When flew home from your family reunion on Saturday, we had a layover in Chicago. We had done the same thing when we headed to the reunion last Tuesday. In fact we had to take a shuttle from one terminal to another on Saturday just as we had last Tuesday.
When we boarded the shuttle on Saturday, JDaniel was really upset. He clung to my side and said, “If you get on this bus, you have to sleep at the airport!” I pointed out that it wasn’t the shuttle that forced us too sleep there and that everything would be okay.Thank goodness it was.
What had happened on Tuesday?
Last Tuesday we tried to make to our family reunion in Arkansas knowing that our flight in Chicago might leave without us due to a short layover time. The ticket agent in South Carolina where we live said all the flights were booked for Wednesday and if we didn’t leave on Tuesday we won’t make it to Arkansas for Thanksgiving. We decided to take the risk.
Our flight left South Carolina an hour and a half late. That meant the connecting flight left forty minutes before we landed.
After talking to an airline employee at the help desk, my husband decided we would stay at the airport instead of looking for a hotel. My husband said it couldn’t be that bad and that is what the employee said he would do.
Here are things that made it bad:
We were sent to a very busy gate area to wait for our flight out the next morning that turned out not to be the right place.
Christmas music was turned on at midnight. It played over all the other airport noises.
The air temperature is set at chilly at night.
We were reminded all night long to remember not to bring in bottles containing more than 3 ounces.
The cleaning lady assigned to our area vacuumed under the benches we were trying to sleep on and then said, “ I’m sorry!”
The television monitors replayed the Republican debate until after midnight.
A flight left for Mexico City from the gate right beside the one our three year old was sleeping in and passengers were be invited to get on the plane by sections.
Bright lights shone down on us.
A security lady decided to chat with the cleaning lady in Russian.
The rain that delayed your flight continued pound on the windows.
The thin blanket the airline gave us was better than nothing, but I did try steal a corner of my three year olds lovey and he tugged it back. My husband “borrowed” JDaniel’s teddy to use as a pillow and got away with it.
The Starbucks across from your gate opened at 4:00 a.m. to be ready for the red eye flight from San Diego to arrive at 4:30 a.m.
We hope that we never have to stay in an airport overnight again.
Welcome! My name is Deirdre and I am JDaniel4's Mom. After teaching in Virginia for twenty years, I was a stay at home mom learning and growing beside my son JDaniel the 4th for five years. I recently went back to teaching at a local school here in South Carolina.
You are such a brave, brave woman. I’ve had to spend the night at airports very often when I was traveling for work, however I have never done it with a toddler. I’m glad that you were at least able to make it to your family reunion!
I didn’t realize that we were both from Greenville, I spent 5 years there before my company expatriated us, and now counting the days until we go back. I consider it home, even though I’m not from there!
Making It Work Momsays
Oh my goodness that is my worst nightmare. I always feel so bad when you see people stranded at the airports and having to sleep there. Next time I don’t think I would take your husband’s advice- there had to have been airport hotels, right?
It sounds like you guys did okay, though.
kimberly raesays
oh man, one time i had an overnight layover in DC – maybe 5 hours? and i had planned on sleeping in the airport but then when I got there, i was just like, no way, im springing for the hotel, i stayed at a hampton inn a couple miles from the hotel, got 3 hours of sleep, but was so happy i did it! at least you have a little adventure to write about!
Lolasays
What a nightmare – as a student decades ago a girl friend & I stayed the night in a Greyhound station to catch an early morning bus. Never again!
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a good weekend & look forward to *seeing* you again soon.
That doesn’t sound like a great way to begin a journey, especially with a youngster! I’ve never had to sleep overnight at an airport but slept/dozed most of a day away once, due to a missed flight.
Ticiasays
Goodness, gracious me. That sounds horrid. I’ve never slept overnight in one, I’d be too paranoid about someone walking up and stealing something while I “slept.”
That sounds like a nightmare! UGH I haven’t done that but just having a long layover drives me crazy!
~ Noellesays
Oh no!!! Hate to hear that… I have never stayed the night in an airport… to scared of all the “crazies” out there….
storybeadersays
that sounds like a terrible time. Hope the visit to see family was worth it! So cute how JDaniel related the shuttle to spending the night. Very observant! {:-D
Franciscasays
Oh yeah… on more than one occasion, and not always at modern clean airports! 😀 But I did not have a JDaniel4 to handle. Ouch!
