I hate flying, and the chaos of being at an airport but there's not I hate more than doing those things alone. I recently flew alone out of San Jose. At first, things were going smoothly. I arrived approximately four and a half hours before my flight; luckily, I was with a good friend so we talked and laughed and ate. He eventually had to leave my terminal to go catch his flight. I was suppose to be checking in soon as well because my flight was suppose to depart at 2:25. After checking in I was informed my flight would not leave till three. This did not seem like much of a delay so I remained calm. Moments later I received a text message informing me that my flight would now leave at five. I completely lost my sanity. I began to have an anxiety attack so I tried calling my mom, but she did not answer so I resorted to calling my best friend. She calmed me greatly. Unfortunately, I did not remain calm for long. I began to panic once again, and I began to feel like I was trapped in a whirlwind. After talking on the phone to my parents and to my friends, and taking a short lived nap, I was told my plane would not depart till six o'clock now. This made me absolutely furious. All I wanted was to go home, and my flight just kept being delayed.

If you've ever been to the San Jose airport then you are aware that it is a dreary place. Unlike LAX, it is colorless, and has very few places to eat and to shop. This only added to my frustration. My only distraction was my phone, yet my phone was contributing to my anxiety. My parents kept checking in with me to see when I would depart, and I kept receiving alerts that my flight was yet again delayed.

I was not angry at the airline for the delay, but I was angry at them for the lies they told. The attendant repeatedly told everyone that the flight was delayed due to the weather. This seemed ridiculous considering it was the only flight delayed by several hours. My mom eventually called the airline, and spoke to someone who informed her that the plane was experiencing major technical difficulties. When my mom requested that I be moved to another flight they told her their were no open flights to Los Angeles. When they realized my mom was relentless, they finally moved me to a flight that departed at 8:45. I then found out that the flight I was initially scheduled for was completely canceled, and all its passengers would have to wait till the next day.

Reflecting back on this experience, I regret lashing out so extremely but I do not regret standing up for myself. The other people who were suppose to be on that flight as well sat there silently as we were being lied to, and kept in an airport overnight. When we chose to be silent, we let capitalism win. If everyone had spoken up then the airline would have scheduled us all for a new flight, but people chose to be silent and let the injustice occur. The majority of people who fly will have a bad experience flying, my only advice is to stand up for your rights