On a Day Where I Needed for Nothing to Go Wrong

Dear United Airlines:

I don't know how you knew, 24 hours ago, that I was having a rough week in Atlanta.  But when I checked on my flight, (to be sure O'Hare wasn't going paralyzed with the rest of the continent) I found a complimentary upgrade.

I woke up at 6:50 this morning, knowing that I had to take the subway to the airport and not knowing whether those trains would run on schedule.  So I was up, dressed, packed and out the door at 7:15 for an 11a.m. flight.

There was no line to check my bag, which made me nervous even though I knew my flight was still on time.  I printed my boarding pass, dropped my luggage and looked at the boards.  On three other airlines, flights were cancelled right and left.  Not United.  Everything was running on schedule.  Even the 9:38 to Dulles.  (OK, it helped that there was only one East Coast flight and the rest of us were going West.)

The gentleman running the gate wasn't just polite.  He wore a smile.  Even though he had lived through the same three-day Atlanta nightmare as the rest of the city.  I suppose it is possible that he had taken a three-day nap and had missed the drama entirely, but I don't think that was it.

I fell asleep as soon as I hit my seat.  Everything ran on schedule, including baggage claim.  Thank you for giving me the day where everything went right.