Our flight left on time (7:15 PM) from Los Angeles Airport, and it was all
standard procedure. I cannot wait to go home to Vancouver. However, at around
8:30 PM, the pilot made three announcements:
- They will suspend the distribution of snacks and meals.
- They will have to stop inflight WiFi.
- We have to do an emergency landing at Sacramento Airport.
I was surprisingly calm through it all. I watched enough documentaries and drama
series with airplane crashes to run through checklists in my head. I am on a
window seat and checked if the wings or engine is on fire, but it seems to be
functioning as expected. I also observed that if any passenger or crew member is
panicking about a medical emergency, it is not that either.
Then, I thought that maybe there was a terrorist or bomb threat. It could be,
but we're still flying and have not exploded yet, so we're good. Again, my
heart was not pounding, and I was surprisingly not scared.
Afterwards, I prayed, "God, if it is my time to come home to You, I am ready.
I surrender to you, my spirit." - I can only pray this because my husband is
with me during the flight. Then, I thought, "Lord, please help my sister
remember my insurance information so my parents can get money." - What a weird
thought!
After 30 minutes, we landed at San Francisco Airport. I connected to the
internet and checked Twitter (X). I found a conversation about our flight.
Apparently, there was a bomb threat.
We sat on the plane for almost an hour. Then, they asked us to exit with our
things, walk through security, and go to our next gate. Then, 10 minutes
later, they told us we would fly the following day. They provided hotel and
food vouchers. My husband and I took a Lyft to the hotel and slept a wink.
Suddenly, the adrenaline of what had happened sank in.
We woke up early, took another Lyft back to San Francisco International
Airport and went through the security again. We sat near our gate, exhausted.
Oh, and all I can think about is how I will be late for work. I sent a message
to my manager when I learned that our flight was leaving the following
morning.
He was understanding and kind through it all, but I'm such a workaholic that
it unnecessarily stressed me out. While waiting for our flight, we grabbed
breakfast from Burger King in SFO. I got the Ham, Sausage, Egg, and Cheese
Croissan'wich, while hubby got the same except with Bacon instead of Ham. It
was oily and salty. I did enjoy stress-eating on the hashbrown.
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Bacon, Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissan'wich from
Burger King in San Francisco Airport
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Ham, Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissan'wich from Burger King in
San Francisco Airport
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Hash Browns from Burger King in SFO
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We boarded our flight at 7:00 AM, and I prayed to God for sleep. I was knocked
out. I woke up an hour later with the announcement that we needed to return to
the gate because the "computers have not updated with our flight." I think
United forgot to transfer the luggage in our bag. We left 30 minutes later and
arrived at YVR at 10:30 AM. I slept the whole flight. Thank God!
We took an Uber home, unpacked, showered, and went straight to the office.
Yes, I'm a workaholic. My siblings and parents told me I was crazy. I had
lunch in the office and worked the rest of the afternoon. Even my manager was
surprised to see me during the daily meeting.