Spending the night in the airport with a three year old wouldn’t even occur to me – hotel it is. We’ve been lucky so far – sorry that you had such an “adventurous” experience!
I have spent the night in an airport before…hoping to never never never ever do it again. Reminiscent of Tom Hanks and The Terminal.
Rebekahsays
That sounds like torture. I am always baffled why airports have chair arms on the chairs since there is always somebody who needs to lay down to rest/sleep and the chair arms make it impossible. We have had to put our daughter on the floor when she has needed to sleep at the airport but thankfully never for a full night.
I hope your family totally spoiled you for your pain and suffering on your voyage.
ohh my goodness!! That sounds awful! I have never had to stay the night at the airport.. but I was at one for 12 hours straight.. which included part of a night.. not fun!
Linda @ A La Cartesays
No I haven’t had to sleep in an airport and I hope I never do…does not sound like fun!
What a nightmare !! I think I would have gone beserk !
Jensays
When I was 19 I took my first plane ride by myself. It was to visit my boyfriend who was doing an internship in Tipton, Iowa (what was my mother thinking letting me do this?) I flew into O’Hare at 12:30am and we were going to drive the 3 hours to Tipton from there. We had made arrangments to meet at the gate (this is pre 9/11 and pre cell phones for that matter). So we landed and I sat at the gate. And I sat and I sat and I sat. Around 2am a very nice cleaning lady came up to me and tried to usher me out of the gate area (I was completely alone by then) but didn’t speak any English. She finally got me out to security and there was the bf standing on the other side. Apparently after midnight they didn’t let you through. It was traumatizing. So I hate O’Hare too, just for a very different reason;)
bluevioletsays
That sounds horrendous! I’ve been delayed for hours, but nothing like that! I’m so sorry you guys had to spend the night with all that going on around you. Ugh!
That sounds like a definition of hell! I haven’t spent the night at an airport. I have a friend who has. Because a lot of flights were cancelled, there were no hotel rooms available and no food. She and her friends tried to sleep on the floor. Now she always travels with at least some food.
Tammysays
That sounds insane! I feel so bad for you! Not a fun trip!
So…Emily came home today and said that her friend learned that if you don’t answer your phone in SC with “it’s a nice day in SC” that you get thrown in jail. I had to laugh but I told her I would find out…so…does this happen? And how do you answer the phone? 🙂 LOL
Oh my goodness! You poor, poor souls! I can’t even sleep on an airplane. I don’t know how you guys managed to survive the night with out TSA being involved. I would’ve been taken out of there in handcuffs and put on the no fly list! Glad you all survived!
taylorsoutbacksays
It sounds absolutely miserable for all of you…flying these days is a very far cry from years ago when it was a true pleasure and passengers were treated like royalty. What you described would never have happened.
RedTedArtsays
Eeek! Bad enough to do that as an adult, let alone with a 3yrs old! Would have been a an utter nightmare. Poor you!
☆☆Mumsysays
Sounds like a bad experience for all of you, but I’m glad you were able to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones.
Cathy Kennedysays
So, tell me…what did you really not like about it? lol Oh my gosh, that sounds terrible and I couldn’t imagine ever being stuck in that situation. Glad that’s past you. =D
I was once stuck–by myself–in the airport in Newark, NJ. It was heavy fog that shut down all the flights. What a zoo. After much phone discussion with my husband in San Diego (where I was traveling from) and my parents in Virginia (where I was traveling to), I decided to go to a hotel for the night. Hearing about your experience reminds me that I made the right decision. 🙂
Glad you made it home safe and sound with no more unexpected airport overnights!! 🙂
We had a really long lay over one time after a flight to Canada. Our whole flight was rerouted due to some mechanical problems on the plane that we were supposed to be on. We spent hours in the Toronto airport but were confined to a small area due to immigration/customs laws, then were rerouted to Dallas. After finding that our flight to Little Rock had already left before we landed, the air line put us up in a hotel. I was so glad when we finally got home. For the most part, I’d rather drive than fly…
Oh my ..I’m so sorry that you had to go through a delayed plane flight with your young son. I often take the red eye flight home to NY from Denver, and I know how airports are not conducive to sleeping!
Lizsays
I cannot imagine! Can.NOT! This is an experience you’ll never forget!
Oh my word!! I have not ever spent the night at an airport, and now I am certain I don’t want to. Sounds worse than a hospital! 🙂 ~visiting from Ms. Jenny’s!
