Flying during the holidays can be a real plane in the neck. Hear some nightmare travel stories

Thanksgiving is coming up in just a couple days. For many of us, the holidays mean travel. Lots of flights, Ubers, Lyfts, trains and buses… it’s this universal experience where millions of folks are trying to get from Point A to Point B (and sometimes to Point C and D, depending on how many layovers you have).

On this special edition of the Morning Magazine, you’ll hear two travel stories – one that took place during the holidays, and another that didn’t (but that ended up being just as chaotic, if not more so). Then, we’ll end the show with some words of wisdom and advice from a flight attendant, on flying during the holiday season.

Listen:

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Part One:

First up is a story from a couple – Gavin and Amanda.

Theirs took place about six years ago, Christmas Eve. Setting the scene here: they’re going to school in Washington state at the time, and they decide to fly back home to see their families for Christmas.

They’re really excited about the trip – even though their budget only allows them to book the cheapest, most inconvenient flight at peak rush on Christmas Eve.

Their car’s in the shop, so they get a ride to the airport from their housemate. And as they’re packing their bags, they come up with an idea… an idea that leads to some totally unpredictable outcomes.

Part Two:

Just a couple months ago, in early September, Indra Raj was flying out east for a weekend – her brother had recently gotten married, and she was getting together with her family to celebrate for the first time in a while. She hadn’t seen her entire extended family since she had her baby, who was 10 months old at the time of the story (photograph below is from that trip – baby’s face is covered per Indra’s request). It wasn’t technically the holidays by American standards, but to her it felt like a holiday. She ended up getting delayed… again… and again… and again and again.

Part 3: