OHIO! Ohio is fine, what's wrong with Ohio?! I want to land in OHIO! But no. We were going to NYC. Which means that we had to then sit, for another horrifying 45 minutes, in a plane with some sort of slight engine malfunction with our innards turning to putty. Eeeegad. Thank goodness Matt Damon was the t.v., or I might have started thinking about our plummetous fiery deaths.

So to cut to the chase, we made it back to JFK just fine, got on another (functional) plane, and all got extra booze, free movies, and a free one way ticket to anywhere that Jet Blue flies. And we all had the option of watching Good Will Hunting twice. I do still like me a good Jet Blue flight.