Beccasays
Thankfully I have never had to spend the night in an airport. It sounds just awful!
Julie@teachinggoodeaterssays
I spent the night in an airport though my experience was the complete opposite of yours… complete and utter silence. I was studying abroad and traveling in Ireland with 2 friends. We took a late night train to Cork in order to arrive for an early morning flight, only to discover that there wasn’t a single place to stay- all of the inns, hostel’s etc. had closed for the night! We decided to just go to the airport and stay there. It looked eerily quiet, but when we walked up to the sliding doors they opened, so we paid the cab driver and walked in… For over an hour, we didn’t see a single soul— An entire airport, left open with no one in it!! Finally, the night cleaning person appeared only to tell us that we weren’t allowed to be in there. We told him our story and he decided to “hide us away,” in the baby changing room, where we spent the night sleeping on baby changing tables!
Hsays
What a horrible experience. In UK, we don’t hop on and off aeroplanes the way you do because the distances between places are so much smaller, so my horrendous journey stories would be about trains! (Thankfully, never an overnight stay though!)
You are such a brave, brave woman. I’ve had to spend the night at airports very often when I was traveling for work, however I have never done it with a toddler. I’m glad that you were at least able to make it to your family reunion!
I didn’t realize that we were both from Greenville, I spent 5 years there before my company expatriated us, and now counting the days until we go back. I consider it home, even though I’m not from there!
Oh my goodness that is my worst nightmare. I always feel so bad when you see people stranded at the airports and having to sleep there. Next time I don’t think I would take your husband’s advice- there had to have been airport hotels, right?
It sounds like you guys did okay, though.
oh man, one time i had an overnight layover in DC – maybe 5 hours? and i had planned on sleeping in the airport but then when I got there, i was just like, no way, im springing for the hotel, i stayed at a hampton inn a couple miles from the hotel, got 3 hours of sleep, but was so happy i did it! at least you have a little adventure to write about!
What a nightmare – as a student decades ago a girl friend & I stayed the night in a Greyhound station to catch an early morning bus. Never again!
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a good weekend & look forward to *seeing* you again soon.
That does sound awful. Isn’t it ironic that you had to fly from SC to Chicago to get to Arkansas?
That doesn’t sound like a great way to begin a journey, especially with a youngster!
I’ve never had to sleep overnight at an airport but slept/dozed most of a day away once, due to a missed flight.
Goodness, gracious me. That sounds horrid. I’ve never slept overnight in one, I’d be too paranoid about someone walking up and stealing something while I “slept.”
That sounds like a nightmare! UGH I haven’t done that but just having a long layover drives me crazy!
Oh no!!! Hate to hear that… I have never stayed the night in an airport… to scared of all the “crazies” out there….
that sounds like a terrible time. Hope the visit to see family was worth it! So cute how JDaniel related the shuttle to spending the night. Very observant! {:-D
Oh yeah… on more than one occasion, and not always at modern clean airports! 😀 But I did not have a JDaniel4 to handle. Ouch!
Spending the night in the airport with a three year old wouldn’t even occur to me – hotel it is. We’ve been lucky so far – sorry that you had such an “adventurous” experience!
I have spent the night in an airport before…hoping to never never never ever do it again. Reminiscent of Tom Hanks and The Terminal.
That sounds like torture. I am always baffled why airports have chair arms on the chairs since there is always somebody who needs to lay down to rest/sleep and the chair arms make it impossible. We have had to put our daughter on the floor when she has needed to sleep at the airport but thankfully never for a full night.
I hope your family totally spoiled you for your pain and suffering on your voyage.
ohh my goodness!! That sounds awful! I have never had to stay the night at the airport.. but I was at one for 12 hours straight.. which included part of a night.. not fun!
No I haven’t had to sleep in an airport and I hope I never do…does not sound like fun!
I personally prefer to spend as little time at O’Hare as possible. No matter what time of day it is. I can’t imagine sleeping there.
wow I would never want to spend the night at the airport I think I would have got a hotel room hope the rest of your family reunion was better
No, and after hearing your story, I don’t think I want to!
Sounds like kind of a nightmare…
“/
What a nightmare !! I think I would have gone beserk !
