Passengers kept waiting in the wings

An airport departure lounge in the thunderstorm-prone summer afternoons is like a visit to a dental office in the US. You move to a smaller and smaller space for sessions of endless waiting. At times it is tantamount to waiting for a dentist called Godot to show up.

Last Thursday, I was to fly back to Beijing after hosting a forum at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival. I heard from a friend that a storm in Beijing had caused chaos with flights. So, I had the festival double check before I left for the airport.

A volunteer diligently called up the airline and was told that my flight would take off as scheduled. However, when I arrived at the airport for my 2:50 pm flight, it was clear no aircraft could reach the capital any time soon. With a professional smile - or a smirk, to be more exact - the check-in lady advised me to change my flight or obtain a refund.