Post 9-11 and Travel Safety

It was Thanksgiving 2003. I was returning home from a week in Helsinki, Finland.

The trip back was slightly eventful, but safe, with a bit of a delay. There was fog in Europe, very low and very thick. It kept me from leaving Helsinki on time on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day to us) and when the plane arrived at Schiphol, we circled Amsterdam for about 1 hour. I originally only had an hour layover which turned out not to be a problem as my plane to the States was circling overhead also. My plane to the U.S. got low on fuel after circling for more than 1.5 hours in the air and it was diverted to London and my planned flight to the U.S. was canceled. I spent the night in a suburb of Amsterdam, waiting to find out if I was going to get a flight out on Friday on one of only two direct flights from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. I did get the morning flight out on Friday.

BUT, before we left the airport, security personnel was all over the airplane looking for a passenger with, of course, a middle eastern name, checking seat assignments of about 1 dozen people. No one was found matching the name and description of this missing passenger. Then, as the doors locked on the plane, one of the flight attendants found a package that belonged (I was sitting next to the kitchen, I heard their conversation) 'TO NO ONE ON THE PLANE', I repeat, 'NO ONE!' I kept waiting for them to get IT, THE PACKAGE, OFF THE PLANE which to my utter amazement DID NOT happen.

On a personal note: I never have dreams that I remember. However, the week before I flew I had the most vivid dream of a Northwest airplane crashing with me on it, a very unusual experience for me. Needless to say, my anxiety was quite high. I can be one of the most trusting people in the world, but my trust level was low at this point. I wondered throughout the flight just when the bomb was going to go off and asI was sitting in the back of the plane, I was even more concerned about my safety. Imagine my imagination!

Suffice it to say, I made it home safely. Soundly is always questionable.

debra:)