When I was 19 I took my first plane ride by myself. It was to visit my boyfriend who was doing an internship in Tipton, Iowa (what was my mother thinking letting me do this?) I flew into O’Hare at 12:30am and we were going to drive the 3 hours to Tipton from there. We had made arrangments to meet at the gate (this is pre 9/11 and pre cell phones for that matter). So we landed and I sat at the gate. And I sat and I sat and I sat. Around 2am a very nice cleaning lady came up to me and tried to usher me out of the gate area (I was completely alone by then) but didn’t speak any English. She finally got me out to security and there was the bf standing on the other side. Apparently after midnight they didn’t let you through. It was traumatizing. So I hate O’Hare too, just for a very different reason;)
That sounds horrendous! I’ve been delayed for hours, but nothing like that! I’m so sorry you guys had to spend the night with all that going on around you. Ugh!
That sounds like a definition of hell!
I haven’t spent the night at an airport. I have a friend who has. Because a lot of flights were cancelled, there were no hotel rooms available and no food. She and her friends tried to sleep on the floor. Now she always travels with at least some food.
That sounds insane! I feel so bad for you! Not a fun trip!
So…Emily came home today and said that her friend learned that if you don’t answer your phone in SC with “it’s a nice day in SC” that you get thrown in jail. I had to laugh but I told her I would find out…so…does this happen? And how do you answer the phone? 🙂 LOL
I will NEVER sleep at the airport again. Did it on our Honeymoon and it was awful.
I feel bad for you and I can SO relate!
Yikes, that sounds like quite a night! Excited to be exchanging cookies with you!
http://dailmomlife.blogspot.com
Oh my goodness! You poor, poor souls! I can’t even sleep on an airplane. I don’t know how you guys managed to survive the night with out TSA being involved. I would’ve been taken out of there in handcuffs and put on the no fly list! Glad you all survived!
It sounds absolutely miserable for all of you…flying these days is a very far cry from years ago when it was a true pleasure and passengers were treated like royalty. What you described would never have happened.
Eeek! Bad enough to do that as an adult, let alone with a 3yrs old! Would have been a an utter nightmare. Poor you!
Sounds like a bad experience for all of you, but I’m glad you were able to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones.
So, tell me…what did you really not like about it? lol Oh my gosh, that sounds terrible and I couldn’t imagine ever being stuck in that situation. Glad that’s past you. =D
Oh my goodness. What an experience!
I was once stuck–by myself–in the airport in Newark, NJ. It was heavy fog that shut down all the flights. What a zoo. After much phone discussion with my husband in San Diego (where I was traveling from) and my parents in Virginia (where I was traveling to), I decided to go to a hotel for the night. Hearing about your experience reminds me that I made the right decision. 🙂
Glad you made it home safe and sound with no more unexpected airport overnights!! 🙂
We had a really long lay over one time after a flight to Canada. Our whole flight was rerouted due to some mechanical problems on the plane that we were supposed to be on. We spent hours in the Toronto airport but were confined to a small area due to immigration/customs laws, then were rerouted to Dallas. After finding that our flight to Little Rock had already left before we landed, the air line put us up in a hotel. I was so glad when we finally got home. For the most part, I’d rather drive than fly…
Oh my ..I’m so sorry that you had to go through a delayed plane flight with your young son. I often take the red eye flight home to NY from Denver, and I know how airports are not conducive to sleeping!
I cannot imagine! Can.NOT! This is an experience you’ll never forget!
Oh my word!! I have not ever spent the night at an airport, and now I am certain I don’t want to. Sounds worse than a hospital! 🙂
~visiting from Ms. Jenny’s!
Thankfully I have never had to spend the night in an airport. It sounds just awful!
I spent the night in an airport though my experience was the complete opposite of yours… complete and utter silence. I was studying abroad and traveling in Ireland with 2 friends. We took a late night train to Cork in order to arrive for an early morning flight, only to discover that there wasn’t a single place to stay- all of the inns, hostel’s etc. had closed for the night! We decided to just go to the airport and stay there. It looked eerily quiet, but when we walked up to the sliding doors they opened, so we paid the cab driver and walked in… For over an hour, we didn’t see a single soul— An entire airport, left open with no one in it!! Finally, the night cleaning person appeared only to tell us that we weren’t allowed to be in there. We told him our story and he decided to “hide us away,” in the baby changing room, where we spent the night sleeping on baby changing tables!
What a horrible experience. In UK, we don’t hop on and off aeroplanes the way you do because the distances between places are so much smaller, so my horrendous journey stories would be about trains! (Thankfully, never an overnight stay though!)