My flight to Vienna

Recently, I read from the Yahoo homepage that this professional tennis player booked a flight to the wrong Carlsbad. I thought, man was she unlucky. However, today I encountered a very similar situation. From the very beginning, I thought I was supposed to board at the budget terminal because my flight was extremely cheap. So I planned everything out: which bus I should take so that I would make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, when I would be getting back, etc. Although I had everything planned out, I almost missed my shuttle because I couldn't find the "N stop" (It was by the A, B, and Cs. I thought it was in alphabetical order by the main station!). Luckily, I got help from the information desk as to where this stop was located. I got on that shuttle JUUUUUUUST when it was about to leave. Phew! The entire bus right to the airport was a total blur since I didn't get much sleep last night, I totally just passed out. When I finally arrived and got off the bus, I realized that I was literally in the middle of nowhere as the bus drove off behind me.

The fields surrounding the airport

The budget airline terminal (that small building on the right)

I was still so out of it from my deep sleep nap that it really took me five minutes to even figure out which direction I should walk towards! I mean look at that building above, does it scream airport to you? No. Anyways, I leisurely walk towards the freeway signs that said "Terminal" because that was the best clue I had to where the airport was. Eventually, I got to see the airport above. I calmly go to the bathroom and I'm totally ready to go through the gates, except these ladies stopped me and asked me where I was heading (I think they had no more flights that day and they were wondering why someone would want to go through the gates). I told them "Wien" and they were like what? They asked for my boarding pass and then they told me the most horrid news ever. I was at the wrong airport and they told me I was not going to make my flight. My heart just dropped, I barely grasped the situation. I was thinking, my flight is at 9:45 and it's currently 7:30 or so, how is it possible that I can't make it even if I was at the wrong airport. Apparently the real airport (main Frankfurt airport) was around 110 km away and I literally stranded in the middle of no where. I asked the information center and she told me the next shuttle to the real airport would not be for another 45 minutes or so and the shuttle would arrive at the real airport just as my flight would depart (It takes 90 minutes to get from Frankfurt Hahn to Frankfurt Main). So I'm just freaking out about how to salvage the situation and I thought that maybe I could take a cab there. Apparently the 110 km cab would cost me 180 Euros or so, that's like my flight!

Of course in this situation, I had to call my emergency number. I dialed Sven for SOS and he basically talked me through what I could do. I could book another flight or take a cab and try to make it. However, when he heard that the cab would cost 180 Euros, he said that would be too expensive and you can not be for sure if you can make the flight. So he said the best thing to do was to get my ass to Frankfurt Main via shuttle and talk to the people there to maybe hold my flight or book another one. So I bought myself a ticket to go to the real airport and the entire ride there, I kept looking at road signs to see how much longer it would take me. During the entire ride, I calculated that if we went 66 miles an hour or so, we should make it to the airport in 1 hr. However, the bus driver was going so slow! It had to range from 40 mph to 60 mph and sometimes slower. It was so frustrating! I have to mention, it was pretty sad when the shuttle went past the area that I run at (it was around 9:10 at that time)

I got to the airport with 10 minutes to spare so I run into the airport to head to the A gates, but that required me to take the skytrain! GAH! Sucking time out of me! It's like 9:42 (with my flight departing in 3 minutes) and I reached the Lufthansa help desk. Gasping for air, I asked if there was anyway they could hold the flight or get me on another flight and they told me they will do their best. After 3 agonizing minutes, they told me my flight has already left and I would have to rebook :( I was just dying at this point. I have never missed a flight in my life, and this is how it happens...I GO TO THE WRONG AIRPORT. They sent me over to the ticket counter to purchase a new ticket and guess what?!?! The nice man behind the counter (Mr. Lopez) went through some back doors and GOT ME A FREE TICKET FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT TOMORROW!!!! OH YEA BABY! So now I'm prepping to camp out at the airport. Mr. Lopez told me about this nice spot that had seats without the medal in between so it was a nice place to lie down :) So now I have four cushioned seats allll to myself. I think I'm going to work on my paper though since I know I'm not going to do it when I'm in Vienna.

Anyways, today was very stupid of me to go to the wrong airport. But despite that, I was very lucky to meet the nice man behind the ticket counter to give me a free boarding pass. The situation was salvaged :)