by Nanette

Created on: September 17, 2008   Last Updated: March 08, 2012

I used to travel back and forth between Canada and the U.S. when I was a student in university, so I know about bad travel experiences. I can recall quite a few that, while incredibly frustrating at the time, make me laugh out loud now. There is one such experience, however, that will always stick out in my mind as the one that takes the cake! Here is my "favourite" worst travel experience.

I was flying from the U.S. to Canada. I had experienced the usual and painful delays, exacerbated by the added security checkpoints (this was the holidays of 2001) and the fact that the boarding gate for my connecting flight was switched four times. Each time it was switched, the announcement was something like "Flight 172 is now boarding at gate B12..." so I sprinted each time, pausing only at the security checkpoint to have my carry-on items thoroughly and slowly evaluated.

Finally, I boarded my plane. I was disheveled and out of breath from running back and forth between the B and C concourses. I was trying without much success to maintain a positive attitude, but it did not help that the flight attendants were being incredibly patronizing. They kept speaking to me very loudly and very slowly. It was obvious to me they thought I was slow. I instantly became self-conscious. I pulled out my makeup mirror and checked to see if I had something on my face. I smoothed back my hair, looked down at my outfit. Nothing seemed out of place, but they kept hovering over me and speaking to me in the same manner.

 "WOOOOOOOOULD....YOOOOOOOOOU....LIIIIIIKKKKKE...AAAA ....BEVVVVERRRAGE?"

Even the woman sitting beside me started to look curiously in my direction. I cannot describe how badly I wanted to be off of that flight. After what felt like an eternity, my wish was about to be granted: the captain announced we were landing. I eagerly began preparing for landing, putting my tray in the upright position and what-not. That is when I was interrupted by the flight attendant.

"WEEEEE....WILLLL...BEEEEEE...LAAANDIIIINNGG....SOOO N," wailed the flight attendant.

Having reached my breaking point at last, I interrupted her in my coldest voice - "I heard the announcement. Thank you."

"Are you deaf?" she asked, not too politely, in my opinion.

"WHAT?!?"

"ARRRRE...YOOOOOOOU....DEEAAAFFF?!?" she wailed.

"I am NOT deaf. Are you insane?"

"Huh. We have you marked as deaf in our system."

The woman beside me burst out laughing! I did, too, but not until I was telling the story to friends at a much later date.

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